Making handles without a lathe

[Mike Henderson]

You can make handles by hand very easily. But there's a couple of things you should do when making them.

1. If you're making a handle for a tang tool, drill your hole first, before you start the shaping.

2. Then mount the block between two centers. You can make a simple jig to hold the handle block. Use two hinges to attach two arms to a piece of wood approximately the length of the handle. Then put a threaded rod that pulls the two arms together (another approach is to use an F-clamp to pull the two arms together). Put a screw (or nail) through each arm so that the point sticks out towards the inside. Mount your blank between the two centers (screws or nails) and tighten the threaded rod (or clamp) to pull the arms tight. Then mount the jig in your vise. If you want to make sure it doesn't turn while working on it, you can drive a screw or nail through one end to hold the blank in place (there might be better ideas out there).

3. Then attack your handle with a rasp, spokeshave, or whatever you want.

The advantage is that the handle will be "centered". There's nothing worse than a handle that's off center when you're using it.

Mike

[jamie shard]

+1 on drilling the hole first and making sure the handle you make is in line with this axis.

[Richard Francis]

I found this article very helpful:
http://www.planemaker.com/docs/octhandles.pdf

[Andrew Joiner]

I made one of these rattles with an electric drill clamped to the workbench . I used a hole saw for a drive center and a nail in a block of wood for a dead center. I used a butt chisel but even a sharpened screwdriver would work. The final product looked as good as a rattle I made 30 years ago on big heavy lathe . It was fun . In fact I have a new file and still no lathe so I'll do it again.

[Zach Dillinger]

That is some mighty impressive turning, especially considering the setup you used. Nicely done!

[James Owen]

You can make octagonal handles with either your planes or your drawknives. Once they're octagonal, if you want, you can shave another facet off of each arris. That will get you pretty close to "round."

Another way to do this is to make your own lathe. Quick to make, inexpensive, and simple, for small turnings like tool and bow saw handles, this should work quite well:

http://www.greenwoodworking.com/EndVicePoleLatheArticle

or, if the link is disallowed:

http: //www DOT greenwoodworking DOT com/EndVicePoleLatheArticle (delete the extra space at the beginning and change "DOT" to ".")

Good luck and have fun!

[Lex Boegen]

Well if you have to do it Neader-style, a spokeshave is your friend. Personally I'd cut a square blank that is longer than the handle I need, and route it on a router table with a round-over bit (keeping the ends square so that it will reference against the fence properly.) That's heresy, I know. Please forgive me.

[Jim Underwood]

Heresy?

Here's some...

Use an old golf ball and drill a hole in it to accept the tang of your file, and then drive the file into it. Works well. I've got several done this way. Don't use the liquid filled balls though. Don't ask how I know not to use those...

It works if you're not picky about how it looks.

[Andrew Joiner]

That is some mighty impressive turning, especially considering the setup you used. Nicely done!

Thanks Zach, But I need to point out that image is just taken off the web it's not a photo of the one I made. Although the my set-up made one that looked that good.

[Eric Brown]

You could make a jig. A simple board with a vee slot cut about as long as your handles will be (or longer) Try to find wood with a straight grain or rive split it. Cut your wood into square blanks the length you need. Put the square blank into the vee notch with the vee board held on your bench against stops. Level off the top corner a little with either a shave or plane. Rotate and do the other three corners. Soon you will have an octaganal shaft. You can probably figure out the rest. Its not hard if you don't overthink it.

Good luck. Eric

[Harlan Barnhart]

Here are some handles I made without a lathe or any other power tools. The "ferules" are sections of a brass pipe. The handle end was shaped with a block plane and the socket end was done with a chisel. It takes a little time but it's not that difficult.

[Steve Branam]

Those are gorgeous, Harlan! I'm going to have to make some of those!

[Peter Evans]

Mike said "
1. If you're making a handle for a tang tool, drill your hole first, before you start the shaping."

And if you are as uncoordinated as me:
a) mark the centre of the end with a centre punch
b) use a compass to draw a circle
c) use the circle to draw the octagon on the end, or both ends if you need to
d) then you are guaranteed to have a centred handle

A block plane works well for the octogon, then a spokeshave for any shaping, and a rasp+file for shaping and smoothing off the non-tang end.

[Zahid Naqvi]

Not that this is a shining example of craftsmanship, but I made this with a combination of rasps and microplanes. didn't worry too much about symmetry (as is obvious, besides it's just a whacker). But the mallet is incredibly comfortable to hold.

mallet-smc.JPGmallet-2-smc.JPG

[Dustin Keys]

Thank you all, this thread has been great! There are three important lessons I've learned here:

1. I can make some handles now with the tools I already have using Mike Henderson's method and the very similar one linked to with pictures by Richard Francis. I'll probably be aiming for something very similar to what Harlan posted, because lathe or no lathe I really like the look of those handles!

2. I need to keep an eye out for a steal on some basic turning tools. That would allow me to try a pole lathe and give real turning a shot.

3. I need a lathe. Not really a big discovery here, but this thread just reminded me that a lathe is definitely on my bucket list. There are too many other tools I need in the immediate future unless I was to come upon a really great deal in the short term, but I am going to have to have one eventually. I've been enamored with them ever since a family friend bought one and showed it to me as a child. One of these days, I'll get one.

I made one of these rattles with an electric drill clamped to the workbench . I used a hole saw for a drive center and a nail in a block of wood for a dead center. I used a butt chisel but even a sharpened screwdriver would work. The final product looked as good as a rattle I made 30 years ago on big heavy lathe . It was fun . In fact I have a new file and still no lathe so I'll do it again.

That looks great. Isn't this likely to damage the drill though? As tempted as I am to try it, I can't afford to burn up my drill either.

D