Wood handle finish

[Bernie Kopfer]

I’m turning wood handles for some turning tools out of ash. I’m not sure what is the preferred finish for longevity and grip. Any recommendations.

[Richard Coers]

No finish is my preferred.

[Edward Weber]

Everyone has their own preference, I usually use Seal-A-Cell from General Finishes on my turning tool handles
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[David Walser]

Bernie -- Some turners prefer to use no finish at all. Richard falls into that camp. While I prefer some type of finish, about half my self-made tool handles have no finish on them. At the time, I was simply too lazy (or, as I prefer to say, too pressed by very important and urgent matters) to bother with a finish. When I do use a finish, it is something very quick -- Deft's brushing lacquer applied on the lathe, with the excess wiped off after a few minutes; a friction polish; walnut oil; BLO; or simply bees wax. All work to prevent my repeated use of the tool from making it look dingy from accumulated hand oil and grime. None cause the handle to be too slippery to use.

HTH

[Robert Hayward]

I like to use shellac and wipe on poly. Like David says the finish keeps the wood from looking dingy with repeated use.

[tom lucas]

Just about anything will work. Some will take longer to do and dry. Some may look more plastic. Others barely change the look. But all will give you some protection from dirt and grunge, which is better than nothing in my opinion. I like friction polish because you can get a shine in short order and it's dry immediately. Oils are easy too. I think it's a good idea to use some that can be reapplied without stripping. Hence, why I like FP or oils. I'm not a big fan of lacquer mainly because it can be finnicky about humidity.

[John K Jordan]

I’m turning wood handles for some turning tools out of ash. I’m not sure what is the preferred finish for longevity and grip. Any recommendations.

I often apply a little "danish" oil. But for grip I like to cut some type of texture into the wood. I like a bit of variety.

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[Bernie Kopfer]

Thank you for the information. Good points about a finish keeping the handles from becoming visually dingy looking. I love wipe on poly because it dries quickly and requires minimal skill!

[Edward Weber]

About grip, one thing to keep in mind is the diameter.
IMO, Many, if not all retail tool handles are too short and too small in diameter, not to be copied when turning your own.
Having to grip a tool too tightly because of it's small diameter, usually leads to hand cramping and an uncomfortable turning experience. Just something to keep in mind when making your own.

[Richard Coers]

Thank you for the information. Good points about a finish keeping the handles from becoming visually dingy looking. I love wipe on poly because it dries quickly and requires minimal skill!
I prefer to use my chisels, not to admire them from afar! LOL

[John K Jordan]

About grip, one thing to keep in mind is the diameter.
IMO, Many, if not all retail tool handles are too short and too small in diameter, not to be copied when turning your own....

I can agree on the diameter but I think the length of the handle depends on the tool and what you are turning. For example, Frank Penta told me professional spindle turners in the trades in Europe used very short handles for the dexterity in movement - he got me started on shorter handles. These were sometimes used one-handed.

I do a lot of thin spindle turning holding with one hand but I like the handle a bit longer - I hold near the tool shaft with my right hand and rest the end of the handle against my forearm. My left hand stabilizes as needed and may help guide the tip. I don't have good pictures of this but these show some one-handed skew turning on a thin spindle:

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I use negative rake scrapers on bowls and platters with no handle at all, hold the steel. Just gentle forces and grip are needed and and the control is easy. These have never been in handles, held with one or two hands as needed:

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For turning things like larger face work like bowls and platters, rounding rough blanks, hollowing boxes and forms I use longer handles and hold with two hands. Except for roughing the hold is usually to guide with no need for a white-knuckled death grip which can lead to fatigue and cramping. You can actually make finish cuts on bowl or platter guiding the tool on the rest with one finger and holding the end of the handle with between two fingers - I learned this from several demonstrators and from books - it's a good way to demonstrate to students that tend to tense their hands, arms, and shoulders and hold the tool like shovel! But rounding irregular blanks can require a firmer grip.

I have made many tool handle shapes over the years and I've come to like those like I showed in the pictures earlier with a larger diameter swell near the tool end. They work well for me with either one or two hands. I make the far end of most handles much thinner to reduce the weight and improve the balance.

JKJ

[Edward Weber]

It's just a personal preference.
Yes you can use a short handled tool, scrunch up and pretend you're small when turning dainty pieces but it's not for me. That was sarcastic but I've seen it done more than I care to.
A longer handle provides more control, maybe less dexterity but definitely more control, simply by virtue of the length. I have to move the handle more on a long tool than a short handled tool to make the same cut but this give me more precise control.
If I were a production spindle turner, I'm sure as my skills evolved so might my tool preferences. For now this is what works for me.
As you can see in my photo above, I don't believe in changing the handle length, I remain the same size no matter what I'm turning.
With a long handled tool, I can always choke up if I need to, but you can't go the other way on a short handled tool.
Just one more way of getting to the same end.

[Reed Gray]

Over the years, I have come to prefer straight cylinder wood handles, a bit long, even though I stand at the end of my lathe to turn bowls, and maybe don't need long handles. I do prefer larger diameter, like 1 1/2 inch or so. Some times that depends on the blank I have selected. For finish, I always have walnut oil, from the Doctor's Woodshop around, and some times will put some of that on. Most of the time, I forget, I think....

robo hippy