Tool Handle

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MDWine

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Mar 22, 2005
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I'm just curious... I have a couple of lathe tools that need handles.
I have a good selection of nicely colored or figured woods to use, including african blackwood, tulip, walnut, beech, ash, maple, and some other stuff that eludes me at the moment.

The last one I made was of a nicely figured tiger maple, and I dyed it purple. (those that remember my call it pink... IT'S PURPLE! lol)

Anyway, I think I'm going back to maple for these (gives me a good excuse to go to Mr. Dunlap in Chantilly to see his shop and his beautiful selection of wood!) I'm deciding on a couple of colors that I might use, and apply them to some bowls too! I did consider some of those "fancy" commercial handles, but decided the money is better spent on wood, even if the cost is 1:1, I like wood!

What's YOUR favorite for a lathe tool handle?
 
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eranox

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Sep 12, 2012
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Killeen, TX
Aww, I like the question. My favorite tool handle that I've made has been a piece of figured cherry. It was in fact the first piece of cherry I'd ever turned, and I used some new carbide scrapers for the first time on it, so it was a bit of an experiment. It worked out very nicely.

I've used ash for other tool handles, which turns and stains beautifully, but still retains that open-grained look regardless of how I seal or finish it. I've also used red oak, of which I am decidedly not a fan when it comes to lathe work. That stuff tears out and splinters something awful. I got usable handles out of it, but boy are they ugly. Solid as a rock, though.
 

Charlie_W

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Sterling, VA USA
Michael....Two thumbs up on Dunlap!! Curly Maple!

Here is a pic of an Osage orange handle I made earlier this summer. It has my 1/4" and 3/8" ends.
 

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MDWine

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Mar 22, 2005
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Location
Manassas Park, Virginia, USA.
Michael....Two thumbs up on Dunlap!! Curly Maple!

Here is a pic of an Osage orange handle I made earlier this summer. It has my 1/4" and 3/8" ends.


I saw that pic posted, and thought it was pretty keen. I recently got a ferrul from CS (I think), and it is a "screw on" type. I'm not too sure about it but will give it a try.

I recently got a 3/8" spindle gouge from Cindy Drozda, and I wanted something fancy for it. Good news is that if the 'screw on' isn't what I like, I can glue it in place I guess.

CAW meeting Saturday Charlie!!
 
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Charlie_W

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Nov 16, 2011
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Sterling, VA USA
Michael....Two thumbs up on Dunlap!! Curly Maple!

Here is a pic of an Osage orange handle I made earlier this summer. It has my 1/4" and 3/8" ends.


I saw that pic posted, and thought it was pretty keen. I recently got a ferrul from CS (I think), and it is a "screw on" type. I'm not too sure about it but will give it a try.

I recently got a 3/8" spindle gouge from Cindy Drozda, and I wanted something fancy for it. Good news is that if the 'screw on' isn't what I like, I can glue it in place I guess.

CAW meeting Saturday Charlie!!

Yup, meeting on my list

If you glue the tool in with epoxy or CA, you can later heat the tool shank, melt the glue and pull it out.
 

howsitwork

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Thirsk
Have a look at Petter Herrud 's elliptical handles.They are something elseand made to fit the gouge.By that I mean if the roughing gouge tang is a tapered flat he laminated the blanks having first cut a pocket to fit the tang.
He then laminates this "tang section" between other larger pieces and turns the handle offset between centres to produce an elliptical handle ( so it can't roll off the bench and you know by feel exactly what angle the cutting edge is at) . These work brilliantly on skew chisels!
Once made and sanded you apply a little epoxy (if you want to) and tap the tool in to the handle for a perfect fit.
I've done this for my favourite Skew and it works well for me. Did the skew in ash and walnut, with a copper ferrule .
 
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