How to design and make a wood carving knife

Step 8: Shaping the handle

Before you start for shape the handle you shall cover the blade with tape. To protect the blade and your fingers. I use masking tape that is easy to get of when the knife is finished.

Now start cutting away the wood outside the drawing. If your skilled enough you can start with an ax to do the rough shaping, and then using the knife for the final carving.
When your have cut all the way to the line of your drawing start to round the edges. When your cutting away, specially when rounding the edges you still have to think about a fish. The handle needs to be round and smooth like a small trout in the water.

Here is a film showing how to shape the handle with the ax. Sorry about the camera angle, maybe I need a tripod :-)

Comments

[lorenrad]

I notice a lot of bouncing of the workbench when you are chopping away at your knife handle. If you can stiffen your bench, your cutting strokes will be more effective and you won't have to worry about tools and other stuff on your bench jumping around and falling off. In regards to the danger of cutting towards your hand, eventually you might slip and do yourself some nasty damage. One thing you can do to make the job safer: thin the sides of the handle before making the undercut. Then you don't have to chop so hard to clear it. I notice that when you cut towards you, you still have some of the handle in the way as a guard, so it's not as dangerous as it seems.

[sabr686]

I love how you just left the camera tilted. You were in the zone, man. I could see it just fine that way anyway. Nice skills.

[morfmir]

Hi. I had the camera clamped in my vice :-) And didn't want to break it by tightening it to much. Now I have bought a tripod for future films. /Thomas

[mista.v]

 If we haven't got a hatchet, just a large ax, carving it with a knife is still viable, no? Or is it possibly to do with a fullsized ax?

[morfmir]

The hatchet just speeds up the process of shaping the handle. It is possible to carve it all with a knife. It just takes a lot longer time.
But if you are interested in making other greenwoodworking a hatchet is a necessary. And it don't need to be expensive.

/Thomas

[fluent]

That is stinkin' awesome. How long have you been making knives?

[morfmir]

Thanks, I have been making knifes for some years. My favorites are simple handmade knifes like the ones in this instructable. /Thomas

[fool2cool]

Are you sure its safe to swing an axe towards your hand like in the video? I was always taught not to cut towards myself but rather away so if you slip you wont end up loosing a hand, but i spose if your experienced you can control where the axe goes.

[morfmir]

It is a questions about experience. I don't think about it, but if your not sure you can do it safe let it be. It is perfectly possible to make the handle with out that step, just cut it with a saw or with a knife. /Thomas