Troney;

I find that a huge bowie will be about 1 1/16 at the thickest part of the butt. With the handle contoured appropriately; much thinner at the guard in most cases; with a slight palm swell in the middle that splits the difference in the two. A hunter at 5/8 inch at the thickest has a nice feel. Too thin is almost impossible, in my opinion.

These are handles with good contours. Plank handles and hoe handles will look awfull in almost every case. Proper shaping and contouring of handles is far more important than a specific thickness.

Good luck;

Mike

Thanks MS Williams

I appreciate all of the help and guidance

you gave me at the 2010 Blade Show.

Troney

Mike, Dont you wish all returning applicants had his attitude?

Troney, The next time you see a knife you like. It just looks right to you, you know. Take notice of the details of it's measurements. How wide the guard is and the butt, etc. Then use this mental snapshot to go and draw up your own. When you are happy with the drawing, stick to it. Have faith in it. Make each part the way you have it drawn and to it's planned demensions. I have found that througout the stages of construction, the parts individually may not look right or proportionate. But, dont deviate from your plan, because the complete knife will. Lin

Troney, good question and I wish more would ask it. As Mike says think shaping and contouring. I think it is finally starting to sink in here. Lin is right on the money, if you are at a show and see something that really grabs you and feels right. Make a note of it. What was it about the handle or knife that really jumped out. Another avenue is the drawing pad. When you get a blade done, trace the outline on your drawing pad. This allows you to try different handle designs with the blade, you do not like one erase it and try again. Also check out the topic of the month discussion here on the forum. This months topic is design. Feel free to ask questions. I am looking forward to seeing you in Atlanta.

Brion

MS Rhea and MS Tomberlin

Thank you for the input and help.

Hope to see you both at the show also.

Troney

Thanks for asking the question Troney,

It is an interesting one. I make knives with all different size handles. Some people like them larger and some smaller. Individual hand size is obvious, but we as makers who intend the knife for anyone that would be interested in buying and more-so, using it, we have to be able to make some educated "guesses" at making it work and feel good to more than just one person.

As far as size....I look at the Bill Moran book often & find that his handles are also in different sizes but often are rather large, especially on his bowie knives. Just thought I would mention that.

I look forward to seeing some of your work in person someday.

-DON:)