We are still in the process of making knives. It takes several sessions to grind, sand and shape the piece of steel to something that you want to take home. And about the time that you feel like it is coming together and you have spent enough time on this thing, you discover that you still need a handle for the darn thing.
There are a couple of options. Most of the time we make handles out of antler. Scott Larson got a hold of some good pieces for us. But some of the guys have done this before and so this time I offered them an option to do their handle in wood. This is more difficult. A piece of antler only requires that you drill some holes in the soft, porous core so that the tang of the blade can fit inside and then you glue it in place.
Making a handle out of wood requires that you cut the handle piece long-ways and off center. Then a groove must be routed down the center to hold the knife tang. Then the two halves must be glued back together. When they are dried, the work begins. The handle must still be cut and shaped, smoothed and sanded, then finally finished.
So, if this process seems to go on and on and on and on, it does. But the boys (and the leaders) love it and will be hard pressed to move on to their next project for the Mountain Man Rendezvous preparation.
No comments:
Post a Comment