I didn't really know how thick you intended for the plates to be. Hey if they were thick enough, you could just mill out a groove for the tang and then shape the plates into a handle (if they were aluminum, which may not work). Hey all this talk may not yield a solution, but it may cause you to think of a way to make it work without having to drill into the blade/tang. Just trying to help and don't think I am doing that good. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/doh.gif" alt="" />