Scandinavian knife WIP (56k Beware, Pic Heavy)

[ngraudal]

Scandinavian knife WIP #finnished# (56k Beware, Pic Heavy)

If it is in the wrong forum then I apologise.

I have been taking some pictures in the workshop tonight. It is the first time in a while since I have had the wiring redone

Knifeblade and a piece of wood:

The first plan was a One-piece scandi, but it isn't anymore.

I took the drawing I have made of the handle and cut it out with a pair of scissors, then traced it on to the wood, a nice piece of kiln-dried ash, dry as bone, hard and very tough wood. It is nice to work in, but it requires cleanliness, metaldust hidden in a file, to much graphite from a pencil or dirty sanding paper will smudge the woods pores.

Then a little work with a saw.

Then I use the farriers rasp you can see under the wood to shape it along with a halfround rasp, and then clean it up with a file.

Then I clean up the front end of the handle, first with an even finer file and then various grits of sandpaper up to 1200 grit.

A quick look to see the overall shape.

A little tip is to coat the backside of the sandingpaper with maskingtape, this relatively expensive wet'n'dry lasts much longer this way.

Cleaning up the front end I use a hard backing for grits 240 and 320, the rest I just use my thumbs.

A quick view of the front end marked up for drilling.

Drilling the holes:

The first holes are just pilot holes, I drill further with a handdril and a 120mm drillbit This is not exactly protocol, and H&S Will not like it.

Then I use a very small rasp and a small sawblade to widen the holes.

Almost done.

A couple of slips with the rasp and sawblade, and everything was ruined.

Now I have to cut of the front end and fit a bolster instead

 

[ngraudal]

Next step:
Covered the blade in tape to avoid scratching it, or cutting myself, and then started with the large rasp and a smaller half round rasp.

I remove the knife from the vise often to check the shape.
Then shape a little more etc...

Then I clean up with a file to remove markings from the rasps

Then I sanded with 80 grit and 120 grit to cean up the handle further.

 

[BRad704]

Nice progress! And that is a LOT of hand filing to remove that much wood!!!

 

[ngraudal]

Nice progress! And that is a LOT of hand filing to remove that much wood!!!

I like filing and rasping better than grinding, I find it easier to control.
Thank you for your nice words.

 

[ngraudal]

I altered the front of the knife a little, almost not visible, I didn't want to disturb the lines so I tried my hand at something new.

The first tools needed was a small vise and a jewellers saw, the white thing is a bolster I have discarded a long time ago because it didn't fit properly, it is a piece of hippo tooth.

I split the bolster lengthwise with the saw.

Filed it smooth:

And planned it with sandpaper.

Then I marked on of the pieces up to drill a row of holes.

Then I use the jewellers saw again to connect the holes.

Clean up the hole with needle files.

Shortening the bolster.

Then I taped the bolster in place, and taped the blade, rough filed it and gave it a run on my mini DYI beltgrinderthingy.

And with no tape.

Then I dry fitted it on the knifehandle.

And drew a little line.

Then I found my cheap Aldi-type Dremel copy, and took it for a spin, I use low RPM to avoid burning the wood.

First I used a cone shaped bit to open up the hole, and then a cylindrical one to make it larger.

There was a lot of testing during this stage, it is the first time I have tried making anything with inlays.

The finnished parts.

And dryfitted again.

It is not a perfect and tight fit, but it is better than the uneven line along the blade that was there before.
Next step is to make one for the butt of the knife and then glue it all together

 

[ngraudal]

Here comes the last part before using epoxy.
I was going to fit a piece of tooth to butt end, but I think it would ruin the simple look the knife has right now, so I'll save that piece for another knife.
A picture of the knife in the vise, then one of a piece of sandingpaper, and then a couple of snaps of the knife. I'll go down and pout epoxy in the handle and then clamp it up and chuck it in the oven for 3 hours at 60 degrees Celsius, let it wait til morning and then let it soak in oil for some time.

 

[ngraudal]

All done for now

 

[BRad704]

that is a really nice overall package! I like the end of the handle without anything added to it. I don't think it needed anymore inlay.

 

[bootstrap]

first off, I am not a fan of scandis, but with that said. you put together a really nice package. i think i may give one of these a try. GREAT TUTORIAL!!!!!!!

 

[murphda2]

Great work! I've been thinking about buying a scandi, but after seeing your WIP I'm thinking of giving it a try at making one.

 

[ngraudal]

Thank you for the nice words guys

These knives are not hard to make, the most important tool is a mitre-sawblade put into a wooden handle to help opening up the hole inside the handle

Is it possible to add some kind of [Hide] tags around the pictures so you don't have to wait 2 mins while it is loading all the pictures?

 

[Astrowood]

Very nice tutorial - pictures were perfect ! I have a piece of Ash in the shop I cut off just last night headed for the wood stove !

Now I know what I will do with it !! Thanks so much.....

 

[Gary]

Hi,
Enjoyed the tut. Nice knife.
I am new to knife making (well handle making anyway). Started this year and I have only made 5 so far.
I am having trouble with the wood finish. Most of the knives on show here have the grain highlighted nicely. Would you mind explaining what you did to finish the wood on your knife. You indicated that you were going to let it "soak in oil for a while" - What oil? how long is a while and so forth.
Thanks in advance for your help,

 

[ngraudal]

Hi,
Enjoyed the tut. Nice knife.
I am new to knife making (well handle making anyway). Started this year and I have only made 5 so far.
I am having trouble with the wood finish. Most of the knives on show here have the grain highlighted nicely. Would you mind explaining what you did to finish the wood on your knife. You indicated that you were going to let it "soak in oil for a while" - What oil? how long is a while and so forth.
Thanks in advance for your help,

Hi Gary

I use raw linseed oil mixed with vegetable turpentine (pine turpentine?) in a 2:1 mix and then add a hardener to the mix.
The turpentine works as a thinner and help the oil soak in deeper and faster. There are different hardeners, I have chosen a leadfree hardener with a minimum of harmful ingredients, I have only added half as much as "recommended", this gives me about 48 hours before the oil has hardened when it is no longer soaking, that way the oil can still "move around" in tha handle for a little bit. I use a relatively small glass with a screw on lid, that way I don't have to mix huge amounts of oil and I don't feel bad for discarding the oil once it starts to be useless. The turpentine will evaporate faster than anything else in the jar, so when the oil starts getting thicker just add a dash of turpentine

The piece of wood I used on this knife is kilndried ash, it is relatively porous and will soak up much more oil then African blackwood or Desert Ironwood for example.

I let this knife soak twice if memory serves, 6 hours in the oil-jar left over night out of the jar and then another 20 hours in he jar. after the first soak I sanded the knife wih 1200 grit and after the second soak I buffed the knife with a cotton-rag made from and old t-shirt.

If you have any more questions just ask

 

[Gary]

thank you very much, most helpful.