bigcountry7
Member
I like using xacto blades for marking and always wanted a more ergonomic handle so I made this holder on Thursday evening.
I started off mounting a sacrificial xacto knife into a jam-chuck like this
I used a carbide scraper to turn the aluminum down to .245" for the last inch of length, the parted it off.
Then I mounted a piece of cherry pen blank stock around 7" long in my chuck and drilled a 1/4" hole in one end. I used the cone center to stabilize while I turned it and I tried to finish it before parting off, but I didn't leave enough material and it broke off.
I glued the aluminum into the handle with epoxy and it was done, but a little disproportional. Here is a photo before I parted 3/16" off the bottom end of the knurled tube.
I might try a few more and I would like to pick up some brass tubing to replace the knurled aluminum. I also think I can make them without turning down the aluminum if I make the handle thicker.
I started off mounting a sacrificial xacto knife into a jam-chuck like this
I used a carbide scraper to turn the aluminum down to .245" for the last inch of length, the parted it off.
Then I mounted a piece of cherry pen blank stock around 7" long in my chuck and drilled a 1/4" hole in one end. I used the cone center to stabilize while I turned it and I tried to finish it before parting off, but I didn't leave enough material and it broke off.
I glued the aluminum into the handle with epoxy and it was done, but a little disproportional. Here is a photo before I parted 3/16" off the bottom end of the knurled tube.
I might try a few more and I would like to pick up some brass tubing to replace the knurled aluminum. I also think I can make them without turning down the aluminum if I make the handle thicker.