Yet another wa handle tang slot thread

[gregfisk]

I made a tool originally for pumpkin carving but it works great for tang slots. It’s a ground down metal cutting saber saw blade and it works really well.

 

[HSC /// Knives]

@HSC /// Knives has done quite a few mono handles. 1 of mine in cut in half, made the slot, then glued back together. The other one was solid. Maybe he has some advice?

You can use a cap



Reciprocating saw blades work well to broach out a slot



2p-10 glue to glue two parts together

 

[natto]

I've thought about splitting the wood. Carving out the tang hole and glueing the wood back in place. Friction fit handle done.

But that might be seen as cheating.

 

[cotedupy]

"I've only tried 4 times, but they all turned out perfect. Haha, sucks to be you, Ian!" -cotedupy.

Ha! Alas no. There have been quite a few that weren't completely perfect, and a number of outright failures too.

In the end I found another solution though, by jacking up the price of monos to a level where people stopped asking for them. Like taxing tobacco.

 

[McMan]

maybe if I did it on the press it would be better controlled, but idk… handles barely fit vertically on my press, and especially with a long bit it seems so easy for it to travel. With the instructions people post online it seems like people just drill a bunch of perfect holes in a line and voila there’s a slot, but that seems like impossible magic to me.

A lot of good suggestions so far...
Here's one I've found helpful: Don't underestimate how helpful pilot holes can be. Two things are working in your favor--(1) it's easier to keep track of a thinner bit and (2) you can lay out smaller holes more easily and then these become guides for the larger bits. If the holes drilled by the smaller bits are close together, then the larger bit will remove the wood between them. Let the bits do the work

Dremel also has all types of long mill/file bits that make short work of squaring the hole. Unless you're philosophically opposed to Dremel (I struggle with my own hypocrisy here...).

handles barely fit vertically on my press, and especially with a long bit it seems so easy for it to travel.

I'm assuming you have one of the smaller benchtop drill presses and not a standing one or a big bench one? If so, you can rig something up where you put the handle in a bench vise, put two bricks or 4x4s or whatever on your bench to raise the drill press, and go from there.
As to the long bits, keep in mind you can cut them to the length you need. Bits are cheap. If you can shorten it to the length you need instead of using the length it came (8" or 12" or whatever), that can help add control too.

 

[ian]

Man, this is great. So many very specific and good suggestions.

 

[stringer]

Man, this is great. So many very specific and good suggestions.

No this is terrible! Makes me want to make a handle.

 

[Boynutman]

Working on an octagonal mono handle now. Walnut so that is esay to work with.

Used a very long 3mm drill bit with a hand drill. Without a drill press I reasoned I can only drill straight in one plane, so I held it straight in the horizontal plane and let the holes more or less converge (semi controlled ) in the vertical plane. So it roughly followed the tang shape.

Used Corradi needle files (flat and arrow) to file it out.

Works, but still somewhat oversized.

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

When I was buying stuff for a small work space a few months back, I really considered something like this:

https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/sho...MI6O688an3_QIVvwitBh2l6wMEEAQYBiABEgKssvD_BwE
There's various styles out there. Also, pay attention as some are made specifically for corded or cordless (different chuck OD's).

You'd have to reconcile how to mount/hold the handle. A passthrough hole in the bench and maybe a creative jig with some clamps?

Just, ya know, do math.

 

[deltaplex]

I'm always refining how I do it, and I've already got adjustments planned out for the next go 'round when things warm up enough outside to make being in the garage tolerable again. I'll echo the portions of what's been said above about making custom tools from old jig/reciprocating saw blades and cutting drill bits to custom length for what you need. The biggest thing for me is treating the cosmetic face separately from the rest of the slot. You have a lot (comparatively) of wiggle room with not being exact when boring out the internals and essentially none if you are off angle while forming the cosmetic part. I find it very helpful to put some "bumpers" on my material removal tools by using ones that have the cutting portion completely in the body of the handle when removing material from there and a different set of tools for removing material from the cosmetic part. It's fiddly, but I invariably end up messing up the cosmetic part while removing material from the non cosmetic part if I'm cavalier about my abilities.

 

[FloWolF]

Only came to mention home made broaches - I have 2 or 3 I made from jigsaw blades I mounted in handles, with the backs ground off towards the point, and also I ground extra teeth on the first few mm of the back near the tip. There's a good one you can buy called the Dragon Broach, and that's what inspired me to put the extra teeth on the back side of mine.
Cheers!

 

[esoo]

I also wonder if the neck is slightly larger than than tang - that way when you attach the handle the neck covers the hole.

Since I said this in this thread, here’s an example

 

[icanhaschzbrgr]

Since I said this in this thread, here’s an example
View attachment 239153

I don't think I've seen this on any of Japanese made blades. Even Kato's and Shigs aren't bothered to go this far.
I guess only a handful of western custom makers is bothered to put such grind on tangs