A Handlemaking Question

I have a question directed to all the crafty handle-making vendors out there: What is the bare minimum in woodworking tools needed to make a functioning wa handle?

I'm a hobbyist bladesmith that has (only recently) successfully forged and heat-treated my first blade. Now I'm looking to make the most basic handle out there so I can use the blade I have created. I'm not worried about anything fancy like exotic materials, just plain functionality - I would even buy the prefabricated ones if they were easy to get around here. I figure it'd be a good idea to ask you guys what basic equipment to buy for now, and later down the track I'll splash out on some more as I improve.

The only wood-working tool I have now is a belt grinder. I'm not sure what tools I should be looking into for handles and wood working in general, any advice would be appreciated!

Something to mark it out- a small square, a pencil, a ruler
Something to cut the wood, a handsaw works, a bandsaw is easier
Drill to make a hole, a hand drill works a pillar drill is easier
Something to shape it - you have a sander already so nothing extra needed except maybe a few jigs to square off the ends of you're going for a multi piece Wa handle.

Other tools make it easier / quicker but practice is key

I did a WIP a few years ago but the pics broke and I couldn't find a way to fix them

Hi, I am about to try to make my first WA handle. I found the following thread very helpful:

http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/showthread.php/19259-WIP-How-I-Make-a-Wa-Handle

The only power tool I have is drill press and I think that you really want one to drill consistently and under well defined angle.

Good to see my idea of using a slotted dowel to form the recess for the tang has been picked up by other makers, I spent weeks of head scratching trying to come up with a better way than using small drills to try and make a slot, keep the opening neat, and reinforcing the joint without cutting a mortise and tenon. Was one of those wake up in the night and sketch a pic hurriedly moments!

If you can afford a cheap 10" chop saw and router you'll have an easier time with the bevels if you intend on making more than a few octo wa handles.

Solid info, thanks everyone.

It looks like I'm gonna have to invest in a chop saw/miter saw. I'll try to get something that can cut both metal and wood if such a thing is practical or even exists.
I'll also see if I can get away with a hand drill mounted to a solid object instead of buying a drill press, pushing the work-piece into it via a guide.
Let me know if any of this is a terrible idea :razz:

Thanks for coming up with the idea TB_London. I'd give you more credit for what I'm sure makes the job easier, but I have yet to make one for myself!

If I get some time later I'll post some stuff about my previous attempts at casting handles out of molten aluminum. It worked and they're alright, but they're just too damn heavy for me to bother perfecting the method.

I'd put drill press on top of the list. If you can drill the hole fairly straight in a rectangle piece of wood, you can work with it less oversize so to say. Everything else you can eyeball on the grinder imo, just stick something into the slot while shaping so you shape it straight in regards to the tang slot you made.

Priority and minimum required equipment will depend on each their own , some can make things with files and drill , some require milling machine to make sure every surface is dead flat
I found drill press and grinder the absolute necessary equipment to have . Without drill press you can not work on harder woods , and you can get pretty straight tang holes vs drilling by hand .
Grinder allows you to hog off material very fast , something it's not easy to achieve with files and rasps . A disc sander is great if you want to make sure every surface is ground evenly without high and low spots however you can replicate it with a flat granite slab and Sandpaper ( and lot more time and patience )
I hope it helps

Minimum tools:
Fire, sandpaper, knife. Burn in hole in handle.

Recommended tools (hand):
Block plane, spoke shave, chisel, saw.

Rough shape handle. Saw blank in half, and plane flush. Cut small slot for tang to fit tightly. Glue together with blade. Finish shaping

Highly recommended: drill press for hole. Disk/belt sander for shaping.

Grinders are fast, but I can work almost as fast with a good hand struck rasp or spokeshave---and much safer. For real hogging off--use a bandsaw.

A lot depends on how perfect you want things.

Kippington, if you want a spokeshave, I can mail you my old one. It's a mujingfang based off a Stanley and works fine. Just pay shipping.

I can also recommend a few good, cheap tools. Some small planes (mujingfang Palm smoother/trim plane or old Stanley 60 1/2), saw (gyochiryo disposable saw at Hida). Get some old Japanese or cast steel chisels from eBay in smaller sizes.

For absolute bare minimum, I'd recommend doing the following:

1. Buy a turning blank that is surfaced all sides.
2. Saw in half.
3. On the flat machine planed surface, trace tang with pencil.
4. Cut out slot with dremel or chisel.
5. Glue together handle. You may want to use knife blade tang to keep slot clean. I like epoxy.
6. Shape handle
7. Glue blade to handle.

There you have: 1 disposable saw. Pencil. 1 chisel or dremel. Knife/plane/sandpaper/spokeshave for shaping.

I think that's $15-30 starting.

Fwiw, I don't recommend a miter saw. A self made bench hook or planing stop (can be a screw in the table), will be much more controllable and enjoyable (not to mention cleaner and quieter).

Come to think of it, if I ever get really bored, I may try to create a tutorial.

However, I can picture people like marko blowing my work out of the water.