I’ll be the first to admit it: my turning skills are weak. Every time I visit my friend/mentor David Marks (an amazing turner), he reminds me that I could use his help. That’s about the point that I find myself heading into his wood shed to admire his extensive collection.
It’s not that I don’t like turning. I find it quite relaxing. I just never seem to find the time or motivation to really dig into it. I have so many things I want to accomplish outside of turning that the lathe always seems to take a backseat.
Now all that said, I still think every woodworker should own a lathe and know how to use it. I may not be making beautiful bowls and elaborate vessels, but I can certainly turn just about any furniture part I need. I can also try something like making a tool handle for the first time. So that’s what this video is all about. It’s a quick look at the process I used to create a tool handle for my workbench’s leg vise pin. Guild members have already seen this footage as it is another excerpt from the Roubo Guild Build.
Think of all the things in your shop that have wooden handles. What happens if they break? How nice would it be to have a nice custom-designed replacement ready to go in minutes?
The process begins with a small block of wood. I find the center-point and drill the appropriate diameter hole to the desired depth. This part of the process will vary depending on what you are making a handle for. In my cases, a simple 3/8″ hole is all I needed.
To mount the blank, I tap a spur chuck into the other end and insert the assembly into the lathe. The live center is then inserted into the 3/8″ hole and snugged up. Applying too much pressure here could split the blank so be cautious when you do this. I then bring the blank into round with the roughing gouge.
In order to maintain the integrity of the tool, it’s a good idea to add a ferrule to the end. The ferrule holds the wood together so that the tool doesn’t break apart the handle during use. Not so much of an issue with a leg vise guide pin, but certainly a consideration for just about any other tool. I use a copper coupling from the hardware store, cut in half, as my ferrule. There are lots of options for something like this so don’t be afraid to get creative.
The ferrule slides over a small round tenon on the end of the handle blank and the ferrule itself gives us the dimensions we need to make it. I use a parting tool to create the tenon. Once the diameter of the tenon matches the inner diameter of the ferrule, it’s time to attach it to the handle blank.
I remove the handle from the lathe and put a little CA glue around the tenon. The ferrule slides in place and a hammer helps seat it firmly into position. The ferrule should “bite” into the shoulder of the tenon for a nice snug fit.
Once the glue is dry, I take the handle back to the lathe and begin giving it the desired shape. There’s a lot of room for creativity here but I just went with something very basic. Remember, the primary goal is a handle that feels comfortable in the hand. It is almost automatic that a handle that feels good, will also look good.
Once the shape is established, I sand the surface smooth and add my finish: General Finishes Wood Turner’s Finish. Or as I like to call it, “WTF?!?!” The finish goes on easy and dries quickly. I applied about 5-6 coats in just a few hours! I then cut the handle to release it from the lathe and finished off the cut end. A little sanding and some finish does the trick.
And that’s how I made a tool handle!
I make a fair amount of tool handles on my lathe, and I would say you did a pretty darn good job. Keep up the great videos!
One of Richard Raffins dvd deals with exactly this subject. He has some good info on the subject of ferrels. One thing I like to do is make the fit only slightly impossible. I then heat the ferrel with a blow torch which makes it expand enough to fit. I then put it on with channel lock pliers and it shrink fits as it cools.. of course the wood will scorches a little and you have to be careful not to start a fire or burn yourself. I then put the tool in the
So I guess I am a little confused about ferrules. I always thought they were somehow seated on a slightly oversized tenon that was forcibly driven into them and thereby snugging up the handle at the point the tool exits. Is this not the case? If you make a sized tenon to the inside diameter of your copper fitting, there is no wedging action, right? I guess my main question is what is the purpose of the ferrule and is the way in this video the way they are normally done?
I just did it in the manner that made sense to me. No wedge, but a nice snug fit. Probably matters a whole lot more on tools that take a serious beating.
Well, the reason for the ferrule is to make the weakest point of the tool, the thin neck, and the pivot point your tool will push against when pressure applies, stronger. it does not need to clamp on the wood, or create any pressure to keep the tool inside the handle, but try to use a tool without a ferrule, and the pressure on that point will slowly compress and grind away the wood around your tool, and the handle will crack and break, starting from that fragile point. a pressure fit is good only as it keeps the ferrule in place, you could do an exact fit, with zero pressure, but keep the ferrule in place by scoring in with a sharp nail and a quick stroke, which will create an indentation that will keep the ferrule in place, giving you the same effect as a pressure fit.
Just got a new -”used” lathe, You gave me some great ideas, Thanks Marc! Nice handle
Timing is everything Marc! I have been tinkering around with making handles lately myself. I’ve had the screw driver set from veritas for sometime waiting to create my own handles. great video
Loogie post has a great post in the forum from a while back:
http://www.woodtalkonline.com/.....ewdrivers/
I’m thinking these will make great christmas gifts as well.
Here’s an article I wrote for woodturning online using the LV screwdriver shanks, this was an interesting project and I have made a few sets for gifts for friends.
http://www.woodturningonline.c.....rticle.pdf
Give it a try!
Richard-That’s a great article! In fact I found it a while back and then spent several hours trying to find it again! Can you say bookmark? In fact I made my templates off here and have been turning my handles from them. The only dumb part is that I had already cut my stock to a handle size instead of leaving it long and doing it all at once. I learn something new on every attempt!
Nice job Marc.
A small compliment to your nice bench!
Marc, an alternative finish you could’ve used, believe it or not, is CA glue. Pen turners use this all the time. The CA glue gives you a durable, clear finish and is easy to apply. It’s done pretty much like you show in your video except instead of wiping the finish on the finish is burnished on using a lint-free cloth to create a high gloss finish. There are several videos on YouTube showing you how to do this if you’re interested.
If this was a Facebook Post, I would “LIKE” it.
why not click the Facebook Like button at the end of the post then? :)
“Bob’s Your Uncle”??
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob's_your_uncle
Ah, you must be building a Roorkhee. QED.