Knife scales

[bretto]

What is the average thickness of most knife scales. Slabs and hidden tang. Thanks

[OconeeDan]

for scales 1/4 if you use liners and 3/8 if you don't .  thicker is better as you have more control of the final shape/thickness.

[beaver#1]

im with dan on this one, always better to have to take more off than try to figure out how to make it bigger.

[bretto]

Thanks Guy's, was wanting to put a knife together as a gift. I've got a great looking piece of Cocabola (spelling?) that is 1" thick and I new if I re-sawed it to 1/2" it would be pretty beefy.

bretto

[Ray Hammond]

I find most knives I build end up much thinner..but I like having 1/4 to 3/16 to begin with so that I can have room for errors not available if stuff is really thin to begin with.

I also have begun removing material from the back side of scales if it has a particularly pretty grain on the visible surface so I don't inadvertantly remove all the pretty and end up with plain jane scales.

[bretto]

That makes a lot of sense Ray. Thank You

[uhdet]

1/2" scales will be okay if you plan on doing some shaping and contouring of the handle. I use 1/2" scales when I shape a coke bottle shape and real agressive finger groves.