Thanks!
It’s a bit technically challenging too, as a matter of fact. Here’s how I do it:
- I draw the curve profile that I want for the final design of the handle
- overlay it with a series of rectangle “slices” that symbolize wood layers that match the thickness of my walnut
- use the handle profile to crop all the rectangles
- use a custom php script that I wrote to generate ovals at the correct size for each truncated slice and number each one with a single stroke font
- then I assemble the layers on the tang of the blade using the numbers to keep things in the correct order and orientation (Yes the blade is full tang, 3 layers of 1/8" baltic birch plywood runs all the way to the pommel)
I use the same sanding technique outlined here to get the shape exactly right with no char on the edges… click through on the “edge nerdery” dropdown at the bottom of the post:
So yeah, I don’t freehand these things, I make them to spec. I’m not nearly talented enough to get it right just by eye, and manually making about 100 ovals (there are 96 layers in this handle) is just not gonna fly. Now that you know. this technique is probably either more or less impressive to you depending on how you look at it. 