Hacksaw Handle
This project involved designing and building a custom hacksaw handle crafted from laminated walnut, cherry, and mahogany, chosen to showcase the rich colours and natural contrast of hardwoods while remaining a practical, functional tool handle. Inspired by the aesthetic of Japanese knives, the original vision was to recreate a Japanese pull saw, but instead adapting the design for a western style hacksaw instead. The core objectives were to produce a handle that is comfortable to hold, dimensionally accurate, and allows for easy blade replacement, all while retaining the traditional Japanese style. The main construction challenge lay in aligning and gluing the ten individual wood pieces while keeping the internal blade groove perfectly inline throughout the lamination process.
Material Selection
Walnut, cherry, and mahogany were chosen for their contrasting tones and laminated in alternating bands. Walnut was placed at both ends for its hardness and impact resistance, with cherry and mahogany filling the center for visual contrast.
Milling
A groove was milled down the center of each laminated blank to seat the hacksaw blade, ensuring a precise and secure fit before the two halves were glued together.
The drill press was then used to add a hole for the post screw meant to secure the blade.
Test Fit
The two pieces were then glued together and the hardware was installed to ensure that everything fit correctly and were dimensionally consistent compared to my original sketches
Final Shaping and Finishing
The handle was then shaped into an octagon, inspired by traditional Japanese knives but elongated to better fit the hands for sawing.
The surface was then sanded in preparation for applying a finish.
Final Assembly
These are the finished parts, the entire handle is a now solid piece of wood, only requiring an allen key to swap out the blade.