Why taper a tang?

G

generallobster

Joined
Apr 7, 1999
Messages
514
I just want to know why some custom knives taper the tang? Is it for balance or for the fact that it is just another little extra you get from higher qualitiy knives? Handle material also has to be profiled for the tang, so is all the work worth it?
 
I think it is done for two purposes, mainly. The first is to lighten the overall knife. A full thickness tang can have a lot of weight, and for some knives this isn't a good thing. The second main reason I see to do this is that the balance of the knife can be adjusted. The fact that it looks pretty cool is just icing on the cake!

------------------
My Custom Kydex Sheath pagehttp://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Lab/1298/knifehome.html
Palmer College of Chiropractic
On Two Wheels
 
I agree with Lobster. The tang is tapered to balance the knife. (and make it lighter) Also the blade can be forward tapered to make it lighter also.

I personally like a knife with a tapered tang.

Larry

------------------
KnifeArt.com
BladeForums.com Sponsor
 
It's a way of balancing the knife, as an alternative to drilling holes in the tang.

I'm not sure it's more work fitting the sides of the handle, as you can grind the taper flat instead of a curve, but I think it's more work than drilling holes.


<DIV STYLE="text-align: center">
<A HREF="http://www.canit.se/%7Egriffon/diverse/knives/chk.html">
_chk2b.jpg


A knife with lightening holes in the tang</A></DIV>

------------------
www.canit.se/%7Egriffon/diverse/knives/

[This message has been edited by Griffon (edited 29 June 1999).]

[This message has been edited by Griffon (edited 29 June 1999).]
 
Many custom makers use a tapered tang when designing a piece for _protective_ purposes. Depending on the size and design of the knife and the style of fighting the user prefers, balance is of primary importance. Hence the application of a tapered tang.

L8r,
Nakano

------------------
"To earn a million is easy, a real friend is not."
 
The taper tang is done to take some beef off the overall knife. But the problem I always think of when I see a tapered tang is the bottom of the handle snaping off. I've seen a few that taper down to practically nothing but handle. I'm sure that if you've got 3/8th slabs of G10 or micarta you should be fine. But still, IMO it is easier to lug around the extra ounce or 2 than have the last 1/2 inch of your knife snap off

Well, those are the reasons I prefer the drill holes. That way you've got the full metal thickness running all the way down the handle. And filling those holes with epoxy is even better.

Sincerely,
Adam

------------------
Self improvement is a hobby of mine :).

 
Lots of confusion about tapering tangs.

Lets remove the confusion. Why dont most makers who primarily make hunters dont taper their tang? The answer has nothing to do with weight or balance. As several listers have posted alternatives to this, the main one is drilling holes in the handle.

The real reason is most makers can't do a proper taper. Additionally, it adds more money to the cost of the knife. This is not to say that makers who work at it couldnt do it. Hunters are knives that are supposed to be done quickly and return a fairly good profit. Most makers can do a hunter with a single guard in about 3 hours. I know some who can do it in 45 minutes. So if you can make a knife in 3 hours and get $145 for it. Not to bad. Subtract $20 for the sheath, $40-$50 for materials and your getting $80-$90 for 3 hours work. But with this knife you get an excellent using knife that most people can afford, but no tapered tang.

Does it really make that much differnce when hunting or hiking if your hunter weighs 6 or 8 ounces?

Tapered Tangs are much like sub-hilts. They look great and there are very few makers who can do them properly.



------------------
Les Robertson
Moderator
Robertson's Custom Cutlery
http://www.robertsoncustomcutlery.com/rcc/makers.shtml
I thought I was wrong once, but I was mistaken.
 
Les, the problem with a lot of "hunting" knives is that no one thinks about the weight or balance of these tools. Just like your comments on another thread about people actually using combat knives to find out their quality and utility, the same is true of hunting knives. Having been in the business of processing game animals (300-400 deer per year, and a lesser amount of elk, bear, sheep, etc.) I can tell you that a good hunting knife should be as perfectly balanced as a fighting knife. An unbalanced, too heavy knife reduces the effectiveness of the cutting stroke and makes your wrist sore. I prefer a tapered tang over holes. A hunting knife should not be heavy--an untapered or drilled tang that adds ounces to the knife weight is totally unacceptable to anyone who process more than two deer a year!

A hunting knife (read: game processing knife designed for gutting and skinning) doesn't need to be made of 1/4" or even 3/16" stock. A good 1/8" or maybe 5/32" blade thickness at most is all that's necessary. Personally, there are few truly suitable hunting knives available at any price! There are lots of knives on the market but if you tried to substitute one of these for the Forschner sheep skinner used by packing house operators, they wouldn't use them very long. Most hunters knowledge of animal anatomy and care of meat is so limited that it probably doesn't matter what kind of knife they use though. I guess I'm rambling on, pointing this mostly toward a more professional knife user.
 
Hi Bruce,

I agree with you completely. My point was one of cost. I think George Herron probably makes about the best out there. Even better than Loveless.

If you are really looking for a great hunting knife check out Wayne Hendricks in South Carolina. He is, in addition to other things, a professional guide. He has dressed out more deer than most of us have seen, much like you Bruce. He was taught by George Herron and does work that is way underpriced.



------------------
Les Robertson
Moderator
Robertson's Custom Cutlery
http://www.robertsoncustomcutlery.com/rcc/makers.shtml
I thought I was wrong once, but I was mistaken.
 
Les, thanks, I'm going to do just that. I've seen Wayne Hendricks work in the magazines and he appears to be a good one to go to. I'm sure I can find his number but if you have it handy, it would help. Does he take input from the buyer--assuming it is technically sound?

Hal, I don't have a Loveless and they are too much in demand to get one. Why don't you send me yours to use on a couple of Idaho deer this Fall? I thought not! Maybe you could explain, in terms of balance, blade thickness, blade shape (most people thing any old drop point, trailing point, or knife with too sharp a point will do) etc. why a Loveless is what a professional game processor would use--I never see them in the packing houses. As I implied, you can skin one deer with a piece of broken bottle but you won't want to do two! Not trying to be a butt-head (although succeeding) but my point is if most hunting knives were perfect at what they were designed to do, they would look like packing house knives--and they don't. I dressed and skinned my last deer with a SAK but I won't do that again. Now I know that the current styles of hunting knives are designed to do more than dress game. They are part utility knife, part kitchen knife, and part survival knife. And it is not lost on me that makers have their standards and don't want to make copies of packing house knives. But my thesis is that lots of custom hunting knives are not as efficient at game dressing as they could be and I want to find a maker that will make one like I know it needs to be.

This would be a semi-skinner with a 1/8" blade, not too wide, a small choil, negligible ricasso, slight drop to the rough canvas micarta handle, no guard or a very small integral guard, thumb notches on the top rear portion of the blade just in front of the handle. BG-42 or CPM440V with a good heat treat to wring the best out of the steel. Blade about 4 +/- .5 inches. This would be great for field dressing and skinning. Boning should be done with a commercial curved, simi-flexible 6 inch boner since I haven't seen one of these in custom. Can't wait to talk to Wayne about this! Thanks, Les

Bruce Woodbury
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top