Wa handle attachement

Skidoosh

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Sep 21, 2016
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I've got some Wa blade blanks and am working on handle blanks. I'm leaning towards towards epoxy attachment but am not sure what works best. I also have some great brass to incorporate into the handle but am not sure if it works the best with a kitchen knife and development of verdigris. I'd appreciate any resources or direction anyone could give, thank you.
 
Honestly, this is SUCH a wide open question, this is what I would suggest. Review the recent postings in the “what’s going on in your shop” thread for handles that appeal to you, then either approach the maker directly, or create a new thread asking about how to create that look. People here are INCREDIBLY helpful in giving such advise,, ... as at least 5-6 can personally testify in my case :)
 
If you're just looking for some ideas, I think instagram is a great resource for that. I'd search for #wahandle and you'll find tons of cool examples. For construction techniques, there are lots of tutorials online, including Jeremy from Simple Little Life's tutorials here on youtube. Noah Vachon from Vachon Knives make some really amazing wa handled knives, here is his instagram. He also has a "2 cent tips" category in his stories where he shares some great tips about making this style of knives. I also really love Halcyon Forge's wa-handled knives. Honestly there are so many great makers out, instagram is literally a bottomless pit of amazing work. Post some of your works-in-progress, we'd love to see them! I'm working on my first two wa-handled knives right now as well.
 
There are no Japanese knife rules or Japanese knife police. Make it anyway you are comfortable with.

Classically, the handles were removable to allow the carbon steel blades to be resharpened and restored. They used heat setting resins and/or wedges to hold the handle in place.
Today, we use high end steels with exotic and stabilized woods. We care for the blades pretty well and they last a long time. Modern epoxy is the norm, now.

I make a snug fitting wooden bolster piece and drill the main handle piece with a round hole larger enough for the nakago (tang). The assembly is epoxied on the kniufe permanently. If a handle ever needs to be removed, the epoxy can be softened with a heat gun and the handle tapped off.
 
I’m not sure it’s necessarily better but definitely faster. I drill the main block and bolster for a dowel. The bolster dowel hole goes to within about 1/4” from the front of the bolster so you only need to make a tight fit on that last 1/4”. This is the pretty standard hidden dowel method which there are plenty of videos on. It is held together with west systems g/flex.
 
I have been wonder about this too. Are dowels better than scraping opening to fit bare tang?
The simplest, most accurate and fastest way for me is this ......................you can use from sides some half round wood /dowels/ to spare on epoxy
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I’m not sure it’s necessarily better but definitely faster. I drill the main block and bolster for a dowel. The bolster dowel hole goes to within about 1/4” from the front of the bolster so you only need to make a tight fit on that last 1/4”. This is the pretty standard hidden dowel method which there are plenty of videos on. It is held together with west systems g/flex.

I have watched Simple Little Life's videos on Wa handles and he seems to use this method too.

The simplest, most accurate and fastest way for me is this ......................you can use from sides some half round wood /dowels/ to spare on epoxy
S721SAz.jpg

qqz0Rwv.jpg

A0BQyz6.jpg
Very interesting. I have not seen anyone do it that way. I might try it this way.
 
I've got some Wa blade blanks and am working on handle blanks. I'm leaning towards towards epoxy attachment but am not sure what works best. I also have some great brass to incorporate into the handle but am not sure if it works the best with a kitchen knife and development of verdigris. I'd appreciate any resources or direction anyone could give, thank you.
This guy takes his handle construction to another level.
 
This guy takes his handle construction to another level.
Now .... THERE are some really cool ideas in what he is doing. thank you for sharing!

I still go back and forth on the hidden dowel technique whether to use a full length dowel (and drill out a slot), or to go with a short dowel, and a full length drilled (but empty) cavity. The full length dowel uses less glue, but it is harder to drill the slot so that you can get the blade straight to the handle. The empty cavity with partial dowel just at the joints uses more glue, produces more bubbles that cause trouble, but is MUCH easier to get the blade straight......
 
This guy takes his handle construction to another level.
Honestly , I think he is wasting time and gain nothing .Time which someone should pay for ???
If you have disk sander and you know what are you doing , you can do any kind of shape handle in 10 minutes ..............50 different angles on handle if that is what you want :D
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N Natlek When u get past $5-600 for a kitchen knife you have to further distinguish yourself and it’s often done by handle work
Handle work .....what you mean with that ? Choice of used material or finish ? What make one knife to worth 5-600 $ ?
 
Any issues drilling holes in tang for extra epoxy hold? Like 3/16” hole in a 1/2” tang. I see simple little life puts notches in his tangs before glueing but other do not seem to do anything.
 
The epoxies we use will lock the tang in pretty much forever. Notching the tang edges doesn't hurt, but probably isn't necessary, either.
 
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