Pig stickers!

[Phil Pascoe]

I have a nice pig sticker, the dimensions of the bottom of the tang are 12mm x 22mm. - bearing in mind that modern glues just don't split, I'm going to make the handle in two parts. I'm going to carve the shape of the tang out of the two halves, p.v.a. on the wood , a little epoxy on the tang, and stick the whole thing as one. Can someone find fault with this?
It's one hell of a thing to drive into a round hole!

 

[adidat]

see here phil

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolRestorations/Rehandling an Oval Bolstered Mortice Chisel.html

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[Argus]

.

Plus one for Derek Cohen's method - I've done it - with a few basic tools it works; not difficult at all.

The complication with pig sticker tangs is that they are rectangular. If they were square, you could use the carver's method and employ the tang to hollow it's own bed in a pilot hole.

Personally, I think that sooner or later a two piece handle subjected to prolonged bouts of violent welly will fall apart, epoxy and all.

.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Think I'd be inclined to use a one-piece blank for the handle, and avoid glues. Epoxy has many good properties, but it does have a slight reputation for brittleness in some circumstances.

The secret of the Derek Cohen method is the use of a slightly oversize blank to start with, seating it tight on the tang first, then doing the shaping afterwards. That avoids the problem of a handle not sitting straight with the blade, which can arise if the shaping is done before fitting to the tang. (You can't turn a pigsticker handle anyway - has to be shaped by chisel, rasp, sandpaper and similar.)

 

[Jacob]

..... Can someone find fault with this?

Mainly that it's a slow and complicated way of doing something very simple

It's one hell of a thing to drive into a round hole!

Not at all. You drill a hole and tap in the tang gently. Where it doesn't fit (shiny bits on the sides of the hole etc) you ease with a small chisel. Repeat several times until it is nearly home, then force it the last few mm for a tight fit. Should only take a few minutes.
Then shape the handle.

 

[jimi43]

Two things...Jacob's dead right there...just takes a bit more patience.....and I don't use epoxy on my repairs to ones with bits chipped off...just TITEBOND ORIGINAL and I whack all of mine and there is absolutely no break at the joint...and I don't expect there to be once it has cured. If it's keyed well first...and accurately jointed..the joint is indeed stronger than the wood.

Jim

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Thanks, people, - I was thinking to bed the the tang in epoxy, not to use it to bond the wood. At the moment I'm using everbuild D4 - it's good.
Jim, that's a reason why I thought it might pay to fit the handle very accurately then glue the two halves: just because it's always been done one way doesn't mean it's the best. .................Doesn't mean that it's not, either......

 

[Jacob]

.... just because it's always been done one way doesn't mean it's the best. ..................

Does usually. If your way is better than everybody will end up doing it your one way!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I've just looked at my pig sticker. It's 7" long, x 7/16. It's actually laminated steel - are they usually? The maker is C. Johnson (C J in a small flag as a logo)

 

[adidat]

I've just looked at my pig sticker. It's 7" long, x 7/16. It's actually laminated steel - are they usually? The maker is C. Johnson (C J in a small flag as a logo)

most older tools e.g. pigstickers and wooden plane blades are.

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