Cool thread and there are some really nice handles on display. Here is one of my most recent handles made from ebony and ironwoood with micarta and elforyn spacers. I look forward to posting some more content here in the future.
Show us your sticks (finished handle projects)...
- Thread starter cotedupy
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Here’s one for my Toyama petty - Desert ironwood and bog oak.
And one more.
Made this about 1.5- 2 years ago for my first collaboration with TF; W1 steel with a KU finish.
The handle is bog oak and mammoth ivory that was left over from another project. I like the combination of both an aged wood and old tusk. It goes really well with the KU hammered look, both being down to earth. I got the idea of using scales for a wa handle after looking at Matt Delosso’s work.
Made this about 1.5- 2 years ago for my first collaboration with TF; W1 steel with a KU finish.
The handle is bog oak and mammoth ivory that was left over from another project. I like the combination of both an aged wood and old tusk. It goes really well with the KU hammered look, both being down to earth. I got the idea of using scales for a wa handle after looking at Matt Delosso’s work.
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Very nice, I could use some mammoth in my life eventually
Love this. Very clean
tostadas
Hobbyist / Craftsman
A little post father's day BBQ
So this is straight from the grill?
What's the process now, you sand it a bit?
What's the process now, you sand it a bit?
tostadas
Hobbyist / Craftsman
Haha no it's not actually grilled. Propane torched.
Process is more or less the same as I have been doing. Size the block, mark the front and back dimensions, grind to size, mark and grind in the bevels, round the front and back, torch and brush away the soft burnt wood, then come back with a couple passes on my hard flat sanding surface to crisp up the bevels, then hardwax oil to finish.
Ah that makes sense! Should've known.
But somehow I just got this mental picture of this handle grilling away.
nice shine! what kind of finish did you use here?
That’s ridiculous grain. But does she shine
Thank you! I just sanded to 1200 grit and used "Tried and True" wood finish which is fairly natural. To be fair I took the video a few hours after applying the finish which likely helped
tostadas
Hobbyist / Craftsman
Sneak peek at something fun I'm working on.
A xerxes re-handle with bronze and blackwood
I made the handle from a 100 year old mahogany board. The knife is a Böker Core chef's knife that had a plastic handle.
My best friend is getting married next weekend, and her fiance’s wedding ring has been made from Irish bog oak. So this afternoon I’m making them up a yanagi for a wedding present, with bog oak for the main part of the handle, vine wood spacer, and winemaking oak ferrule. Should come out pretty cool hopefully...
Christ alive is bog oak hard to drill! And not helped by this... has my darling little sister been using my non-masonry drill bits to try drill through walls?
Why yes, I think she has:
Still though this is going to be a good example of how you hand drill a perfect tang slot, without having to resort to using a dowel.
A). You do it in two parts. The drilling of the main part doesn’t need to be neat. This cavity will get flooded with whatever glue or epoxy you use in the fit.
Then you glue your ferrule on, make and shape the handle, so at the end you’re drilling just the ferrule. Which is a billion times easier than using a long drill bit and trying to do the whole thing at once.
I’ll post some pics of this knife when done, but the tang slot will be completely invisible, and the handle will friction fit before I glue the tang in.
[Obviously this method doesn’t work for one-piece handles. Trying to drill one-pieces neatly and without a dowel, you’re f***ed whatever way you spin it.]
Why yes, I think she has:
Still though this is going to be a good example of how you hand drill a perfect tang slot, without having to resort to using a dowel.
A). You do it in two parts. The drilling of the main part doesn’t need to be neat. This cavity will get flooded with whatever glue or epoxy you use in the fit.
Then you glue your ferrule on, make and shape the handle, so at the end you’re drilling just the ferrule. Which is a billion times easier than using a long drill bit and trying to do the whole thing at once.
I’ll post some pics of this knife when done, but the tang slot will be completely invisible, and the handle will friction fit before I glue the tang in.
[Obviously this method doesn’t work for one-piece handles. Trying to drill one-pieces neatly and without a dowel, you’re f***ed whatever way you spin it.]
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tostadas
Hobbyist / Craftsman
Some extra pics of the handles on the recent kid knives.
tostadas
Hobbyist / Craftsman
How dimensionally stable are your vine wood and barrel oak? Do you dry em out completely before use, or if not, do they end up warping/cracking on you?
Umm, so...
Barrel staves are completely cured when you put wine into a barrel.* Otherwise they’d impart some weird flavours, and also move around and your precious gamay would spill out all over the cellar floor... quel domage! So working with them is just a matter of drying the water and alcohol out. Which only takes a few days, or hours in a low temp oven, cos they’re already cured and staves aren’t that thick in the grand scheme of things.
The vine wood that I use came from a vineyard that a winemaker friend of mine pulled up about 18 months before I got my hands on it. Which was more than enough, but I don’t think I would’ve wanted to use thick old vines like these without at least a year of curing. Vine wood is very twisted, and has massively varying density between the new year’s growth and the older wood.
* Though also ideally slightly damp. If you have a barrel that you’re not using for a year then you’d keep it filled with either water or trash wine, so the staves don’t shrink.
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Loved this. I need to befriend a local winemaker and get my hand on some material like that lol.
Completely pissed it down with rain from the moment I took those pictures, so only got round to doing the main shaping just now.
These WIP pics below are off an 80 grit belt and after drilling the ferrule. From here I’ll do the final shaping by hand sanding at something like; 120, 240, 400, finish with tung oil, then fit it. And as promised; we have a perfect, neat, friction-fit tang slot.
(I haven’t actually made a knife handle in quite a while. But I don’t think I’ve lost my touch, in fact this will end up one of the most beautiful I’ve ever done. Which is appropriate because it’s a gift for one of the best people in the world. If she wasn’t that - I would most certainly be keeping it for myself!)
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Tim Rowland
KKF Sponsor
This one was from a few months ago but I forgot to post it.
Carbon fiber, stabilized mammoth molar, g-10 liners, DeLorean g-10 main body.
this knife is now adorning a famous country rock singers kitchen local to me in Georgia.
Carbon fiber, stabilized mammoth molar, g-10 liners, DeLorean g-10 main body.
this knife is now adorning a famous country rock singers kitchen local to me in Georgia.
Attachments
Some extra pics of the handles on the recent kid knives.
Coming to you in a few years when my kids old enough. These are so neat
Well I don’t think the lack of match practice has negatively impacted my handle making game in any way. I have absolutely knocked this one out of the park, if I do say so myself.
The end grain bog oak, with the colour lightening as you get toward the centre of the tree, works beautifully with the vine wood spacer and dark wine oak ferrule. Tbh I kinda fluked the aesthetics - I didn’t know this combination was going to come out quite so nice when I started.
Now for some polishing...
The end grain bog oak, with the colour lightening as you get toward the centre of the tree, works beautifully with the vine wood spacer and dark wine oak ferrule. Tbh I kinda fluked the aesthetics - I didn’t know this combination was going to come out quite so nice when I started.
Now for some polishing...
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That's a life's treasure for sure Oli. Well done and good on you.
Ta, I was certainly pretty chuffed with how it came out. (But also now a little bit sad I'm having to give it away!)
Well, with @tostadas, @cotedupy and @KasumiJLA posting such beautiful work lately, I'm hesitant to post my much less impressive work in progress. But, it's all about the trying and the learning.
Really happy with my shaping on this one. The best I've done so far. I did botch the tang slot a little as you'll see but it's okay.
Just a couple quick vids to hopefully inspire others. You don't need a shop full of power tools to give this a try.
This is me "De-handling Station". A.K.A. the kitchen oven.
Got the first full coat of Tru Oil on. I'll post when it is done. Or, if you don't see any more ont his handle, something went bad.
Really happy with my shaping on this one. The best I've done so far. I did botch the tang slot a little as you'll see but it's okay.
Just a couple quick vids to hopefully inspire others. You don't need a shop full of power tools to give this a try.
This is me "De-handling Station". A.K.A. the kitchen oven.
Got the first full coat of Tru Oil on. I'll post when it is done. Or, if you don't see any more ont his handle, something went bad.
@HumbleHomeCook hey thank you for mentioning me! But hey, it's not a competition. It's always nice to be able to see the work of others and I have great respect for anyone who creates with their own hand. Keep on handle-ing my friend! 
