Homemade Handles......would this work as a locking ferrule??

[Geoff Whaling]

Ferrules serve to prevent the tool handle from splitting under load. Most turners when they gain experience will not overly stress their tools but we all occasionally have a catch which will transmit significant stress through the ferrule to the tool handle. How much stress depends upon many factors, tool overhang past the tool rest, the torque forces applied by the work piece to the tool tip, length of tool handle etc. Some shop made tool handle / ferrule designs are not as strong as they look.

Sometimes it pays to sacrifice a shop made tool handle by doing some potentially destructive testing. Use a length of the available "cheap" HSS tool blanks and install it in your ferrule & tool handle. Make a temporary testing rig to replicate the tool overhang, tool rest setup on the lathe and apply some force to the handle. Start off with little force then up the ante until you can give it a quite sharp and fast blow to see how your shop made handle performs. If it survives its probably OK. If it fails well think what might have been if it happened on the lathe.

Caution - Please use a face shield if you choose to test in this manner - just in case the "cheap" HSS blank shatters.