What is so great about tapered tang?

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PegLegPeat

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I am a really new knife maker and don't know much yet. The question on my mind right now is why taper the tang on a knife. I understand that it would lower the weight, but that can be done by drilling holes. It seems like a lot of extra work for not much extra result. Is this practice purely for asthetics?

Thanks in advance

Peat
 
The effect is subtle, and shows eye for detail. especially when trying to fit bolster and handle material. Yes its lighter and I use it on knives that are more expensive and less utilitarian. When you put some coloured fish paper between the steel and the handle it is a great look.
 
if you taper the tang and the blade the balance is night and day different. Go ahead and make the same knife one without taper, one with. Compare them and report back with what you learn! I think if you handle a tapered blade that will answer your question.
 
Yes drilling holes can lighten the tang, however you cannot match the balance effect with tapering. You also do not see any production knife with a tapered tang, it is a mark of a custom knife.

Del
 
Paragon made a George Herron hunter with a tapered tang, nice balance. I confiscated the Paragon from my hubby, I really like it.
 
Another benefit of the tapered tang (and stick tangs) is you save steel. Maybe not so important now but in times when steel is/was scarce or expensive it may be more so.
 
69_knives said:
Another benefit of the tapered tang (and stick tangs) is you save steel. Maybe not so important now but in times when steel is/was scarce or expensive it may be more so.
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Only if you forge, really.

I combine a tappered tang with drilling to shift the weight forward. The visual aspect of it implies a lightness as well... which helps even further. It really isn't much more difficult, construction wise. After I did my first few, I was hooked.

Rick
 
69_knives said:
If you have your material waterjet cut you can overlap the stick tang areas. a 4" length of steel bar should allow you to build two 5" handles.
Click to expand...

Ah, yes for stick tangs, definately... but tapered tangs?


Rick
 
Enjoying the aspects of a fine custom, vs. a mass produced something is a lot like any other appreciation of a fine thing.

Kind of like wine. As a boy I didn't appreciate the difference between a good wine and a not-so-good wine. Today I do.

I expect that with exposure, you will come to appreciate the difference in both appearance and balance that you get with a tapered blade and tang, or any other well balanced knife.

I'd suggest you go to a blade show and handle a knife made by one of the Mastersmith's or other seasoned makers. There is a real disconnect between what you see with your eyes and feel in your hands. You'll swear they contain anti-gravity.
 
You can save weight by drilling and if you're really studious you can shift the balance around by drilling different sized holes and where you locate the holes. When I used to build and fly competition free flight model there was a study done on weight savings, the drill to reduce weight versus thinner, better selected wood stock. By carefully selecting thinner wood you were able to have a lighter airframe that was actually more rigid than just drilling a hole.

Tapering a tang is the next step (in my opinion) after you NAIL the basics of a full tang blade. Get your grinds right, get the fit and finish of handles to tang, THEN learn to taper tangs, there are some difficulties with getting pin/bolt holes straight and other fit up issues with a tapered tang than with a flat tang.

It's a way to showcase your abilities in a subtle yet important way. You'll impress educated knife buyers a lot more with a simple, well built knife with a tapered tang than a bunch of filework and fancy materials on a flat tang.
 
Ok, sounds interesting but I think I will put it on the back burner for now. Maybe someday when I get a flat grinder set up in the workshop I will try it. I have been drilling holes al the way through and part way through, all over my tangs. I really like the weight forward and bance it gives, but more would be nice. :)


Peat
 
This might seem minor, but another aspect of tapering tangs is strength. When you put side deflection on a tapered piece of steel, it forms an arch, which is one of the strongest structures. The arch seeks to distribute stress evenly throughout the length of the arch. On the other hand a tang that is not tapered (even though the metal may be thicker) is not as strong. This is because when side deflection is placed on it, the stress seeks out and concentrates itself in in the weakest area it can find...meaning that a straight tang will not endure as much stress as a tapered tang. One more consideration is that if you combine a straight tang with too many weight reduction holes, you have created a significantly weaker tang that you would have with a tapered tang and only a couple of weight reduction holes. I know that some will not understand or see the value in this, but combining those "little touches" in a knife is the difference between just building a knife, and building a great knife.

This is the same principle that applies to tapering blades, and it works the same for the tangs as it does blades.
 
Exactly Ed..... great point. Not many folks can digest the fact that removing material can strengthen a structure if done properly. I believe fullers(blood grooves) were used to enhance rigidity as well as lighten blades... am I right? There are many myths about that.

Rick
 
I've made a few blades with forged in fullers, but I never actually tested them to see if rigidity was enhanced. It would make sense to me though, since you see many items/part with pressed in grooves/fullers that are obviously there to increase the items' rigidity, that it would work the same in a blade.
 
Good to see you posting, Ed. I saw that you had a setback on another thread. Best of luck and get well soon!!
 
Tomorrow will be a week since the surgery, and I still have two more weeks before I'm allowed to do anything...so I'm spending my time surfing the web, and have probably visited BF (and all the other knife forums) about 20 times today! I've never been one to sit around an do nothing, so this forced stillness is driving me nuts!:)
 
Ed
Sounds like time to break out the pencil and paper, or auto cad and start dream drawing.
Get well soon.
 
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