# Making first Wa handle



## PappaG (Jul 21, 2018)

I'm making my first two Wa handles. I'm spending a few hours each weekend. Pictures here:

https://imgur.com/a/6dWKPBX


Next step I'm going to make sure everything is flat before I glue everything up.
I can see how this is a whole lot of work to do right. kudos to all the pros.


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## milkbaby (Jul 22, 2018)

PappaG said:


> I'm making my first two Wa handles. I'm spending a few hours each weekend. Pictures here:
> 
> https://imgur.com/a/6dWKPBX
> 
> ...



Nice! Looks like spalted pear and katalox from Myron's last hurrah. Beautiful woods, should lead to beautiful handles! Looking forward to more pics.


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## PappaG (Jul 22, 2018)

Yup. Very good eye. This won't be fast, but i'll post pics as I go along.


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## Gjackson98 (Jul 22, 2018)

I will pin this one fore sure


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## Gjackson98 (Jul 22, 2018)

Gjackson98 said:


> I will pin this one fore sure.
> How did you make the insert(I don’t know what it’s called) ?


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## PappaG (Jul 22, 2018)

1/2 dowel and a drill press.


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## tedg (Jul 23, 2018)

You really need to have some metal pins in there if you want it all to stay together.


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## Matus (Jul 23, 2018)

tedg said:


> You really need to have some metal pins in there if you want it all to stay together.



Pins are a good idea with metal spacers, but by no means a necessity. In particular once the handle is finished and glued onto the tang with an epoxy the pins become pretty much irrelevant. The biggest risk with metal spacers is overheating while shaping with a power tool - pins are not going to prevent that. They do offer additional support while the handle is being worked on. What would definitely help is to use some fibre or G10 spacers between the metal and the wood and a high temperature CA glue instead of epoxy.

PapaG - you are on a good way, but go REALLY slow when grinding them to shape. Ideally - make 2 more and rotate through them while grinding/sanding so they get time to cool down. I have a handle with metal spacer that I had to re-glue 3 times  Twice because of overheating and once because I dropped it when it was basically finished, but still without a dowel (here the advice using pins from tedg might have prevented that, so he does have a valid point).


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## aaamax (Jul 23, 2018)

What material is the metal spacer?


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## Dendrobatez (Aug 6, 2018)

Matus said:


> Pins are a good idea with metal spacers, but by no means a necessity.



The reason I like pins is so that when you do overheat (it's gonna happen when you're just starting out) it's very easy to get everything all lined up, glued, and clamped again.

One thing I might suggest is to make the spacer hole larger or more like it's final slot shape. It always take me much longer to shape the tang hole properly when im working on a metal spacer at the same time


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## PappaG (Aug 6, 2018)

Ok. you guys have convinced me to NOT work with metal for my first two handles.

What is the easiest way to cut a tang hole in he ferrule? Just drill small holes and use a rasp? That is my plan, unless anyone has better ideas.


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## Dendrobatez (Aug 6, 2018)

Nothing wrong with working with metal spacers, just be aware that it's got some quirks. 
For the tang slotsl use a drill bit slightly narrower than the tang and drill 2 holes that come out to 90% the height of the tang, use a round needle file to connect them. It forms a slot then use square and flat needle files to shape the rest for a perfect fit.


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## Matus (Aug 6, 2018)

I agree with everything @Dendrobatez said  

You can also get needle rasps (if the bolster/ferrule ist not metal), but most likely they will still be too thick for most kitchen knife tangs. Just get the coarsest needle files you can find and you will be fine. It does not take that long to file the tang opening in a bolster/ferrule made out of wood or horn.


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## rogue108 (Aug 14, 2018)

PappaG said:


> Ok. you guys have convinced me to NOT work with metal for my first two handles.
> 
> What is the easiest way to cut a tang hole in he ferrule? Just drill small holes and use a rasp? That is my plan, unless anyone has better ideas.


I avoided metal on my first handle so I didn't have to deal with any of the difficulties and focus on getting the handle done right. Once I finished my handle I drill several small holes for the tang slot and used a small rasp to connect the holes into one opening and widened or lengthened it as necessary


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## PappaG (Aug 23, 2018)

Here is an update. Hope all five pics are displayed. Lots more work to do. My handle is NOT shaped. I used some black castin with my epoxy. Big mistake with these colors, because the result is that it look like there is more of space inbetween the parts... oh well lesson learned. So I'm probably using one of the three forgecrafts. Not sure which one yet. The forgecrafts also needs tons of work. The blade roads are NOT flat at all... fun fun. Will update when I have put more time into this..which wont be for a few weeks....
Oh the spacers are grey g2

https://imgur.com/a/17uRqtc

PS: 4x36 harbor freight belt sander is a game changer.


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## Dendrobatez (Aug 23, 2018)

Looking good, I like it with the small cleaver. Might need to clamp it all together a bit harder if you are seeing the epoxy - even if it was clear it would be visible if it wasn't tight enough. I use a pipe clamp and get it semi tight then throw another clamp on it to secure it to the pipe then really crank on the pipe clamp.

The harbor freight one is good for the price, the important part is getting the right belts for it - most of the 4x36 found locally is only good on softer woods


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## tedg (Aug 29, 2018)

Be careful, it's possible to squeeze too much epoxy out, creating a week joint.


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## JoBone (Jan 2, 2019)

Hey PappaG,

Did you ever finish those? It looks like a good start.

I threw my first handle away. My second one was good enough at the time to put on a cheap cleaver. I sometimes think about replacing it, but I like the rough and lop-sided look.


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## PappaG (Jan 2, 2019)

I did, but can't bring myself to throw out my first (although I should). I'll get pics one of these days.


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## Matus (Jan 3, 2019)

PappaG said:


> I did, but can't bring myself to throw out my first (although I should). I'll get pics one of these days.



What went wrong?


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## Tim Rowland (Jan 3, 2019)

Very interested to see how your handles came out as well.
I would like to add to some of the above advice. As Matus stated earlier pins in the metal spacer are not a necessity as once the handle is epoxied on it is more than strong enough. But they will aid in re-aligning if/when you have to re-epoxy them together.....we have all had to do this many times while learning. If you are not using a metal spacer and simply doing a two wood handle (not stabilized) My personal preference is Titebond 3 wood glue as it soaks into the wood creating a stronger wood to wood bond than an epoxy can. With stabilized woods I use G-flex epoxy. 
I also agree with Dendrobatez on making the hole in your metal spacer larger, almost to the final dimensions as once everything is glued up it is way harder to file inside the tang hole at a precise angle and evenly with the wood. You cant use a handle broach as you can on wood and synthetic spacer materials. 
Anyway would love to see the final pieces and interested if you are going to give it another try. Good luck.


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## JoBone (Jan 3, 2019)

Matus said:


> What went wrong?



For me, my early problems involved free handing the shaping and chamfering. With time, I learned to cut the wood closer to the original design and I now chamfer by setting the angle at 45. 

Here is a picture of my first handle vs one I did last week


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## PappaG (Jan 3, 2019)

My problems were much simpler. I had a hell of a time getting spacers and such flattened and leveled. I'm not sure if pictures will show it, but I'll get pics up when I have a chance.


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## Matus (Jan 3, 2019)

JoBone said:


> For me, my early problems involved free handing the shaping and chamfering. With time, I learned to cut the wood closer to the original design and I now chamfer by setting the angle at 45.
> 
> Here is a picture of my first handle vs one I did last week
> 
> ...



I do see some subtle differences there


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## ACHiPo (Jan 6, 2019)

JoBone said:


> View attachment 46466
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Those are beautiful!


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## JoBone (Jan 6, 2019)

ACHiPo said:


> Those are beautiful!



Thank you very much

You can always checkout my work on my instagram page

https://instagram.com/jobone_craftsman?utm_source=ig_profile_share&igshid=1w7sfd6n2pu0f


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## ACHiPo (Jan 6, 2019)

JoBone said:


> Thank you very much
> 
> You can always checkout my work on my instagram page
> 
> https://instagram.com/jobone_craftsman?utm_source=ig_profile_share&igshid=1w7sfd6n2pu0f


Some very nice handles! Do you drill then use a chisel or float to size the handle to fit the tang? How are the handles attached to the tang?


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## JoBone (Jan 6, 2019)

ACHiPo said:


> Some very nice handles! Do you drill then use a chisel or float to size the handle to fit the tang? How are the handles attached to the tang?



Just fitted 4 handles today, wish I’d took photos.

These forums helped me as I was learning and I plan on posting something on a few tips that I learned.

For the handles, I use a hidden dowel. For ferrule part of it is drilled, enough for the dowel to fit in, then I use a diamond bit with a dremel knock-off to carve it out. It’s finished with cheap micro-rasps. By doing it this way, I can guarantee that it aligns exactly in the middle (digital calipers help)


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## JoBone (Jan 6, 2019)

Error


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## ACHiPo (Jan 6, 2019)

Clever. Thanks.


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