First 5 WA Handles

[ForeverLearning]

Thanks to a lot of help from JoboneCraftsman (another member of this forum and a great uploader on Instagram) I produced 5 WA handles and plan to make many more.



They're a combination of hidden and non hidden dowel construction. Finished to #400 (would go higher if they were going to be used) with a beeswax and mineral oil mixture.

Lots of work to be improved upon but thoroughly enjoyed the process!

 

[Bensbites]

Nice job. I remember my first handles and yours look a lot better!

 

[Matus]

Way better than my first handles (and frankly beyond that). There is absolutely nothing wrong with a 400 grit finish. Not glossy, but will give a little more secure grip.

 

[milkbaby]

Very nice work!

Also agree nothing wrong with 400 grit finish, nice grippy feel, and in some cases gives a different look to the surface that is still appealing to the eye.

 

[ForeverLearning]

Thanks for all the comments, a few improvements I am aiming for next:

#1 - start with larger blank to avoid final dimensions being too small due to drilling off centre (biggest improvement)
#2 - Play with taper and chamfer sizes for research (going to make practice handles out of cheap wood)
#3 - Ensure blanks are square before drilling, ensure square after glueup. Square is king!
#4 - Start stabilizing at home

 

[JoBone]

They look great, just need to purchase or make some knives to go with them

 

[ForeverLearning]

I don't really know what to do with them, I will make a few knives personally but couldn't afford anything good to rehandle.

They're un-stabilized so I doubt anyone would be interested in buying.

Have any of you guys purchased un-stabilized handles?

 

[JoBone]

A lot of woods do not require stabilizing. I may have shared this reference from Ben earlier

http://greenbergwoods.com/wood-identification-and-info/

 

[Tim Rowland]

Those look great for a 1st go at it.
Much better than my 1st time trying.
With some practice I bet your work will be awesome.
I concur with everyone else saying 400 grit is great for grip and actual use.

 

[ForeverLearning]

I wanted to share what I consider my most achieved handle yet. It is a hidden dowel construction of padauk, brass and, cherry.

It measures:

23.5 x 27 tapering to 20.5 x 23.5 and is 128mm (5") in length.

It weighs 47g too.

Finished to 400 grit and coated in a beeswax/mineral oil paste.

 

[ForeverLearning]

Second to that is this:

It is a visible dowel construction, consisting of purple heart and tulip wood.

It measures:

25.5 x 28.6 tapering to 21.24 x 24.5,

130mm long (~5", I am metric so forgive me for not giving it in 16'ths or 1/4'ers)

It weighs:

47g

Overall I'm very happy with this too. I have a few idea for improving dowel positioning during glue up as I did have a couple handles go astray on me.

 

[ForeverLearning]

Question is what do I do with them all now?

 

[JoBone]

They look great

 

[ForeverLearning]

A few close-ups of another handle:

Visible dowel construction made of bubinga and brass.

It measures 23 x 24 tapering to 18.5 x 21.7 and is 128mm (5") in length.

I chamfered the front and back identical to the sides to see what it would look like.

 

[ForeverLearning]

I also really liked a walnut and ebony/african blackwood combination I created. Unfortunately I sized it too big/square and decided to freehand a taper as opposed to marking lines like all my other handles. This meant I went wildly off path the dowel is now no longer aligned. It is a great looking handle though.

 

[BryceMorsley]

How do these feel in the hand? They look quite square; photos can be deceiving though.

 

[Bensbites]

I don't really know what to do with them, I will make a few knives personally but couldn't afford anything good to rehandle.

They're un-stabilized so I doubt anyone would be interested in buying.

Have any of you guys purchased un-stabilized handles?

Plenty of people value unstabilized woods for their lightweight. They will not throw off the balance of a small lightweight knife. You can always seal them with 100% tung oil.

 

[ForeverLearning]

How do these feel in the hand? They look quite square; photos can be deceiving though.

A few are too square and I wouldn't give them away. The walnut one is definitely too square but the others I have posted individually all fit nice in the hand

 

[Danzo]

Since that walnut one is fairly square you probably have a chance to realign it by removing the excess. I make only a few marks on my handles, and do the majority by eye. The more you do it the easier it gets.

 

[NO ChoP!]

It takes a bit of measuring, and a bit of guessing, but I etch the final square I want to achieve on the front and back of the handle, and I constantly check to make sure I am removing material evenly. I insert the handle into the knife, and etch the center on top and bottom of handle, as well as the center line I would like the profile to follow. This will help you gauge the end square. I have also found anytime I try to be thrifty and stretch the life of my disc paper, I regret it. I am doomed to always learn the hard way...

Your handles look great! I still am too impatient to work with metal spacers.

 

[ForeverLearning]

It takes a bit of measuring, and a bit of guessing, but I etch the final square I want to achieve on the front and back of the handle, and I constantly check to make sure I am removing material evenly. I insert the handle into the knife, and etch the center on top and bottom of handle, as well as the center line I would like the profile to follow. This will help you gauge the end square. I have also found anytime I try to be thrifty and stretch the life of my disc paper, I regret it. I am doomed to always learn the hard way...

Your handles look great! I still am too impatient to work with metal spacers.

Yeah I learnt the hard way with them. Loosened 3 handles before I stopped over-heating them.

Just made a batch of 5 and worked on them bit by bit so the brass had time to cool down.

 

[Chefgibson]

Some nice combos there. Impressive first batch

 

[Bensbites]

Yeah I learnt the hard way with them. Loosened 3 handles before I stopped over-heating them.

Just made a batch of 5 and worked on them bit by bit so the brass had time to cool down.

I have found red label abrasive to sell quality belts. They claim SiCarbite is slower to build up heat. unless someone I trust comes along with something different, I have no plans to switch from red label.

 

[ForeverLearning]

I have found red label abrasive to sell quality belts. They claim SiCarbite is slower to build up heat. unless someone I trust comes along with something different, I have no plans to switch from red label.

I'll keep that in mind. I've only used aluminium oxide belts. Just got to let things cool, if you wouldn't hold it against your hand then put it down till room temp

 

[NO ChoP!]

I find silocone oxide to clog super duper quick with wood. I use mostly aluminum on the belts with wood, and have recently switched to zirconia on the disc sander, as it has about double the life, and switching discs is a pita.

 

[ForeverLearning]

Put some work in to rendering images, I think its important that any potential customer should know what they'll be receiving.

What d'you think? I am also including tech drawings of all handles to avoid any confusion.

 

[Bensbites]

I find silocone oxide to clog super duper quick with wood. I use mostly aluminum on the belts with wood, and have recently switched to zirconia on the disc sander, as it has about double the life, and switching discs is a pita.

I have a sanding cleaning stick next to my belt sanders. It works great to extend the life of my belts.

 

[ForeverLearning]

Just finished my first customer order - 18 handles (2 sets of 9) so a step up from my past works.

Walnut - Perspex - African Blackwood

Made the leap and got a 12" disk sander and what an investment! Work went so much smoother!

When I couldn't work at home I used a community workshop too, the concept is such a good idea and I would encourage anyone to look out locally for such a space.

 

[ForeverLearning]

I am also thinking of revisiting my first handles and re-shaping/touching them up. Some comments of them being too square were not wrong and some slots were poorly shaped with room for correction. I get surgery for my ankle on Monday so when i'm off work sick I could potentially get on the disk sander and touch these up

 

[M1k3]

Looking good and hope you have a speedy recovery!