Those are some great questions.

I used to try to work up some proportionate relationship when designing a new knife, and that resulted in some fairly decent knives. Then I learned that the handle is really the part of the knife that will determine whether I like the knife enough to keep using it, so I started paying a lot of attention to shapes that felt good in my hand. This led to experimenting with shapes that were comfortable. Along the way I became acquainted with Bill Moran, and started learning how to shape handles with palm swells and curves. Sometimes I got it right, and sometimes I just made a mess of the handle. But it all helped me learn.

I also began learning about knives from different parts of the world, and tried some of the typical handle designs I liked. Over time my ideas on good design have been altered, and now I find that I like to use knives that have handles long enough for my hand to feel secure in using the knife. That is, not too short, and, although I do have to use some short handles on a few small knives, I have come to the realization that it doesn't matter how long the blade is, nor how short. The handle must be comfortable and long enough for the person who will use it. Period.

Artistic design is just that--artistic design. The proof lies in how well the handle helps the knife to function in the user's hand. That's the way I design handles now. Factors that I consider are: intended primary purpose of the knife, the size of the user's hand, what material is preferred, whether there is to be a butt cap or not, style of handle, type of tang, whether a stick tang will be hidden or go all the way through the handle and be peened or threaded to the butt cap.

Sorry if this isn't much help. It is pretty general. I am very selective in choosing which piece of antler or wood is to be used. That is just a personal "does it look right for this knife?" thing.

One element I try to keep in my mind while designing a handle is to accomodate a range of motion by the user. A large chopping type knife's handle should be designed difefrently than a medium sized knife and so forth always considering the use of the knife and hand's position and range of movement.

The handle material can work along with the design by offering texture, tackiness, smoothness, etc. Material choices and combinations will also allow weight distribution to aid in balance.

Every smith has their style, or at least their style preferences.

One of the things that must be dealt with on handle design is: the more the design of the handle locates the fingers and/or hand on the knife; the more it limits the placement of the fingers and/or hand on the knife.

This can be taken as far as the smith is willing to take it.

The more I think about it the more I realize the handle shapes of the long past were that way for a very good reason.

I am still trying to make a nice handle.

M

A great deal of attention is given to making a quality knife blade (forging, heat-treating, edge geometry), but not so much on how to make a good knife handle. The truth is, that no matter how good a blade is, the knife is nearly worthless if the handle is not suitable for the purpose that the knife is intended for. I have many times seen a knifemaker surprised at how difficult it is to chop through a 2x4 with a knife that they have made because the handle is not a good design for the task.

Competing in a cutting competition is an excellent way to learn knife handle design. Many makers have modified their handle shapes based on what they learned in cutting competitions. If you have no desire for competition, at least put a handle on a blade and go chop on a 2x4 to see how the handle shape works. It doesn't matter if the blade's edge is not up to the task; as the point is to learn how the handle shape works.

Handle design is equally important for all working knives; not just choppers. For hunting knives, I have two primary criteria. First, does the shape of the handle immediately tell me where the edge of the blade is. If you pick the knife up with your eyes closed, can you tell where the edge is? Second, I prefer that a hunting knife be just as comfortable to hold with the edge up as it is with the edge down. Again, testing your handle is the only way to know if your design is correct.

Aspiring knifemakers need to understand that they should place just as much attention on learning good handle design as they do on learning how to make a quality blade. The skill to do both is the only way to make a knife that performs.

Like Mike I am still working on handle design. An evolving process I guess. I do tend to like more sculpted handles with palm swells and more rounded butts. I am also working on thinner handles to adjust balance more. I also think a handle should have some curves, even a slight curve adds to the flow of the knife.

That being said there are knives where a straighter handle is called for like some sheffield bowie styles. One thing I do is trace the outline of the blade on paper and try different handle looks. If you do not like something, all you have to do is erase it and try again. I also have templates of some of my standard handle shapes.

One thing, have a good idea of what type of handle you are going to put on a knife before you start assembling the knife. Again the drawing pad. It is a lot easier to draw things out and have a good idea where you are going than to just attach a block of wood or other handle material and hope that it turns out good. Especially true with more expensive handle material. Taking a $300.00 ivory handle apart because something is not right is not good for your stress level.

Brion

In an attempt to get this thread going again (because of the great info so far) I'd like to pose a comment and see what everyone thinks...

In a true working knife scenario I would think that handle material and the finish of the material can play as important a role as the shape. In other words, if I make a "perfectly shaped handle" on a chopper and then polish the handle material it would work against all that I did to shape it for it's intended use. The polished handle would want to slip in my hand when in use. Then again, too rough of a material or too sharp of angle(s) and you can wear a blister on your hand pretty quick.

I hear often how certain materials become slippery when wet or bloody, so again, choosing the right material for intended use comes into play. Especially for hunting type knives and camp knives. I guess a lot of possibilities can be ruled in or out depending on the knife's intended use, be that a wall hanger to a field use knife.

I'm like the rest of you in regards to the evolutionary process... As an example, I've recently been busy making the same pattern knife over and over and I'm yet to make two identical handles. Each one that I make seems to evolve just a little here and there and they are progressivly becoming more comfortable with each itteration. The first adjustment was general thickness of the handle... Then it was to leave the top a little flatter and the bottom thinner so that in cross section it was more egg shapped than just oval. Then I played with the placement of the palm swell both forward and back as well as up and down. The only consistent part has been the handle material and it's finish. All in all, I feel that the handles are becoming more user friendly which in this case is top priority.

I guess I'm just rambling to try and spark some thoughts from everyone...

For anyone just getting started making knives, when it comes to handle comfort, build what you think is going to work and then over test it and see how your hand feels the next morning... When I say over test it, I mean if it's designed to chop, then chop a decent sized log in half not just a couple of 2X4's, and don't wear a glove... You'll soon find out exactly where to make any handle/guard changes...

Rick

Great post Rick!

You are quite correct that handle material type and the finish applied to it can affect the usability of the knife. Unfortunately, we are often limited by the customer's choice of materials and/or the cost of additional work to the handle to make it less slippery.

Bead blasting, stippling and checkering can improve the "grip" of a handle. But, the customer must be willing to pay for the time required for the extra handle work. Checkering and stippling can be very attractive when added in panels on the handle. However, these techniques are time consuming and add to the cost of the knife. Too, you're not likely to find many customers who will wish to have you modify the surface of a beautifully colored piece of expensive ivory. When faced with making a knife with what will be a slippery handle surface, a handle shaped with curves and contours will help provide the user with a places to lock his fingers on the handle. So, when creating a handle design that you expect to use repeatedly with different types of handle material, it is important to shape the handle with plenty of contours. Lucky for us, a nicely shaped handle is also esthetically pleasing.

As Rick pointed out, testing your handle designs is an important part of making knives; most especially for big choppers. You need to try out your handles as your customers will use them. You can learn a whole lot about your handle design by chopping on a board or log for a while. Hunting knife handles must also be user friendly. Build your knife and go cut up some tough cardboard, using the knife in both edge up and edge down grips.

When designing a new handle shape, I will grind the handle out of a pine board and test how it feels in my hand. Once I have settled on a shape for the handle, I will build a knife with it and go test it. I keep the final pine test handle for a reference. If the handle shape is complicated and has contours that were shaped with different sizes of round wheels, I write on the pine handle the size of wheel that was used for each contour.

Great reply Steve! I especially like your "hardcopy" of handle designs idea. It's been easy for me to remember my recent handle design changes since I've been doing the same design over and over but for a handle design that I completed more than a month ago I've been relying on pictures and "two dimensional" patterns to get the job done. I'm glad you mentioned it as I'm getting too old to think of these things on my own. <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//biggrin.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':D' />

Great tip!

Good stuff guys. Really good points on handle material Rick. As Steve pointed out I go with what the customer prefers, although I do make suggestions. I also contour the handles so that if a slick handle material is used there is something to hold on to.

I am going to have to remember the hardcopy handle also. Good idea Steve. One of those slap yourself in the forehead DUH! moments. It is amazing how much difference a handle can make in the balance and feel of a knife.

Brion

|quoted:

It is amazing how much difference a handle can make in the balance and feel of a knife.

Brion

Thanks Brion.

Wasn't it Hay Hendrickson that said, in part, "It's the handle that sells a knife". Whether it was Jay or someone else, at many levels, there is a lot of truth in that statement.

Early on in my knifemaking endeavors I thought a handle just had to look and feel good. As I've progressed, and I still have more than a lifetime can teach me, I have realized that just pretty handle material and shiny furniture is only a small part of making a knife handle that feels "alive" in your hand. Ergonomics, balance, lines, flow and proportion, coupled with those things that are eye catching is what, in my opinion, makes for a great handle. When I look at the knives in the gallery, there are some folks that make it look almost automatic... Man, I envy those people! ("Those people" includes all of you have contributed to this thread... You guys are definitely artists.)

One quick question...

Have any of you ever made a frame handled knife and tapered the frame to help improve balance? I'm not sure that I've ever seen a tapered frame handle but it seems like a good idea. Thoughts?

Rick

The answer is yes Rick I have. I made a drop point damascus hunter for a customer with damascus frame handle and guard. It had mammoth for the handle material and I thought that a tapered frame handle would balance the knife better. It did, but it also added some extra time for making sure everything fit the way it was supposed to. There was a lot of putting together and taking apart. I lost count of the number of times I disassembled it.

The balance was right at the guard afterwards and it did look good. So yes it is something to consider with a frame handle. Which leads right back to handle material choice. I would also take into account the blade length and style. A lot of test fitting is involved.

I will see if I can find a picture of the knife and post it. Good thinking Rick.

Brion

Thanks for the reply and pictures Brion. I can only imagine some of the challenges that you must have had to overcome in grinding the taper into the frame and the handle material fitup at the guard... It sure turned out nice!

In grinding the taper into the frame, did you cut it out of some stock first and then grind the taper or grind the taper onto the end of some stock and then cut it off, or, judging by the photos, it looks as though you forged the taper in and then cleaned it up on the grinder?

Thanks,

Rick

Hello Rick and yes that is what I did. I forged the taper in and then cleaned it up to 120 grit. Then I cut it out and did the main shaping of the frame. After that was refining the taper and shape. It was a learning experience and had it's share of frustrations. But, if you do not try new things you never learn or advance. Thank you for the nice comment.

Brion

I've watched this thread since the first of the month, and thought about what I could add, that hasn't already been said. The thing that I think isn't as common as it should be, is shaping a knife handle specifically to fit a human hand. By that I mean that when a person closes their hand around an object, the smallest part of that grip is where the index finger curls into the palm of the hand, and the largest portion of the grip is where the little finger tip meets the heel of the hand.

OK, IF that makes any sense, I always try to produce a knife handle that is narrower at the guard, and thickens/widens to the butt of the handle. So often I see and handle knives that are just the opposite....the handle is large near the guard, and then tapers towards the butt of the handle. This always feels awkward to me, and it seems that my hand is always wanting to slip rearward on the handle.

I have a lot of folks come through my shop, both experienced knifemakers and rank beginners...it always surprises me when I explain my thoughts on handles, and see just how many people never give, or have given, much thought to the shape of a human hand, and trying to make a handle that fits the hand.