Turns out that turning a good handle is harder than I thought...

[Joshua Dinerstein]

So I spent the evening trying to make a new handle for my 1" skew. I would have thought that after all of the work I have been doing lately this would easy. Boy howdy was I wrong...

The first one was out of a properly sized piece I picked up at woodcraft the other day. I gave up after it had shredded and shredded and just threw it into the to be burned pile. Then I got out a pieces of 2x2x13 Black Walnut that I got for making tops out of. I turned it round and started working on the ferrule. Everything was going well.

I think that I waited to long to drill the hole. I am not sure what I did wrong but I swear I got a hole that went in at a diagonal. I have no clue how I did that. I had the big in the jacobs chuck in the head stock and the back of the handle centered up on the tail stock. I could see it happening but couldn't figure out how to fix it.

I think next time I will drill earlier and then turn down to round around that "center line". I will take some pics in the morning and post them so you can see what a mess i made of the handle.

But I thought I would post and ask those of you making handles what you process/order you have used for making your wooden handles? I would like to be more successful next time I try it. I also think I will go buy one of those ask shovel handles and use that as the base for this next try. I am kind of running out of long thin wood. Most of what I have on hand is bowl blanks.

Anyway, any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Joshua

[Don Carter]

Joshua:
I am by no means an expert at making handles. Getting the blank drilled is not so easy sometimes.

I drill most short handles on the drill press. I take a square blank and mark the center the old fashion way, by marking lines across the end, corner to corner. I mark the center with a spring loaded center punch. I then drill the hole to fit the tool either on the drill press or on the lathe.

When using the lathe, I don't use the jacobs chuck in the headstock, I use it in the tailstock and hold the blank in a chuck. I forward the drill bit into the blank at the marked center to the proper depth. Moving it in a bit and back out to clear the chips and take it slow.

Then I use a cone shaped live center in the hole I just drilled and turn the handle to the desired shape. I part the handle off near the chuck. I don't do much finish work on handles that I use in the shop. Maybe some tung oil or some I just leave unfinished.

I hope this helps. It is not the only way but it works for me.

All the best.

Don

[Michael Faurot]

I've been making a lot of handles lately and here's what's been working the best for me:


I try and use a blank that will allow me to put it in a chuck.
After I get the blank roughed into a cylinder, I work on getting the ferrule on first.
With the piece in the chuck, I can pull the tail stock away and not have to worry about the blank changing position as I fit the ferrule to it.
Next I'll do all the fine work, sanding and then finishing (typically just bee's wax).
Now I'm ready to actually drill out the center. I do this with a jacob's chuck in the tail stock. With the blank held by the chuck in the head stock, I can rework the tail stock without worrying about the piece shifting and going off center.
When I start to drill into the piece, I do so very slowly at first so as to allow the bit to center itself as much as possible. I'll stop after it's made an initial bite into the wood and check to see if it's really centered or not and try and make corrections if it's not.
By saving the drilling for last and doing all the other turning work first, even if the hole doesn't come out perfect, I can still usually make use of the handle because at this point I don't necessarily have to put it back on the lathe to finish it. If the hole does come out okay, I can continue working the handle on the lathe if I want to by changing to a cone shaped live center in the tail stock.

I've had a few things that didn't go as well as I would have liked, and the hole was a bit off center. I found this to be especially problematic when doing a bunch of screw driver kits where I needed to drill a 5/8" hole 3-1/2" deep into the handle. The brad point bit for doing this is about 6" long, which I think made it a bit more difficult to line up totally centered. I found that if I started the hole with a shorter 5/8" forstner bit, and then changed to the longer 6" bit, I had a bit better luck.

[robert hainstock]

I drill a pilot hole with a smal brad point bit, and then work up to the final size which must be slightly smaller than the butt end of the tool. If needed I drill a short starter hole with a bit that is at or sightly larger tan the tool. Then I insert the tool, and seat it by tapping the butt end of the handle on a firm sutface, usually the shop floor. :)
Bob

[Jim Becker]

When I drill something at the lathe, the Jacobs is in the tailstock and the lathe spins the workpiece. Of course, that's tricky with a tool handle that has only been between centers!

My suggestion is to drill the blank while it's still square using the drill press. Then mount it on the lathe between centers with the ferrule end toward the tailstock and using a cone on the revolving center to support that end.

[Mike Wilkins]

Thanks for the tips guys. I have to make a new handle for an old gouge with the tang end, and my mind was up against a wall(easy for me). I do remember an article in a past issue of FWW Tools and Shops with Mr. Smalser (I think I spelled his name correctly) in which he made a tool handle on the lathe. Check that out for some more great tips.
Stay safe and watch those fingers.
Don't forget to contribute. Best $$$ I have ever invested.

[Joshua Dinerstein]

Here are my photos...

Joshua

[Moshe Eshel]

Hey Joshua, to add one more thing to what was said above which is all true and helpful - also when the handle is on the longer side, it might flex if it is held only by the chuck. a good idea is add a "boring collar" or spindle steady (essentially the same thing - which hold the piece and support it at a point closer to the drill.
You can build one yourself quite easily (here's one example http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=58908&highlight=spindle+Steady ) or purchase one

Good luck!

[Bernie Weishapl]

I agree with Moshe. I hold the handle in a chuck using the spindle steady with the jacobs chuck in the tailstock. First thing I do is make sure the tailstock end of handle is centered with the livecenter. I mount the spindle steady in place. Then remove the tailstock and drill. Haven't had a problem since I started using this method shown to me.

[Rod Sheridan]

Interesting answers in this thread, I'm way off the mark.

I put the drill in the chuck and hold the handle blank in my hand with the end located by the tailstock.

Once the pilot hole is drilled, I mount the blank between centres and turn it.

Once the ferrule is on the handle and the turning completed, I bore the tang hole larger in steps, using the method above.

Then I heat the tang, drive the chisel almost home, cool the tang and drive it home.

Regards, Rod.

[Kim Ford]

All good advice that I agree with, but maybe we are overlooling the obvious question. What type of drill bit are you using to drill the hole with?

[Joshua Dinerstein]

All good advice that I agree with, but maybe we are overlooling the obvious question. What type of drill bit are you using to drill the hole with?

You know I don't really know how to answer that. It is a very normal drill bit from a Black&Decker kit I got 2 years ago or so. This is actually one of the things I was thinking about last night as I was laying in bed. I had the thought that perhaps a shorter Forstner bit was a better bet. A solid straight shaft. Less flex. And something of a brad point tip to help out with. I have to come up with something to make this next attempt a bit more successful.

What kind of a drill bit would you guys suggest?

Thanks,
Joshua

[robert hainstock]

brad point!
Bob

[Richard Madison]

Or forstner maybe 1/2" deep and switch to brad point.