Confused about Making a Handle for a Skew

[Scott Harper]

Hello,

I am just getting started with turning, and purchased some Thompson tools without handles. I downloaded the article on the Thompson site regarding making handles, and everything makes sense until I get to inserting tools with tangs, like the skew that I bought. It talks about drilling a large round hole, then gluing sections of a dowel to the tang, then inserting the combination into the handle. Wouldn't it be better to drill a few smaller holes in the handle and then clean it up to fit the tang with a chisel, skipping the dowel? I figure I must missing something obvious, so I came here for guidance.

Thanks,
Scott Harper

[Kevin McPeek]

Maybe but most of us are too lazy to get out a hammer and a chisel and make things square. Honestly all of my tools with square tangs came with handles so I haven't had to deal with that.

[Jason Hallowell]

They are just showing you the quickest and easiest way to do it. As Kevin said, most of us are lazy, but if you have the inclination to do it as you described, it will most likely end up stronger, and longer lasting.

[Jack Mincey]

Jason,
I've put handles in four of Dougs flat stock tools now. I drill a hole the dia. of the thickness of the tool. I then take the chisel from my mortise machine that is just under the thickness of the blade. Using a small wooden mallet I make a square hole that is a tite fit for the tool shank. DO NOT DRIVE the mortise chisel very far in at one time!! Take you time and go a little at a time and you can pull it back out by hand. Get in a hurry and it could be and interesting looking tool with the back side of the mortise chisel sticking out of the handle. You are starting out with some great tools. Doug makes the best.
Good luck
Jack

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Scott, I don't know what shape the tang on your skew is, however when I make handles for my tools I do the following;

- if the tang is tapered, drill a series of holes with bits ranging from large to small, starting with large and only going in a bit. Then make holes progressively deeper with smaller bits to produce a stepped hole

-if required make the hole more square, or more rectangular with a small chisel

-heat the tool tang with a propane torch just until it's hot enough to burn wood. (Hold the skew in your bare hand so you can tell if it's getting too hot in the cutting area.

- insert the tang almost all the way home, letting it burn into the handle

- pull out the tang, let it cool.

- clean up the hole in the handle with a chisel, scraping a very tiny amount off of the walls of the hole.

- drive the cooled tang home with a block of wood and a mallet.

Regards, Rod.

[Dan Forman]

I came up with a different method for doing tangs on my Thompson tools.
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l279/T-Caster/P1010722.jpg

I put together a new thread and posted it separately in case others may want to find it in the future.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=787651#post787651

Dan

[Wilbur Pan]

It talks about drilling a large round hole, then gluing sections of a dowel to the tang, then inserting the combination into the handle. Wouldn't it be better to drill a few smaller holes in the handle and then clean it up to fit the tang with a chisel, skipping the dowel?

I used the big-hole-and-sliced-dowel method, but what I did was to apply some epoxy to the tang, drop the tang into the hole, apply some epoxy to the dowel pieces, and tap them in, so that they wedged the tang in place. After everything dried, I used a chisel to trim off the dowel pieces.

[Don Orr]

I've put handles on some square tanged tools and did it differently than anybody here. I turn the handle the way I like it and drill a round hole in the end that is the same as the thickness of the tool. Then I grind off the sharp corners to almost round on the first 1/2" of the tang and just ease the corners the rest of the way up the tang. I start the tool in the hole til it will stay put on its own and the flip the handle back end up and whack it with a wooden mallet til the tool seats completely. This is the same way you put a hammer or axe handle into the head.(Or at least that is how I was taught. Due to inertia the dense metal wants to stay still, but the wood is moved by the mallet.) The tool will wedge itself into the handle very tightly and will not twist-square tool in round hole. I do the same thing with round shaft tools also. I have not had a problem yet. Set them in a good 2 or 3 inches deep. No glue, no burning, no stepped holes. I do really like the laminated handles very much though, may have to try that.