Some craft stores may also sell epoxy glue. Wood does have some drawbacks that you should bear in mind when thinking about purchasing a knife with a wood handle. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 40, times. It was originally introduced as an electrical insulator and easily one of the best plastics out there for making knife handles. These beautiful micarta scales are created with blue scotch brite pads and fiberglass resin It has very similar properties perhaps slightly inferior to carbon fiber yet can be had for almost a fraction of the cost. Oval handles are better since they wood knife handle designs the wood knife handle designs to the grip and deliver the ability to apply twisting force.

This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. There are 25 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 40, times. Learn more There is a certain beauty to handmade knife handles. The process of making custom knife handles may take a while, but it is easy once you know what to do.

Best of all, you can have a beautiful custom knife to show off at the end. We've been helping billions of people around the world continue to learn, adapt, grow, and thrive for over a decade.

Every dollar contributed enables us to keep providing high-quality how-to help to people like you. Please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow.

Log in Social login does not work in incognito and private browsers. Please log in with your username or email to continue. No account yet? Create an account. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. By using our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Cookie Settings. Learn why people trust wikiHow. Download Article Explore this Article parts.

Tips and Warnings. Things You'll Need. Related Articles. Part 1 of Make or obtain a full-tang knife blade. A full-tang knife blade includes a metal blade and a bare metal handle.

The handle tang part should be already cut in the shape of the wood handle scale. Wrap 3 layers of tape around the blade part of your knife. Duct tape or electrical tape will work the best. You can use masking tape, but you'll need to use more layers. Wrap the tape from the tip of the knife all the way down to the base, where the blade ends. Do not cover the tang. This will reduce the chances of the knife cutting you, or of epoxy getting on the blade.

The tape will not only keep you from getting cut while you work, but also protect the blade from getting chipped or scratched. If you can still feel the blade through the tape, simply wrap more tape around the blade. For a nicer finish, ensure that the grain runs along the length of the wood. You can buy these pieces online from stores that specialize in knife-making supplies.

Great types of wood to work with include: apple, ash, bois d'arc, hickory, peach, pear, and pecan. Cut the pins, if needed. If you purchased a knife kit, the pins may already be cut for you. If you didn't purchase a kit, you will need to cut the metal rod into 1 in 2. Set the rod down on a stable surface, then use a metal saw or file to cut it into 1 in 2.

Some knives have 2 holes while others have 4. The metal rod needs to be thin enough to fit through the holes in the tang.

The thickness of the rod varies from knife to knife. File down the ends of the pins, if needed. Once again, if you purchased a kit, the pins should already be filed down for you. If you cut the pins yourself, there will likely be sharp burs on each end. File these down using a metal file or grinder. You will be filing them down later so that they are flush with the scales. Line your vise or clamps with plywood and plastic wrap. You won't be using this until you are ready to glue everything together.

Epoxy glue sets quickly, however, so it would be a good idea to have everything ready. Attach a piece of plywood to each side of your vise. Fold a sheet of plastic wrap, then tuck it between the vises, like a taco. If you don't have that, use 2 to 3 smaller vises instead. The plywood will protect the wooden scales from getting dented by the vises. The plastic wrap will keep the epoxy glue from getting everywhere.

If you don't have that, you can try wax paper instead. Part 2 of Tape the scales and tang together. Stack the scales together with the sides you want to be on the outside of the handle facing out. Set the tang on top, then wrap a piece of masking tape around the middle to hold everything together.

Be careful not to cover the holes in the tang. If the scales and tang wobble, wrap a second piece of tape around the end of the tang and scales. Masking tape will work the best here because it has a strong hold but leaves little residue. Use a drill press to make the first hole using the tang's holes as a guide.

Set the knife down on your drill plate, with the tang facing up. Insert the drill bit into 1 of the holes in the tang. Start the drill and press down on it, making sure to go through both scales. Stop the drill press and lift the bit out. You may find this easiest to do with a drill press, but a handheld drill may do the job.

Insert a pin into the hole, then do the remaining holes. If your tang has 4 holes in it instead of 2, drill the second hole diagonal from the first. Insert the pin, then drill the remaining 2 holes, working diagonally. Insert the pins as soon as you finish the holes.

Use a hammer to tap the pins in. Remove the tape and trace the tang onto the scales. Peel the piece of tape off, but leave the pins and tang in place. Trace around the tang with a marker. You will eventually sand this off. Remove the tang and cut the scales.

Lift the tang away, but leave the pins inside the scales. Use a band saw or a scroll saw to cut the scales just outside the line that you traced. You will sand the scales to fit the tang later. The pins will hold the scales together. Sand and polish the top edge of the scales. After you assemble the knife handle, you won't be able to sand and polish the top narrow edge that touches the base of the blade.

The blade will get in the way, so it's best to do this now. Simply tape the scales together, then sand and polish the top edge as desired. Sand the edge down with and grit sandpaper. Finish off with a buffer. It would be an even better idea to insert the pins into the scales. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Knife newbies often fall into the trap of assuming that the knife handle is simply an aesthetic choice. However, in reality the type of handle is extremely important to the overall performance and characteristics of the knife. These materials Cherry Wood Knife Handle Key can be metal , synthetic or natural and each with their own set of strengths and weaknesses. Stainless steel provides excellent durability and resistance to corrosion but is not particularly lightweight. In addition, stainless steel handles can be rather slippery so manufacturers have to incorporate etching or ridges to provide the required friction.

Pros: Strong, durable and corrosion resistant Cons: Heavy, can be slippery. Aluminum, usually anodized for color, hardness and protection, is a very durable material for knife handles. The most common type of aluminum used today is the T alloy which has tremendous tensile strength.

Properly texturized, an aluminum handle can provide a reasonably secure grip that is also comfortable and easy for extended use. On the downside, if you use your knife quite a bit during colder winter months, you might find the handle uncomfortably cold given its conductive properties. Aluminum is generally considered inferior to its stronger, yet more expensive brother Titanium which tends to be found on the more premium knives.

Pros: Strong, light, durable, resistant to corrosion Cons: Cold to hold, can be a little slippery, susceptible to scratches and dings. Titanium is a lightweight metal alloy, and it offers the best corrosion rust resistance of any metal.

Note that both Titanium and Aluminum suffer from being prone to scratches as compared to stainless steel. Titanium can be given a unique and attractive color through the anodization process which is particularly common on custom knives.

Further, it can be texturized through bead-blasting. Beware the Titanium marketing machine however. Pros: Strong, light, corrosion resistance Cons: Relatively expensive, prone to scratches. Carbon fiber is a somewhat generic term referring to thin strands of carbon being tightly woven then set in resin. The result? A tremendously strong yet lightweight material that is also rather expensive. Production of carbon fiber handles is a labor intensive process, though, so it tends to be found only on the higher-end knives.

This stuff is not cheap! Pros: Strong, lightweight, eye-catching Cons: Expensive, brittle. Micarta is a popular branded example of a phelonic — which refers to different substances made with the organic compound Phenol a type of resin.

Thin layers of linen cloths are soaked in a phenolic resin, producing a product that is lightweight, strong, and looks somewhat dressier than G It was originally introduced as an electrical insulator and easily one of the best plastics out there for making knife handles. Unfortunately, Micarta in and of itself has absolutely no surface texture, is very slippery and smooth, and requires quite a bit of hand labor to produce and then carve some sort of texture into the knife.

This makes it pricey , which translates to a higher priced knife. Note many will tell you that Micarta can be easily scratched but let me assure you that this is not the case. Micarta is very hard and is not easy to scratch at all. Sure it will scratch under attack from sharpened steel, just like G and carbon fiber will but in general it holds up very well indeed.

G is a grade of Garolite that is a laminate composite made of fiberglass. It has very similar properties perhaps slightly inferior to carbon fiber yet can be had for almost a fraction of the cost.

The manufacturer takes layers of fiberglass cloth and soaks them in resin, then compresses them and bakes them under pressure. The material that results it extremely tough, hard, very lightweight, and strong. In fact, G is considered the toughest of all the fiberglass resin laminates and stronger though more brittle than Micarta. Checkering and other patterns add a texture to the handle, which makes for a solid, comfortable grip. The production process can utilize many layers of the same color, or varying different colors to achieve a unique cosmetic look on the G handle.

Tactical folders and fixed blade knives benefit from the qualities of G, because it is durable and lightweight, non-porous and available in a variety of colors. G is currently one of my favorite handle materials for tactical knive s. While cheaper to produce than carbon fiber, it still has to be cut and machined into shape which is not as economical as the injection molding process used in FRN handles.

Pros: Tough, light, durable Cons: Brittle, lacks elegance. In practical terms, I find Micarta, G and Carbon Fiber to be very similar in terms of their qualities as a knife handle material.

Wood Shop Vacuum Accessories Google Soft Close Drawer Slides How They Work Data Letter J In Russian Journal