alternate method for fixing wood handle

[Wayne D]

Hi all,

There are quite a few posts on how to affix handles onto stick tangs, there is another method that no one has mentioned that I was taught as a child and has been used by the Romani for hundreds of years.

1. file a number of small grooves into the sides of the tang at intervals
2. makeing sure that all cross guards etc are allready in place on the tang, place the knife in a vice with the tang pointing up.
3. take a piece of wood a drill a hole slightly smaller up the center to slightly longer than the length of the tang.
4. boil a saucepan of water and reduce the heat to simmering.
place the wood in the simmering pan for 10-15 minutes
5. pour out the boiling water, take the wood out of the pan carefully and upend to make sure any water runs out of the hole.
6. whilst the wood is till hot and wet, hammer onto tang with a rubber or hide mallet, hammer down untill the wood is a tight against the fittings.

7. leave for 3 or 4 hours to cool and then shape wood to handle requirements.

Using this method doesn't heat the tang , so there is no worry of losing temper and as the wood dries it shrinks and bonds into the grooves of the tang.
I have never had a tang come loose using this method and I have knives over 20 years old that are fixed using this method.

[ZDP-189]

I gotta try that one day. Thanks!

[Kevin]

Hey..thats interesting.

It reminds me of soaking antler to soften it to do the same thing.

[Dave Barker]

interesting..

Can you explain more about the hole.. I am not quite with you.

[ggfh666]

Yes, the hole?
How do you know it will fit the blade?
Willl the wood soften that mutch?
Is it like burning a tang through the wood?
Never done that on either, but interested. Just too scared

[Kevin]

The thing is, is that I spend months and in some cases a year or two, seasoning my wood to dry it.....Soaking it in water to soften seems to defeat the object........Wont the wood deteorate, and crack?

[mic201m]

Hallo Wayne,
I presume you are using green wood for this?? with the grain
running parallel with the tang ?? as you get less shrinkage that
way once dry? great Idea saves on epoxy?

regards Mic.

[keith_beef]

sounds interesting, but I agree with Michael and with Coutel, that the grain must run a particular way to avoid cracking, and on the question of using green rather than seasoned wood.

How about making glue by boiling up rabbit hides? I would have expected that to be just as traditional a rural method.


KKK.

[Dave Barker]

sounds interesting, but I agree with Michael and with Coutel, that the grain must run a particular way to avoid cracking, and on the question of using green rather than seasoned wood.

How about making glue by boiling up rabbit hides? I would have expected that to be just as traditional a rural method.


KKK.

or you could just use shellack!!!

sorry couln't resist it!

[Wayne D]

Can you explain more about the hole.. I am not quite with you

Okay the hole
ole , lets say your tang is a 3 mm diameter and 50mm long, so you drill a 2mm diameter hole to a depth of approx 53mm ( the extra length of the hole prevents any splitting as the wood shrinks), when the wood is boiled it softens quite dramaticaly, not because it's absorbing water but because the heat is forcing the little tubes that make up the wood structure to 'soften' (i forget what they are called), so when you force the wood onto the tang it makes the wood compress around the tang and as it cools it shrinks onto the tang and becomes more even compressed.

Yes, the hole?
How do you know it will fit the blade?
Willl the wood soften that mutch?
Is it like burning a tang through the wood?

Not it's not realy like burning the tang in because that removes wood and destabilises and damages the wood around the tang. whereas this method doesn't.

Soaking it in water to soften seems to defeat the object........Wont the wood deteorate, and crack?

I haven't ever had that happen and you aren't soaking the wood as much as 'partialy cooking' it, once the handle has dried out you don't find a lot moisture in it as the cooling and shrinkage forces any mositure out

I presume you are using green wood for this?? with the grain
running parallel with the tang ?? as you get less shrinkage that
way once dry? great Idea saves on epoxy?

No I used seasoned Wood branches usualy, but yes in the majority the grain does run parrallel to the tang; Although I have done this with cross grain pieces -

sounds interesting, but I agree with Michael and with Coutel, that the grain must run a particular way to avoid cracking, and on the question of using green rather than seasoned wood

I have found that if you use green wood then the boiling process actualy forces out the sap and , when it dries after wards it appears to have 'forced' seasoned' it ( if thats a phrase?)

How about making glue by boiling up rabbit hides? I would have expected that to be just as traditional a rural method.

the problem with this method compared with the boiled wood method is that rabbit glue doesn't grip as well as 'shrunk' wood.

when I have made mistakes with handles fitted this way I have found the only way to get them off is by splitting the wood lengthways along the Tang line into 2 pieces


Have a go gents I think you will be quite pleasantly suprised at the end result.

[keith_beef]

I have found that if you use green wood then the boiling process actualy forces out the sap and , when it dries after wards it appears to have 'forced' seasoned' it ( if thats a phrase?)

A great explanation, Wayne. I'm definitely tempted to try it.

I once tried to "force season" a small piece of bay wood, by boiling it in walnut oil.

I've heard of weighting logs with chains and leaving them in a pond as a way of seasoning wood. I don't know if this is before sawing into planks, or after.


KKK.

[Tiffers]

As soon as I locate another blade to work with, I think I am going to have a go at this. I like the simplicity of it!

Tiffers

[Wayne D]

I think I am going to have a go at this. I like the simplicity of it!

Let me know what you think to it

[mic201m]

Hallo Wayne,

Out of the timbers you've used can you recommend some which have come out the best, any photos??

thanks mic

[Wayne D]

Out of the timbers you've used can you recommend some which have come out the best, any photos??

I've found closer grained timbers work well, and fruit woods or woods like Silver birch or Oak work very well.

If you look at the following link to some of my work the knives:

4" Utility
6"skinner/ Filleter
Churi1b
neck knife combo
neck knife model 2
all have their handles fixed using this method

http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/the...orge/my_photos

I have an unfinished project that I didn't like the dimensions of that has a handle fixed in this method that I will happily stick in a jiffy bag and bung in the post so you can look at what it's like, just PM me you address.