# Handles With All Hand Tools?



## HumbleHomeCook (Aug 28, 2021)

Is making Wa handles (of whatever shape) with nothing but hand tools fool's folly? Just for personal use, not for selling so time investment is fine.

Let's say no more power than a drill and Dremmel.

If you do think it isn't a semi-viable idea, what tools, jigs, etc. would you recommend?


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## coxhaus (Aug 28, 2021)

I would think you need a table saw to cut the wood straight. You can also use a table saw to cut a hexagon handle. You can sand a handle round. I use power tools when I can. A power joiner will give you a flat side for the table saw. This is the fastest way I know. I am not very good at cutting boards straight with a hand saw but you could. Then use a hand plane. I own a shop full of wood working power tools. If you buy bulk lumber then you may need a power planer but that would be if you wanted to make a lot of them. You don't power plane small boards.


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## Bert2368 (Aug 28, 2021)

As a species, we effectively made wooden handles for many thousands of years before power tools were developed. Hell, we made 'em before METAL TOOLS were developed.

It just takes longer by hand, it's also quieter, less dusty and you'll be making any MISTAKES more slowly. So go for it.


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## McMan (Aug 28, 2021)

There's a video floating around somewhere online of a Japanese craftsman making handles with hand tools. It was a very simple process and mostly involved just a small plane. He had a small jig which was two boards making a 90-degree. This was held on the workbench, and he simply put the handle blank in there and used the plane to knock the corners off the blank. Knock the corner off, flip the blank, knock the corner off, flip the blank... until he had an octogon.

I think the hardest part is figuring out how to make a hold-down to keep the handle blank still. After that, a small plane--or even rasps--would serve you well.


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## HumbleHomeCook (Aug 28, 2021)

McMan said:


> There's a video floating around somewhere online of a Japanese craftsman making handles with hand tools. It was a very simple process and mostly involved just a small plane. He had a small jig which was two boards making a 90-degree. This was held on the workbench, and he simply put the handle blank in there and used the plane to knock the corners off the blank. Knock the corner off, flip the blank, knock the corner off, flip the blank... until he had an octogon.
> 
> I think the hardest part is figuring out how to make a hold-down to keep the handle blank still. After that, a small plane--or even rasps--would serve you well.



A small plane is what I was thinking too. I reckon if I did give it a try it'd be another thing to learn to sharpen.


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## coxhaus (Aug 28, 2021)

I was thinking of starting with lumber of whatever kind of wood you wanted.


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## M1k3 (Aug 28, 2021)

@Carl Kotte


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## Bert2368 (Aug 29, 2021)

HumbleHomeCook said:


> A small plane is what I was thinking too.



Look you for a low angle block plane. Works on harder handle woods with twisty/non parallel grain, less tearout. I've got a couple of antiques I got cheap. Sharpened, tuned, enjoyed.

Also look up the woodworking term "shooting board".


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## Carl Kotte (Aug 29, 2021)

M1k3 said:


> @Carl Kotte


@cotedupy


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## cotedupy (Aug 29, 2021)

Yes, as others have said - perfectly possible, but will take a while. ^CK^ makes some very lovely handles only using power for the drilling. He uses chisels and sandpaper for the shaping, but no reason you couldn't use a plane as well/instead.

I have made a few handles in this way - entirely by hand - but now do have some power tools. The thing that I'd always use is a belt sander, which replaces the chisels/planes in the initial shaping. Sometimes also a chainsaw/circular saw/electric planer if I'm working from logs of wood. But when working from smaller bits I've mostly gone back to using a Japanese pull saw, because they're accurate and pretty quick.

But you don't necessarily _need_ any of that. A saw, chisel/plane, a lot of sandpaper, and some free time, will do the job nicely. (Plus a drill to fit, and maybe some needle files).


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## ian (Aug 29, 2021)

I made this one, at least. Please ignore the gaping tang slot. Will try again soon, once I finish setting up a workshop.






So boring... another first wa handle thread


This is my pathetic attempt to copy one of @bryan03’s awesome burnt oak handles. It’s also my first woodworking project since I was a kid. The grain doesn’t pop as much as in a Raquin handle, you could fit Arkansas into the tang slot, and there are probably 1 million other reasons why it’s...




www.kitchenknifeforums.com


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## schutzen-jager (Aug 29, 2021)

plane - hand saws - rasps - files exacto knives - sandpaper - hand drill - mallet - chisels - screwdrivers -

depends on construction + how it is being attached


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## icanhaschzbrgr (Aug 29, 2021)

Honestly I wouldn't even try that. Should be doable if you stick with one-piece design, but quicly become nearly impossible onnce you try to make something more fancy (metal spacers, bones, non 90 degrees angles etc).

But it doesn't requires a whole shop full of power toys. I've made lots of handles using drill stand and disk sander. Good drill stand helps a lot with tang slot. Good small rasps saves time. Disk sander allow you to use any materials you want. Again, that's just my way that isn't necessary better than others. Lots of makers prefer using grinder instead of disk sander.


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## spaceconvoy (Aug 29, 2021)

icanhaschzbrgr said:


> Good drill stand helps a lot with tang slot.



I think people missed that he's planning to do the tang hole with a handheld power drill... It's possible, but you should drill the hole in a larger blank first, then cut it down relative to the hole to maintain alignment.


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## cotedupy (Aug 29, 2021)

spaceconvoy said:


> I think people missed that he's planning to do the tang hole with a handheld power drill... It's possible, but you should drill the hole in a larger blank first, then cut it down relative to the hole to maintain alignment.



^This is good advice. I use a handheld power drill for my handles, and it can be done very well once you’ve got your eye in. But easier to drill the blank before shaping.

Also if you’re making a multi-part handle - drill the main part before glueing together, then drill the ferrule after. Much easier to make neat that way.


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## HumbleHomeCook (Aug 29, 2021)

spaceconvoy said:


> I think people missed that he's planning to do the tang hole with a handheld power drill... It's possible, but you should drill the hole in a larger blank first, then cut it down relative to the hole to maintain alignment.



Thank you everyone for sharing your thoughts. I would indeed use a handheld power drill. I'm not sure if I'll embark on this or not but I just liked the idea of doing it by hand. A little more peaceful and, I don't know, personal maybe.


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## cotedupy (Aug 29, 2021)

One other thing I'd say is - I personally don't use jigs and stuff - it's very easy to eyeball things quite accurately.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before but, I spend a relative amount of time on hand sanding. When I finish the initial shaping (on a belt sander, but chisel or plane would be the same), the handle doesn't need to be particularly accurate. Most of the final shape comes from the coarser grit sanding sheets, laid on a hard flat surface (180 and 240 grit do most of the work). You can be really nice and accurate with removing material, evening up angles, building in taper, etc. at this point. And it doesn't take very long, cos you can apply quite a lot of pressure.

You could actually happily make a handle just using sandpaper if you sawed a rectangular block of a similar size to begin with. Below are some wooden stakes my wife got from the hardware shop for instance. You could knock up a nice one or two piece handle from these in about an hour with a saw and some sandpaper. Or maybe even an atoma plate. I've not tried using one before on wood, but no reason it wouldn't work I don't think.


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## HumbleHomeCook (Aug 29, 2021)

cotedupy said:


> One other thing I'd say is - I personally don't use jigs and stuff - it's very easy to eyeball things quite accurately.
> 
> I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before but, I spend a relative amount of time on hand sanding. When I finish the initial shaping (on a belt sander, but chisel or plane would be the same), the handle doesn't need to be particularly accurate. Most of the final shape comes from the coarser grit sanding sheets, laid on a hard flat surface (180 and 240 grit do most of the work). You can be really nice and accurate with removing material, evening up angles, building in taper, etc. at this point. And it doesn't take very long, cos you can apply quite a lot of pressure.
> 
> ...



Do you insert a dowel for the tang fitment?


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## Bert2368 (Aug 29, 2021)

If anyone is interested in the more exotic woods? I have no financial interest in this business, but I've been very happy with what I've got from him.

Selling wooden blanks on ebay as "Turner's Circle" is a guy in Iowa. I've bought various exotic species from him several times, his wood has been shipped quickly and properly protected (end grain of pieces are all either waxed or heavily shellaced, if there is any question of dryness, whole piece is waxed, whole order was always thoroughly wrapped in plastic inside shipping box too).

The wood pictured in his ebay listing is the wood you actually get. He takes good photos from all sides and includes at least 1 end grain shot, also will have at least 1 where he has wetted the wood with alcohol or mineral spirits to give an idea of how it may look finished.

If you are buying more than 1 piece of similar length (typically about 12"), it all ships for the first piece's shipping cost.



| eBay


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## coxhaus (Aug 29, 2021)

cotedupy said:


> One other thing I'd say is - I personally don't use jigs and stuff - it's very easy to eyeball things quite accurately.
> 
> I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before but, I spend a relative amount of time on hand sanding. When I finish the initial shaping (on a belt sander, but chisel or plane would be the same), the handle doesn't need to be particularly accurate. Most of the final shape comes from the coarser grit sanding sheets, laid on a hard flat surface (180 and 240 grit do most of the work). You can be really nice and accurate with removing material, evening up angles, building in taper, etc. at this point. And it doesn't take very long, cos you can apply quite a lot of pressure.
> 
> ...



I guess you guys are paying someone to cut that wood in the picture using a table saw. If you buy lumber and cut it yourself you should save a lot of money.


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## HumbleHomeCook (Aug 29, 2021)

coxhaus said:


> I guess you guys are paying someone to cut that wood in the picture using a table saw. If you buy lumber and cut it yourself you should save a lot of money.



It's a tiny block. Also, it is often stabilized or exotic wood so you don't get lumber. This isn't grabbing an oak 2x4 at Lowes.

EDIT: Those are still small pieces in the picture and often that's all you can find of some of these species. You know how many handles I'd have to make out of lumber to pay for a table saw?


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## coxhaus (Aug 29, 2021)

You are looking for what they call fancy wood not Home Depot wood. Mills and large lumber yards. I guess if you are only going to make a couple of handles then buy handle blanks.

I guess they don't teach shop class in school any more. When I was a kid in the 60s you could take shop wood working classes.


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## HumbleHomeCook (Aug 29, 2021)

coxhaus said:


> You are looking for what they call fancy wood not Home Depot wood. Mills and large lumber yards. I guess if you are only going to make a couple of handles then buy handle blanks.
> 
> I guess they don't teach shop class in school any more. When I was a kid in the 60s you could take shop wood working classes.



You and I have played your games elsewhere and I see now we're going to play them here too.

I'm quite capable with my hands and have access to an extremely well equipped shop. When I was in school I took wood shop, metal crafting, welding, small engine repair, leathercraft, pottery, mechanical drafting, and architectural drafting. I've spent many years in manufacturing and done a whole lot of stuff with my hands outside of work. I'm also not much younger than you.

You have a penchant for assuming a lot about folks and not sticking to the subject. 

Do you have anything relevant to talk about with regard to making a few knife handles with just hand tools?


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## ian (Aug 29, 2021)

HumbleHomeCook said:


> You and I have played your games elsewhere and I see now we're going to play them here too.
> 
> I'm quite capable with my hands and have access to an extremely well equipped shop. When I was in school I took wood shop, metal crafting, welding, small engine repair, leathercraft, pottery, mechanical drafting, and architectural drafting. I've spent many years in manufacturing and done a whole lot of stuff with my hands outside of work. I'm also not much younger than you.
> 
> ...



Have you thought of using a Ken Onion Worksharp for the initial shaping?


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## McMan (Aug 29, 2021)

HumbleHomeCook said:


> Thank you everyone for sharing your thoughts. I would indeed use a handheld power drill. I'm not sure if I'll embark on this or not but I just liked the idea of doing it by hand. A little more peaceful and, I don't know, personal maybe.


Another trick is to use a drill block. Get some scrap wood and once you've got a perfectly vertical hole in one (test with a dowel and a level), that's your drill block. If you want to get really fancy, you can insert a piece of copper pipe. Use it to start the drill bit. It'll assure you're at vertical and you won't have to worry about going by eye.


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## coxhaus (Aug 29, 2021)

HumbleHomeCook said:


> You and I have played your games elsewhere and I see now we're going to play them here too.
> 
> I'm quite capable with my hands and have access to an extremely well equipped shop. When I was in school I took wood shop, metal crafting, welding, small engine repair, leathercraft, pottery, mechanical drafting, and architectural drafting. I've spent many years in manufacturing and done a whole lot of stuff with my hands outside of work. I'm also not much younger than you.
> 
> ...



A few knife handles is not the way I saw it when I first responded. I may have been drinking. I was just thinking how I would do it in my shop. If I was looking for a few handles then I would resaw some of my firewall looking in joints for fun grain. My firewood is all free. I have lots oaks and pecans. Once in a while hickory and mesquite. No exotics. I would have to go shopping. I would still cut them down to the size I needed on my old Unisaw which I restored.

I need to go work on my gas grill. I need to grind the screw heads off to replace the gas tubes.


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## cotedupy (Aug 29, 2021)

HumbleHomeCook said:


> Do you insert a dowel for the tang fitment?



I don't actually, as I find epoxy is quite strong enough structurally to hold the parts together, just with roughing the surfaces up before sticking together. I imagine dowels are probably easier to get the fit accurate though - it's taken me quite a bit of drilling practice to get good at it.

I'd possibly recommend going with a dowel, I imagine it might turn out a bit easier/neater.


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## tostadas (Aug 30, 2021)

I'm actually planning on doing a very similar project in the coming weeks. Just waiting for some epoxy and drill bits to arrive. The tools I plan to use are

*Shaping:*
hand saw
machinist combo square
straight edge
sandpaper
relatively flat stone tile and some clips to hold sandpaper
I also have a belt sander, but its really crappy and I'd only use it to remove material really fast and stop once I get within the rough size I'm planning.

*Tang Hole:*
hand drill
drill guide for making perpendicular hole (I'm still unsure of how precise this is going to be in practice)
needle rasps
jigsaw blades, maybe sanded down on one side to use as a broach

If doing a 2-piece handle, I'm considering slightly oversizing the hole and doweling with a generous size cut in the dowel.

I did some testing on scrap wood to see how well sandpaper on flat surface + machinist square would work. Even with 120grit paper, I was able to get decently crisp edges, so I'm confident that the concept can work. Similar to you, I don't plan on doing this for profit or anything, so efficiency is not really a big concern. 

We're only talking about max dimension of something like 1x1x6", so even by hand, it's really a very tiny amount of material to remove. Good luck! Maybe we can compare notes once the projects start


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## RDalman (Aug 30, 2021)

You can also use axe and knife and just grab a piece of firewood, saw away drying cracks in the ends. Split out and carve handle, drill and burnfit.


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## Tapio (Aug 30, 2021)

The tools I used when I made my latest knife handle: drill, saw, pencil, knife, plane, gas torch, brass wire brush and some sand paper. No need for any power tools.


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## JayGee (Aug 30, 2021)

If you're planning for it to be round then a sanding belt is a really easy way to turn wood into a circle.


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## AT5760 (Aug 30, 2021)

I've done a couple of handles with the only power tools being a handheld drill and a small mouse sander. It's definitely possible to do it. The nice thing with the slow work is that my mistakes tend to be smaller in magnitude. I found the tang hole to be the most challenging part. Shaping the rest by eye isn't too bad.

Here's what I've used: bench vise, sandpaper, needle files, handheld drill with bits, small block plane, rasp.


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## TB_London (Aug 30, 2021)

When I made my first handles they were all hand tool only, except for a power drill. That’s why I came up with the hidden dowel method maybe 10 years ago. I’d link to the thread but it was deleted and for whatever reason the Mods won’t restore it.
The hardest part of handle making is getting the slot for the tang made and central so that knife and handle are planar. Even slight wonkiness is noticeable in use.

A hand saw to cut to rough dimensions.

Some sandpaper spray mounted to something flat to lap the faces between ferrule and handle to get a clean joint - alternatively can be done with a shooting board and plane but has a longer learning curve. Saw straight with a fine saw and then sand. If you can’t saw straight then a shooting board may be needed sooner as sanding is only really for small adjustments.

A drill to start the tang hole- either matched to the tang size or matched to a dowel if taking that approach.
You then need to widen that hole to a slot. In the ferrule piece I like to use a fine fret saw to rough it in - then adjust with a broach and files. The broach can be fancy but I use a fine jigsaw blade glued into a handle and then ground to shape.

Some clamps to be able to hold everything aligned and tight during glue up.

a plane to smooth the handle and shape it. A no3 is a good size but you’ll probably find a block plane easier. Given the types of woods being used I’d get one that you can put a decent iron in. I’ve got a cheap Stanley that’s great on softwoods but dulls rapidly on handle type hardwoods. My Lie Nielsen though will shape a handle on a single sharpen.

you’ll also need layout tools - a good combination square is good, the 6” starrets are nice for handle making. A steel rule is useful for marking tapers etc and measuring lengths. Vernier callipers are good to get a measure on tangs, check drill bit sizes, and metal ones can be used to scribe parallel lines to reference off - eg an equal thickness either side of the tang slot.

A 0.5mm mechanical pencil is good for rough lines, and a small kiridashi or scalpel gives you precise marks to saw or plane to.

a good vice for workholding is handy or go traditional and use a Japanese planing board. If you go vice get something rigid to mount it to, the triton super jaws are surprisingly good for this sort of thing if you have a bit of space.

finishing is then sandpaper until you get good enough to finish off the plane.

Some of the tools are visible in the pic below.


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## JayGee (Aug 30, 2021)

If I were to select one helpful real workshop tool for this type of project it would be a proper drill press for cutting tang holes in wa and for pin-holes in western handles. I've seen power drill attachments that have a plunge action, but they all look v crappy to me - so I've never tried one. Perhaps someone has had luck with one of those plunging things... But yeah - drilling straight can be a challenge and is critical.


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## zizirex (Sep 5, 2021)

Yeah, it's possible. I use a Hand plane and Hand drill for most of my handle build.
I cut all of my wood using a Japanese Ryoba and Dozuki. I have Kanna plane, Jack plane, Block plane and Smoothing plane for shaping the handle.


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## tostadas (Sep 5, 2021)

zizirex said:


> Yeah, it's possible. I use a Hand plane and Hand drill for most of my handle build.
> I cut all of my wood using a Japanese Ryoba and Dozuki. I have Kanna plane, Jack plane, Block plane and Smoothing plane for shaping the handle.


How do you align your drill hole?


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## zizirex (Sep 5, 2021)

tostadas said:


> How do you align your drill hole?


drill block and bench vise


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## inferno (Sep 11, 2021)

HumbleHomeCook said:


> Is making Wa handles (of whatever shape) with nothing but hand tools fool's folly? Just for personal use, not for selling so time investment is fine.
> 
> Let's say no more power than a drill and Dremmel.
> 
> If you do think it isn't a semi-viable idea, what tools, jigs, etc. would you recommend?



i do all my handles this way.
cordless drill, saw, rasp, files, sandpaper.


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## mikeeyS (Nov 12, 2021)

HumbleHomeCook said:


> Is making Wa handles (of whatever shape) with nothing but hand tools fool's folly? Just for personal use, not for selling so time investment is fine.
> 
> Let's say no more power than a drill and Dremmel.
> 
> If you do think it isn't a semi-viable idea, whs ?t tools, jigs, etc. would you recommend?


nym
What is are Wa handles ? Too many acronyms everywhere, everyday. What's wrong with the whole word?


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## stringer (Nov 12, 2021)

mikeeyS said:


> nym
> What is are Wa handles ? Too many acronyms everywhere, everyday. What's wrong with the whole word?


Wa is the traditional Japanese handle with a hidden tang. As opposed to Western with exposed tang and scales


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## stringer (Nov 12, 2021)

Wa on top. Western on bottom


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## HumbleHomeCook (Nov 12, 2021)

mikeeyS said:


> nym
> What is are Wa handles ? Too many acronyms everywhere, everyday. What's wrong with the whole word?



Wa is a word not an acronym. See @stringer's explanation above. I believe yo is the word for a western handle.


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## tostadas (Nov 12, 2021)

stringer said:


> Wa on top. Western on bottom
> 
> View attachment 151630


holy crap that spine.


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## stringer (Nov 12, 2021)

tostadas said:


> holy crap that spine.


Deba. About 8 mm.


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## zizirex (Nov 12, 2021)

Wa- means Japanese style. where Yo- means Western style. Wa-Shoku means Japanese-style food whereas Yo-Shoku means Western-style food.

i think it's from Wa-Shiki and Yo-Shiki


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## demirtasem (Nov 12, 2021)

zizirex said:


> Yeah, it's possible. I use a Hand plane and Hand drill for most of my handle build.
> I cut all of my wood using a Japanese Ryoba and Dozuki. I have Kanna plane, Jack plane, Block plane and Smoothing plane for shaping the handle.



About the planes. Do I need all of them?


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## zizirex (Nov 13, 2021)

demirtasem said:


> About the planes. Do I need all of them?


Nope, if you need one plane it would be the No 4 Smoothing. Block plane would be a nice addition for chamfering.


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## JoBone (Nov 13, 2021)

Colton put out a book on making wa handle with hand tools. You can also look at his blog, but go ahead and spend a few bucks to support his trade. 

Colton hand crafted wa handles


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## HumbleHomeCook (Jul 13, 2022)

JoBone said:


> Colton put out a book on making wa handle with hand tools. You can also look at his blog, but go ahead and spend a few bucks to support his trade.
> 
> Colton hand crafted wa handles



I'd forgotten about this recommendation until @Dr. T's post today about hand making handles.

Support extended and book ordered.


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## cotedupy (Jul 16, 2022)

This cutesy little thing is a 101 size Stanley plane which I picked up about 6 months ago, and might as well have been custom designed for making knife handles. Along with a saw, sandpaper, and a vise/clamp, you be golden.












I haven't actually made a handle with it yet tbh, but maybe I'll sharpen the blade up a bit and give a go soon...


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## tostadas (Jul 16, 2022)

Got 2 more I just completed shaping. It's slow going with sandpaper, but the slow removal helps me maintain more precise dimensioning. My first WA handle took over 10hrs. These 2 still need a bit higher sanding, edges rounded off, and oiling, but should be done in a couple more hours. The process has become more efficient bringing my total time down to maybe 7hr for a handle, with plenty of room left for additional improvement.


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## Carl Kotte (Jul 16, 2022)

I just completed cracking a handle I put on a knife 13 months ago.


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## TB_London (Jul 19, 2022)

With the help of a friendly mod this thread from 2011 has been restored. In it I posted my original how to, which was the result of a bit of experimentation and then a lightbulb moment for how to simplify the slot making process.






Tang slot


How do you guy make the tang slot on a wa handle?




www.kitchenknifeforums.com





Seems to be the defacto method nowadays, but when I posted I’d never seen or heard of it before.


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## jwthaparc (Jul 28, 2022)

HumbleHomeCook said:


> A small plane is what I was thinking too. I reckon if I did give it a try it'd be another thing to learn to sharpen.


I honestly think it would be pretty easy. And also save time with sanding, and etc. A plane can give such a great finish. 

How big are the pieces you're starting with? Also what kind of bolster do you plan to use? I image the bolster will be the main thing to get in the way.


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## jwthaparc (Jul 28, 2022)

Oh. I just realized how old this thread was.


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## HumbleHomeCook (Jul 29, 2022)

jwthaparc said:


> I honestly think it would be pretty easy. And also save time with sanding, and etc. A plane can give such a great finish.
> 
> How big are the pieces you're starting with? Also what kind of bolster do you plan to use? I image the bolster will be the main thing to get in the way.



No plan as of yet. Still in the pondering phase.


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## MSicardCutlery (Jul 29, 2022)

FWIW this handle was shaped entirely by hand. 2 rasps, 3 files, height gauge, calipers, 2 tool rests (since I don't have 1-2-3 blocks), my benchtop and sandpaper.


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## Carl Kotte (Jul 29, 2022)

Carl Kotte said:


> I just completed cracking a handle I put on a knife 13 months ago.


I fixed it! Here’s to another 13 months! (Only this time, I made a ferrule).


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## ian (Jul 29, 2022)

Carl Kotte said:


> I fixed it! Here’s to another 13 months! (Only this time, I made a ferrule).



FERRRRRRULLLLLE!


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## tostadas (Jul 29, 2022)

Carl Kotte said:


> I fixed it! Here’s to another 13 months! (Only this time, I made a ferrule).


How did you manage to crack it like that?


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## Carl Kotte (Jul 29, 2022)

tostadas said:


> How did you manage to crack it like that?


No problem, I made the handle myself out of brittle bog oak.


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## M1k3 (Jul 29, 2022)

tostadas said:


> How did you manage to crack it like that?


Lemon grass


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## jwthaparc (Aug 2, 2022)

MSicardCutlery said:


> FWIW this handle was shaped entirely by hand. 2 rasps, 3 files, height gauge, calipers, 2 tool rests (since I don't have 1-2-3 blocks), my benchtop and sandpaper.


I really like what you did there, with the end of the handle.


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## MSicardCutlery (Aug 2, 2022)

Thanks! It was just a spontaneous idea while I was finishing up.


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## jwthaparc (Aug 3, 2022)

MSicardCutlery said:


> Thanks! It was just a spontaneous idea while I was finishing up.


I might have to steal this idea, or something similar. I'm redoing the handle on that differentially hardened gyuto I'm making (for a couple reasons), and the piece of wood I'm using has a defect I'm going to need to work around, so I'm thinking I'll do something similar to this to remove it.


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## MSicardCutlery (Aug 3, 2022)

jwthaparc said:


> I might have to steal this idea, or something similar. I'm redoing the handle on that differentially hardened gyuto I'm making (for a couple reasons), and the piece of wood I'm using has a defect I'm going to need to work around, so I'm thinking I'll do something similar to this to remove it.


Bup bup bup bup bup....it's never defect removal, it's embellishment 

In all seriousness though, it needs to be harder wood or something stabilized to cut small facets cleanly. A flat needle file is a huge help too.


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## jwthaparc (Aug 3, 2022)

MSicardCutlery said:


> Bup bup bup bup bup....it's never defect removal, it's embellishment
> 
> In all seriousness though, it needs to be harder wood or something stabilized to cut small facets cleanly. A flat needle file is a huge help too.


Lol I'll remember that. 

Ok. I'll see what I can do. I haven't decided if I'm going to go with the exact design, or if I'm going to try to just keep that as sort of the inspiration. I still need to put in the 45 degree angles on the piece, I'll decide what will look good with it after that.


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## jwthaparc (Aug 3, 2022)

Oh btw, so far with this handle it pretty much has been all hand tools. Mostly because its actually kinda easier it seems, at least with what I have. Obviously once the wood is getting attached and matched to the ferrule I'll be using a grinder, but for now it's just been a saw and a couple planes.


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## HumbleHomeCook (Sep 9, 2022)

JoBone said:


> Colton put out a book on making wa handle with hand tools. You can also look at his blog, but go ahead and spend a few bucks to support his trade.
> 
> Colton hand crafted wa handles



I bought the guide and it's excellent. But, I am having hard time picturing the shaping/tapering part by plane.

I believe he is advocating using the box plane to get the ~2mm back-to-front taper. I haven't used planes much and I'm trying to understand how I achieve that run (angle) and not just keep going flatter over the whole surface?

Is it better to cut close to this dimension, rasp it and then plane it smooth?

I've been torn between a western #3 and Japanese box plane. You folks have thoughts?


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## jwthaparc (Sep 9, 2022)

If I was going to put a taper in with a plane, I would take short cuts on one end, and gradually take longer cuts until I'm doing the whole length. 

I'm partial to western planes, but that's just what I have experience with. Having a chip breaker is always nice though.


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## HumbleHomeCook (Sep 9, 2022)

jwthaparc said:


> If I was going to put a taper in with a plane, I would take short cuts on one end, and gradually take longer cuts until I'm doing the whole length.
> 
> I'm partial to western planes, but that's just what I have experience with. Having a chip breaker is always nice though.



Yeah I guess that's what I'm seeing in my mind but still thinking that cutting to near-net seems like a better idea.


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## jwthaparc (Sep 9, 2022)

I think both ways could work. Doing it the plane only way could be fine. I would just recommend doing a practice run on a piece of scrap wood, and see how that goes. 

I'm sure the more someone does something like that, the easier it becomes for them.


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## zizirex (Sep 9, 2022)

No 4 would be my preference, followed by block plane.


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## HumbleHomeCook (Sep 23, 2022)

Howdy KKF, any reason to not get "Turning Blanks" from like this:









Walnut Turning Blanks & Turning Squares


Walnut turning blanks, walnut turning blank squares & walnut turning squares are all for sale here at Barrington Hardwoods.



barringtonhardwoods.com





I was thinking of getting some walnut and maple or maybe one of the variety packs as a means to get started.


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## MSicardCutlery (Sep 23, 2022)

HumbleHomeCook said:


> Howdy KKF, any reason to not get "Turning Blanks" from like this:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


None. Those are what I usually buy exotic woods as, unless I'm getting large blocks to stabilize. Make sure they're at least an inch square though, 1-1/4" is better. No telling how concentric your boring/broaching will be, and it really helps to have some room to play. 

Walnut is fairly easy to work with, it's about the same density as pine/spruce. Maple on the other hand, well, you'll really come to appreciate the simplicity of sharpening planes and chisels over knives. Oh, and it loves to split, a lot like oak and ash, but not quite as bad. Elm, birch, cherry, and poplar are much easier to work with edged tools.


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## HumbleHomeCook (Sep 23, 2022)

MSicardCutlery said:


> None. Those are what I usually buy exotic woods as, unless I'm getting large blocks to stabilize. Make sure they're at least an inch square though, 1-1/4" is better. No telling how concentric your boring/broaching will be, and it really helps to have some room to play.
> 
> Walnut is fairly easy to work with, it's about the same density as pine/spruce. Maple on the other hand, well, you'll really come to appreciate the simplicity of sharpening planes and chisels over knives. Oh, and it loves to split, a lot like oak and ash, but not quite as bad. Elm, birch, cherry, and poplar are much easier to work with edged tools.



Awesome. Thanks Matt! Maybe I'll stick with walnut and cherry to get my feet wet.


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## tostadas (Sep 23, 2022)

HumbleHomeCook said:


> Howdy KKF, any reason to not get "Turning Blanks" from like this:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Unstabilized blanks are great and inexpensive. I'd recommend selecting kiln dried ones because if you instead use high MC% wood, you might get warping due to shrinkage as it dries. Also the cost difference is minimal if any between dry and non-dry

I actually like maple because you can get nicely figured pieces. Curly or birdseye look good to me. I don't do high volume work with wood, but at my newbie skill level, it was not particularly difficult to work with.


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## HumbleHomeCook (Sep 23, 2022)

tostadas said:


> Unstabilized blanks are great and inexpensive. I'd recommend selecting kiln dried ones because if you instead use high MC% wood, you might get warping due to shrinkage as it dries. Also the cost difference is minimal if any between dry and non-dry
> 
> I actually like maple because you can get nicely figured pieces. Curly or birdseye look good to me. I don't do high volume work with wood, but at my newbie skill level, it was not particularly difficult to work with.



Thanks buddy. These ones look to be all kiln dried. I was careful to look for that.


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## More_Gyutos (Sep 23, 2022)

If one chooses to use the blanks above for a handle instead of using stabilized wood, am I correct in saying the only drawbacks are that you may get some shrinkage/warping over time and you don't have the added weight?


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## tostadas (Sep 23, 2022)

HumbleHomeCook said:


> Thanks buddy. These ones look to be all kiln dried. I was careful to look for that.


Here's one I made a while back with curly maple. It was like $5 for 12inch piece, so that portion of the handle only cost a couple bucks.


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## jwthaparc (Sep 25, 2022)

tostadas said:


> Unstabilized blanks are great and inexpensive. I'd recommend selecting kiln dried ones because if you instead use high MC% wood, you might get warping due to shrinkage as it dries. Also the cost difference is minimal if any between dry and non-dry
> 
> I actually like maple because you can get nicely figured pieces. Curly or birdseye look good to me. I don't do high volume work with wood, but at my newbie skill level, it was not particularly difficult to work with.


Oh wow. They're producing high mc type carbide wood now? Amazing what the future has brought us.


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## tostadas (Sep 25, 2022)

More_Gyutos said:


> If one chooses to use the blanks above for a handle instead of using stabilized wood, am I correct in saying the only drawbacks are that you may get some shrinkage/warping over time and you don't have the added weight?


The shrinkage itself is not that big of an issue. I think it comes more into play when you start using more than one type of wood or material that expand/shrinks at different rate. Then you can end up with unevenness at the transition between two materials, and that really bothers me. Also, your point about weight is generally true that stabilization adds weight. However, note that some woods, such as ironwood and many rosewoods cannot be stabilized.


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## HumbleHomeCook (Sep 25, 2022)

tostadas said:


> The shrinkage itself is not that big of an issue. I think it comes more into play when you start using more than one type of wood or material that expand/shrinks at different rate. Then you can end up with unevenness at the transition between two materials, and that really bothers me. Also, your point about weight is generally true that stabilization adds weight. However, note that some woods, such as ironwood and many rosewoods cannot be stabilized.



Do you have experience with stabilized stuff and hand planes?


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## tostadas (Sep 25, 2022)

HumbleHomeCook said:


> Do you have experience with stabilized stuff and hand planes?


Sorry no experience with planes. With sanding though, I feel like stabilization does not have a whole lot of effect on workability. Given two examples of the same wood, one stabilized and one unstabilized, cutting feels about the same, sanding feels about the same.


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## HumbleHomeCook (Sep 27, 2022)

Reality...

Well, it turns out, there are times when it kinda sucks. 

So I bought a fair bit of stuff and have spent a good bit of time working on my Japanese plane (needs more but close enough for some testing) and I also did buy that No. 3 plane. Tonight I decided to do a test run and, skill curve aside, my thumb joints said, "Yeah, nah. We're not doing this right now."

So, unless and until I get this arthritis under control, this foray is tabled. I can pursue powered equipment and I might but space is limited and I'm not sure I want to coat that space in dust. I'll give it more thought.

All of that said, *a genuine and humble heart felt thank you to the KKF community.* I have received so many generous offers behind the scenes that it is really outstanding. From advice to materials, several members reached out to me with wonderful offers to help. You all rock and this is indeed an awesome bunch.

All good. I'll reconsider this all a bit later but after whining about it to my wife, she gave me the best advice possible. She said, "Well, I guess you just have to buy more knives then."

Amen sweetheart. Amen.


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## HumbleHomeCook (Oct 20, 2022)

I was chatting with @MSicardCutlery in DM's and wanted to update this thread.

To anyone who may read this and gets this far, *you can absolutely make a handle with all hand tools*. You don't need anything fancy.

In my last post I said my hands weren't gonna let me pursue this. But, I got a message from our friend @MowgFace that said he hated the idea of me being held back like that. That nagged at me. Not in a bad way at all but precisely the opposite. It was motivation. I told myself to suck it up and go do something.

My thumbs present two problems:

1) They get sore and swell up. I can deal with that.
2) Lateral pressure that is just right creates a shooting pain and loss of grip. This one is a bit tougher to navigate.

It was the latter that was causing me a problem when I first tried this. The western plane is somewhat heavy and handling it would trigger that sharp pain. The Japanese box plane was perplexing to get set right so I just felt stuck and a bit deflated.

But, like I said, I rucked up and, going back to prior discussions with Matt, I picked up some course sandpaper, pulled out an old rasp, a square, the micrometer, the Japanese saws, and the mechanical pencil and gave it a go. I just did a little each night after work. My hands would get sore but none of these tools caused the sharp pain so all good.

I was working with walnut and cherry.






I was using 2"x2" blanks so that meant I'd have a lot of material to hog off but also gave me plenty of room for error.

Now, I did use a battery-powered hand drill and the number one thing I would say to anyone wanting to pursue this is to get brad-point drill bits. Your regular carpentry bits will wander. I know, because mine did and so all my holes were decidedly off center in each piece. The second thing I'd advise is to make shallow drill holes in a block and then cut the spacers versus cutting the spacers and then drilling the hole. My cherry spacer was fine but my first walnut spacer snapped.

Anyway, I got things glued up and then rough sawed close to net shape. From there it was back to the rasp and paper. I had everything real close to final dimensions and started working on the back to front tapering.

I was even using my Japanese box plane to some effect, albeit limited. It was all coming together.

I was damn near done with the tapering when I realized... #$%@&*(*&^%$#@%^**@!!!!!!

Somewhere along the line of cutting and sanding, I'd mismarked the block. I'd basically rotated it 90 degrees so the blade slot now aligned with the fat side instead of the skinny side.  

So, that ended that. I don't have a pic of the mistake as I just used the piece to play around with and experiment.

But, it did show me that you can do it and it really isn't that bad. Just check things often and measure a gillion times as you go.

I 1000% agree with @JoBone's recommendation to purchase Colton's guide that can be found here:






Colton Handcrafted | How to Make Custom Wa-Handles and Sayas for Japanese Kitchen Knives







coltonhandcrafted.com





I'd buy it even if you plan to use all power tools. Very well-done guide.

All that said, I did buy a little 1x30 belt sander to help me out. We'll see if I can manage to not screw up another one.


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## tostadas (Oct 21, 2022)

HumbleHomeCook said:


> I was chatting with @MSicardCutlery in DM's and wanted to update this thread.
> 
> To anyone who may read this and gets this far, *you can absolutely make a handle with all hand tools*. You don't need anything fancy.
> 
> ...


That color scheme looks really nice


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## Carl Kotte (Oct 21, 2022)

tostadas said:


> That color scheme looks really nice


And the shape! THE SHAPE!!!


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## ian (Oct 21, 2022)

Super nice. Btw, I also ordered from Barrington a while back. Pretty good prices, good product.


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## blokey (Nov 2, 2022)

Not to hijack the thread, but I'm thinking started to rehandle some old western knives with all hand tools if that's possible. The Morihei Hisamoto leaves me drooling but I really don't want to start doing this on a $300 knife. Is this a good idea? Which tools would I need? I'm interested in old forge craft and Dexter stuff on ebay, but some cheap Taiwan made aus10 knife blank on Amazon seems like ok deal too.


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NCMMV26?ref_=cm_sw_r_apan_dp_GZBW1PKVV3PCG8G5H160


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## Greasylake (Nov 2, 2022)

blokey said:


> but some cheap Taiwan made aus10 knife blank on Amazon seems like ok deal too.


Ibuki blade sells knives without handles, and there are some relatively inexpensive options, just in case you'd like something a bit nicer than the amazon one








Gyuto chef knife


Gyuto chef knife blade blanks




ibukiblade.com


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## jwthaparc (Nov 2, 2022)

I think you will be fine doing it. It's not too difficult to do it with just hand tools. Just make sure you have something to bring down the pins. I personally like to cut the pins fairly close to the handle, and peen them over when I epoxy the scales on. Then grind down what's sticking out. 

Make sure you don't go too far if you peen them out it can split the handle scale. 

Also once you've got the handle down to the spine of the knife, you're going to need to sand with a backing. Otherwise the spine is going to stick up more that the handle.


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## deltaplex (Nov 2, 2022)

blokey said:


> Not to hijack the thread, but I'm thinking started to rehandle some old western knives with all hand tools if that's possible. The Morihei Hisamoto leaves me drooling but I really don't want to start doing this on a $300 knife. Is this a good idea? Which tools would I need? I'm interested in old forge craft and Dexter stuff on ebay, but some cheap Taiwan made aus10 knife blank on Amazon seems like ok deal too.
> 
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NCMMV26?ref_=cm_sw_r_apan_dp_GZBW1PKVV3PCG8G5H160


It'll be a gigantic PITA to get all the details right on it, with or without powered tools to make some portions of the work go more quickly. Forgies and Dexters are "easier" because they don't have a bolster, but scale removal, tang clean up and shaping, scale fabrication/procurement, spacers or not, corbies/rivets/pins, enlarging tang holes, scale/spacer flattening, correct adhesive selection, clamping, clean up and finishing. Then add on that all of it _should_ be symmetrical both sides, top to bottom, front to back: tang, spacer, scales, etc. It's a lot.


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