Lathe Tool Handles

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F6maniac

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Mar 29, 2014
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49
Location
Palmdale CA
I bought a couple of carbide cutter lathe tools made out of 1/2 square steel stock and I need to make a couple of handles. If the tool stock was round I would drill the hole in the handle to accept the tool, but with square stock I'm wondering if I should cut 1/4" x 1/2" dadoes in a couple of pieces of wood, glue them together, and then turn to shape. Then epoxy the tools into the handles. What do you guys think? Any better methods?

Thanks for your help.
 
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In one of capt eddies videos he says to just round over the edges with a grinder, drill I believe a 5/8 hole and epoxy in
 
Another alternative would be to round over the square corners on one end of the square stock and just use a standard handle.

I've done this with both a bench top sander and my lathe. With the lathe, I mounted the square stock in a chuck at one end and a live center at the other. Then I used an angle grinder to carefully remove the corners of the square stock while the stock was rotating on my lathe. Go slow, be cautious and you'll be just fine....
 
You can put a square peg into a round hole. Make a kind of pointy tapered end on the sq tool. Drill a 1/2 inch hole in the handle. Be sure to have a reinforcing ring in place on the tool handle. Use a bar clamp to "drive" the tool into the handle. You can glue if you want to but it isn't necessary.
 
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There are two ways to do this - the hard way, and the simple way.

The hard way is to laminate a blank from pieces of wood, leaving a square hole in one end that is dimensioned to accept the square bar. And while you are at it, use a variety of species of wood so the handle looks sexy. Then turn the blank to make your handle, and finally glue the bar into the square hole. You can use epoxy or polyurethane to glue the bar into the hole.

The easy way is to grind the corners off the bottom 2-3" of the bar to approximate round, and then glue it into the handle turned from a ratty old piece of ash or oak using either epoxy or polyurethane glue.
 
Gee glad read all responses before suggesting making a three piece handle. My procedure for making a three piece wood handle just too exhausting to even think about. Although would work any tool with a taperer tang as well!
 
I have made several of these tools and I just drill a hole, fill it with 5 min epoxy and press in the degreased steel shaft wiping off the excess. I use copper pipe unions to make the ferrell and epoxy it in place as well. Let it set over night and I will bet the farm you can't get the shaft out of the handle. Be sure the shaft is straight before it sets up. Never had one come loose or be brought back for repair.
WB
 
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