Wood Saya/sheath making? I could use some advise

Daniel Rohde

Daniel Rohde

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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Jul 22, 2014
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Hey Guys!
I'm trying to make a Saya for a chef knife of mine and I want to make it out of wood and I'm thinking I want to route out a space in the wood the shape of the knife. I'm trying to figure out what sort of tool I could/Should use for that and how I might go about it? I felt like a full sized router was overkill and thought a dreamel might be the thing but was stuck on some details.

Any advise on Wood Saya(Sheath/Scabbard...whatever floats your boat) making?
 
Easiest way is a 3 part, I'm doing that for a machete right now. The middle layer is the cutout profile of the blade. I usually do 2-parts, where I split the wood and used chisels or a router set to depth, epoxy the two sides together. I've never seen one that was a single piece of wood, but thinking about it, a table saw might be a good start.
 
A 3 part saya is a good way to go, especially if you use a softer wood, like basswood, as the middle section...it will be easier on the blade than a hardwood. You can either bandsaw out the blade profile in the middle section or use a saya nomi (chisel made for carving saya reliefs) or a router...a small full size router (plunge is good) is better than a Dremel. You will then need to plane or sand the middle section to match the taper of the blade, if you want a good fit.
 
I am working on a saya right now. 3 part. I basically cut two outer pieces of maple and then one inner piece of alder which is softer. I trace my blade onto the middle piece and cut it out on the bandsaw so I only have an outer rim for the centre piece. Glue the centre to one side, then sand it to match the bevel on the knife. I drill my hole for the pin before I glue the other side on.After that it is a bit of sanding and finishing. I found the piece of wood for the saya on a deadfall at our cabin on Anvil Island.

Randy
 

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I started using thin strips of leather for the middle part of the saya. It is pretty easy to glue/clamp those in to the profile of blade and hide the seam from both sides at the tip. It seems to work well and looks good, the only criticisms I have had is it is bulky, some people seem to really like when the hollow part of the saya more closely matches the section view of the blade.
 
dremel sells an inexpensive router attachment for their tools, i use that and a carbide cutter to do mortise tangs. would work well for your application. or you could go the chisel route like the japanese use.
 
A saya is best started before the blade is mounted in the handle. This allows fitting the cavity better.

The basic procedure is:

Draw a centerline down the board of saya wood
Make a second line the thickness of the blade away from the centerline. This is where you cut the board.

Saw the board down the off center line.

Lay the blade on the thick side and draw a line around it. It is good to have it a little deeper past the ricasso than the final fitting will be. This allows for trimming after the handle is fitted.

Using a bent chisel (saya nori), start cutting the cavity. It should be beveled to allow the spine part to be deeper than the edge side.
Go slow and check the blade in the cavity often. If you rub a black marker on the blade surface, and then rub the blade back and forth in the cavity, the black will rub off on the high spots.

When the cavity is just deep enough so the blade does not bind when the two boards are held tight together, the cavity is done.

Clean up any bad spots with a sharp chisel. I don't like using sandpaper in the cavity because a stray grit can come back to haunt you.

Set the blade in the cavity, and draw a line around it 1/4" away from the blade. On the bandsaw, cut a bit outside this line, and grind up to it on the grin der. Dust out all grit and saw dust from the cavity carefully.

Apply a good grade wood glue (Tightbond II) on the 1/4" wide perimeter, and glue the cut out profile on the other board. Clamp just tight enough to let the glue bond without slipping or gaps. Over-clamping makes glue starved joints. Slide the blade in and out ,wiping off with a paper towel to remove any glue that is dragged out on it. When the blade comes out clean every time, set the saya aside to dry.

Saw along the cut out profile, and finish shaping the saya. TIP - Plug the throat with paper towels to keep grit out of the cavity.





You can make a saya nori by taking a 1/2" chisel and stick the sharp edge in a potato. Heat it with a torch about half way up the blade. When red, bend the handle up around 30-45 degrees. Let cool until the red is gone, then cool with water. The longer the chisel shank the better.
Of course, a real knifemaker will make his own saya nori form a piece of 1/"X1/4" 1095 or W2.
 
Just in case anybody else was confused. When you search on google, search for saya nomi, not saya nori. You'll get much better results this way.
 
Randydb said:
I am working on a saya right now. 3 part. I basically cut two outer pieces of maple and then one inner piece of alder which is softer. I trace my blade onto the middle piece and cut it out on the bandsaw so I only have an outer rim for the centre piece. Glue the centre to one side, then sand it to match the bevel on the knife. I drill my hole for the pin before I glue the other side on.After that it is a bit of sanding and finishing. I found the piece of wood for the saya on a deadfall at our cabin on Anvil Island.

Randy
Click to expand...

I thin Randy's method is the ticket--I dont know how one would go about making one from a single piece of wood without special tools. I found some thin pieces of stock on Amazon, and for me I just traced the outline of the blade on the thin stock--1/16"-1/8" and cut it out with a razor knife--my bandsaw or scrollsaw would also have worked well. I then glued the two outer pieces of a harder wood to the inside 'perimeter' piece and then sanded the outer edges to blend in and achieve the shape I wanted.

Good Luck!
 
What do you think about this ..............iron template of blade pressed in both two parts of wood on hydraulic press for Saya ?
 
I've made a few kitchen knives with hidden tangs, where I take a block of wood, cut it down the middle, and then used a chisel to cut the tang channel. That was a slow process, and I didn't have the cool "saya nomi" chisels that have an offset handle for knuckle clearance. I started using my drill press and a bit to drill a bunch of holes for the tang channel, and then the chisel to break up the rest. Also used the chisel at the front of the handle, where the tang extends from, so it's nice and clean and tight. You could probably do the same for your saya, if nothing else. Drill press has a bit depth stop feature, so you won't go to far and drill thru the wood.
 
samuraistuart said:
I've made a few kitchen knives with hidden tangs, where I take a block of wood, cut it down the middle, and then used a chisel to cut the tang channel. That was a slow process, and I didn't have the cool "saya nomi" chisels that have an offset handle for knuckle clearance. I started using my drill press and a bit to drill a bunch of holes for the tang channel, and then the chisel to break up the rest. Also used the chisel at the front of the handle, where the tang extends from, so it's nice and clean and tight. You could probably do the same for your saya, if nothing else. Drill press has a bit depth stop feature, so you won't go to far and drill thru the wood.
Click to expand...

Stuart , you can try this way if tang is thin .............

https://ibb.co/kTSnrF
https://ibb.co/jnDhQa
 
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Thanks guys! I think I have a good idea how I can skin this cat now:thumbup: I really appreciate all the help, its such a great resource....you guys are dah best:thumbup::D
 
Stuart, I saw Claude Bouchonville making slightly complex mortice tang knives where the shoulders of the ricasso had to be tightly fit into an inletted slot and the handle scales were held together with perimeter pins. At the narrowest part of the handle right behind the shoulders, the pins also fit into half round notches on the edge of the tang that held the blade secure. He used one of those little Dremel tool plunge router attachments and it worked like a charm.
samuraistuart said:
I've made a few kitchen knives with hidden tangs, where I take a block of wood, cut it down the middle, and then used a chisel to cut the tang channel. That was a slow process, and I didn't have the cool "saya nomi" chisels that have an offset handle for knuckle clearance. I started using my drill press and a bit to drill a bunch of holes for the tang channel, and then the chisel to break up the rest. Also used the chisel at the front of the handle, where the tang extends from, so it's nice and clean and tight. You could probably do the same for your saya, if nothing else. Drill press has a bit depth stop feature, so you won't go to far and drill thru the wood.
Click to expand...
 
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