Making a Slab Knife Handle

Written by Marvin Shipley in May / June 2007 Hammer & Tong

Materials required:

1. Phenolic 3/8" thick - length and width, depending on the tang to be covered.
2. Acorn nut screws - (nickel silver or stainless steel) each nut is drilled and tapped 3/16" deep. I use 5/16" diameter and one inch long 8/32" set screw adjusted in length to fit total thickness of material (phenolic & steel tang). C'Bore nut depth in each handle.
3. West System Epoxy

Equipment Required:

1. Hack Saw
2. Belt Sander (belts 36, 120, 220, 400 grit)
3. Rivet Drill (R04) you can sub this with a #19 drill and a making C'Bore 5/16" with a .165 pilot.
4. Scribe
5. Band Saw
6. Knife
7. Buffer and buffing compound
8. Sandpapin roll form (same grits as in #2)

Procedure:

Cut two pieces of phenolic (use 3/8 thick) to fit over each side of your blades tang. Make sure they are the same width and length. In the middle of the tang, clamp one piece of phenolic onto one side of your handle tang.

Note: Handle tang must have pre-drilled holes. 166 in diameter. Drill the top and bottom holes while supporting the handle on a 3/4" thick board.

Take your acorn nuts with the screw and insert in the holes you drilled and then move the clamp to one end and drill the middle hole.

Scribe the inside tang contour onto the phenolic.

Remove this handle and clamp other handle side to tang. Repeat above steps to drill three holes and scribe outline of tang to this side.

Using a 5/16" rivet drill or the 5/16" C'Bore with a .165 pilot, drill the outside faces holes to a depth of .330/.340. The heads of your acorn nuts should protrude .095/.105 above the handle surface. Check your nut lengths as they may vary. The ones I use are .320/.325 in length.

Take your handles to your bandsaw and cut out leaving the scribe line on the handle. Install handles with screws and acorn nuts top and bottom. Tighten them together. On the belt sander, sand the top end(blade end) of the handles , making a 45 degree angle on the outside edge.

Remove the acorn nuts and screws and lightly sand the inside of each handle slab to remove the gloss surface. This will aid the epoxy bonding to these surfaces.

Mix the epoxy and apply to the inside surface of one handle slab. Insert the acorn nuts and 8/32 screws into the handle holes. Insert this onto the handle tang. Coat the inside surface of the other handle slab and place over the studs. Add the remaining three acorn nuts and tighten. Set aside until epoxy dries.

Sand the outside of the handle to match the contours of the metal tang. You may also shape the handle slabs to suit your liking. Do not cut into the acorn nuts. Use 36 grit first to do the rough shaping then 120, 220 and finish with 400 grit belt. Clamp the knife blade in a knife vise and hand sand all the areas not sanded with the belt sander.

Finally cut off the heads of the acorn nuts and sand flush to the surface of the handle material.

Polish the handle to your desire.

-- RebStaup - 01 Feb 2008