New handles for old drawknives

[Chuck Nickerson]

I picked up some old drawknives and would like to make and mount new handles. Looking at them, the tang enters one end of the handle. Out the other end is a metal rod that has been mushroomed over rivet-style. How should I proceed? After I cut off the handle will all become clear to me? The handles now on are better than nothing.

[Dennis McDonaugh]

Chuck, I think you are going to have to make the handles in two pieces, then glue them together around the tang. Sorta like the Everlast chisels are put together.

[Roger Nixon]

The handles should have a dome shaped washer at the bottom. The tangs extend through the washer and peined to hold the handles in place.



The tangs are usually square in section and tapered so the handles are step drilled or burned in.

[Joe Pelonio]

I'm no help on answering your question, but I'm grateful that you brought it up. I have one of those at home in the garage somewhere, and it's probably 50+ years old. It was in some tools my Father in law gave me before he died. I was wondering what it was for, I thought maybe peeling bark off of logs?

[Bob Smalser]

You don't have to do it that way.

The Swiss one below had plain old tangs driven into a stepped hole like a chisel handle. Epoxied in, I made those in 1985 or so and they're still just fine.



If I had to replace the Witherby's handles below it, I could just grind the handle steel into tangs. But those caps are merely riveted on by peening over the handle mounting rods....grind the rivets off to remove the handles, turn new ones a hair shorter and bore them, then remount and peen the rods onto the caps, and you have it.