Guard Fitting/Filing

[LABlade]

In studying Tim Zowada's tutorial on guard fitting, there is one area that I don't quite understand. In Step 1-Prepare the Blade, he instructs to cut the shoulders using a file guide, then to radius where the blade meets the tang. You then proceed to the steps for laying out, drilling, filing and fitting the guard.

From the photos and instruction, I can't tell if the guard is filed to fit:
1-Inside the filed shoulders, butting up against them, or:
2-if the guard is filed to fit the finished dimensions of the tang just in front of the filed shoulders, and therefore are to fit over the filed shoulders.

From looking at his photos it appears to me that the filed guard fits over the filed shoulders for a snug fit against the finished tang, but if that is the case my "pea brain" can't see the purpose of filing the shoulders around the circumference of the tang. It seems you could just slightly taper the tang back towards the handle, eliminating the need to file the shoulders.

Maybe I'm making this harder than it should be?

Thanks is advance for any help.

Les

[Woodchuck Forge]

Some makers do file all the way around the file jig. I think it may make things a little easier in fitting. You do not have to get the guard quite so close in the fit. i prefer a press fit personally. So your answer is yes you can do as you described.

[LABlade]

Thanks, Chuck. I also emailed Tim Zowada and he responded within 8 or 10 hours. What a class act! He clairfied that you file only the top and bottom shoulders of the tang. The sides are slightly tapered for a press fit. That's what I did on my first knife of this type and worked out, but then I looked at the photos in his tutorial and it looked like he had filed completely around the circumference of the tang, and I started to second guess myself. I have a knack for making things harder than they are! I'm still having a hard time visualizing how to properly design, draw and cut out the tang/guard area on hidden tang knives. I'm designing my next knife on the fly, based on what I learn in books and on line so it's a slow go for me. If anyone has just a rough drawing on how they do that area of a hidden tang I'd be most appreciative.

[DaveL]

I started some time ago to just notch for the guard, like it that way...