Jaw bone knife handle

C

cjd1980

Joined
Sep 3, 2008
Messages
236
Hi everyone
I have a customer that's interested in a knife with a jaw bone handle I've never made one and was wondering if anyone had any experience with them or knew of any good tutorials with them I'd like to try and make one or two before I commit to anything thanks for the help
 
I make them out of bear jaws from time to time. I don't recall having a photo of one in my photo files, but I'll look. Basically, you make a hidden tang and go down the jawbone from the jaw end. Put the front fang downward at the butt. Wrapping faux-sinew around the joint after epoxying the tang in makes for a nice Mountain Man look.

I often sculpt the blade sides and edge on a small wheel with dozens of small hollows and scallops to simulate a flint blade. Etch it dark and it looks very authentic. I usually have one of these blades in the shop. I'll look this weekend for one and a bear jaw to show what I mean.

You may have to do some careful grinding on the jaw to get rid of anything that makes the grip bad. Wrapping the grip area with a long strip of chamois or pigskin is another nice way to make the grip work. Paracord with the core pulled out works, too.
 
Thanks stacy
How far into the jaw do you run the tang? And how well do they hold up over time?
 
Lets face it, a jaw knife is for looks … not use. But, it will hold up to reasonable use.

The tang is shaped to fit the curve of the jaw and goes in about 3-4" ( depending on jaw size). It is thin at the end, and as wide as needed to fit the jaw.
The hinge part of the jaw is usually cut off, but can be made into sort of a guard on some jaws.
 
cjd1980 said:
Hi everyone
I have a customer that's interested in a knife with a jaw bone handle I've never made one and was wondering if anyone had any experience with them or knew of any good tutorials with them I'd like to try and make one or two before I commit to anything thanks for the help
Click to expand...


Check out PK Custon Knife Scales and Blanks on Facebook. He's recently made a set of scales with Jaw bones. He does a lot of stabilized exotics and whatnot, some being resin filled. He just put up a picture of a set of jaw bone scales that were made with clear resin as a filler which looks awesome. I would think this would be easier than just using raw jaw bone alone, just an idea.
 
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Some images to help you see what I was saying.
 
This jawbone bites back. His name is Boris the Boar:

QwPYp9u.jpg
 
I don't know about the states, but I know in British Columbia Canada it is illegal to sell most bear parts. Legal to hunt and keep for yourself, but there are all sorts of rules about selling parts. I would check the rules in your state before buying or selling to make sure you are legal.
 
Yes, it is a somewhat gray area about making a bear jaw knife. Most states do not allow selling bear parts.
 
I made some out of coyote jaws one time. It sure did smell when I was grinding out the space for the hidden tang.
 
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