Wood Handled Knives

[luieb45]

I'm thinking about making some wood handled knives. I can obviously see that you need to use the blade that has the holes in it for making these knives but what else is needed as far as installing those brass rivets? I'm thinking about making the wood blanks myself out of either oak, walnut, maybe a maple if I can find it out in the woods. Do you think the wood handle is easier to do than an antler handle?

 

[Rifleman1776]

I'm thinking about making some wood handled knives. I can obviously see that you need to use the blade that has the holes in it for making these knives but what else is needed as far as installing those brass rivets? I'm thinking about making the wood blanks myself out of either oak, walnut, maybe a maple if I can find it out in the woods. Do you think the wood handle is easier to do than an antler handle?

Wood is about the same as far as difficulty when slabbing a knife. Your blade does not need the holes already drilled. You can do that and the slabs at the same time to make sure they line up. A hilt would be nice on most styles.

 

[necchi]

Wood is easy.
The easiest way is to score the handle where the wood fits and use a good epoxy to hold the wood to the handle.
Then simple steel rod(nails) or brass rod from the hardware can be put in the holes and lightly peened to stay in place.
The hard part is you don't want any of the glue to spill over to the exterior of the wood (wrecks the finish),,and drilling the holes in the wood handles.
The holes are best drilled from the opposing side when the handles are still in a large unfinished size, then sanded or filed to shape before finishing. If brass rod is used they can be installed before the shaping part and finish quite easliy with the wood.

It can be good practice to inlet the haft of the knife intoo the wood handle so the blade (Handle part) isn't seen.

 

[LRB]

If you want to be correct for 18th c., or early 19th c., use iron/soft steel for the pins. As Necchi said, epoxy the grips on also. The epoxy makes a water seal, and helps to stop internal rusting. Make your grips oversized. Using a few tiny drops of super glue down the middle of the tang, glue one grip in place. Drill the pin holes in it. Then rap it on a piece of wood to knock it loose. Clean off the remaining super glue, and repeat with the other half. Now pin the halves together, and shape the front of the slabs together like you want them. Sand the very front faces of the grips as far as you want them. Then install on the tang with epoxy and unpeened pins. C clamps would give you the tightest fit. Clean the epoxy from the area on the blade forward of the grips with acetone, or white vinegar. Fully shape and sand when dry. Then, using a suitable punch, punch the pins out, one at a time, and slightly countersink the hole, and install a new pin that you will peen. Then apply the finish, and that's it. You can dress off the peened pins and touch up your sanding if necessary. Brass rivets/pins were not commonly used until later in the 19th c., so to be more correct, use iron. Nails, or drill rod, welding rod, whatever, but keep the pin diameter at no more than 1/8" if possible. Good luck with your project. Oh yeah. I think you would have much better luck working with wood, and it would also be more PC for slab handled blades.

 

[ohio ramrod]

Loui. If you are just starting and plan on going out into the woods as you stated for your handle wood, remember that the wood has to be dried. If you make a handle with green wood it will look nice, but crack as the wood dries.If you want detailed information on making wood handled knives drop me a p.m. Here is a photo of some of my wood as well as antler handled knives

 

[swamp.fox]

you finish the blade except for final sharpening,
use 5 min epoxy and set one side of the handle material to the knife and set a brick or something
on it to press it down..give it 30 mins to harden..then drill thru the tang holes and wood on that one side, epoxy the second side on and let it harden agian for 30 mins.. then drill thru the second side from the first side (care taken not to rout out holes larger) clean up .. now pound your pins in..spray them with silicone if they are a bit tight.. once in..cut off , file or dremmel carefully to flush, pean a few times with appropriate punch , polish wood and done.