Tapered Handle Drilling Secret Most Get Wrong

Ever wonder how to get perfectly straight, clean handle pins through a tapered tang? In this video, I walk you through the full process of drilling and finishing a set of ancient canvas micarta dovetailed kukri knife handles—from raw scales to a fully polished, finished set. We start with proper drill setup to make sure every hole tracks straight and square—even through a tapered tang where things can go wrong fast. I’ll show you how to avoid common mistakes and get repeatable, professional results. From there, we move into precise counter boring for pins and bolts, dialing in clean recesses that not only look great but function perfectly. Then it’s time for glue-up—clamping, alignment, and making sure everything locks together exactly how it should. Once cured, we grind and shape the handles to bring out the final form, refine the ergonomics, and clean up every detail. After that, we move into finishing and polishing to really make the handles pop—bringing out color, and a smooth, durable surface. Finally, we reveal the completed set of kukris—clean, tight, and built to perform. If you’re serious about improving your knife handle work, this one’s packed with practical tips you can use immediately. Song: Break It Music by: CreatorMix.com 👉 Subscribe for more knifemaking tutorials, shop vlogs, and behind-the-scenes builds. 👉 If you enjoy knife making vlogs, custom folding knives, or want to learn more about the tools and techniques behind high-end knives, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and comment with your questions! (Below are affiliate links to products that I get a small fee at no extra cost to the buyer) YesWelder welding machines https://yeswelder.com/?ref=qkvl6voq Use CODE: TONYSEVERIO at checkout for 10% OFF! 3" Abrasive slitting disc with 1/4" arbor https://amzn.to/4qawWEY Optical Center Punch https://amzn.to/3GSLGY6 Cratex Jeweling Stick 400-600 grit https://amzn.to/47boZcR Barrel Lap set https://amzn.to/4eY47Gx Digital Angle Finder https://amzn.to/3CFWJC9 #53 Carbide Drill Bit https://amzn.to/3ZbhqhW #54 Carbide Drill Bit https://amzn.to/3Z82u4i 1/16 inch 440C ball bearings for detent https://amzn.to/3ZbiZfO 1/16 inch ceramic ball bearings for detent https://amzn.to/48UAHaI Cutoff Wheel and Arbor https://amzn.to/4eoW0T5 5/16 Carbide Ball End Mill https://amzn.to/3AL24Hv Optical Center Punch https://amzn.to/40vS3Z8 5/64 carbide drill https://amzn.to/3AhnagC #44 carbide drill https://amzn.to/3YToY9b .166 counterbore https://amzn.to/4e2hAfS #13 (.185 inches) Carbide Drill https://amzn.to/4eVfyQ3 3/16 (.1875 inches) Carbide Reamer https://amzn.to/3UmDBPi 1/8 (.125 inches) Carbide Spotting Drill 9/64 (.14 inches) Carbide End Mill 8-9 Ounce Vegetable Tanned Leather https://amzn.to/4cBGq7j Weldwood Contact Cement https://amzn.to/4lyhx06 Brown Leather Dye https://amzn.to/3GexsRe Neats Foot Oil https://amzn.to/43Tgu4F 3 piece basketweave leather stamps https://amzn.to/44cQ64i Leather stitch groover https://amzn.to/45ztTjg Leather stitch marker https://amzn.to/4lhtxSX Reading and Instruction: Knife Engineering by Dr. Larrin Thomas: https://amzn.to/3SO7hlP BUILD YOUR OWN HYDRAULIC FORGING PRESS by Dr. James Baston: https://amzn.to/3fV86L1 THANKS to my Patrons! George Curtis Daniel Cole Jones Scott Hoffman Patrick Walls Robert Moline John DeMatteo Paul Horner Eric Bethard Dominic Kidwell Charles Apodaca Michael Hodges Jeff Schafer Mark Anderson Allan Williams Anderson Hand Forged Sonja Stevenson Jeremy Green Justin Goodman James Buck Jason Mulkey Michael Baker Richard Branton Clint Hancox Joe Dees Steve Mowatt Dave Perry Dan Still Sam Daugherty Shane Wismeyer George C. James Murphy Rynn Smith Bruce Brissette My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tonyseverioknives My Website: https://www.tonyseverioknives.com My Instagram: http://instagram.com/tonyseverioknives My Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tonyseverioknives My TikTok: http://tiktok.com/@tonyseverioknives #customknives #bladesmith