What Wood for Judge's Gavel

[Ron Kanter]

A good friend has become a judge.
She asked me to make a gavel for her and I am eager to turn one.

What wood would you suggest? Are the head, the handle, and the sounding block usually made of the same wood? Looking online I can find many examples of gavels in many different woods. I want it to be both comfortable to use and look special.
Thanks,
Ron

[Roger Chandler]

I would recommend hard maple........the dye it with a dark walnut stain to give it a classy look. I would make the strike plate out of the same material!

[John Keeton]

Having spent a lifetime in courtrooms, most I have bothered to take notice of are walnut.

[Doug Ladendorf]

Probably not an area to get flamboyant given the position. Walnut does seem most common. Maybe mahogany. You could highlight with ebony.

[kevin nee]

I made one from White Oak Burl with the same material for a sounding block.
Nice looking & heavy (and loud) Good luck whatever you choose.

[Greg A Jones]

My thought would also be ebony but I suspect it would cost $150-200

[Ron Kanter]

Thanks for the suggestions.
Walnut seems to be traditional. Maybe I can find some figured walnut so it is both traditional and special.
Next question: should I invest in a Beal threading kit to attach the handle to the head or consider another joinery method?

[Ron Rutter]

Ron. I recently made myself a gavel out of butternut-( white walnut ) With the figure in the wood it looks beautiful. For the handle I would suggest trying a bore/ counterbore as a shoulder at the surface doesn't work. Ron.

[Jamie Donaldson]

Ron. I recently made myself a gavel out of butternut-( white walnut ) With the figure in the wood it looks beautiful. For the handle I would suggest trying a bore/ counterbore as a shoulder at the surface doesn't work. Ron.

Ron, don't bother with threading as the head will almost certainly unscrew. Simply drill a hole straight through the head for a handle, bandsaw a small split in the inserted end of the handle and drive in a matching wedge to fix the handle firmly in the head, with a bit of glue for insurance.

[Dale Miner]

Ron, don't bother with threading as the head will almost certainly unscrew. Simply drill a hole straight through the head for a handle, bandsaw a small split in the inserted end of the handle and drive in a matching wedge to fix the handle firmly in the head, with a bit of glue for insurance.

Another option is to drill a blind hole and put the small wedge in the handle before inserting the handle in the head. When the wedge hits the bottom of the hole and the handle is pushed in farther, the wedge gets pushed into the handle and makes the fit tighten. This takes a bit of care in fitting up.

[Ron Kanter]

Thanks again, everyone.
Ron & Kevin,
Would love see a pic of your gavels.
Ron
I'm not sure what you meant by "a shoulder at the surface doesn't work." Could you explain?
Jamie & Dale,
I like the wedged mortise idea. Never thought of a "blind" wedged mortise. Might have to try that just for fun.

[Bob Bergstrom]

Turn the head completely and then jam chuck it into a large scrape of wood. Then drill the hole into the head. It will be dead center in the head and the handle will be perfectly straight.

[John Sanford]

Generally, the wood chosen would be one that has either significance to the area, or significance to the judge. When I was in Hawaii a few years back, I stopped by a turner's shop outside of Hilo. He was at his lathe turning gavels out of Koa for the Hawaiian Supreme Court justices. The state tree of Pennsylvania is the Eastern Hemlock, which if she's going to be a state justice, would be a good choice.

If you have the opportunity, I would turn a bunch of different handles out of a utility wood, and then let her handle them, try them on as it were. While the head is what most folks in the courtroom see, it's the handle that the user will become most familiar with. Make it too big or too small for her hands and it will always be a minor annoyance. Get the ergonomics just right and she'll know it.

[Ron Kanter]

Bob,
I am having a hard time picturing what it looks like to jam chuck the head so that a drilled hole will be centered. Sorry to be so dense. Could you give me a little more explanation?

[Ron Kanter]

John,
Good advice about testing out the most comfortable handle for my judge friend.
This is supposed to be a working gift. I hope it will be beautiful, but if it doesn't fit her hand it will gather dust on a shelf.