another noob question

[TheClash]

so i plan to make my folks a nice carving set for christmas and i am just curious as to what handle material would be the best choice for this....i am pretty sure they will always be hand washed and not sent through the dishwasher...but i want years of use out of them etc etc etc....i am thinking at the least stabilized wood...if not a synthetic or some sort of bone/antler.

anyone have any cool suggestions, ideas or experiences with a carving set? would love to see some examples if you have them

thanks again

[Ray Rogers]

I like stabilized woods but have used stag antler before. Here's some of my carving sets:

http://www.rayrogers.com/fork.htm

[TheClash]

ray those are beautiful, i love the stag ones, just beautiful. did you forge your own blades/forks??

[Ray Rogers]

I did make the forks and also the damascus for the damascus forks but I don't forge my knives (or forks). Everything is made by stock removal.......

[RICK LOWE]

I'm with Ray on using stabilized woods for carving sets. You'll avoid issues with water, hands and juices. That's about the only place I use stabilized wood, but really makes a difference. By the way Ray, super looking work!!
Rick

[TheClash]

any suggestions of where to find the nicest sets?

[Ray Rogers]

If you mean where to find stabilized wood, I like to go to the source: K&G Finishing. You can also find good wood at Jantz, Sheffields, and WSSI. Those places all sell wood that is stabilized by K&G or WSSI with acrylics. If you find 'stabilized' wood offered for less than about $25 per block for a nicely figured piece then you probably are not buying one of these high quality products ...

[TheClash]

Originally Posted by Ray Rogers

If you mean where to find stabilized wood, I like to go to the source: K&G Finishing. You can also find good wood at Jantz, Sheffields, and WSSI. Those places all sell wood that is stabilized by K&G or WSSI with acrylics. If you find 'stabilized' wood offered for less than about $25 per block for a nicely figured piece then you probably are not buying one of these high quality products ...

cool thanks, i was actually meaning blades and forks......just wondering if anyone had any suggestions for good sets....other than the usual sources..jantz, texas knife makers, knifekits.com etc....i have some time..but wouldn't mind getting a good start on these.

[Doug Lester]

I have a seax that turned out to be a large carving knife (great for cutting pizza) that has an African Blackwood handle that has held up quite well. Of course, it is hand wash only. African Blackwood is so dense and oily that I don't think that it can be stabilized. It just sort of comes that way as is.

Doug Lester

[David Broadwell]

Stag is probably the most traditional handle material for carving sets. Go to any antique store and see them. However, I'd serve up the roast beef or Thanksgiving turkey with one of Ray's damascus forks anytime! I especially like the one second from the bottom.

If you like wood, then in most cases stabilized wood is going to be the easiest to keep in good shape. However, if you do a proper job of finishing a non stabilized wood and you clean it by hand, it can work. I made a santuko for my wife 2 1/2 years ago with curly koa scales that were not stabilized. I gave them several coats of Formby's tung oil to preserve the wood, then a couple or three top coats of polyurethane to seal and protect it. The koa looks pretty much the way it did when I finished it.

David

[TheClash]

thanks all, i am thinking i want to go with stag.....now i have never done a hidden tang before....and sorry for the obtuse questions..but is the tang round?? do i drill a hole through the antler and then slide the tang through etc?? or do i have to cut the antler and carve out a slit for the tang?

[Ray Rogers]

Thanks, David! Very kind of you. I patterned those forks after some old Sabatier forks that I had been asked to rebuild. They have been very well received.

The tangs will be round only f you forge your fork, otherwise a flat tang is more likely. Doesn't matter. Every imaginable method has been and can be
used to attach a stag handle. You can run a pin through the handle and pin, some do, some don't. Good epoxy can do the job by itself if necessary. Or, extend the tang all the way through, thread the end, and screw on a butt cap - that will hold it on too. I just drill it out the same as I would do with wood and go from there ....

[DiamondG Knives]

Ray those carving set are mighty fine!
The damascus serving fork is my favorite! Did you forge or turn that? Either way its beautiful!

Looks like the Claiborn press is getting some good use!

God Bless
Mike

[TheClash]

Originally Posted by Ray Rogers

Thanks, David! Very kind of you. I patterned those forks after some old Sabatier forks that I had been asked to rebuild. They have been very well received.

The tangs will be round only f you forge your fork, otherwise a flat tang is more likely. Doesn't matter. Every imaginable method has been and can be
used to attach a stag handle. You can run a pin through the handle and pin, some do, some don't. Good epoxy can do the job by itself if necessary. Or, extend the tang all the way through, thread the end, and screw on a butt cap - that will hold it on too. I just drill it out the same as I would do with wood and go from there ....

so ray, again sorry for my terrible questions....i am new to knives...hidden tang and otherwise......so for a wood or a stag handle do you just drill a hole and insert the tang? is that what i am reading?

[Ray Rogers]

Mike,

Neither forged nor turned. The curve for the tines was forged in if you will allow that tiny bit of bending and flattening to be called forging. After that, all the rest of the rounding and shaping is done hand held on the ol' belt sander.

Clash,

Yes, drilling a hole and inserting the tang is one way. It's a fork and therefore will never be expected to withstand the type of stress a survival knife might be up against so most any type of handle attachment will work fine. One of the forks I made was full tang, one had a stub tang with a pin through it, and one had a stub tang with epoxy only. Never made one with a through tang and a butt cap but that's possible too.

If you buy one of the fork kits you will likely have either a full tang or a stub tang. If you have the stub then it will already be hardened so you won't want to try to drill it, therefore epoxy will be enough to secure the handle. Drill a hole in the handle, fill it with glue, stuff the tang in there, clean up the mess and shape the handle after it all sets up. Be sure to post a pic of how it comes out, just find this thread and add a new posting ...