gary thomann
10-08-2012, 1:28 PM
If you look at those expensive knives you see a lot of neat materials used in the handles. It's my belief that any knife that costs more than $50 isn't used to cut anything, they are for collecting. So I figure I can do the same with chisels. My brother and I collect Keen Kutter chisels, we like the collars where the handle mounts. We have maybe 40 or 50 of them. I started making handles for some of them. A photo of 9 of the handles is attached, I hope you can see it ok, I am not sure exactly how the image attach works. I think the high quality image is there somewhere.
242774
The handles are more or less in the order I made them. The first is a simple oak handle, not the best wood for turning. The next two are rosewood, which turns well. One has leather washers on the end. The next is hickory with a bunch of what I guess are wormholes, kind of neat. It also has leather washers. Putting the washers on is not too difficult, but also not a lot of fun (smelly), so I have not been using them lately.
The next is my first attempt at a layered handle, maple with cocobolo insert. Then a handle just out of cocobolo, my favorite turning wood. Then my favorite handle, cocobolo with an ivory insert. Of course only synthetic elephants were killed gathering the ivory. About then I stopped to make a scratch awl, also cocobolo. The ferrule is a 1/4 inch plumbing compression nut, an idea I stole from somebody.
The next large handle is burled maple with what I think is a composite stone insert. If you get an inclination to put an insert at an angle like this, don't do it. The constant jump from one material to another was a disaster. The stone material was dulling my cheap Harbor Freight tools in about 5 seconds! No more angles, at least not with that material. The last handle has a darker synthetic insert and my first attempt at in inlay. Kind of looks like the end of a pool cue, which is where I got the idea. It was hard to do and I will not attempt another insert until I get my CNC machine built. The handle on this one is not quite straight, I have not glued it in yet. My next attempt is going to be cocobolo with a synthetic insert with brass spacers on each side of the synthetic.
For the small print and what I have learned. To save expensive wood I drill a hole in the blank and glue a dowel in. The dowel goes in the lathe chuck and later into the chisel itself so it is invisible. I glue the dowel in with T-88 structural adhesive. I glue the handles into the chisels with JB Weld, it is nice and thick. I glue the insert material to the wood with PVC-E glue because I learned it is used on piano keys. For finish I seal with shellac and then use linseed oil. Sand down to 2000 grit before finishing. I have glued leather washers with both yellow wood glue and epoxy, I think the epoxy works a little better. I don't do anything to the chisels except clean them a little and sometimes sharpen them. If some delinquent, juvenille or otherwise, has banged on the end of the chisel and mushroomed it, I file it down and use gun blue for camoflauge.
242774
The handles are more or less in the order I made them. The first is a simple oak handle, not the best wood for turning. The next two are rosewood, which turns well. One has leather washers on the end. The next is hickory with a bunch of what I guess are wormholes, kind of neat. It also has leather washers. Putting the washers on is not too difficult, but also not a lot of fun (smelly), so I have not been using them lately.
The next is my first attempt at a layered handle, maple with cocobolo insert. Then a handle just out of cocobolo, my favorite turning wood. Then my favorite handle, cocobolo with an ivory insert. Of course only synthetic elephants were killed gathering the ivory. About then I stopped to make a scratch awl, also cocobolo. The ferrule is a 1/4 inch plumbing compression nut, an idea I stole from somebody.
The next large handle is burled maple with what I think is a composite stone insert. If you get an inclination to put an insert at an angle like this, don't do it. The constant jump from one material to another was a disaster. The stone material was dulling my cheap Harbor Freight tools in about 5 seconds! No more angles, at least not with that material. The last handle has a darker synthetic insert and my first attempt at in inlay. Kind of looks like the end of a pool cue, which is where I got the idea. It was hard to do and I will not attempt another insert until I get my CNC machine built. The handle on this one is not quite straight, I have not glued it in yet. My next attempt is going to be cocobolo with a synthetic insert with brass spacers on each side of the synthetic.
For the small print and what I have learned. To save expensive wood I drill a hole in the blank and glue a dowel in. The dowel goes in the lathe chuck and later into the chisel itself so it is invisible. I glue the dowel in with T-88 structural adhesive. I glue the handles into the chisels with JB Weld, it is nice and thick. I glue the insert material to the wood with PVC-E glue because I learned it is used on piano keys. For finish I seal with shellac and then use linseed oil. Sand down to 2000 grit before finishing. I have glued leather washers with both yellow wood glue and epoxy, I think the epoxy works a little better. I don't do anything to the chisels except clean them a little and sometimes sharpen them. If some delinquent, juvenille or otherwise, has banged on the end of the chisel and mushroomed it, I file it down and use gun blue for camoflauge.