What Wood for Judge's Gavel

[Ron Kanter]

A good friend has become a judge.
She asked me to make a gavel for her and I am eager to turn one.

What wood would you suggest? Are the head, the handle, and the sounding block usually made of the same wood? Looking online I can find many examples of gavels in many different woods. I want it to be both comfortable to use and look special.
Thanks,
Ron

[Roger Chandler]

I would recommend hard maple........the dye it with a dark walnut stain to give it a classy look. I would make the strike plate out of the same material!

[John Keeton]

Having spent a lifetime in courtrooms, most I have bothered to take notice of are walnut.

[Doug Ladendorf]

Probably not an area to get flamboyant given the position. Walnut does seem most common. Maybe mahogany. You could highlight with ebony.

[kevin nee]

I made one from White Oak Burl with the same material for a sounding block.
Nice looking & heavy (and loud) Good luck whatever you choose.

[Greg A Jones]

My thought would also be ebony but I suspect it would cost $150-200

[Ron Kanter]

Thanks for the suggestions.
Walnut seems to be traditional. Maybe I can find some figured walnut so it is both traditional and special.
Next question: should I invest in a Beal threading kit to attach the handle to the head or consider another joinery method?

[Ron Rutter]

Ron. I recently made myself a gavel out of butternut-( white walnut ) With the figure in the wood it looks beautiful. For the handle I would suggest trying a bore/ counterbore as a shoulder at the surface doesn't work. Ron.

[Jamie Donaldson]

Ron. I recently made myself a gavel out of butternut-( white walnut ) With the figure in the wood it looks beautiful. For the handle I would suggest trying a bore/ counterbore as a shoulder at the surface doesn't work. Ron.

Ron, don't bother with threading as the head will almost certainly unscrew. Simply drill a hole straight through the head for a handle, bandsaw a small split in the inserted end of the handle and drive in a matching wedge to fix the handle firmly in the head, with a bit of glue for insurance.

[Dale Miner]

Ron, don't bother with threading as the head will almost certainly unscrew. Simply drill a hole straight through the head for a handle, bandsaw a small split in the inserted end of the handle and drive in a matching wedge to fix the handle firmly in the head, with a bit of glue for insurance.

Another option is to drill a blind hole and put the small wedge in the handle before inserting the handle in the head. When the wedge hits the bottom of the hole and the handle is pushed in farther, the wedge gets pushed into the handle and makes the fit tighten. This takes a bit of care in fitting up.

[Ron Kanter]

Thanks again, everyone.
Ron & Kevin,
Would love see a pic of your gavels.
Ron
I'm not sure what you meant by "a shoulder at the surface doesn't work." Could you explain?
Jamie & Dale,
I like the wedged mortise idea. Never thought of a "blind" wedged mortise. Might have to try that just for fun.

[Bob Bergstrom]

Turn the head completely and then jam chuck it into a large scrape of wood. Then drill the hole into the head. It will be dead center in the head and the handle will be perfectly straight.

[John Sanford]

Generally, the wood chosen would be one that has either significance to the area, or significance to the judge. When I was in Hawaii a few years back, I stopped by a turner's shop outside of Hilo. He was at his lathe turning gavels out of Koa for the Hawaiian Supreme Court justices. The state tree of Pennsylvania is the Eastern Hemlock, which if she's going to be a state justice, would be a good choice.

If you have the opportunity, I would turn a bunch of different handles out of a utility wood, and then let her handle them, try them on as it were. While the head is what most folks in the courtroom see, it's the handle that the user will become most familiar with. Make it too big or too small for her hands and it will always be a minor annoyance. Get the ergonomics just right and she'll know it.

[Ron Kanter]

Bob,
I am having a hard time picturing what it looks like to jam chuck the head so that a drilled hole will be centered. Sorry to be so dense. Could you give me a little more explanation?

[Ron Kanter]

John,
Good advice about testing out the most comfortable handle for my judge friend.
This is supposed to be a working gift. I hope it will be beautiful, but if it doesn't fit her hand it will gather dust on a shelf.

[Bob Bergstrom]

Bob,
I am having a hard time picturing what it looks like to jam chuck the head so that a drilled hole will be centered. Sorry to be so dense. Could you give me a little more explanation?
Using a fairly thick blank of scrap of wood turn a recess deep enough in the scrap that that it will accept the head of the gavel sideways so the area that will be drilled will be facing the tail stock. The head will be perfectly centered. Once drilled just remove and fit the handle.

[Guy Belleman]

Ron, here is a picture of the jam chuck for the gavel head. Getting the hole perfectly centered is necessary. http://www.turnedtreasures.com/project.html/gavel_turning/gavel_pg4.html

[Ron Kanter]

Thanks Guy.
That makes it very clear.
And the whole tutorial is OUTSTANDING.
Haven't had a chance to read through it carefully, but I did notice that you show attaching the handle using threads and using a wedged tenon. Do you have a preference?

[Roger Feeley]

It's good to consider wood of regional significance. Here in Kansas, the state tree is Cottonwood. I can't imagine a wood much worse for the task. In Kansas, I think I would choose hedge (Osage Orange).

[Steve Doerr]

Ron, here is an illustration of what Bob is talking about. Jam chuck (http://www.turnedtreasures.com/project.html/gavel_turning/gavel.html)

[Thom Sturgill]

Ron, basically turn a bowl that the head will fit into snugly with the ends jammed into the insides of the bowl so that the head spins on its short axis. Pressure from the drill held in the tailstock will help keep the piece in place while you drill.

I was taught to drill the hole in a square blank at the drill press before turning. Just be careful to get the hole centered in the width of the piece.

If you are off-center, scribe a line the length of the blank parallel with one side that passes through the center of the hole. Extend the line across the end faces and make sure that your live and spur centers are on those lines when you round the blank. That would re-center the hole. The length can be adjusted when turning to balance either side of the hole. Unless you flatten the area at the hole, DO NOT turn a shoulder on the handle as a flat shoulder will not mate up to a round surface. It is much better to bring a cove back to a peak or bead.

I like the ideas of turning several samples - good spindle practice, and either choosing wood from the state tree or of local importance, or her personal favorite. for example down hear in Florida the state tree is the Sabal Palm, which I don't think would work well, but I live on the Treasure Coast which is a big Citrus area. So I would probably use some form of Citrus or Avocado which is farmed locally also, though Rosewood and Mahogany are also local woods.

[Ron Kanter]

Steve,
That is a great tutorial. Not only shows every step, but includes the little tips that make those steps go smoothly.
Thom,
Thanks for the alternative method for drilling a centered hole. Always more than one way to get the job done. So you have a preference when making gavels?

[Jim Watkins]

I made one for an exulted ruler at the Elks Lodge. This was made from Brazilian Cherry. It looked great after it was done. The Striker was the wood. Then I used a high gloss poly urethane finish.