First Knife Questions

[Jack Skinner]

So I am working on my first knife from a saw blade. Couple of questions.

I have a wet grinder that I use to make trade points. What angle do most of you use for a double bevel on your knives?

Second what is your process to make sure you have your holes all lined up in the handle. I orderd a drill bit from Janz that will give me the taper for the brass pins but it's not for metal.

[UMLarcher]

I don't have a ton of experience, but hopefully I can help. The standard angle for knife bevels is 20 degrees on each side. To line up the holes, I use painter's tape to attach the scales to the blade before I do any shaping on them, and drill the holes before they're rounded off. Then I rough out the handles, put the pins through, and epoxy the whole setup together. Hope this helps and good luck

[Jack Skinner]

I thought 20 degress was right. But I may have made my work harder. I have already shaped my scales. But I am not completely satisfied with them so maybe I will start again.

Thank You

[Jeremy]

If you're using scales, glue on one side and drill through it using the holes in the handle as a guide.  Then glue on the other side and use the opposite scale as a guide.  If you're going with a fancy stepped drill bit, just drill the pilot holes.