CSUSA Delux Cutlery

[Draken]

Has anyone turned handles for these? Have any suggestions before I try my hand at it? Such has how big and how deep a hole for the tang, and what should be the proper sizing where the metal and wood meet, since the metal is oval and not a circle, things like that. Hoping to get some "lessons learned" from others so I don't make the same "learning experiences". I'm hoping this comes out well enough to be used as a gift...

Thanks!
Draken

 

[jckossoy]

I've made several Bread Knives. The handles are individual taste, but I try to go for a balance feel. As for the depth, measure both the length of the tang and the width at it's widest. Dry fit after drilling to make sure that it goes in completely. I usually turn between centers, finish, then glue in the blade with Gorilla Glue, making sure not to use too much. I've made several for wedding gifts with matching wine stopper, and they use them every week for Shabbos.

Kol Tov,

 

[jthompson1995]

I just finished a bread knife and cake server set for my sister for her wedding. I left the end round and did not worry about the part on the knife being oval. I drilled the hole first and turned between centers, as Jeff said. I had flat ends on mine and I sanded off the waste left after turning, hand sanded and buffed to match the finish on the rest of the handle. It was pretty easy, but make sure the hole for the handle is straight in the center or the blade will come out crooked from the handle. I also found that there is a small flare where the post that goes into the handle meets the oval "blade guard" that kept it from going all of the way into the handle, so I chamfered the edge of the hole to get it to seat right. Dry fitting helped a lot when getting the blade to fit right with the handle. Hope this helps.

 

[Draken]

Thanks for the suggestions, guys, I found them quite useful. Hopefully my first venture into this will be successful (and yes, there will be photos!).

Cheers,
Draken