# My First Saya



## marc4pt0

So I finally did it. This one has been on the list of "Things to do" for over a year now. Yesterday I just buckled up and gave it a go! 
Poplar 2 piece construction, friction fit and in need of some more stain, but here it is.


----------



## CoqaVin

good job sir, I would like to give this a go myself, what were the tools you needed?


----------



## marc4pt0

A couple "in the works" pics


----------



## pleue

Great job!


----------



## marc4pt0

Belt sander, chisels, clamps, sand paper, gorilla glue, and a jigsaw


----------



## stereo.pete

Awesome work!


----------



## CoqaVin

the only thing I dont have is a belt sander


----------



## Anton

not bad for a first timer... 

Came out great !


----------



## Mrmnms

Great job Marc! Hard to believe it's your first one. What was your biggest challenge?


----------



## Lefty

Wow! Looks great. Really nice work.


----------



## marc4pt0

Thanks guys!
Biggest challenge? Chiseling out the cavity to fit the blade. Definitely a learning curve there. Second biggest challenge? Getting all that saw dust out from _inside_ the saya! Seriously, how does all that dust get in there? It was all cleaned prior to gluing. Jeez!


----------



## marc4pt0

Here's a quick pointy shot. It's my favorite part of it.


----------



## WildBoar

Nice, Marc!


----------



## Chuckles

Looking Good!


----------



## malexthekid

marc4pt0 said:


> Thanks guys!
> Biggest challenge? Chiseling out the cavity to fit the blade. Definitely a learning curve there. Second biggest challenge? Getting all that saw dust out from _inside_ the saya! Seriously, how does all that dust get in there? It was all cleaned prior to gluing. Jeez!



Did you have any issue with glue seeping into the saya when gluing?

I have been wanting to make one for one of my knives that doesn't have one, and also have been looking at making a knife block, and one of my biggest worries is glue seeping to the cavity and effect the fit.


----------



## Dave Martell

Nice Marc!


----------



## marc4pt0

Thanks again guys! 

As far as glue leaking into the cavity, yes that became an issue. I had no idea how much gorilla glue expanded! So the knife didn't fit as well as it did prior to the glue up. To fix it I just took an old beater knife and just _Worked_ it in there, breaking up some of the hard dried glue. In the end all worked well-ish. 

This was a huge learning lesson for certain. One of the lessons being to just do it. Shake off the fear of the unknown!


----------



## 420layersofdank

Ahhh.... vetty VETTY impressive ! You should do one in a "BUCKAI BURR!!"


----------



## Sabaki

marc4pt0 said:


> Thanks again guys!
> 
> As far as glue leaking into the cavity, yes that became an issue. I had no idea how much gorilla glue expanded! So the knife didn't fit as well as it did prior to the glue up. To fix it I just took an old beater knife and just _Worked_ it in there, breaking up some of the hard dried glue. In the end all worked well-ish.
> 
> This was a huge learning lesson for certain. One of the lessons being to just do it. Shake off the fear of the unknown!



I use 30min epoxy, using a "spatula? to apply it and let it sit for 15-20min and then scrape the excess with the spatula before i clamp it together

no problems with leaking into cavity :thumbsup:


----------



## marc4pt0

Hmmmm, this is sound advice I'll try next time around. Thanks!


----------



## Lefty

There are tricks of the trade, but we can't tell you all of them.  Seriously, Marko was an amazing resource for me, when I started with sayas, and before then, Stefan, with handles. If you have any questions, you know how to find me. With that being said, I doubt I can help you much, since the first one looks so damned good!


----------



## marc4pt0

Beginners luck! I attempted 2 different 3-piece sayas this morning. Not so lucky this time around. ..


----------



## NO ChoP!

I use gorilla brand wood glue. Doesn't expand like regular gorilla glue, yet is plenty strong. I spread it on both areas with a toothpick, and let it sit for a few minutes before putting pieces together. Letting it sit helps it from oozing.

I've had bad luck epoxying sayas. I used acrylic sheets a few times instead of wood, and found I had to rough the edges in order for the epoxy to take.


----------



## marc4pt0

This is now my second attempt at a saya. It's for a 240 Kato Workhorse. All was good until it started to split at the tip, and it fell a little short at the heel.
This is a 3 piece construction, which definitely had its own learning curve.
I think I'll try some putty or epoxy on the cracked part, than give it a dark stain to hide it a bit...


----------



## marc4pt0




----------



## Sparklepony

Awesome job!


----------



## mikedtran

Those Sayas are really aesthetically pleasing!


----------



## marc4pt0

Thanks!

Here's another one I forgot to post here. It's been finished since these were taken, but...


----------



## Keith Sinclair

Looking good


----------



## goatgolfer

The pictures are da**ned nice too. Well done Marc.


----------



## marc4pt0

Celly pics, but thanks!


----------



## Lefty

Looking good, my man!


----------



## Cutting_Edge

I did wood finishing in a custom shop for three years. Was enlisted as a builder's helper as well. 
One big tip I learned was car bondo. It's very stable, but won't stain well. If you buy some markers made to repair furniture you can paint the grain and completely hide the repair area. The bondo wont shift over time and water won't affect it either. If you ever have wood you intend to paint, bondo will close out the grain and greatly reduce your prep time for the paint as well. Just remember you have to sand 99% off. So don't go ape s*it with it. I like your work. It would be nice to see your efforts prior to glue up.


----------

