square hole is handle

[Rob Holcomb]

Hello, I'm hoping someone can give me an idea how to accomplish this problem. I have a hand held garden tool that needs a new handle. I'll be making that on my lathe but the steel rod of the tool that inserts into the handle is square. How would I create a square hole or should I just drill a slightly smaller round hole and force the square rod into it. I also plan on using epoxy for added strength.

Thanks for your replies.

[Garrett Ellis]

You could also file the corners down to make it more round/octagonal to make it easier to push into a round hole.

[Bill Huber]

Drill the hole the same diameter as the the square and then just drive it in, I have done that many times.

[ray hampton]

the old method involve heating the tang red hot and burning the round hole to a square hole

[Paul Symchych]

Make the handle out of two pieces. Cut a dado in each half; glue together to create a square hole and then put it on the lathe.

[Joe Spear]

Drill, heat and drive.

[Glenn Barber]

Along Paul's line of thought, I can route a groove in each half the correct width and length.

Glenn

[Dell Littlefield]

I tried the red hot fitting of an axe handle once. I didn't immediately pull it back out and the wood continued to burn away. Had to start over.

[John Coloccia]

Drill the hole the same diameter as the the square and then just drive it in, I have done that many times.

I'm with him. I wouldn't use any glue. We do this sort of stuff all the time with tangs of all different shapes and size. Ultimately, just jamming it in there seems to work for most things.

[Rod Sheridan]

The drill heat and drive is the traditional method, it works very well.

You don't need red hot, that's too hot. Heat the tang drive it almost home, pull it out, let it cool and drive it in again......Regards, Rod.

[Rob Holcomb]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. The beauty of this kind of thing is that there isn't much waste of wood if I screw it up so I'll try each methos offered until I get the one that works the best.

[Charles Lent]

You want to drill a round hole that is slightly smaller than the square shaft. The square is intended to fit very tightly so it can't rotate in the handle. Just drive it in and let it cut it's corners into the sides of the round hole with no heat or glue. If you are worried about it pulling out you can drill a small hole through the inserted handle and the shaft for a finish nail to fit tightly through. Drive in the nail, then cut off the excess, and peen over the ends to make sort of a rivet out of it. It would be even better if you did this with a small brass rod instead of a nail. The flatened and mushroomed ends should be tight against the handle or slightly recessed below the surface. If you should ever need to replace the handle again you can grind the heads off the nail and then drive it out. When installing the next new handle it would probably be easiest to drill a new nail hole in a different position rather than trying to drill one that lines up with the first hole.

Charley

[Floyd Mah]

Perhaps as part of the drill, heat and drive technique you might wrap the prospective handle tightly with a cord or rope to prevent any tendency for the wood to split.