Interchangeable Handles

[David Delo]

Been thinking about switching over to using the interchanging handle concept instead of making individual handles for each tool. I'm going to be buying a few new bowl gouges for dedicating to certain grind angles and styles....so I thought the interchangeability of handle might be a good idea.Are their any big "oh, by the way" issues I should know about before doing this? Kind of like the flexibility/expandability of the Sorby Sovereign system and the Carter collet handle style looks interesting. I know there's a number of others but do these handles have the same rock-solid feel to them in service as the traditional wood handle/ferrule style does?

[John Keeton]

I do like "reusable" handles, and prefer D-Way, or similar handles because the covering is comfortable in the winter and doesn't pick up wood chips. However, the idea of having to change handles during the process of turning doesn't appeal to me at all. I need to be able to quickly change tools - not handles. But, that is just me.

Over time, I have replaced many of my shop made handles with sheathed metal handles.

[Thom Sturgill]

I have to agree with John. I have one soft covered handle and it feels good but picks up chips. I made my own similar to the D-way handles and like them. I have one Thompson and after removing the shot I like it, but my shop is in Florida - no cold handles. I can make my own for about $10, so every tool has a handle.

[Dale Gillaspy]

You can also make your own. Jimmy Clewes sells a collet system that goes in the end of a homemade handle. You can also cut splines in the end of your handle, then use a small hose clamp with a thumb screw as a collet. Works great. Kind of the best of both worlds. I have several home made, one that is aluminum covered with a plastic type hose, and a few Doug Thompson handles. I have to say I love them all.

[Roger Chandler]

We just had a Stuart Batty demo at our Virginia Symposium this last weekend........he changed out tools and handles really often. He likes sharpening without a handle on the gouge, so he is always taking a tool on or off. He had probably 5 different length handles and probably more gouges than that of different sizes.

I have two interchangable handles which I like both.........a Thompson engraved with my name on it, and a Serious Cam-lock handle, which will take different size collets and allow for different size tools to be used.......my Thompson gouges fit in it as well. I like the neoprene cover on the stainless steel because of the comfort factor.....especially in the winter with my barely heated shop, and for the shock absorbing qualities it has.

For me, I will eventually go with mostly interchangable handles in the future........they take up way less room, can be organized better in a drawer, like my space demands.

[David Delo]

We just had a Stuart Batty demo at our Virginia Symposium this last weekend........he changed out tools and handles really often. He likes sharpening without a handle on the gouge, so he is always taking a tool on or off. He had probably 5 different length handles and probably more gouges than that of different sizes.I have two interchangable handles which I like both.........a Thompson engraved with my name on it, and a Serious Cam-lock handle, which will take different size collets and allow for different size tools to be used.......my Thompson gouges fit in it as well. I like the neoprene cover on the stainless steel because of the comfort factor.....especially in the winter with my barely heated shop, and for the shock absorbing qualities it has. For me, I will eventually go with mostly interchangable handles in the future........they take up way less room, can be organized better in a drawer, like my space demands.Thanks everyone for your opinions. Good food for thought.I guess Roger's reply gets to my main interest in switching over. Just think it would be a little less cumbersome to sharpen when you don't have a handle getting in the way. I have one V shaped 1/2" gouge that has a 17" handle on it. I really like it because the handle is long enough to anchor on my hip when cutting but it's harder to sharpen because it always seems like I always bump the handle a bit with my fat belly causing a little hiccup in a nice 1 wing-to-wing swipe across the grinding wheel. My other gouges all have 14" handles on them so they don't get in the way quite as much but I still think they would be a tad easier to sharpen without handles attached. Guess I'll have to decide how much it's worth to me for a little bit easier on the sharpening side vs. having to re-attach a handle instead of just grabbing the tool I want at the time.

[Lloyd Butler]

I have a 12" and an 18" Michael Hosuluk handle that I really like. They have a 1/2" collet on one end and 5/8" on the other. He also sells collet's for home made handles if you want to go that route for down to 1/4" I think.

The 1/2" hole in the handles is large enough that my Thompson gouge can actually be buried in as far as I like. On the Thompson handle with the Thompson tools, they can not seat into the handle very far. The tool has a lip on it and if you wanted to get the tool deeper into the handle to shorten it up, you would need to ream out the handle hole a bit larger. I find that I can shorten the tool up to be a bit closer to the work or extend it out if I need the leverage.

Handleless tools do not hang very well though in a tool rack :), so you need more like a shelf to store your tool blades while not in use.

[Thom Sturgill]

I agree with the comment on removing the blade to sharpen. That is well worth while. I have multiples of my favorite size/shape gouge and sharpen everything before starting a project - that seems to limit the need to sharpen mid-project. Then again I also hone for that finish cut...

[Garth Sheane]

After I went to the metal handle for bowl gouges, things improved a lot. Aside from being a lot easier to hold on to for a guy with big hands, I thought it was less dangerous as well. The counter balance supplied in the metal handle made the gouge less "grabby".

[Michael Mills]

Here's the DIY way.
This is the smaller for 1/4" or less, I have a much larger with 1/2" keyless chuck for most.

[Roger Chandler]

Here's the DIY way.
This is the smaller for 1/4" or less, I have a much larger with 1/2" keyless chuck for most.

Micheal.........how deep does a Jacobs chuck allow you to bury the tang on the gouge? Might not be a problem for smaller tools like a detail gouge, but I am wondering about a bowl gouge that you hog off large quantities when roughing out........the stresses will be greatly increased on roughout work.

Not saying at all a Jacob style chuck does not work, but wonder about vibration on a shallow hold on the tang. Any issues so far?

[Michael Mills]

Micheal.........how deep does a Jacobs chuck allow you to bury the tang on the gouge? Might not be a problem for smaller tools like a detail gouge, but I am wondering about a bowl gouge that you hog off large quantities when roughing out........the stresses will be greatly increased on roughout work.

Not saying at all a Jacob style chuck does not work, but wonder about vibration on a shallow hold on the tang. Any issues so far?


Glad you brought that up... only 1-3/8". I have not used them with a bowl gouge since my Sorbys still have some meat left. The 1/2" bolt from the chuck into the handle is 3" deep.

I made them mainly for custom items (3 point tools, bedans, and other things folks dream up) with blade length exposed 5-6".

To quote Gilda Radner..... Nevermind

For the tools I have made they have been very good so folks may want to tuck it back for when you make a small hollowing tool from bent allen wrenches, ect.

[John Beaver]

+1 for the Jimmy Clewes collets. (you can buy them through Doug Thompson, but you have to call and ask for them).
They are a cam lock that just twists, and the tool goes in and out in a second. I also remove my tool from the handle for sharpening.