Why do we make knife handles symetrical?

N

Nomoemuny

Joined
Nov 19, 2004
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This is my first post so I would like to say Hi. I am new to knife making, and as I have been making handles I was wondering why do we always make the handle symetrical? I picked up a peice of my kids playdough and squeezed it in my hand and took a look. It was a very interesting shape but far from being the same on both sides. I know that different uses require different shaped handles but has anyone every experimented with a handle that was more shaped to fit your hand and NOT symetrical? I have been playing with the idea but kind of wanted some feedback. Sometimes the best idea doesnt turn out to be so great in reality so if anyone has some "been there done that" experience SPILL IT :) !
 
Nomoemuny said:
This is my first post so I would like to say Hi. I am new to knife making, and as I have been making handles I was wondering why do we always make the handle symetrical? I picked up a peice of my kids playdough and squeezed it in my hand and took a look. It was a very interesting shape but far from being the same on both sides. I know that different uses require different shaped handles but has anyone every experimented with a handle that was more shaped to fit your hand and NOT symetrical? I have been playing with the idea but kind of wanted some feedback. Sometimes the best idea doesnt turn out to be so great in reality so if anyone has some "been there done that" experience SPILL IT :) !
Click to expand...
on my wsk i made it smooth on the palm side and had finger grooves on the other side and i love the feel of it, i always wanted to take some type of resin and glob it on a tang and sqeeze it with my hand i think its a great idea!:)
 
Welcome! That's a tough question to answer, for me anyway. One thing about the human hand is that it can hold onto a variety of shapes. To me a straight handle with no flow to it is more difficult to minipulate than a handle that has some curves in it. I take and cut handle designs out of cardboard to see how they feel in the hand. It could be possible to do what you suggested with good results. The problem being is that everyones hand size and finger length is different. To come up with a handle shape, one size fits all with definately be a challenge.
Scott
 
Not all handles are symetrical.
I believe the menuki on a japanese blade is to give it a palm swell and aid in the grip.
Some custom makers also add a little bit more to the right side of a handle for the same reason.

But the hand is incredably adaptable and a palm swell is not always needed or sometimes even wanted.
 
The agrussell Shun knives that they had earlier in the year were not symetrical but the newer ones with plastic handle are .I bought the symetrical one ! Size and shape of your hand is the important thing . Also how do you use the knife ? A boning knife may be held many ways and must work in each position that's why the handles of the good ones are straight and simple.I find the 'cigar' shape of the traditional scandinavian knife, oval in cross section, the best. Oval to give indexing to know where the edge is located.
 
As stated above - Depending on the task, Knives are not always held in the same position within the hand. If you take your child's play clay and hold it in a different position the grooves no longer match that of the hand contour. Turn it upside down and the same problem occurs. Just one more obstacle in the search for the perfect knife.

RL
 
Last weekend I had an opportunity to play with a big Randall bowie. It had finger grooves that were very unique; they started at the bottom of the handle and extended around to fit the fingers rather than being symmetrical on both sides. It was a good feeling. But the knife was made left handed so it didn't feel quite right in my own grip. The grooves were very slight so it wasn't uncomfortable, just obvious it had an intended way to hold it. This could be a downside; it sure limits the number of people who'd be a candidate to own - or at least use - the knife. Like others have said, multiple uses are why symmetrical handles are most common.

One thing about custom knives - you can do anything you or your customer want.

Welcome to the forum!
 
I make most on my knives with ergonomic handles.They can be made to fit the owners hand if they are a custom order.I use clay and play dough to form models to work from.As stated already,a straight,symmetrical handle is commercial,but not necessarily comfortable.
 
Most of mine are not. There are very subtle differences from side to side. If you play with a knife and some masking tape a little, you will find that a very small amount can cant the blade a great deal.

Further, different types of knives need different changes. A fighter for instance, needs special attention paid to the thumb so a proper fencing hold can be had.

The general consensus is that a large Bowie is intended to be used upside down. This gets real interesting when refining the grip.
 
Here is a picture of my third knife. Its a 3.5" drop point skinner if you cant tell by the bad photo made in a damascus (my digital camera is really really old). I made the handle with finger groves because the last time I used a skinner on a deer my hand kept on slipping because of all the body fluids on the handle. I suppose I should have left the handle a little rougher for better grip but I just couldnt make myself leave it like that. One of these days I will figure out this whole handle thing! :)
 
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