Tapering a Tang

[Stuart Mitchell]

I was tapering one yesterday and got a few photos for my SD client, with his kind permission I'll stick them on here too, some might find it interesting?

Photos are not great as they are quick workbench ones.

This one shows the currently flat, 3mm thick, heat treated SF100 blank, the lines indicate roughly the front of the scales and the plunge of the grind.





On a belt grinder I'll scoop out the middle of the tang, this is the start of my taper, this scoop goes from zero by that front bolt hole to a thickness of a little over my desired and intended thickness at the butt.





That moves metal quickly and means when you come to flatting that surface again you are not grinding the full surface of the tang.

This next photo shows a quick first pass on the flatting abrasive belt. See how this process is only grinding the edges of the tang.





Keep going, grind down to finished sizing, you need to make sure all the edges are ground flat, if your hollow goes beyond the edges of the tang anywhere, that will be a gap, and we don't like gaps. I like to grind beyond where the front of the scales will be.








That is 3mm down to around 1mm.

 

[Stuart Mitchell]

I like to grind beyond the front of the scales so when I grind the primary bevels, all comes together.





Tapering now in both directions, front to back.

Hard to show on the photos though.

 

[willie_gunn]

Thanks for posting these pics.

I do love a tapered tang. To me it is a subtle but definite indicator of a true custom-made knife, showing the thought and care that has gone into the knife's creation. It clearly takes both experience and skill to get right, when it must be so much easier to turn out a flat blade, but it results in a thing of beauty.

My small collection has tapered tang knives from yourself, Alan Wood and James Sponaugle.

 

[snake_2586]

have you a picture of the grinder you use to flatten out the tang, the marks suggest you are holding the blade in line with the belt, If I did that on either of my machines I think I would loose my knuckles

 

[Stuart Mitchell]

have you a picture of the grinder you use to flatten out the tang, the marks suggest you are holding the blade in line with the belt, If I did that on either of my machines I think I would loose my knuckles

I’ll try and find one mate, I’m not back in now until Monday.

 

[Stuart Mitchell]

have you a picture of the grinder you use to flatten out the tang, the marks suggest you are holding the blade in line with the belt, If I did that on either of my machines I think I would loose my knuckles

There is a photo of the machine on my website here... GALLERY — Custom Knives - Stuart Mitchell Knives

And a video of me working on it, although I'm not doing a tang, in this SD thread... Roughing the Primary Bevels of a MuntjaX Blade

 

[devon deer stalker]

Heat treated before you started to grind?
Now I am confused.
I thought heat treatment was applied after the grind?

 

[Stuart Mitchell]

Heat treated before you started to grind?
Now I am confused.
I thought heat treatment was applied after the grind?

You can, not these days for me though, I now do all my tang/bevel grinding work post heat treatment.

 

[snake_2586]

I have one of them that I use for wood, I still think I would touch my knuckles if holding the tip of a knife and trying to flatten the handle area. but seeing you have something holding the belt up off the 'bed' perhaps gives you that bit more room?

 

[Cottis]

Thanks for this. I always sort of wondered how a tapered tang worked in terms of then putting the handle together and the handle material staying flush. This explains it perfectly.

Making a knife is one of the things on my list of things to do for myself and friends but is in an orderly queue of all manner of other things. I will get there one day but all these little posts by yourself help sow more seeds and grow the knowledge.

 

[Stuart Mitchell]

I have one of them that I use for wood, I still think I would touch my knuckles if holding the tip of a knife and trying to flatten the handle area. but seeing you have something holding the belt up off the 'bed' perhaps gives you that bit more room?

That raised platen is a handy addition, something I added to the grinder a good few years back.

 

[Stuart Mitchell]

Thanks for this. I always sort of wondered how a tapered tang worked in terms of then putting the handle together and the handle material staying flush. This explains it perfectly.

Making a knife is one of the things on my list of things to do for myself and friends but is in an orderly queue of all manner of other things. I will get there one day but all these little posts by yourself help sow more seeds and grow the knowledge.

You'll have to come and spend a couple of hours in the workshop, soak up a bit of the atmosphere and goings on, might get you to make the occasional brew though.

No problem re the posts

 

[Cottis]

You'll have to come and spend a couple of hours in the workshop, soak up a bit of the atmosphere and goings on, might get you to make the occasional brew though.

No problem re the posts

I will take you up on that one day. Will bring some leather gifts and tea making skills to offset your generous offer.

 

[Stuart Mitchell]

I will take you up on that one day. Will bring some leather gifts and tea making skills to offset your generous offer.

That is a deal!

 

[Stuart Mitchell]

A few more yesterday...

 

[Stuart Mitchell]

And each with their FFGs in place...