Questions about getting wood ready for a knife handle

[jlnft]

Gentlemen,

I would like to do something nice for my uncle. He has given me full rights to his 200 acres for the last few years.

I would like to cut some Osage, from a couple of his trees, and have knives made for him and my cousins. I assume I need to have it kiln dried? Is there someone who would make the knives if I send them the wood(after drying).

If someone can, please outline the steps, I need to go through, to process everything. I'm not looking for anything super expensive, maybe even using Helle blades(I like them).

Anyway, thank you for your time!!

Joe

[Bobby Urban]

Osage is remakably stable and if you can find some dead it it will be perfect already.  Certainly does not need kiln drying.  Look for the gnarliest dead, weathered and ugly piece you can find.  Cut into it and inside there will be perfect bowyers gold.  The stuff won't rot!!  I pulled a nasty log out of a ditch that had spent at least 10 years sitting in water and muck for most of the year and then in late summer drying out.  Looking at the outside you would think the log would crumble in your hands.  Split that sucker and made two nice longbows out of the 4 billets it produced.  

With some of that yella wood and some Helle blades you can make the knives.  Cut out the handle and epoxy the blade into it.  Shape with a rasp and sand paper.  With osage you don't even need to put a finish on it.

[jlnft]

Thanks Bobby! Do you have a website, you're familiar with, that could give me a "How to" make and assemble a "Helle-Type" knife? I'm actually not completely stupid  :D  , but I'd love something I could reference!

Thanks Again,
Joe

[skullworks]

Try this tutorial.

 http://www.northcoastknives.com/northcoast_knives_tutorials_hiddentang1.htm

This sight is where I read up when I started. Good luck and beware that it is addicting!  

[SveinD]

For the Scandinavian (helle) hidden tang style, here is a good video I just found  
You can also glue the wood before fitting the blade, if you like that better!