i did this one as through tang, with threaded nut on the end. with full flat grind, and distal taper it made an amazingly light blade. i got most of the material out of the way with grinder, and draw filing before HT. its 1084 with clay HT, oil quench. 5"-6" of handle should be plenty. the 3/16 stainless cap on the back end does provide an ounce or so of counter weight, but was mostly there as a plate to transfer the torque of the nut to compress all the handle parts against the guard.
if you want it to be a chopper youll actually want more weight in the blade anyway, so no need to worry too much about balancing too close to the guard.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/oiseau...posted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/oiseau...posted-public/
with this one, rather than welding, i slotted the end of a bolt and riveted it to the end of the tang. the nut is countersunk into the back of the handle. a plate covers that, and tiny brass wood screws (along with epoxy) secure it to the handle.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/oiseau...posted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/oiseau...posted-public/