Handle Out of Recycled Bamboo

Hello DIY-lovers,
Check out my latest instructable for an easy and stylish bamboo/leather handle.
Cost? Well, like free almost.
Tools? Drumsander and drill,nothing fancy.
Enjoy/Frederik

Step 1: About Bamboo

Bamboo is a really beautiful and strong material for wood working. The fibers can sometimes cause trouble if you work them recklessly, but it is also the fibers that make the material beautiful.

This handle is sitting on a knife but you could easily adapt it to other things you need to get a handle on! Maybe a door or a a stickshift car or.... ok, so maybe there are not THAT many things which need bamboo handles. But if there is a will, this is the way to do it!

Step 2: Prepare Your Bamboo Scraps

Glue together thin pieces of bamboo with the fibres along the lenght of the piece.
Sand down the shape on the drum sander to get one side rounded(see photo). This piece makes up one half of the front section of the handle.

Step 3: The Front Section of the Handle

Cut out inner section so the knife's shaft will fit between while allowing the two bamboo pieces to connect. Add a piece of white plastic (Micarta) to become the front of your handle.

I added thin pieces of red plastic (Vulcano fibre) to make nice lines between the section.Optional...

Step 4: The Back Section of the Handle

This works out pretty much as the front section, but without the narrowed "nose" of the handle.

Step 5: The Mid Leather Section

Cut lots of leather strips and make a suitable hole on the middle. A tool as seem on the picture is useful at this step.

Stack the leather on the shaft adding wood glue between each piece.

Put under pressure and let dry. Oh...and you might want to start with fitting the top piece of the handle first- or things will be complicated(see photo).

Step 6: Putting on the End

Glue on the end piece as shown. Use Epoxi glue here.

Step 7: Grinding It!

Grind the handle to the shape you want. A drum sander helps!

Step 8: Finishing Touches!

Sand it with sand paper in steps of 200 from 100 up to a 1000 until you are satisfied with the finish. Add oil and watch the magic transformation!

Comments

[bruce5000]

ffrisel first ive never worked with bamboo i love these recycled handles if i wanted to make one like the scales on knifes how would i glue the bamboo up

[ffrisell]

Thanks PowellMade! I see that you have made some awesome cool stuff yourself!

[PowellMade]

I love stacked handles!! beautiful job. It seems you have a real handle on this.

[ffrisell]

The blade is Enzo, correct.

[hairwaxjunkie]

is that an Enzo knife??

[esedul]

very nice and beautiful ending

[schabanow.]

Katana! o_0

[spark master]

sweet

[ffrisell]

Thanks! The gear shift idea is great! About Sörenstam - maybe a nice golf club handle could interest her in a comeback?

[marhar]

Looks nice! +1 on the gearshift handle as well, it would be a nice touch to any car.

[NotAPot2PN]

Very nice work, ffrisell, thank you. And now, may I practice speaking Swedish with you? I'm just learning, but I know this much very well: Annika Sorenstam!!!! (I'm no longer a golf fan since she retired, sniff.) Good Instructable, tyvm.

[Ninjarooster]

Oh, that would make a sweet gearshift!

[ffrisell]

And two photos of the scrap bamboo I started with.

[ffrisell]

Here is a photo of the finished knife.

[ffrisell]

Hi everyone and thanks for the nice comments! My scrap bamboo came from an old mosquito net mount. Basically the bamboo looks like oversized icecream sticks or a doctor's spatula. the most important thing is to make the grain go across (not along the handle) in order for the cut off fibers to be visible.Frederik

[Corasaurus Rex]

That is amazing great job I love a good Handle repair !!

Where did you get the bambo?

check this out - https://www.instructables.com/id/Hatchet-Solid-Ste...

[Gregbot]

awesome

[Justin Lam]

Awesome idea! Did you use scrap sheets of bamboo or the poles? I have a bunch of the latter lying around, and a project like this would be cool.

[ncarrasquillo]

the bamboo looks great but wish there was just one pic of the whole thing finished?

[ffrisell]

Thanks! Unfortunately I had to delete more than half of my photos due to the poor internet connection here in Lusaka. I hope the instbl still gives an idea of the process.