Rehandle a bayonet
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Papa
- Posts: 43
- Joined: Wed May 21, 2008 10:53 am
Rehandle a bayonet
I have an old bayonet I want to put a new handle on. What would be a good material that would be readily available. The blade is about 6 1/2 inches long and the handle about 4 1/2. I do woodworking and have tools available in my shop. I have some oak. This knife has a full tang with the place for a knob on the end. The tang is only about 1/2 inch wide. If anyone has done this a picture would be nice.
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coffeecup
- Posts: 1367
- Joined: Tue May 20, 2008 4:15 am
Re: Rehandle a bayonet
If it is slab-sided like a Mauser bayonet, or has a broad tang like the later US bayonets (M4 and on) about any hardwood would be suitable. If it is a US bayonet, you'll want to inlet the tang into one slab (or partway into both slabs). If that is the case, it might be easiest to cut a tang-sized dado using a table saw.
For a US bayonet, the basic procedure would be to prep your handle slabs (mill, dado, cut the ends squarely to length). Fit your crossguard to the blade. Then fit one end of your handle slabs tightly to the crossguard and mark that end so you don't forget later. If you are going to use a buttcap, get that fit and ready to install. Do a dry assembly and make sure the handle slabs are the correct length and mate up nicely with the buttcap.
Put the crossguard in place and solder/pin/whatever.
Install the handle slabs with epoxy (and pins if you choose). Don't forget to install the crossguard first, and get it pinned/soldered/whatever before you glue on the handle slabs. Make sure you have it oriented correctly before you pin or solder it. I'm not admitting nothing here, but I hear that if you forget that step you might say bad words.
Install and pin the buttcap.
Once all this is done, you can shape the handle with your preferred tools, be they files and rasps or a belt sander or whatever. Finish up with sanding and finishing the wood, just like any other woodworking project.
If you decide to use oak, white oak would be preferable--it holds up to water better than red oak. Be sure to seal the inside of the slabs, this will cut down on water migration into the wood, which can cause a reaction between the tannins in the wood and the iron tang, resulting in the handle turning black.
The basic rule of thumb is that if you can't dent it with your thumbnail, it might be worth a try. In the past I've used walnut, oak, maple, apple, pear, hickory, pecan, plum, apricot, chokecherry (regular cherry is a bit soft), black locust, osage orange, ash, birch, chestnut and butternut (neither held up well), ironwood, boxwood, and a few pieces that I was never sure just what they were. And then there were the exotics and imports . . . but you wanted readily available.
Lately, when I've re-handled a butcher knife or similar for kitchen or butchering work, I've been using maple. I've got lots of it, and it holds up well to the work and cleanup.
For a US bayonet, the basic procedure would be to prep your handle slabs (mill, dado, cut the ends squarely to length). Fit your crossguard to the blade. Then fit one end of your handle slabs tightly to the crossguard and mark that end so you don't forget later. If you are going to use a buttcap, get that fit and ready to install. Do a dry assembly and make sure the handle slabs are the correct length and mate up nicely with the buttcap.
Put the crossguard in place and solder/pin/whatever.
Install the handle slabs with epoxy (and pins if you choose). Don't forget to install the crossguard first, and get it pinned/soldered/whatever before you glue on the handle slabs. Make sure you have it oriented correctly before you pin or solder it. I'm not admitting nothing here, but I hear that if you forget that step you might say bad words.
Install and pin the buttcap.
Once all this is done, you can shape the handle with your preferred tools, be they files and rasps or a belt sander or whatever. Finish up with sanding and finishing the wood, just like any other woodworking project.
If you decide to use oak, white oak would be preferable--it holds up to water better than red oak. Be sure to seal the inside of the slabs, this will cut down on water migration into the wood, which can cause a reaction between the tannins in the wood and the iron tang, resulting in the handle turning black.
The basic rule of thumb is that if you can't dent it with your thumbnail, it might be worth a try. In the past I've used walnut, oak, maple, apple, pear, hickory, pecan, plum, apricot, chokecherry (regular cherry is a bit soft), black locust, osage orange, ash, birch, chestnut and butternut (neither held up well), ironwood, boxwood, and a few pieces that I was never sure just what they were. And then there were the exotics and imports . . . but you wanted readily available.
Lately, when I've re-handled a butcher knife or similar for kitchen or butchering work, I've been using maple. I've got lots of it, and it holds up well to the work and cleanup.
Quality should not be an accident. So what is the explanation for some of the knives we've seen in the past few years? (from A Knifebuyer's Manifesto)