[JEK5019]

i am working on a hand tool design. it's going to be a wood & metal handle. i have attached an example.

as you can see with the handtools examples (screwdrivers) i am looking to achieve this look. they look to be hand-made.

i want the quality to resemble the typical kitchen knife handles of some manufacturers - example also attached.

i have no machining experience - so naturally, i have some questions.

are there one-stops machine shops that can create this design? or will i have to contact both a metal shop & wood shop?

does anyone have a recommendation for a manufacturer in europe that can provide this service? possible a kife manufactures? - seeing that i want the design to have this look & finish!

lastly - the finished product may be oocassionaly tossed into a dishwasher. does anyone recommended what types of adhesives for the metal/wood - can tolerate this abuse?

thanks in advance!

[awerby]

A machine shop will be able to produce the prototype metal parts, but they normally don't deal with wood. That will usually require another vendor, although you might find a prototyping shop that works with both materials. The actual mass-production will typically be done by someone else. It's not a good idea to trust an adhesive of any kind to hold these materials together, especially if they will be put in a dishwasher; you'll notice that most of your examples are held together with rivets. Wood does not fare well in dishwashers; if that's contemplated then impregnating the wood parts with a heat and moisture resistant polymer would be advisable. You'll also want to use stainless steel for the metal components, since regular steel will rust if treated that way.

[JEK5019]

A machine shop will be able to produce the prototype metal parts, but they normally don't deal with wood. That will usually require another vendor, although you might find a prototyping shop that works with both materials. The actual mass-production will typically be done by someone else. It's not a good idea to trust an adhesive of any kind to hold these materials together, especially if they will be put in a dishwasher; you'll notice that most of your examples are held together with rivets. Wood does not fare well in dishwashers; if that's contemplated then impregnating the wood parts with a heat and moisture resistant polymer would be advisable. You'll also want to use stainless steel for the metal components, since regular steel will rust if treated that way.

thanks awerby! good info - appreciated.