http://www.getwoodworking.com September 2019 The Woodworker & Good Woodworking 55
a perfect fit against the bolster (photo 16).
Even a small gap would not only show up
once finished and fitted, it could end up
being a water trap and spoil the handles.
Elsewhere, small cracks and voids (common
in wood like this oak) were filled using repeated
light applications of CA adhesive with the goal
of achieving a perfectly smooth finish.
Finishing & fitting
Once sanded to a 400 grit finish the handles
were cleaned using a tack cloth, and sprayed
directly with some clear lacquer that I happened
to have left over from restoring a set of alloy
wheels (photo 17). I’ve used automotive lacquer
on wood before with success, and it can be
purchased very cheaply in discount shops such
as Home Bargains. I gave the handles a couple
of light coats a few minutes apart and left them
to dry overnight before rubbing back with a very
fine sponge sanding block, cleaning up again with
a tack cloth, and then applying another two coats.
Finally it was time to unite the handles with the
blades on a permanent basis. Masking tape along
the blades and around the bolster protected my
hands from damage and the (newly polished)
blades from marks. Similarly I wrapped the tops
of the handles in tape to prevent marks on my
shiny new lacquer (photo 18).
I’ll be honest and say that getting the right
amount of epoxy into the handle cavity was not
the easiest thing to do, but with the help of a slim
stick to act as a spreader inside the cavity, and by
also adding a little epoxy to the tangs, I got there
in the end. I spread a little extra glue over the end
of each handle to seal the join between it and the15 Final finishing is completed by hand18 Masking tape prevents glue marks21 The finished knives complete with matching chopping board14 The handles need to match the bolster shape17 Clear lacquer applied directly to bare wood20 I think the end result looks pretty good!
16 Repeated test-fitting ensures a good end result19 Once assembled, the tape is wiped and removed
knife bolster (photo 19), and removed the
masking tape from the handle and bolster as
soon as the blade was in its final position, to
avoid the tape becoming a permanent feature!
After another overnight curing, the only
remaining task was to give the handles a
polish with light rubbing compound – T-Cut
to you and me – and sharpen the blades. I hope
you’ll agree that the end result (photos 20 & 21 )
looks a lot less disposable, and hopefully a little
less likely to end up in a bin any time soon.