drilling handle material for tapered tang

[SHOKR]

hey

im about to do my first tapered tang finish and im having trouble with drilling the scales (but it does seem im over thinking this)

the opinions i got where:

1 use popsickle stick to make the tang horizontal

2 grind the scale parallel to tapered tang

3 do nothing

and i saw on the S R Johnson video he uses a clamp to hold the blade

now im not so sure about the popsickle, the grinding scales is not an option, and i don't know about doing the nothing. also i have no clamp for such set up yet

any other suggestions?

i bought an angle gage (havent got it yet) and was thinking about angling the drill press table itself

 

[grant]

I drill holes through the tang one size too big. Then I switch to a drill that's the right size for my pin stock, clamp a scale on and drill holes through the tang holes and through the scale. Then I clamp on the other scale too and drill through the drilled scales and through the other scale.

If the scales are flat you should end up with a nice fit.

(I've had a long day, so I hope this makes sense.)

 

[SHOKR]

thanks grant, and thanks for taking the time after a long day

it makes perfect sense, and i thought about it, but thought it might not be the best way, since the scales this way will only depend on epoxy to hold them in place, any hard fall or knock and they could come loose even easier than with tightly fit pins

 

[Josh Dabney]

Start reading at post #26
http://knifedogs.com/showthread.php?13885-Josh-Dabney-Servicemember-Knife-build-(pic-heavy)

Follow this process until you've got scale # 1 epoxied to the tang.

Measure from the center of the tang to the edge of the scale on the back of the handle. Let's say for conversation it's 1/4". Now measure from the center of the tang over the same 1/4" at the front of the scale and mark the thickness on the edge of the scale.

Now draw a line on the edge of the scale from your mark to the butt end where it's 1/4" thickness. do this top and bottom.

Now grind the scale to your line and it's parallel to the center of your tapered tang. Now drill pin holes through scale #1

Repeat the process for scale #2

Now drill through the holes in scale #1 to get the holes in scale #2.

Sounds like alot but it's pretty simple once you wrap your head around the process and will give an excellent result with pins parallel to the centerline of the blade.

-Josh

 

[SHOKR]

thanks Josh, i checked and didnt see what you were describing, but i think i got it

i went with something simpler, used regular drill, but made a bobo on one of the sides the pin and thing holes turned out wider. will see how it goes, its glued now and will finish later

the reason i don't want to use your technique is im afraid it will get the scales too thin (i use 1/4")

 

[Sticks]

Shokr,

What I do applies when you are using a guard, like a Loveless hunter, but the same technique could be used for any knife. I cut a slot in bar stock the width of your blade before the taper begins and then clamp that in a drill press vice. Then I insert the blade in the slot and then with using a "vice clamp" clamp, clamp it to the scale to the underside of the tang and drill the pin holes, in my case Loveless bolt holes, the same dimension as in the tang. As they say a picture is worth a thousand words.

 

[SHOKR]

thanks a lot Sticks,

i don't use guards, but i can try the bar stock deal!! i was planning on using a vertical vice and support tang from underneath. i saw that on the S R Jhonson video. but again i don't even have a vice set up on a workbench(which i don't have still!!) long way to go, so many things to build/make/acquire...