How to make Japanese handles without power tools

[adam w]

Hello everyone!

i am fairly new to the forum and new to knife restoration all together. i am working on my first project and have run into some issues i was hoping for some assistance. i live in a studio apartment so the likelihood of getting the proper tools to make handles from scratch is not likely to happen (i.e. drill press and a belt sander). Does anyone have any ideas on what i could buy to best use the space i have or offer techniques to making my own so i don't have to continue buying generic blanks in the future? i currently posses a portable working table, a set of little diamond hand files, some larger metal files, a cordless drill, and a hand saw (i am considering investing in a dremal at some point).

for reference, this is for a hand forged Usuba with a simple stem that i purchased not too long ago.

also, what are good places to find/buy different types woods/metals and other handle materials once i start creating them? i have found some sites but not sure if they are the best places to purchase from.

thank you!

 

[Jeff Jones]

I’ve had luck with my local cabinet/furniture maker. Last year I went to his shop, introduced myself and told what I was looking for.
I also broke the ice by gifting him a grippy.

I usually stop by his shop once a month or so to chat and pick up whatever he has set aside for me.

Besides supplying me with an abu dance of exotic woods that are too small for his needs but for mine perfectly, we have become friends as well.

 

[number9]

Do a search for "drill stand." For a little money and not much space, it converts your hand drill to a small drill press. There's even a Youtube video on making one.
People have been making knives a lot longer than they've been making power tools. It just takes a little longer.
If your portable work table is a B&D Workmate or similar, you have a good head start. If not, check them out. Great tool.

 

[Pinemoon]

To add to the list above, there are also "bench top" drill presses that are much smaller than floor models. You could put one on your kitchen counter and keep it in a closet. Maybe even repurpose a closet as your workspace ??
A small drill press allows you to also attach other accessories like sanding drums and buffing wheels.

A common vacuum cleaner's hose can be set up to suck the dust from any sanding you might do.

A adam w

 

[GABaus]

You could probably make a decent handle with the tools you have, I would probably take a wooden dowel with a diameter as the widest section of tang you want to fit int your handle that is an inch or two longer and use your saw assuming it has a kerf narrower than your tangs thickness but not by a huge margin and carefully saw down the center of your dowel making sure the cut is long enough to fit the full length of the tang, then take a peice of wood of the type you want your handle to be made of that is at least as long as your desired handle length and carfully drill a hole of the same diameter as the dowl to a depth equivalent to the length of the dowl and glue the dowl in place with some sort of PVA glue tite bond 3 might be a good choice. Once the glue has set you can shape the handle with knives and/or files and press fit your tang into the handle.

 

[HSC ///]

I'm a little late to this thread, but...

I made a handle when I was hanging out in France last summer.
I ordered some tools from workshopheaven UK
I brought a wood block with me, used a handsaw to split it in half.
I used a chisel to make a mortise ( i think that's what its called)
sandpaper to flatten it, epoxy and clamps.

no power tools
I detailed it on my IG
I did it outside on a balcony railing