A couple of videos of how I take the knife handle from the square to the finished shape using bandsaw, belt grinder and rasp. All the knife details can be found on my website http://www.vongruffknives.com/ The JT Ranger knife in the last video is the prototype knife and the sample pic will be uploaded to the website in a week when the knife is finished although all the details are there under the knife design/other knives section.
Thanks Mitch. cutting the initial shape on the bandsaw has reduced the grinding belt usage and can now do over 4 to 5 times the number of handles on the one belt than I could by doing it all on the belt grinder. I use the cheaper AO belts for the handles so I can keep a sharp belt that cuts quicker and more cleanly.
Helpful videos ther vongruff. Just been re-shaping my old mans knife blade that snapped at the handle, just wondering what wood would you recommend for a handle? not too sure on where to look and what to look for. thanks anything helps
IP Logged
Von Gruff
Donor Member
Offline
Posts: 491
Location: South Otago
Joined: Mar 8th, 2009
Gender:
Re: Shaping knife handles Reply #5 - May 1st, 2018 at 6:39pm
Any of the hardwoods will make a good handle. I have used walnut, jarah, rimu, hickory, bluegum and a lot of exotic woods as well. The other thing you can use is to go to a kitchen bench maker and get a piece of corian which is one of the synthetics or make your own micarta with strips of paper, linnen or canvas soaked in fiberglass resin and pressed together.
The ability to do comes with doing
IP Logged
Tama
Just Joined
Offline
New Zealand's Hunting and Fishing Forum
Posts: 33
Location: Hamilton
Joined: Apr 24th, 2017
Gender:
Re: Shaping knife handles Reply #6 - May 2nd, 2018 at 8:45am
thanks ive actually got some fiberglass resin so might look into that. does the wood have to be dry? If I was to harvest my own how long would a good time to wait before I use it. cheers
IP Logged
Chase and Gather
Forum Senior
Offline
Posts: 537
Joined: Jul 30th, 2008
Gender:
Re: Shaping knife handles Reply #7 - Aug 30th, 2018 at 9:22pm
Hi there. I like the idea of shaping the handle with the bandsaw. What about your stainless/brass pins, bolts, tubes etc that holds the scales to the tang? Doesn't that blunt your blade too much when cutting through them??
Political correctness is a doctrine which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.
IP Logged
Von Gruff
Donor Member
Offline
Posts: 491
Location: South Otago
Joined: Mar 8th, 2009
Gender:
I have bi metal blades (10 tpi) for my wood working bandsaw the same as the 18tpi bi meta blades on my meta cutting bandsaw. Buy from NZ Bandsaw Brian 09 267 8570
The ability to do comes with doing
IP Logged
tinass
Active Member
Offline
Out there having a go !
Posts: 84
Location: northland
Joined: Oct 11th, 2014
Gender:
Wasn't getting much conversation over them so stopped posting but have made over 250 in the last 18 mnths nad they have customers in 7 different countries now. Buffalo horn and brass Safari Hunter Damascus Buffalo skinner with buffalo horn bolster and spalted eucalyptus Buffalo skinner with buffalo horn bolster and exhibition walnut, with a Pocket Ranger with Zebrawood. Pair of daggers with brass and walnut Buffalo skinner with copper and ebony Pair of Old Westerns with Buffalo horn bolsters and Swamp Kauri 7 1/2 inch Chef with exhibition walnut Hunter skinner with brass and Accacia A pair of Bowies Copper and Tambotion one and micarta with eucalyptus on the other Bowie with blued steel guard and eucalyptus
The ability to do comes with doing
IP Logged
Von Gruff
Donor Member
Offline
Posts: 491
Location: South Otago
Joined: Mar 8th, 2009
Gender:
General purpose kitchen knife with paper micarta and a paring knife with benchtop acrylic A thumbrest skinner and a mini skinner, both with buffao horn bosters and accacia A pair of Lion knives. One with Accacia and the other with eucalyptus Mini skinner (buffao horn and wanut) and Hunter skinner with accacia Filleter and Fisherman with natura canvas micarta Safari knife with buffalomhorn and zebrawood set of table knives/steak knives with paper micarta over red liners 7 1/2 inch Chef with eucalyptus Safari knife with buffalo horn 8 1/2 inch carving knife with paper micarta AH EDC with Giraffe bone Pair of 7 1/2 inch Chef knives with exhibition eucalyptus Pair of Safari knives brass and buffalo horn and brass and giraffe bone
The ability to do comes with doing
IP Logged
Von Gruff
Donor Member
Offline
Posts: 491
Location: South Otago
Joined: Mar 8th, 2009
Gender:
Pair of buffalo skinners with buffao horn and eucalyptus AH EDC with buffalo horn Safari Hunter with buffalo horn and maple Mini skinner with buffalo horn and eucalyptus A few more ready to ship off Chef set 7 1/2 inch, 5 1/2 inch, general purpose and a paring knife with paper micarta Field scalpel with Beech Burl Fisherman with walnut Pair of buscraft hunters. one with Koa and the other with OD micarta More bushcraft hunter This lot ready to ship
The ability to do comes with doing
IP Logged
Von Gruff
Donor Member
Offline
Posts: 491
Location: South Otago
Joined: Mar 8th, 2009
Gender:
Thumbrest skinner with swamp kauri J T Ranger wth swamp kauri A variety ready to go Bowies, a skinner and a hunter skinner Bowie, 2 pig stickers, J T Ranger,hunter skinner, skinner, bushcraft hunter and an A H EDC GP, wapiti knife, hunter skinner, boner and fiel scapel Hunter skinner with Myrtle Bushcraft hunter with myrtle hunter skinner with buffalo horn and accacia thumbrest skinner with buffalo horn and accacia Field scalpel with beech burl This was for a road trip where I was seeing a few outlets Table knives/side plate knives Chef set with cleaver Sgian Dubh Wapiti knife with oak and walnut Hunter Butcher and Big Game knife with buffalo horn and accacia JT Ranger, lion kife and a pig sticker pair of skinners. buffalo horn with swamp kauri and accacia wapiti knife walnut) GP knife (buffalo horn and eucalyptus) and a safari knife with brass and zebrawood A H EDC with spalted beech Safari knife (brass and zebrawood) and bushcraft hunter with swamp kauri Pair of J T Rangers one with swamp kauri the other with buffalo horn
The ability to do comes with doing
IP Logged
DHDS (Deerhunter Duckshooter)
Forum Senior
Offline
I Love inspirational quotes
Posts: 674
Location: Taranaki
Joined: Oct 26th, 2014
Gender:
These five ready to ship. Raindrop stainless damascus. #1 is stabilised spalted eucalyptus with carbon fiber pins over copper curve backed bolster. #2 is Buffalo horn with blue liners over brass curve backed bolster. #3 is stabilsed spalted eucalyptus over ebony with carbon fiber pins. #4 is pig sticker with accacia over 1095 HC blade and #5 is Hunter kinner with accacia over 1084 HC blade
The ability to do comes with doing
IP Logged
Von Gruff
Donor Member
Offline
Posts: 491
Location: South Otago
Joined: Mar 8th, 2009
Gender:
Re: Shaping knife handles Reply #27 - Aug 28th, 2019 at 4:42pm
I am now offering my (wood only at this stage) knife handles with the brass or nickle silver disc inlet for personalised initials etc by the customer. I may look at working through the process for bone and horn at a later date.
The ability to do comes with doing
IP Logged
Von Gruff
Donor Member
Offline
Posts: 491
Location: South Otago
Joined: Mar 8th, 2009
Gender:
After a great deal of time and expense the box finally arrived from South Africa with the giraffe bone and impala horn. Much of this is preordered for 7 giraffe bone and three impala horn handled knives but expect to have sufficient left for other orders in the near future.
The ability to do comes with doing
IP Logged
Von Gruff
Donor Member
Offline
Posts: 491
Location: South Otago
Joined: Mar 8th, 2009
Gender:
I decided to cut the giraffe bone (or most of it) today to get enough for the knives that are ordered. All of the bones had one end cut off (to facillitate the process for export) so I marked the bone off in 5 inch lengths and cut them with the metal cutting bandsaw.
The knob end still had some of the porpous honeycomb type bone and was not usable but I got 4 good engths from each of the arger bones. One side of all the bones was too thin for the knife handles but may work for pocketknives which I do not do.
I have a guage for the other bandsaw that I use for cutting the scale thicknesses so set to (having the apropriate breathing gear on as there is a lot of dust made and floating in the air.
I managed to get three pieces plus core waste from the larger bones but just two from the smaller ones.
With enough cut for these ones. From the right is a Lion knife, 6 Safari knives and a Light Hunter. The last Safari knife (marked on the taped blade is to be this years knife giveaway and will have curve backed buffalo horn bolsters where the rest will be full giraffe bone handles.
The ability to do comes with doing
IP Logged
Von Gruff
Donor Member
Offline
Posts: 491
Location: South Otago
Joined: Mar 8th, 2009
Gender:
Having done that and having three of the Light hunters to do with the Impala horn handles I had a serious look at and some research on the usual handles done with this material and many are in fact bone jiged to resemble the horn so I found where the old time horners(those who work with the horn) would heat the horn to near 350F and it would become pliable so I did that and have it clamped flat so will see in the morning how it has reacted to this procedure. The orders are for handles from the horn that Tony had hunted and wanted for his sons so as there was a set of extra horns in the box I cut these first to check the process.
Cutting the appropriate length from the smaller set
Splitting them lengthwise and removing the core which is dried and loose inside.
Ready for heating and clamping flat
The ability to do comes with doing
IP Logged
Von Gruff
Donor Member
Offline
Posts: 491
Location: South Otago
Joined: Mar 8th, 2009
Gender:
First stage completed sucessfully with only a short crack at the end that will not effect the length needed for a knife handle. There was some springback from the 9mm thick they were clamped (down from about 16mm) to but as this is old and very dry horn I am going to boil it next in black dyed water and re-clamp to fix the thickness needed. It was sugested that I use oil to boil/heat in but my concern is that there may be oil penetration into the horn and conflict with the epoxy
The ability to do comes with doing
IP Logged
Von Gruff
Donor Member
Offline
Posts: 491
Location: South Otago
Joined: Mar 8th, 2009
Gender:
A couple of new designs today. I killed one of my sheep for the freezer and two of the knives I use were in need of an update. Without going into the mechanics of sheep killing I needed a slightlu more directable handle and the knife I had been using for dicing the meat after it was boned out was proving unsatisfactory in that it had a wasted portion of the blade in the curve from the flat to the tip. and while the flat portion was good the curve to the tip made it unwieldly so a while back I made a shorter one but this showed the need for a longer flat portion. I had wanted to do this for a while and this had prompted me to "get on with it". The slaughterman has a 7 inch (1/8 1084) blade that I have made a fraction wider at the heel end and a little fuller in the handle while the dicer has a 7 1/2 in x 1/8 in 12C27 SS blade for a 12 1/2 overall length.
The ability to do comes with doing
IP Logged
Von Gruff
Donor Member
Offline
Posts: 491
Location: South Otago
Joined: Mar 8th, 2009
Gender:
Have some leatherwork ahead of me to get sheaths doen for this lot finished today.
A Light Hunter (1084) and a Lion knife (1095) with giraffe bone fixed with stainless pins.
An order for some Safari knives with giraffe bone on 1095 with titabium pins. There is another one to finish shaping the handles but that will join the group tomorrow.
A Mini Skinner in 1084 with spalted eucalyptus over curve backed buff horn bolsters with brass pins
The ability to do comes with doing
IP Logged
Von Gruff
Donor Member
Offline
Posts: 491
Location: South Otago
Joined: Mar 8th, 2009
Gender:
And the new design knives for myself. The slaughterman with stainless 3 pin copper bolster and ebony handles with cpper pins on the 1084 blade.
The slicer is for when I have broken down an animal and want to dice the boned out meat. It has 3 brass pins in the copper bolster with copper pins in the ebony handles on the 12C27 stainless blade.
And this with giraffe bone handles and titanium pins with 3 SS pins in the curve backed buff horn bolster on the 1095 blade.
The ability to do comes with doing
IP Logged
Von Gruff
Donor Member
Offline
Posts: 491
Location: South Otago
Joined: Mar 8th, 2009
Gender:
Re: Shaping knife handles Reply #41 - Oct 7th, 2019 at 11:57am
These are ready to ship #1 is a Hunter skinner with raindrop damascus, buff bolsters and macrocarpa handles. #2 is another giraffe bone handled Safari Knife #3 is a buffalo handled Hunter skinner #4 is an Acacia handled skinner and #5 is a Skinner for me with curve backed copper bolsters and giraffe bone handles. Have given thae previous ones away but might just keep a hold of this one.
The ability to do comes with doing
IP Logged
Von Gruff
Donor Member
Offline
Posts: 491
Location: South Otago
Joined: Mar 8th, 2009
Gender:
Re: Shaping knife handles Reply #42 - Oct 10th, 2019 at 5:22pm
Finally finished the impala horn handled knives and quite pleased with the result. I used rimu as the bolster with a piece of black G10 facing and ebony for the pommel.
The ebony pommel was treated like the bolster end and socketed into the horn end with the threaded rod drilled into the ebony to create another gripping surface for the epoxy.
I added black dye to the epoxy and waited for everything to set up overnight.
This gave me the basis for the handle so a shaping session was next.
And with a fine sand and buffed it was time to add the finish to the resulting handle.