Well darn turns out I need to make a new tool handle...

[Joshua Dinerstein]

I guess I had one to many catches with my 1" skew when learning to work with it. I tried the trick from Raffan's video where he his the bottom of the handle with a mallet to set the blade. I managed to make mine fall out and skid across floor. Cost me a return trip to the grinder doing that one. :)

Anyway, so I picked up the blade, gripped it real tight and pushed it back into the hole. It worked... sort of. It was loose and that is never a good sign. Today it got really loose. To the point of coming out again so I pulled it out and turned it 90 degrees and pushed it back in. It is seated pretty firmly at this point but has large gaps around the tang from the rectangular size.

I am not going to use it again until I get a new handle on it.

So any tips or suggestions on turning one? I have seen Lacer and Raffan's videos and I have the basics. But I am wonder what wood you guys would recommend for the handle. And what length.

I am pretty sure that I would like to use the skew to make the new handle but that probably isn't going to happen. After recent posts about problems I am going to play it really really safe.

Thanks,
Joshua

[Steve Schlumpf]

Joshua - I haven't turned my own handles yet but there is a lot of how-to info here that you should be able to find by doing a search. From what you mentioned about your situation - I would just fill in the gaps with epoxy and see if that didn't take care of your problem.

Meanwhile - check this out:
http://www.thompsonlathetools.com/handles.asp

[Bernie Weishapl]

Joshua the article Steve gave you is excellent. I have used what I learned from it to make a lot of my own handles.

[Scott Conners]

Here's what I would do:
Turn a short dowel the same diameter as the hole in the handle. Then, using a bandsaw (grip the dowel in a wooden screw clamp to hold it safely) or handsaw (I used a japanese saw while the piece was still in the chuck), cut two wedges out of the dowel. Put epoxy in the hole and on the wedges, and put the blade in. Then tap the wedges in beside the blade. That should hold the blade quite tightly.

This assumes you like the shape of the current handle - if you don't, make your own anyway! (and use this same technique).

For ferrules I have used 3/4" brass compression nuts with the corners turned off with a parting tool and filed smooth, and also some 1" copper couplers for wider-tanged 1 1/4" skews. The brass looks nicer to me, but I couldn't find 1" size at my local hardware stores, and I needed the larger size for the larger tang.

Here's the site that taught me:
http://www.woodturninglearn.net/articles/forgottenhandle.htm

[Reed Gray]

For any tool that has a tang on the end as compared to a rounded cylincder end, I make a 3 piece handle. The Center piece is the exact same thickness as the tang (my scrapers are 3/8 inch thick). Cut the proper size notch in the end to match your tang, then glue a piece on each side to make the rough blank the proper thickness for the handle you want. I never liked the round or square holes for a tang. You can also epoxy or glue in the tand once you have turned the handle.
robo hippy

[robert hainstock]

I get my too handle blanks, (mostly putple heart) from bell forest products.com. Cheap! after turning, I insert the yang of the tool and tap the butt end of the tool on a heavy, firm surface, (I prefer a concrette floor or anvil. :):):)
Bob

[Jeff Nicol]

Joshua, I have used maple, oak, hickory and ash for some of the handles that I have made. I all comes down to what you have on hand or what you are willing to spend on the blank. I have seen some beautiful handles that are numerous types of wood glued up to create handles that are works of art themselves! The handles I made for skews with a tapered shank, I drill the hole just big enough to get the shank/tang started in it. Make sure the ferrule is on the handle put a little paste wax in the hole and get a thick block of wood to put the point on and use a dead blow hammer to pound the handle on. No cracks yet and as the handle dries out over time the wood is very compressed at the ferrule so not much shrinkage.

Have fun and handles are good for skew practice!

Jeff

[Harvey Schneider]

A good source of wood for replacement handles is available at the big box hardware stores. I bought a replacement shovel handle, it was enough straight grained ash to make four tool handles. The cost was under ten dollars.

[Joshua Dinerstein]

A good source of wood for replacement handles is available at the big box hardware stores. I bought a replacement shovel handle, it was enough straight grained ash to make four tool handles. The cost was under ten dollars.
Oh now that is a great idea. A little less colorful than purpleheart but an inexpensive way to fix things quickly!

Thanks Peoples!
Joshua