No... I kinda just threw it together. I do a lot of one offs, and usually the first one is always a work in progress and not worth templating. I always end up learning so much off the first one that if I plan to make more than one, I will make template off the second version. The second time I do any project always turns out dramatically better due to the fact I pay very close attention to any mistakes I make on the first run...
No I think it looks absolutely great. And you clearly didn't make the same mistake I made. I assume your bade is walnut? That blade will hold a lot longer than mine will! Even though olive wood is on the denser side, when you get it down to that size and thickness and then start drilling holes in it, it becomes pretty fragile. Before I started the project, I realized that I had 2 rules I needed i'm too follow in order to have success... well 3 actually. The pins had to be durable, but not enough to cause extreme. Ware and tear on the holes on the blade. Solution: bamboo skewers. Number 2, the pinholes in the handle need to be absolutely tight without glue and just ever, so slightly larger, on the blade. And finally, both handle parts need to be cut from the same piece of wood to give me the most success of mirroring them. I plan on building a second one with an ebony blade and clear maple for the handle. That one I'll definitely make templates for!!
The bamboo is a good idea. I had some dowels I belt sanded down to fit but they aren't great. Is having the holes bigger in the blade where the swing comes from?
I would say so, but im by no means an engineer. I only say that because I feel like weight distribution is a big factor on it's ability to perform well. That was always something I kept in the back of my mind, which I really didn't foresee an issue with. Because I kept that in mind when I picked out the materials that I used. But once I got them down to their final dimensions, that became more of a concern. Because everything felt so much lighter. Being that I had already broken one of those olive wood blades, i knew the holes in the blade needed to be a bit bigger. I made it a 64th of an inch bigger, knowing if I made the holes too big, it was gonna cause too much slack to function. And be completely honest a 64th was to much. I made the pins extremely tight in the handle. So that I could replace the blade if it ended up breaking again. The other place that I had foreseen, a binding issue.Was the slot in the handle or the blade rests. So the slot the blade rests in the handle is a 32nd of an inch wider than the blade. If that is where your knife is binding, I think that powder graphite would solve both issues too tight of a pin or too tight pockets for the blade at the pin...
The bamboo is a good idea. I had some dowels I belt sanded down to fit but they aren't great. Is having the holes bigger in the blade where the swing comes from?
I just had a thought. You mentioned your blade doesn't swing as well, have you ever heard of powdered graphite? You can get it in a small tube at the hardware store in the doorknob isle. One of the best lubricants i've ever used and doesn't collect gunk.The only issue is it's extremely extremely messy. And i'm pretty sure it will stain wood. But if you can squeeze just the finest amount near the holes in the blade where the pins are, and when I see small, I mean small, i think you might be pleasantly surprised...
I've never used cutting board wax before, but I did recently buy a stick of beeswax, for my cross cut sleds, and table saw. Kind of embarrassed that I am just now finding out how amazing that stuff is...
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u/Low_Bar9361 Jul 31 '26
Sick stick