handle for my dads fire place cleaver.

[spareparts]

cut out pieces of wood 7 inches by 2 inches by 1/4. Draw the outline of the grip panel on the wood, using one side as the final straight edge


Drill the pilot holes for the grip screws. Leave the extra on length so you can put it in a vise to shape it. I used a band saw to cut the outline of the panel, leaving it attached at teh top. The cheese grater file is your friend on this. Once you have it shaped like you want, smooth it out with a soft sanding block and sandpaper(240 works well). I still haven't figured out a good way to make brass inserts for the screws. I've done three sets out of the maple so far. teh biggest problem I found is once I get them looking good, I keep screwing with them till i mess one panel up, then have to start again. I'm going to try some checkering once I get the files from brownells

[Kracker Jack]

Originally Posted by spareparts

cut out pieces of wood 7 inches by 2 inches by 1/4. Draw the outline of the grip panel on the wood, using one side as the final straight edge


Drill the pilot holes for the grip screws. Leave the extra on length so you can put it in a vise to shape it. I used a band saw to cut the outline of the panel, leaving it attached at teh top. The cheese grater file is your friend on this. Once you have it shaped like you want, smooth it out with a soft sanding block and sandpaper(240 works well). I still haven't figured out a good way to make brass inserts for the screws. I've done three sets out of the maple so far. teh biggest problem I found is once I get them looking good, I keep screwing with them till i mess one panel up, then have to start again. I'm going to try some checkering once I get the files from brownells

Awesome work!!!!! Are you gonna leave em natural?

[spareparts]

that's about 6 coats of semi gloss over the maple. I've moved on and the next set will be teak. I got started on this idea when i saw a kimber with bone grips, i researched it a bunch, found a place that had bone and figured i needed to practice before I tried the bone, somewhere along the way, I got reasonable and thought about me having to hold something white, it would stay that color for about 10 seconds, then it would have big dirty paw prints on it, so I started playing with different wood. My sister runs a millwright shop near Raleigh, she gave me some nice scraps to start with

[Blue_Runner]

Kracker - a vintage cleaver of that quality needs to be swinging a butt atop a maple butcher block .. . . . . or to spatchcock a bird.

They don't make em like that anymore.

[Kracker Jack]

Originally Posted by Blue_Runner

Kracker - a vintage cleaver of that quality needs to be swinging a butt atop a maple butcher block .. . . . . or to spatchcock a bird.

They don't make em like that anymore.

Oh....Thats not the good ones!!!! he has 2 other cleavers that are bad to the bone!!! we use to chop our hogs

[Blue_Runner]

Ah....10-4 on that! Leave that beauty on the fire place then. Nice work on the handle.