Tang length on Helle blades?

[Flint Kemper]

I have a Polar blade and tried to get a long enough hole drilled for the 4+ inch long tang but had no luck. I am wanting to know if I can cut about 2 inches off of the tang and it still be long enough and strong enough? I did a search on drilling long holes but only got a few answers to my questions, any good hints on setting up the drill press to do long holes? Tips or tricks would be appreciated. Thanks Flint

[fitzo]

Search on "Pathfinder". It's a drill bit from Milwaukee. The posts should offer a couple alternatives from other sources. It's been discussed a couple times in the last 6 months.

Hope that helps.

[Ray Rogers]

An additional alternative might be a mortised handle. The handle is in two halves, you cut a depression into the slab so that it fits over the tang.

Personally, I would not hesitate to shorten the tang. If you use a strong handle material and put it all together correctly it can be as strong as any stick tang.

If you need to drill holes in the tang - and if the tang is hardened - then get some 2 flute solid carbide drills from MSC. There are several brands for these drills, one is called Hi-Roc ........

[Shakudo]

a simple solution is to make a stacked handle with shorter pieces of wood. you then have no problems drilling through 1.5 inches.

[Anthony Chaney]

You could also try drilling half way through the handle material, flipp it around and drill from the opposite end to meet the other hole. I hope that isn't too confusing. I got that idea from Raymond Richards if I am not mistaken.

[tmiller5087]

If you can't drill through because the stroke of the drillpress isn't long enough then I would either go with the first two suggestions. The third suggestion about drilling part way through and flipping the piece over and drilling from the other side seems like a simple solution but there is a very real chance the holes won't be aligned properly where they meet. If its because the drillbit isn't long enough there are longer bits like electritions use to drill holes for wiring in homes or if you can weld ,grind the none fluted end of the bit and a matching piece of rod to the shape of a dull pencel , clamp the bit and the rod with the ground ends touching each other to the inside corner of a piece of angle iron to line them up and tack them to each other in at least 4 places remove from angle iron and finish the weld. might be able to use a longer bit even if the stroke is short by inserting it in the hole you have drilled and chucking the assembely in the drill chuck then tighten the vise to hold the handle material. Personaly I would cut the tang shorter if its flat and pin it. depends on the handle material.

[Jette Bybjerg]

I have used several Helle blades and have always shortened the tang - to app. 2? inches and have had no problems with strength/durability.

Jette Bybjerg

[Paul Gibson]

I actually might be able to help here! I ran into this while making a new handle for a cheap factory sword.

My solution was to drill an accurate hole as deep as I could and then use one of the longer bits like tmiller mentioned to finish it out. That way you don't have a big floppy bit trying to worm it's way through 4? (or in my case 6?) of wood with nothing to stabilize it.

Use your press to drill a pilot hole with a standard bit ? you should be able to get at least 2 1/2? I would imagine. If the throat isn't large enough to allow that, then you probably have a smaller press in which case you can actually mount the table of the press to the underside of your work bench and rotate the press itself around and hold your workpiece in with a pipe clamp or a table side vise. Obviously, use common sense here depending on your tools and comfort level.

At any rate, that is what I did and the hole came out dead center.