Hard wood is one of the most popular materials for knife handles. Hard woods like cocobolo, rosewood, ebony are used very frequently. They are relatively inexpensive and are easy to be shaped by the knife maker. A well shaped and polished hard wood handle feels extraordinarily good in hand while holding it or using it for cutting and slicing and they also look aesthetically very nice. Stag is another material that is extremely popular although it is becoming more and more costly and rare. The charm of stag comes from the rough texture of the surface that gives a nice grip to the user. Some feel that it makes it hard to use. Stag handles should be carefully chosen after trying out the grip. These days many artificial handles are available to replace stag handles. Rubber or textured handles are also available, as these are soft on the hands and provide a pretty good grip during wet conditions.

Micarta, a composite synthetic material made of linen or paper with epoxy resin is another commonly used handle material. This is very strong, extremely durable and light. This comes in glossy or matte finish for grips and can be extremely durable. These are one of the best choices for tough heavy duty knives. Paper, linen and denim micartas are available for different degrees of toughness. Micarta handles also come in many different bright colors. Many different polymer materials are available, the best among them being ABS which is a high strength polymer that can be molded very easily and kraton - a springy polymer, mostly used as a flexible inlay in the grip. Fiberglass reinforced nylon (FRN) is a polymer that can be molded using injection molding.

Titanium is a popular choice for handles chosen due to its high tensile strength, corrosion resistant qualities and light weight. This is a very strong metal used in many special applications. Many other exotic handles are available which are aesthetically beautiful, but might not be very practical to heavy use. These would include beautiful mother of pearl, the rare elephant ivory - which was once the most sought after material for exquisite handles, Caribou antler, moose horn, petrified wood etc. Many stones like jade, turquoise and others also make good handles, but these are normally heavy and not usable for a working knife.

Knife handle materials need special attention and care. Do not allow kitchen knives to soak at the bottom of a sink full of water and dirty dishes as it will destroy the surface texture. Automatic dishwashers are not good for knives as the temperature in the machines are too high and this will affect the steel as well as organic handle material like wood, bone, ivory, horn etc. Natural wood handles need to be tended carefully with polish and cleaning regularly. As most of the wood used for handles has been treated with tung oil and coated many times until it developed a nice sheen, the best way to preserve the wood is to restore the finish with an occasional coat of tung oil and wiping it with a clean, dry cloth. It will be good to let the knife dry overnight and buff it with another clean dry cloth before using it. It is not a good idea to soak knifes with natural handles in hot soapy water. Micarta and other artificial material that are impervious to moisture can be soaked thus, but natural material will be affected by such a practice.

Crafting a knife handle:

Making a knife for own use or for collection is a delight for a knife maker. The knife making process connects them to the steel and gives them the joy of creating a useful and beautiful piece of equipment from the flat metal piece. Irrespective of the type of knife making involved it is a very intimate process and a bond invariably builds between the knife and the maker. Further it gives an option to make a knife according to the needs and desires and even personalize it as required.

Knife handles are an important part of the knife making and knife using experience. The handle makes or mars the use of the knife. Further the handle also provides a place for the knife maker to experiment, add decorative pieces or even etch or engrave a name or initial. Knife handles are made from many material including hard wood, fine wood, antlers, stags, stones like jade or turquoise and even many exotic material like tusks of elephant or wooly mammoth.

One of the delights of knife making is crafting the beautiful handles. Starting from selecting the correct material, cutting, shaping, grinding it to crafting beautiful handles from it, working on the knife handle is a delight. Selecting the handle material is a matter of the function for which the knife is going to be used for. Soft or fine woods like blank walnut are not good choices for hunting knife or for uses that involve a lot of moisture or water. Hardwood like Rosewood, oak and maple make good choices for hunting knives. Stabilized wood like spalted maple are available where the wood is impregnated with plastic making it entirely waterproof and providing it with a durable finish that does not require any maintenance except an occasional buffing. These are highly recommended for tough duty knives and those that would be exposed to a lot of moisture. Select and exotic woods like stag, moose horn, oosic, walrus or sea cow bone etc, are used to make knives that are mostly collected rather than used regularly. These are somewhat fragile and also need to be maintained in a very careful manner. Domestic antler and many artificial materials resembling stag are available for those who require inexpensive and easily maintainable alternatives.

In order to craft wood, it is first required to select the correct piece of wood of the correct size. The wood is first cut and then rounded and shaped to fit the user's hands. The size and shape of the rounded wood would depend on the function and purpose for which the knife is going to be used. This will be followed by grinding the top portion of the handle where the ring cap would be mounted. Then the handle is mounted tightly and the hole for the knife to mount is drilled at the bottom of the handle. This hole is sometimes slightly burnt to give corrosion resistance to the blade.

The handle is then smoothened out and finished with fine sandpaper. This should later be polished using a piece of clean, smooth and dry cloth. Oak, Red sandalwood and ebony make fine choices for knifes that are used very regularly. The ring cap is mostly made of metal but sometimes plastics or horn is also used.

One of the tips used by experienced knife makers is to drill the hole for the tang and form the slot for it before shaping the handle. The drilling and slotting should be done using a good vice so as to keep the hands free. The reason for doing this before shaping the handle is that, even if the hole becomes slightly off-center, the handle can be shaped accordingly to bring it back to the center.

Once the handle has been shaped, it is time to decorate it with your own personal designs. You can use your own carpentry tools to carve designs. These can be filled and fitted with thin metal sheets using epoxy. Carving can include intricate designs or simple ones like an initial. Many options are available to decorate a completed knife handle.

One of the biggest dangers with wooden handles is shrinkage factor. If you attach a handle to a piece of wood with residual moisture, the wood is apt to crack as the moisture evaporates. This is because of the fact that the wood shrinks as the moisture is removed. The best way to avoid this kind of a situation is to completely dry the wooden handle before attaching the knife blade. It is better to leave the handle in a dry place or even put it in the oven set at the lowest possible temperature for a few hours. This will ensure that the wood is completely dry and does not crack later. Antlers are pretty stable when it comes to handling moisture and they don't need such a treatment.