esoo tries to make a wa handle

[esoo]

So I posted elsewhere that I purchased a Kono HD2 with a cracked handle. I figure that I'm somewhat handy so I'm trying to make a new wa handle. This thread will be to show my trials and tribulations. It's going to be the first handle I've ever made, so I'm bound to make some mistakes and start over so we will see what happens.

So here is the original cracked handle.

I've knocked that off as Kono handles are attached with hot glue. About 10 minutes in a 180F oven got the glue soft enough to move the handle with a hammer and block. About 5 minutes more and I was able to pull it off. Another 5 minutes in the oven and 8 was able to clean all the glue off the tang.

The starting tools. These are out as I've already tried some tests about drilling a straight hole.

Cutting the block down to length using a mitre box. I've used the length of the existing Kono handle and added about 5mm so that I have a bit of extra working length.

Marking out the head end of the handle. I'm using the handle of my Tanaka x Yohei 240 as a template as I find it very comfortable. It's a touch larger than the chestnut handle that came off the HD2 (which is larger than the ho wood handles they use)

And that's as far as I've gotten today. Time to go make dinner.

 

[ptolemy]

tease!
we demand more!

 

[esoo]

You'll get more as I get there.

As I should note, the plan is a burnt oak handle. I have some bog oak, so if this works, you may see me making another.

 

[ptolemy]

good luck! i love these dyi projects

 

[nexus1935]

Eager to see your progress @esoo . I've been thinking about a DIY handle too, but haven't taken the plunge. This thread will certainly be helpful in getting me there!

 

[jedy617]

Same, gonna try and start some soon

 

[Ericfg]

The starting tools. These are out as I've already tried some tests about drilling a straight hole.

The hardest part for me is drilling holes straight. I bought a cheap, Harbor Freight drill press and an extended-length drill bit for my holes and I had less than 50% success with perfectly straight holes. Those long bits tend to wander though I suspect it was user error as I think I may have forced them too hard.
I think I had the most success using a short, tiny bit to start a straight hole and then gradually worked my way up in bit length and size.

 

[esoo]

The hardest part for me is drilling holes straight. I bought a cheap, Harbor Freight drill press and an extended-length drill bit for my holes and I had less than 50% success with perfectly straight holes. Those long bits tend to wander though I suspect it was user error as I think I may have forced them too hard.
I think I had the most success using a short, tiny bit to start a straight hole and then gradually worked my way up in bit length and size.

If you look at the my first picture, you'll see a drill block right in the middle of the picture. Using that (and clamps to keep it in place), I've been able to get suitably straight holes in my test pieces even with extended bits. It was cheap (~$10CAD) but it seems to be very effective,

 

[esoo]

So I did a bit of work today which I can say was experience but not success.

So the goal today was to drill out the tang hole. First choice was on the size of drill bit. I've got two extended length bits - 7/64 and 3/16. The 7/64 would be awesome as it is just a touch bigger than the tang. It would make a great fit if I could get machinist level of precision, but that is not happening, so I chose the 3/16. The bit is just a touch larger than the slot that was in the original Kono handle.

Based on my past testing, trying to drill into the end of a piece of oak is a bit of a pain. Due to the different densities in the grain, the bit wants to wander (and I don't have a good center-punch to mark the spot). My bits are also not brad points so I have to get creative. So my plan was simple - saw a groove along the center line to ensure that the holes I drill line up.

Well, that was easier said than done. The saw I used didn't want to to cut into the end grain of the oak that well. I did get a small groove and figured it was good enough. Measured the width of the tang, marked it off and drill a few small holes to start the larger bit. You can see the results.

That top hole ended up out of alignment. Not exactly what I was planning. Well, I decided to carry on.
Next step was to drill the holes. Using the tip of the drill to index into the holes I previously drilled, I clamped the drill block down to the handle.

After drilling the end holes, plus one of the middle ones we get to here.

Well, don't like that. The bottom two are close enough that could be workable, but that too one is just too far off. That said, figured I'd try to use the drill to "route" out the slot as practice. Working the bit back and forth, slowly and carefully, I came up with this.

Yup, that slot is bent and it's already a bit wider than I'd like, so this is not going to be the handle. The other issue is that I messed up the length - it is way longer than I need (by quite a bit).

So handle 1 is a failure. Stay tuned as I start to work on handle 2.

 

[birdsfan]

Good luck Esoo! Just take your time and have fun with it. This might be the begining of a whole new knife journey for you. The coolest thing about making your own handles is that you can make them however YOU like them, custom fit them for your own preferences.

 

[esoo]

Good luck Esoo! Just take your time and have fun with it. This might be the begining of a whole new knife journey for you. The coolest thing about making your own handles is that you can make them however YOU like them, custom fit them for your own preferences.

Thanks. This is not a setback, just a chance to learn. I’ve got a few other knives that I’ve considered rehandling so we will see where this goes.

 

[tostadas]

Looks like progress so far. Those drill blocks are a bit finicky to use, especially when you're dealing with small cross section pieces, like a 1.5x1.5 handle. But it seems like youre already coming up with your own creative ways to work around the limitations of your setup. Keep it up! I'm looking forward to following you on your journey.

 

[M1k3]

So I did a bit of work today which I can say was experience but not success.

So the goal today was to drill out the tang hole. First choice was on the size of drill bit. I've got two extended length bits - 7/64 and 3/16. The 7/64 would be awesome as it is just a touch bigger than the tang. It would make a great fit if I could get machinist level of precision, but that is not happening, so I chose the 3/16. The bit is just a touch larger than the slot that was in the original Kono handle.

Based on my past testing, trying to drill into the end of a piece of oak is a bit of a pain. Due to the different densities in the grain, the bit wants to wander (and I don't have a good center-punch to mark the spot). My bits are also not brad points so I have to get creative. So my plan was simple - saw a groove along the center line to ensure that the holes I drill line up.

Well, that was easier said than done. The saw I used didn't want to to cut into the end grain of the oak that well. I did get a small groove and figured it was good enough. Measured the width of the tang, marked it off and drill a few small holes to start the larger bit. You can see the results.
View attachment 237294

That top hole ended up out of alignment. Not exactly what I was planning. Well, I decided to carry on.
Next step was to drill the holes. Using the tip of the drill to index into the holes I previously drilled, I clamped the drill block down to the handle.
View attachment 237293

After drilling the end holes, plus one of the middle ones we get to here.
View attachment 237292

Well, don't like that. The bottom two are close enough that could be workable, but that too one is just too far off. That said, figured I'd try to use the drill to "route" out the slot as practice. Working the bit back and forth, slowly and carefully, I came up with this.
View attachment 237291

Yup, that slot is bent and it's already a bit wider than I'd like, so this is not going to be the handle. The other issue is that I messed up the length - it is way longer than I need (by quite a bit).

So handle 1 is a failure. Stay tuned as I start to work on handle 2.

Looks like a perfect candidate for a ferrule

 

[esoo]

Looks like progress so far. Those drill blocks are a bit finicky to use, especially when you're dealing with small cross section pieces, like a 1.5x1.5 handle. But it seems like youre already coming up with your own creative ways to work around the limitations of your setup. Keep it up! I'm looking forward to following you on your journey.

Yeah the drill block is a bit of a pain, but after attempting to drill straight holes in other ways, it is the only way that I've managed to get the holes to where they should be usable.

And thanks. I figure if I do this journey in public, it may help someone else down the road when they get to making their own handles. And I'm not afraid of showing my mistakes.

 

[esoo]

Looks like a perfect candidate for a ferrule

Might be possible. The slot is large and effectively offset, so not sure if I want to go there with this. This block will still be used for testing a few things down the road, so not a complete waste.

 

[Caleb Cox]

Epoxy, especially when mixed with sawdust, can hide many sins!

 

[tostadas]

Epoxy, especially when mixed with sawdust, can hide many sins!

For the specific case of a torched handle, doesnt work as well to hide stuff because the epoxy/sawdust burns really quickly. Otherwise, yes it works.

 

[Caleb Cox]

With a torch you can char a handle waaaay before producing enough heat to burn cured epoxy. If blackened is the desired end result, I'd dye the epoxy rather than add sawdust.

 

[tostadas]

With a torch you can char a handle waaaay before producing enough heat to burn cured epoxy.

Please share if you have a good method for doing this! I've tried a few ways to hide an oversized tang hole for a burnt mono handle and still end up with a result where you can tell that the hole has been filled. And it's mainly because the epoxy/sawdust burns faster than end grain oak when I apply direct flame to it.

 

[Caleb Cox]

A few drops of a dye such as https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XD39K55/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
works like a charm on any 2 part epoxy that I've tried it with. Never had any issue burning or weakening epoxy when using a MAPP torch and keeping it moving.

 

[Caleb Cox]

A few drops of a dye such as https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XD39K55/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
works like a charm on any 2 part epoxy that I've tried it with. Never had any issue burning or weakening epoxy when using a MAPP torch and keeping it moving. You could also torch and brush the handle before ever mounting it.

 

[tostadas]

Nevermind. I dont think we're talking about the same thing.

 

[esoo]

A Sunday afternoon of experience and no success.

Took two tried to do the marking as I couldn't do math today.

So I tried two things to help get the holes straight. Tried the saw again, and it wandered so not straight. Tried to use a chisel and a very small bit. Still no luck.

These are shallow enough that I can cut off the end and start over.

Need to figure out how to keep those holes in line.

 

[tostadas]

A Sunday afternoon of experience and no success.

Took two tried to do the marking as I couldn't do math today.
View attachment 237848

So I tried two things to help get the holes straight. Tried the saw again, and it wandered so not straight. Tried to use a chisel and a very small bit. Still no luck.
View attachment 237849

These are shallow enough that I can cut off the end and start over.

Need to figure out how to keep those holes in line.

In your case maybe better to accept that it's not gonna be centered, and just remark it after drilling.

And a trick I used when drilling by hand is to also mark a straight line down the length of the block on all 4 sides. Then when you start drilling, constantly rotate the block and sight down the length to make sure your bit is straight in all directions.

With the drill block you rely on your face to be perfectly perpendicular to the length, and the block flat with the face. Both have room for error, so this helps to check against it.

 

[esoo]

It's not so much about the holes being centered as in a straight line. Sure I can always re-mark, but I don't want a banana shape.

Had a bit of a brainwave this morning and thought of a way to do it. Quick test on a different block and it seems to work. Details later when I have a better chance to take other pics as I'm supposed to be working.

 

[esoo]

OK so how I figured out to get the holes straight in-line.

My thought was that I needed some sort of jig that I could use to keep the drill bit "in-line" as I move between spots where I'd want to drill for the tang. My "a-ha" moment this morning was to use my calipers.

Now my calipers are an old set of machinist type calipers:

I locked the calipers around a 1/16" drill bit to do my initial pilot holes, then clamped them on top of the block, centring the jaws on each side of the middle line. I then drilled into the block, just shallowly enough to create a spot for the next bit. You can see in this pic I drilled just inside of my offset hole that I did from yesterday.

I removed the clamps, reclamped the block and then stepped up bit by bit from 1/16" to 7/64" (which is the size of my smallest extended bit). The top hole looks a little oval due to the first slightly offset hole yesterday, and the holes have some sawdust in them, but I'm very happy with the result in regards to how in-line they are.

So today had some success. I still need to drill them to depth and then see about joining them together but I'm very happy with where I'm at today.

 

[RonB]

Here's another idea. A drill guide should make drilling holes perpendicular easier, and if you have enough room to clamp a straight edge to the blank, you can just slide the guide along the straight edge to reposition for another hole. There are cheaper versions, but I know this one works...

https://www.amazon.com/Big-Gator-To...=1681756290&sprefix=drill+guide,aps,80&sr=8-8

 

[esoo]

Here's another idea. A drill guide should make drilling holes perpendicular easier, and if you have enough room to clamp a straight edge to the blank, you can just slide the guide along the straight edge to reposition for another hole. There are cheaper versions, but I know this one works...

https://www.amazon.com/Big-Gator-Tools-STD1000DGNP-V-Drill/dp/B0061FY004/ref=sr_1_8?crid=26VN73VX3PDBG&keywords=drill+guide&qid=1681756290&sprefix=drill+guide,aps,80&sr=8-8

I am using a drill guide (you can see it previous posts), but there is no room to put a straight edge beside it. Even with the guide you've posted, I'd want to have some sort of pre-marked holes to aid in ensure that I was drilling in the correct spot and that is where my issue lay.

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

Try using a nail/brad for starter holes.

 

[RonB]

I am using a drill guide (you can see it previous posts), but there is no room to put a straight edge beside it. Even with the guide you've posted, I'd want to have some sort of pre-marked holes to aid in ensure that I was drilling in the correct spot and that is where my issue lay.

Then you can make the pilot holes as you are now and then use the guide I posted to finish drilling the holes. They should be perpendicular to the end of the blank. If you can clamp the guide, that should insure that the holes don't wander.