One tip I give, as a wood worker, is on how to "bake" wood. If someone is concerned about the porosity of their wood, or maybe they don't know if it's been stabilized, you can bake the wood to help make it more structurally sound. You don't need special tools either! Step 1: Move your rack in your oven to the lowest possible position Step 2: Turn your oven on to about 215°F (ideally in convection mode) and let it reach temperature. Step 3: Put your wood blocks onto a baking sheet and place them on the low rack Step 4: Bake for approximately 1 hour Step 5: Remove and place wood on a cooling rack (like what you use for cookies) and cool to room temp From there, you should have a much more stable piece of wood! Combine that with a good oil finish or lacquer and your handle should be very durable and last a long time!
I’m thrilled it was both timely and educational! Definitely check out the Dagger Challenge announcement today and consider building along with us! Thanks for watching!
I was working on a couple hidden tang knives yesterday. I buggered both of the up because I skipped a few steps that you covered today. I have done it correctly in the past but, I thought I could do it anyhow. Apparently not. Bugger... I may restart. Not sure yet. I'll give it a quick sanding and see how much blow out I have on my pin.
I've had good results using short Sawzall blades in a round handle for hogging out wood from hidden tang handles. The webbing left from drilling is easier to square up with hand files after this low tech broaching step . Just throwing it out there! 👍 😃
I’m currently refilming my Intermediate Series where I build a hidden tang knife in-depth step by step. Check that playlist out and follow along. 👍. Thanks for watching.
If you want your pins at 1/8”, then drill the hole in the tang at 3/16” (or the metric equivalent if you’re not in the US). That gives you some room to play and it will be filled with epoxy anyway. Thanks for watching.
That’s how I do it. I’m usually doing multiple blades but never thought to put the blade in the vise then clamp the handle 😂 I can always pick up something new!
Thanks for the lesson. I have had trouble with the pins on a kit knife and my first knife. I hope you enjoyed your trip to Hawaii. Also, are you going to be at the Blade Show in Atlanta?
I’m happy the tips were helpful. Hawaii was great, my son got married there. I will be at both Blade Texas (no table) and Blade Atlanta (with a table). Come by and say hi!
Brad point bits are only good for wood. Since you need to also touch/mark/drill the tang, you'll need a standard drill bit anyway. They are good for some operations though. Thanks for watching
I’ve mentioned drill bits in older videos. I use CleLine drill bits. You don’t need carbide or anything like that. Just drill slowly with cutting oil. Thanks for watching!
Every time I watch your videos I learn how to make better knives thatnk you for taking the time to make these videos and I know it is a lot of work to film and make stuff but you do a great job!!
