I'm no expert, but here are a few possibilities:
1. I have a couple of these vintage Khukuris, one from Atlanta Cutlery. The handles are much shorter than the usual handles on HI knives. Surprisingly comfortable despite the shortness, but it means that what looks to us like a short/stubby tang goes most of the way into the handle.
2. The Nepal kamis use a natural epoxy called laha that might be superior to western-type epoxies, at least for knife handles. Maybe not superior in all ways, but perhaps in ability to absorb shock, which is the main stress when you chop wood with a khukuri.
3. A Nepalese farmer would probably put a lot more hard use into his khukuri than a soldier, even in the 1890s. Soldiers engage in actual combat a very small percentage of their time, not to mention that chopping wood is a lot more "hard use" than combat, as far as the knife is concerned. Ask your knife whether it is easier to lop off a limb from a human being or a tree. Well, your knife won't actually answer, but imagine if it could. Of course soldiers back in those days also did a lot of woodcraft, but most of that would be camping type use. They probably had axes and saws for cutting down trees.
4. As far as villager use is concerned, my understanding is that when a Nepali farmer needs a new khukuri handle he would take the knife back to the village kami and have a nw handle put on. Given how resourceful farmers are, many can probably rehandle one of these knives themselves. Might not be pretty, but it would work.
