Do-it-yourself wooden knife handle: description of the work process. Types of handles

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A hunting knife is essential for every hunter. First of all, it is used for finishing and butchering prey, but besides this it remains faithful assistant in the most different situations on the hunt. Nowadays you can find a huge number of different models and modifications of blades on sale. But despite this, the need to make your own knife may arise. This usually happens due to the inability to buy the blade you need, either to replace a lost or broken one you love, or one you saw from friends and liked, or the knife you need is not on sale.

Making a knife from a 9HF saw

In this article we will not focus on the shape and design of the blade, the type and width of the sharpening, etc. We believe that finished project or we already have a sample and will focus on the production itself.

In order for a homemade hunting knife to meet the basic requirements for such blades, it is recommended to make it from high-carbon alloy steels. For example:

9HF– tool alloy steel, used for the manufacture of frame, band and circular saws, punches, trimming dies and a number of other tools. Usually saw blades are used as blanks;
R6M5– high-speed alloy steel of high strength. It is used to make many types cutting tool, drills, saw blades, the latter can be used to make a workpiece;
65G– spring steel, with high wear resistance, can be blued and blackened. They make springs, springs, gears, etc. In addition to sheets, rear springs of trucks are used for blanks. Considered one of the cheapest knife materials;
X12, R3M3F2 and a number of others are also suitable.

The material for the workpiece can be taken from the above products, although now on the Internet you can order a plate for the workpiece from almost any steel. As a recommendation, take a canvas pendulum saw for metal, the usual dimensions are 400x30 mm, thickness 2 mm, rough surface, color black or gray.
If you want to make a homemade knife at home, in addition to the material for the workpiece, we will need:

Corner Sander(Bulgarian)
Wheels for it, cutting wheels for alloy steel, for example inox A54S BF, sharpening and grinding.
Drill or drilling machine
Vise
Pobedite and other special drills
Files and diamond file
Emery machine (very desirable).

The knife making process will be as follows:

The handle of the knife can be wound using paracord or made of wood; in the latter case, we drill holes in the handle according to a template, according to a sample or drawing. Holes are drilled using special drills with accompanying cooling using oil. It is more convenient to do this on a drilling machine.

To simplify the process, holes are drilled first with small diameter drills and then gradually drilled out to the desired size.

Handle

Knives are decorated with different handles. The choice of material for their manufacture depends on the purposes for which the knife is intended, ease of use and personal preferences of the owner. Below are two ways to make a knife handle at home.

Wrapping the handle with paracord in a few minutes

Using a paracord cord as a knife handle is not only easier and faster, but also more practical. You will always have a couple of meters of cord with you, which can be used for a variety of purposes when surviving in extreme situations.

For the winding we need:

cord, 2 – 2.5 m;
thick adhesive tape or electrical tape;
lighter or matches;
scissors;
gloves;
screwdriver.

Before you start winding the cord, decide whether you need a lanyard loop and if so, where it will be, on the side of the blade near the stop or at the end of the handle. If it is available, in addition to the ability to hang a knife, in the first case you can thread it thumb, to make it more convenient and reliable to hold the knife, in the second, you can use it to remove the knife from the sheath, etc.

Paracord is wound in the following order:

We wet the cord, and it stretches better, and when it dries, it will sit more solidly on the knife.
We seal the knife blade with tape or tape to avoid accidental cuts or cutting the cord. It is better to perform all operations with gloves.
We press one end of the cord on the head of the handle so that 10 cm remains free.
We form a loop from the cord, laid along the handle so that the top of the loop protrudes a couple of centimeters beyond the cord winding area.
Then holding the knife in your left hand and pressing both ends of the loop with your thumb, right hand We begin to wind the cord around the handle, starting from its head.
We make the winding tight, turn to turn, do not tighten it too much, keep in mind that the cord will still shrink after drying.
Having brought the winding all the way to the blade, we thread the remaining end of the cord into the protruding part of the loop.
We cut off the excess cord, leaving about 3–5 cm, and burn the end of the cord.
After this, pulling the free end of the cord from the side of the handle head, we pull the loop under the winding until the end threaded into it is hidden under the winding. Avoid pulling the loop completely out, otherwise the entire winding will unravel.

Winding is complete. With this option of winding, we will not have a loop for a lanyard. If we want to form it, the winding is somewhat more complicated. Initially, two loops are placed on the handle on both sides of the knife.

To form a loop for a lanyard on the head of a knife, the end of the cord is pressed onto the head of the handle and one loop is pulled to the blade, then the cord is thrown over the head and a second loop is placed on the other side. The winding starts from the head of the knife. Having finished the winding, the remaining end is threaded through both loops near the blade and pulled under the winding by the loop in the headband, thereby forming it.

So that the loop is near the stop, we do the same thing, but on the contrary, we start laying and winding from the stop, and pull the loop there to tighten the clamped end under the winding.

Making an overhead handle as an alternative to paracord

If you are a classicist and want to make a regular handle, use wood for this purpose. It is more accessible, easier to work with, wooden handle more pleasant to the touch, does not feel cold, slips less in the hand, and if processed correctly, does not absorb moisture. The handle of the knife can be made of oak, beech, maple, birch, walnut or mahogany. In order not to waste time and effort on preparing and drying wood, there are two simple ways get her. The first is parquet, you can buy it in a special store, where, by the way, expensive varieties are sold individually. Second - old furniture, in the attic, in the garage, at the dacha, with friends, you can always find unnecessary household rubbish and use it.
For the handle you need two dies if you have a hand standard size, then 10 - 15 mm thick, this is with a margin for processing, so that the thickness of the future handle is about 20 mm. The length of the workpieces is 150 - 200 mm, so that there is room for fixing them during initial processing.

In addition to the tree, we will need:

dowels made of aluminum, copper, brass, iron according to the number of holes and the corresponding diameter;
drill with drills or drilling machine;
drills according to the number of holes in the handle of the same diameter;
a sharpening or grinding machine, it can be replaced by a wood file and a lot, a lot of time;
jigsaw or manual jigsaw, or see the previous paragraph;
an engraving machine or a file with a needle file;
sandpaper of different numbers down to the finest;
epoxy based adhesive;
linseed oil;
thick adhesive tape or electrical tape;
vice, clamp.

We make the handle as follows:

Before starting work, wrap the knife blade with tape or tape to avoid accidental cuts.
The first step is drilling. We place the knife blank on a wooden block, press it with a clamp or, at worst, wrap it with tape and drill holes. To make the hole neat, first drill with a thin drill, and then drill out to required diameter. After the first hole has been drilled, we insert a key or a drill of the same diameter into it, this is done to fix it so that the die does not move. Let's move on to the next hole.
We drill the second die in the same way.
After drilling, we assemble the dies on a knife, using keys or drills, to make sure that all the holes match.
Then, attaching the dies one by one to the knife using dowels or drills and a clamp, we outline the contour of the handle along the contour of the knife. It is advisable to mark the handle with a slight indentation, 1 - 2 mm, for subsequent processing.
After marking, we cut out the handle with a jigsaw or grind it on a grinding wheel; in extreme cases, the file is in your hands.
Preparing the dowels. To make the homemade knife look aesthetically pleasing, we will not rivet the dowels, but glue them in. To do this, use an engraving machine or a file to make chaotic cuts on the keys, in which the glue will harden and set. At the ends of the keys we remove an inclined chamfer at 450.
Since after gluing it will be inconvenient to process the cheeks of the stop, we finally process and polish them using sandpaper.
We carefully sand the handle halves from the inside so that they fit tightly when gluing to the plane of the knife shank.
Before gluing, we make a final test assembly.
We carry out the gluing itself according to the instructions for the glue. The assembly procedure is as follows: lubricate inner side one half, insert dowels greased with glue into it, put a knife on them, and then the greased second half.
We clamp the assembled handle in a vice and remove the excess squeezed out glue. Leave the clamped handle for a day.
After the glue has hardened using files, emery, grinding wheel and so on, we finally shape, sharpen and polish the handle of the knife.
When the handle is completely polished, it's time to soak. The best way to saturate wood is linseed oil. You can buy it in a store for artists, they breed it oil paints.
The handle is kept in oil for three days to a week. The process can be speeded up by boiling the handle in oil for a couple of hours, but you must strictly monitor the temperature, otherwise the glue may leak.
Then the handle should dry at natural temperature for about a month, during which time the oil will polymerize and the wood will harden and become impervious to moisture.
After drying, the handle is finally polished with a soft cloth.

Sharpening for beginners

Before we talk about sharpening hunting knife, we need to remind you that homemade knives made from the metals recommended in the article, they are very difficult and take a long time to sharpen, since the alloy steels used have high hardness. This must be remembered when using a knife for purposes other than its intended purpose.

Now about the sharpening itself. IN living conditions knives are sharpened on special sharpening stones. Such stones are ceramic (the cheapest and most common), diamond, natural and Japanese sea stones. The principle of sharpening on them is approximately the same, so in the future, by default, we will talk about the most common ceramic sharpening stone.
To sharpen a knife efficiently, it is advisable to have either two sharpening stones of different grain sizes, or, what happens more often, grindstone the sides of which have different grain sizes. For ease of sharpening, the size, or rather the length, of the stone should be greater than the length of the knife blade.

It is advisable to sharpen a knife with both hands, so it is advisable to place the sharpening stone on a separate board, securing it either in a hole specially cut for this purpose, or using six nails driven into the sides.
Sharpening the knife begins on the roughest stone. At this stage, the whetstone does not need to be wetted. We place the stone arbitrarily on the table, the main thing is that it is convenient for you to sharpen on it.

The entire sharpening process consists of giving the edge of the blade an acute angular shape. When doing this, you need to remember a few basic rules:

you need to choose the optimal knife sharpening angle and stick to it throughout the entire process;
The knife is driven across the stone with the blade forward, as if cutting off a thin layer from it;
in one movement you need to sweep the entire edge of the blade for uniform sharpening;
the edge of the blade should always be perpendicular to the direction of movement;
each next time the blade must be turned over and held with the other side so as not to displace the center of the blade chamfer;
movements should be smooth, without pressure;
It is better to sharpen both sides with a unidirectional movement, either towards yourself or away from yourself, since moving the hand away from you is always worse and weaker than moving it towards yourself.

Now regarding the sharpening angle. It can be from 450 to 300, in the first case the knife will hold an edge longer, in the second it will be sharper. It is better to sharpen a hunting knife exactly at 300, this is not difficult to achieve, just when sharpening, move the knife as if you were cutting a thin slice of butter or cheese.

After you have turned the initial sharpness and brought out the angle of the blade edge, you can move on to a stone of lesser dispersion. It is advisable to periodically moisten it with water so that the edge of the blade glides better and metal dust does not clog the pores.
Finally sharpen the blade to a mirror shine and razor sharp, you can straighten it on an old leather belt with GOI paste. main feature editing with GOI paste is that the knife is led in the opposite direction to the blade, i.e. butt forward.

Making a sheath (case) from leather

One of necessary accessories The sheath is the hunting knife. They are needed to protect the blade from dulling, and everything around from cuts and damage to things.

You can make a homemade sheath yourself at home, from a small piece of leather about 3 mm thick.

For this, in addition to the skin, you will need:

scissors;
a sheet of thick paper for a template;
pen;
an awl (a sharpened nail or nails can replace it);
small nails and a hammer;
universal glue;
fork;
paraffin candle;
fine sandpaper or grinder;
nylon thread and one or two large needles;
pliers;
snap clasp;
wax or cream.

The procedure for making the cover will be as follows:

Making a template. Applying the knife blade to a sheet of paper, trace it along the contour.
Then around this contour with a centimeter indent we draw another contour, it will be the main one. Cut out the template along the outer contour. Separately, we cut out a T-shaped part for the fastener, the width of the harness is about 20 mm, and we measure the length of the harness along the handle of the knife.
Mark the details on the skin. Having attached the template to the leather, we outline the part for one side of the sheath, then, moving the template to the side by 5 - 8 mm, we outline only one side to get a part for half of the insert.
Then, turning the template over, we repeat the steps, outlining the second side and the second half of the insert. We apply and outline the T-shaped part of the fastener.
Take scissors and carefully cut out all the details from the leather.
Applying it to the knife, we try on all the details to see if they match.
We rub the ends of the insert on the clasp with paraffin candles, and then sand them using sandpaper.
We apply the fastener to one half, and using an awl and nails we mark and punch holes for the thread, in two rows.
We sew the fastener; the thread can be pre-lubricated with paraffin.
For ease of subsequent stitching, we glue the parts together. We cut out a part from the template along the contour of the blade itself. We place this part on the half of the sheath and coat it with glue so that the glue does not come out beyond the inserts. Glue according to the instructions on the tube. Lubricate and glue the inserts.
At the tip of the sheath, between the inserts, we cut a groove for ventilation.
Glue the other half. We place the sheath under the press for a while for high-quality gluing.
We check how the knife fits and sits.
Use sandpaper to sand the edges of the sheath.
Using a fork, running two prongs along the edge of the sheath, outline the outline for stitching. Use a fork to mark the holes for the thread.
If you want, you can get fancy by cutting a thread groove into the face of the scabbard so that it is flush with the leather. In this case, it will then need to be polished with wax or cream in the same color as the scabbard.
Punch holes for the thread with an awl.
We sew the cover. You can sew with one thread, or with two threads, threading them through the holes one at a time.
Attach the button clasp.
We finally grind and polish the scabbard with wax or cream.

The scabbard is ready.

Today, knives are in great demand and this is not surprising. In addition to its direct purpose in the kitchen, the knife is used in tourism, hunting, fishing and many other areas. In addition, this is simply a beautiful and valuable gift for any man. Homemade knives are in particular demand, because the handle of such a knife provides unlimited possibilities for the creator’s imagination. Beautiful patterns, drawings and inscriptions allow you to make a unique knife. So that he can serve long years It is worth deciding on the choice of material for the wooden handle of the knife, impregnation and varnish, which will be discussed below.

Types of knife handles

Depending on the method of fastening, there are two types of knife handles:

invoices;
horsemen

The first version is used when the blade shank is wide enough. It is given the shape of a future handle, which is secured with screws or rivets. If the shank of the blade is narrow, then a mounted mount will do. The main advantage over overhead ones is the lightweight structure.

Materials and tools for manufacturing

Making a comfortable and durable knife handle can be a difficult task for an inexperienced person. The first obstacle on the way will be the choice of wood. Depending on the operating and storage conditions, one or another type of wood serves different time. The wood must be dried to prevent further deformation.

At the moment there are several dozen in the world suitable species wood knife handle. These are mainly species that retain their shape and hardness: iron, black and ebony trees, boxwood, maple, oak, walnut, rosewood, birch, heather and many others.

Failure to follow all steps may cause the texture to disappear and the durability of the handle to be significantly reduced.

It is important to know that when processing light-colored wood, particles of sanding dust can be absorbed and will be visible in the form of black dots. To prevent this, you must first use a special vapor filler.

For a knife that uses a mounted shank, a hole of the same length should be drilled in the handle and, if necessary, expanded with a file. Then, pre-prepared epoxy resin is mixed with sawdust and filled with this solution drilled hole. After which the blade is installed. The knife can be used a day later, after the resin has completely hardened.

The invoice version is assembled using a different method. First of all, the processed parts of the handle are installed on the shank and clamped in a vice. Then all holes for rivets or screws are drilled. Those, in turn, should be the same diameter as the holes. Then the parts of the handle are soaked on all sides with oil. Then they begin to apply epoxy resin on the inner parts of the handles and rivets. Then all parts of the knife are assembled and wrapped in rubber, which can be secured with tape or tape. After 24 hours, the knife can be unrolled, excess resin removed and the handle additionally soaked in oil.

Any knife consists of two elements: a blade and a handle. The quality of a knife and its ease of use depend on the material used to make the blade, its heat treatment and sharpening. The shape of the knife handle affects the functionality of the tool and its maneuverability. IN open access There are sketches and drawings of handles for wooden knives on the Internet, but the mounting options are not very diverse.

Mounting method

Methods for attaching the handle to the blade:

mounted;
riveted.

With the mounted method of forming a knife handle, an array of solid material or a set of plates is mounted on the tail of the blade. If the handle consists of a set sheet material, it's called typesetting. In some designs, the tail part of the blade is threaded for additional fixation of the plates with a nut.

To prevent the handle from splitting during operation, the material is fixed with clips on both sides. Stacked handle always located parallel to the blade. The mounting method of making a handle has its advantages:

the ability to give any shape affects aesthetic qualities;
low weight and low thermal conductivity;
maintainability.

The main disadvantage of this design is the low strength of the connection between the handle and the blade.

Overhead riveted version

When making a riveted version of the handle, linings are used, located on the wide shank of the knife, which follows the shape of the handle. The plates are attached to the shank using rivets or screws. The latter are used quite rarely for these purposes.

Copper or steel rivets are widely used for fixing linings. Knives in this design can be found in any kitchen. Many people wonder how to make a knife handle at home. Advantages of the overhead fastening option: ease of manufacture and ease of fastening.

Among the disadvantages are:

limited form;
heavy weight;
high thermal conductivity coefficient.

Handle shapes

There are five main shapes of knife handles:

Types and benefits of wood

The choice of material for the future handle should be approached very responsibly. The following characteristics depend on the raw materials: strength, ergonomics, balance and resistance to contamination. A knife with a wooden handle is perfect for a novice hunter.

Wood has become widespread as the main material for making handles. Typically, varieties with a dense structure are used: oak, ash, walnut, maple, apple, cherry. Exotic wood species have more beautiful view , but can be difficult to process or have a bad effect on the balance of the knife. A homemade carved knife will always decorate the collection of any hunter. Among the domestic types of wood suitable for making handles are Karelian birch, beech, hornbeam and walnut. Exotic ones include ebony, wenge, omboyna and bubinga.

Karelian birch is used in many countries of the world along with rare exotic specimens. The structure of its wood resembles marble. The hardness of this type can reach up to 3.5 units on the Brinell hardness scale, density - up to 770 kg/m3. Inside, the material has unique thickenings - burls, which give Karelian birch a marble texture. Color varies from light golden to dark amber. Such wood is difficult to process, so special skills are required when making the handle.

Hornbeam - species deciduous trees belonging to the Berezov family. Wood has the greatest hardness (about 3.7 Brinell units) and a density of about 800 kg/m3. Experts highly value the wear resistance of this wood, which is why it is used in critical components that are subject to increased demands on toughness and impact strength.

Walnut is often used to make propellers for light aircraft. The minimal tendency to cracking determines the use of wood for the manufacture of handles. When dried, such a handle retains its shape and is not subject to rotting. According to Brinell hardness is about 3.7 units.

To make a black handle, use ebony or ebony. It grows in tropical jungles and has a density of 1300 kg/m3, so the wood of this tree sinks in water. The oily structure makes the material resistant to atmospheric influences.

The stability of the structure allows the use of ebony for low temperatures in the conditions of the Far North. This material also serves as a raw material for the manufacture musical instruments, souvenirs, figurines and figurines.

Wenge wood is a rare species of equatorial wood. The chocolate color of the material with veins adds texture finished product unforgettable view. Wenge is superior in hardness to oak and ash. On the Brinell scale, hardness can reach up to 4.2 units. Density is 890 kg/m3. The presence of oily deposits in the wood structure complicates mechanical processing and sanding. Waxing is recommended as a final finishing touch.

The wood of the amboyna tree is red-brown in color. The density of the material is quite low - about 670 kg/m3. Easily tolerates mechanical processing and polishing. At the final stage of manufacturing, additional filling of the pores with viscous compounds may be required.

The wood of the bubinga tree has distinct growth rings, which makes its structure bright and attractive. It has average density about 900 kg/m3. It is used for decorative purposes, as it is easily machined. By polishing you can achieve a mirror finish. High adhesiveness makes it suitable for making musical instruments, decorative panels and for decoration internal space cars.

Other materials

Making a set handle for a knife with your own hands is quite simple. Leather is used quite often. The use of this material has become widespread thanks to positive qualities starting raw materials.

A well-made handle has a good appearance, low thermal conductivity. The knife leg is threaded, so it is not afraid of impacts and is better able to withstand falls. The goatskin handle is especially prized among hobbyists.

Plastic or plexiglass are also often used. Among the main advantages are high impact resistance, low weight, resistance to water and moisture, frost resistance and dielectric properties. A blade made of plastic will be cold to the touch.

It must be taken into account that there is static balancing and dynamic balancing. It is quite difficult to choose the optimal one. If static balancing characterizes the weight qualities of a weapon, then dynamic balancing takes into account the moment of inertia. Optimal for household use The option is considered when the center of mass is at the level of the index finger.

Knives are currently popular not only in the kitchen, but also among people who have connected their lives with extreme types of active leisure - fishing, hunting, tourism, etc.

On the market today there are various knives: variable models, different dimensions and designs. But none of them can replace a knife that you make yourself.

People often write on the Internet about how to make a knife with your own hands, but you have to try hard to make them.

Knives: types and basic properties

In the photographs of the knife on the Internet, you can see that each product is a creative element created from various mechanisms.

There is a large classification of knives depending on their functionality: combat, tourist, folding (for example, butterfly), knives designed for hunting, multi-tools, bivouac knives, as well as ordinary kitchen knives.

Kitchen knives are bought ready-made, but knives intended for hunting or tourism can easily be made at home yourself.

There are also knives such as survival knives, the main task of which is to help in living in conditions wildlife. This option is relevant for tourists and hunters.

The blade of such a knife is usually no more than 12 cm. This length is sufficient for cutting wood, processing game, cleaning fish or other similar actions. Small dimensions make this knife easy to transport.

When making such a knife, great attention should be paid to the material intended to create the blade. Steel is often preferred.

Procedure for creating a knife

To obtain positive result When making a knife, you must first sketch out a drawing of the knife. In this case, you can know in advance what exactly you want to achieve in the end.

Instructions on how to make a knife at home include a number of rules.

Making a knife step by step

Cut out the blank for the future knife. Relying on finished drawing, cut out the shape for the knife.

You will need a knife sharpener. With its help, the base is brought to required form. And after this you will have a clear blank in your hands, where you can distinguish the places of the handle and blade.

Rough sharpening of knives. At this stage you need to clearly know what your future knife is intended for. If it is made for hunting, fishing or hiking, then it is better to give preference to the blade type of sharpening.

And, if a knife is created to function in the kitchen or in the garden, then a razor type is suitable.

Don't expect perfect sharpening at this stage, as this is just a rough draft intended to determine the future shape.

If the blade is pre-prepared, then you can start working with the handle. To create the handle, the most various materials– this is: wood, plexiglass, bones, thick types of leather, etc.

Note!

Having cut out a blank to create a handle, you should check whether it fits comfortably in your hand, as well as its proportionality relative to the blade. The knife handle is secured using the riveting method.

The shape for the foot handle is given using a sharpening machine.

The knife is ground and polished using sandpaper.

The final sharpening of the blade is carried out after sharpening on a sharpener, also using sandpaper.

At the end, the finished knife is polished with velvet cloth or polish.

Note!

As you can see, the process of making a knife with your own hands is not that difficult, so everyone can try their hand at this area.

You can also give the future knife the necessary and desired design. Pay special attention to the handle during the design process.

Knife design

Because it is by the handle of the knife that others can then judge your creative thinking and status.

Some write their names on the handles of the knife, draw certain patterns and sketches in the form of tattoos.

The simplest knife can be built in emergency situation in the forest, the main thing is to find the materials necessary to create it.

Note!

You just need to find the cutting part for the knife, and then you should insert it only into the handle, which will be in the form of a piece of wood, rope or leather.

Photo of a knife with your own hands

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