Making a D-shaped wa-handle

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Hi guys,

I will be giving a try to making my first self-made wa-handle. It will be - at least this is what I hope to end up with - a D-shaped handle for a right-handed 240 or 270mm wa-gyuto. I already have an idea how to glue materials together and how to do the shaping.

What I am struggling with, as I have no experience with D-shaped handles, is the shape itself, the dimensions, and so on. I understand that for a size like 240 or 270 a total handle length of 5 6/8" (146mm) seems reasonable. A decent taper is an option. Can anyone post a cross-section / lateral cut of the front and rear end? I do not know where to place the finger line... It's not in the vertical center, is it? I guess it is slightly above the vertical center, no?

So, besides the length of 5 6/8" (146mm), what are the dimensions? 21 wide (vertical) and how high? My plan is not to make a huge handle...
 
I know the easiest way would be to copy a wa-handle which one likes. The thing is, I don't have any wa-handelled knives at hand, and I don't want to order a replacement handle for EUR 20 + shipping without knowing whether this one is too big or not...
 
not sure if it's the same in europe, but shuns are readily available everywhere here. If so, perhaps go to a kitchen shop, take some measurements on an appropriate sized handle, and use that as a starting point? You could buy a peeler from them or something if you feel bad about using the shop for such a thing but I'd doubt they'd mind.
 
I would start with octagonal to learn ropes and then try D. The learning curve on D is steeper than octagonal, otherwise you would see more aftermarket D.

M
 
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