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The Newbies Arena Are you new to knife making? Here is all the help you will need.

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  #1  
Old 11-06-2012, 08:37 AM
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cbsmith111 cbsmith111 is offline
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Question Stick Tangs

The few knives I've made up to this point have been full tang. Now I want to try something different. I want to make something like a Puukko. It doesn't have to be completely traditional, but I want to retain the overall scandanavian style.

I've drawn out a rough sketch of the design I want, but I'm a little lost when it comes to the tang. I've looked through oodles of pictures, and the shape and size of stick tangs seem to vary quite a bit. Is there any guideline for how wide they should be? Should I just make them as wide/strong as possible while still fitting into the handle? Should the shoulders where it meets the blade be squared, rounded, etc.? How much should it taper? Why tapered instead of straight? I've also seen ones that stopped short of the end of the butt of the handle, ones that were peened over on the outside, and ones that were threaded into a pommel.

I know this is very generalized, but if anyone has some experience with stick tangs and could share some tips with me on the overall design concept I would appreciate it.
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Old 11-06-2012, 08:49 AM
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Ray Rogers Ray Rogers is offline
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It really depends on what you want, whatever works for you. Generally, don't square the joint where the tang meets the blade, a tiny radius is better. I'm not a fan of using only glue to secure the tang so my tangs have to be wide enough to accept the pin I plan to put through it - most of my narrow tangs are 1/2". I like a 2 to 3" tang if it will be hidden inside the handle. Done right, this little tang will make an insanely strong bond with the handle.

Whether or not you need a butt cap on the handle depends on a) if you want one b) you need one to thread onto the tang c) the bare end of the handle material looks ugly (wood looks OK, stag not so good)....


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Old 11-06-2012, 09:44 AM
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AUBE AUBE is offline
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I don't do many of them but when I do I go for the wide/strong as possible route. But you also have to take into account the strength of the handle material. You don't want your tang so wide that the handle material ends up being very thin in places. With some material, like unstabilized wood, there can be tension in the wood and cracks can form in the thin portions from the wood trying to pull itself apart. Using a stabilized material, or manmade composite can eliminate the problem.

As Ray said, the spot where the tang meets the blade should be rounded. Any abrupt angles are spots where the metal is easier to tear. If the area is squared prior to heat treating the blade, then stress cracks can even form there. What I do is determine how wide I want the tang, then drill 1/8"-3/16" diameter holes on each side of where the tang shoulders will be. Then grind/file to the holes so you end up with a nice 1/8" diameter curve where the blade meets the tang.

Using a file guide can make the job of fitting the guard onto the tang much easier.

Tangs are typically tapered for 2 reasons..it often makes fitting the handle on easier, and most of the stress will occur close to the top of the guard, so extra material towards the butt of the handle is just extra weight thats not needed (unless you are trying to balance it that way). I will taper the tang both side to side, and the thickness slightly. Tapering the thickness towards the guard will really help when filing the guard to fit.
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Old 11-06-2012, 05:08 PM
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R. Yates R. Yates is offline
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I agree with AUBE this is Correct !
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Old 11-07-2012, 06:57 AM
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cbsmith111 cbsmith111 is offline
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I very much appreciate the advice. I figured I understood basically what to do, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something. I may cut out some dummy blades from mild steel and mount them in scrap wood to test the strength of the attachment before I make the real ones.
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Old 11-07-2012, 09:14 AM
Doug Lester Doug Lester is offline
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I'm like Ray and make the hidden tangs, the few that I have made, about 3-3 1/2" long. That's plenty long enough to be under the first three fingers when gripping the handle, though I did do a 6" tang on a seax with a 8" handle and I've done a through tang.

As mentioned, a file guide will make the job of setting the shoulders of the blade a lot easier. I get things close on the grinder, put the blade into the guide and true things up with file. I use a 1/4" round chain saw file to refine the junction between the tang and the blade. If you have to dress things up a little afterward with a flat file make sure you don't go into the curve with it or you will end up with a square corner.

I asked about heat treating the tang on another board and what I came up with is to harden the tang along with the blade, except for the distal end which will be left soft to drill a pin hole through, and then do a soft draw where the tang and the blade come together. This will give more strength in that area than unhardened steel would have but also make it a little tougher and less brittle.

Doug


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