How I Make Curved Inlays in a Knife Handle

Once the knife’s design has been drawn on paper (see the previous post on knife drawing), I gather the materials to be used. For this knife, I have chosen Elforyn, stabilized blue fossil brain coral, and ebony.

The front bolster, the inlay, and the back piece are cut out according to the drawing and glued onto the selected materials.

Next, I roughly cut the pieces on the scroll saw, always leaving one or two millimeters outside the lines so there is some extra material to work with during the final fitting.

Once all the pieces are cut out, I begin the precise shaping. The inner curve is made using a Ø75 mm rubber grinder mounted in a pillar drill with a fixture that is perfectly perpendicular to the grinder. Correct angles are crucial to ensure the pieces can fit together perfectly.

The outer curve is ground on the disc sander. This takes time, and I remove only a small amount of material at a time.

By holding the pieces up to the light, I can see small gaps that require additional sanding. I work slowly toward the perfect fit, as even the smallest air gap will be visible when the knife is assembled.

All pieces are shaped using the same principle. After this, I begin drilling for the tang. I mark the centerline and width based on the handle’s markings, so I know exactly where the holes should be placed.

For the front piece, I use a drill slightly smaller than the tang’s width. This allows me to adjust the hole so there is no play along the sides of the blade. I drill as many holes as possible close together to make it easier to remove excess material.

The hole is then filed to fit the tang’s exact width and height. This step requires patience, as precision gives the best final result. The same process is repeated for the middle piece, where I can use a slightly larger drill bit.

For the end piece, I drill only as deep as the tang’s length, and here too the hole is adjusted to match thickness and width.

Finally, all pieces are fitted together. The knife can now either be glued completely or – as in this case – assembled with metal inlays for both strength and a polished appearance.

The next step is shaping the handle, which is described in another post.