Well, the meat is in the marinade and everything is in place for a great July 4th celebration. I've been busy all evening long getting everything ready and now that I'm finally done it seems to me like this might be a good time for a build-a-long!
This is where we start:
(http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/mccallt/helle%20knife/CRW_0797.jpg)
We begin with a Helle Harding blade and hardware from Wingnut and a custom built handle blank designed to match my Dryad Bushwacker. You can get the blade and hardware from Dryad Bows at a very reasonable price, however I had to beg, plead, lie, cheat and steal to get that handle blank! :goldtooth:
I'm waiting!
To answer the question I know someone is going to ask, the handle woods are Coco and Yew. My first step was to get the Nickle Plate seated on the knife. I accomplished this by putting a cut-off tool on my Dremel and **lightly** touching the inside of the slot in the nickle just enough to allow it to slide up over the last inch or so of the blade.
(http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/mccallt/helle%20knife/IMG_0815.jpg)
I discovered that, if you do this right, you end up with a nice tight fit. Once it was in place it was never removed during the rest of the building process.
Nice to have you along Bodork! :thumbsup:
Next we drilled a hole through the center of the handle block.
(http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/mccallt/helle%20knife/IMG_0816.jpg)
I inserted the tang in the hole to get an idea of how the knife would fit the handle. I drew circles on both ends to give me an idea of what wood needed to come off. These lines served as guides thru the process.
Next I took my Dremel tool and flared out the hole on one end to accept the flare in the tang.
(http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/mccallt/helle%20knife/IMG_0819.jpg)
I also started rough shaping the handle. I did this mostly with my Dremel tool and a 60 grit sanding band.
I continued to rough out the handle:
(http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/mccallt/helle%20knife/IMG_0821.jpg)
This goes pretty quick with the Dremel.
(http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/mccallt/helle%20knife/IMG_0822.jpg)
It doesn't take long for it to start taking shape.
Working with the Dremel, slowly and carefully, I kept bringing the knife down to shape.
(http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/mccallt/helle%20knife/IMG_0823.jpg)
*******
(http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/mccallt/helle%20knife/IMG_0827.jpg)
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(http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/mccallt/helle%20knife/IMG_0829.jpg)
I was starting to feel pretty good about the way things were going at this point. After only a couple of hours of work, this thing is really starting to come together.
At about this point I decided to check and see how close I was to fitting in the sheath. You can just imagine my dismay as I realized that A WHOLE LOT of wood still needed to come off!
Back to the drawing board.
(http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/mccallt/helle%20knife/IMG_0834.jpg)
I know it looks funny but I started working from the sheath end back slimming down the whole thing to fit. I figured I would take care of the butt end once this thing started fitting in the sheath.
Once it started fitting in the sheath I started shaping the handle.
(http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/mccallt/helle%20knife/IMG_0836.jpg)
*****
(http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/mccallt/helle%20knife/IMG_0837.jpg)
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(http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/mccallt/helle%20knife/IMG_0839.jpg)
Now it starts looking more like I had imagined it would look.
I kept working on the handle, judging the fit to my hand as I went.
At this point it is nearly done.
(http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/mccallt/helle%20knife/IMG_0840.jpg)
*****
(http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/mccallt/helle%20knife/IMG_0841.jpg)
I started this project on a Tuesday evening after work. I was at this point after about an additional hour of work on Wednesday evening.
A guy that had the time and patience could build one of these on a Saturday, from start to finish!
:thumbsup: Very Nice!
I did a little more work to the handle Wednesday evening, then started finish sanding the handle.
The next evening I finally got around to putting the whole thing together. I filled the hole in the handle with 2-Ton epoxy and glued the tang into the handle. I then touched the back end of the tang slightly with the Dremel cut-off tool and tapped (hammered) the brass piece onto the but of the knife.
The next evening I filed the rest of the tang off flush with the brass piece and **finally** started spraying finish!
Here's the completed project:
(http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/mccallt/helle%20knife/IMG_0847.jpg)
*****
(http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/mccallt/helle%20knife/IMG_0848.jpg)
*****
(http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/mccallt/helle%20knife/IMG_0853.jpg)
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A few more:
(http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/mccallt/helle%20knife/IMG_0861.jpg)
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(http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/mccallt/helle%20knife/IMG_0846.jpg)
This was my first attempt at a knife and I feel pretty good about the outcome. I'm already planning my next couple of projects involving Helle blades -- it just seems to go hand in hand with traditional archery!
This is an extremely rewarding do-it-yourself project that just about anybody could tackle. I've been thinking about trying it for a couple of years and I just can't tell you how glad I am that I finally gave it a shot!
Great stuff! I've been wanting to try a Helle blade with a 'boo and osage handle with at tung oil finish to match a BBO...
Now that I know Wingnut and Dryad carry those Helle blades, I've got no excuse!
Nice Job Tony!! Dang your dad and you made those knives really pop. Now how many folks do you have standing in line waiting for new knives?
LOL
Mike
Nice stuff Mr McCall. Your knife turned out beautifuly. It's hard to explain how easy these projects are but the pictures tell a thousand words.
Thanks Mike and Mickey! I felt like it turned out pretty good for a first attempt. As soon as I get vacations, birthdays and such out of the way (July is gonna be a killer!) I'm going to get a few more going. I don't know what I'm gonna do with them, a guy can't cary more than one (or maybe two...) at a time... But I sure enjoy making them!
BTW Mickey, Mr McCall is my Dad! :readit: I'm just Tony.
I have a 4"X 8"X 12" block of some extremely hard and beautiful wood that came in a shipping crate at work. I have just kept it around the shop because it is one of those things that you know has value and you can't just throw it away! Well, now I know what I should do with it. Thanks for inspiring me Tony. That wood is destined to be knife handles!
I love the shape of your handle. Very nice!
Snag, you gotta post pics when you get it done! This is a really fun project, I can't wait to see what you do with it...
Nice job, Tony, with both the knfe and the build-along. I was also surprised at how easy these are to make. Very rewarding too. I sure have learned the birthdays of alot of friends since I started making them! They are make gifts. Funny thing you mentioned about the sheaths. I had made a few then decided to order the sheaths for them. They barely fit. Chad sodl me a sheath for the fjellkniven that fit my handles much better. I guess I have a habit of making my handles a little bigger than they need to be. I've since been making the knives and then making my own sheath to fit. They aren't as nice as the helle sheaths, but they fit my knives better.
Yep, Bodork, if you are going to use the Helle sheath, you certainly have to slim tha handle down enough to fit.
I was pretty pleased with the bigger handle and at first I was worried that I wouldn't like it as well after I slimmed it down. However, to my delight, I discovered that it feels really good in my hand! For me, slimming the handle down turned into a positive thing...
If you would post a build-a-long on a sheath... :readit: I might would try a larger handle on a future knife. But I've no idea where to start on the sheath!
Nice. I'm thinking about getting a Helle Blade as well. Today I'm sitting at work and was working on a couple knives I cut out from a circular saw blade. Like the one RGK did in the HOW TO Section. They are coming along very well, but I was wondering how do you get that bevel? Didn't want to steal your thunder TM.
Great job Tony!! Did you make the handle and guard? If so i like the way you put the light woods in between the dark.
Jeff
Do you know if the guard and the sheath will work for another type of blade that Helle makes? I was looking at another one of the laminated carbon drop blades. I can't remember the name. I believe it was a new model for them.
Snag, It would be best to give Mike a call, but I think that the guard is compatible with other blades and they sell a variety of sheaths that will also work with other blades.
Jeff, Mike made the handle blank for me.. I just had to shape it.
Snag, the guard will work on other blades but it fits best if you cut or file little notches in the blade for a snug fit. It's really no big deal but something to be aware of.
Tony, I did a sheath buildalong for someone here in a p.m. a while back. I'll try to find the pictures and post it soon. It's nothing fancy at all because I'm no leather master but it's easy and it works. Takes only about 30 minutes after you've done one or two.
Thats one very nice knife! Well done!
Well....let's see it with the bow!
Nice job. Hope mine turn out half as good!
Thanks for the build along. It will certainly be a help to me and others.
John
nice job :thumbsup:
Love the idea of how to keep the knife secure with the top pice of leather over the end button...Gtreat stuff...ingenious!!!!!!\\
Jake
Thanks, guys!
ttt
Tony,
How about a photo of your knife and bow together so we can see the match??
Lobo in West Virginia