Tool Handles (2004, 2005, 2007)
Rasp Handles, Nov 2004:
I recently bought a couple cabinetmakers rasps (Nicholson #49 and #50)
from a sale on-line, and I made these tool handles for them:
They're turned from maple scraps, the ferrules are copper water pipe, and the finish is BLO followed by 2 coats of orange shellac followed by buffed wax. Simple but fun, and the rasps are really nice. They leave a very smooth finish compared to non-random toothed rasps.
Skew Chisel Handle, May 2005:
I've been practicing with the skew chisel on my lathe, and as a
"reward" for improving I splurged on a new P&N skew chisel. It's a
great tool, but they're sold unhandled so I turned my own handle out of
some maple I had laying around the shop. Finish is BLO and wipe on
poly. This was build in same manner as the rasp handles above, but this
time I epoxied the tool into the handle for added security.
Magnetic Screwdriver Handle, October 2005:
I got this idea from a couple people on line who turned nice handles
for one of those magnetic screwdriver tips. Lie-Nielsen sells a similar
tool for waaaaay too much money, and this one was basically free since
I already had the spare bit stuff. This will be handy to use at the
bench, and since the handle was turned from scrap hard maple from the
TwinTwin bench it's very fitting. Finish is orange shellac.
I have a Sorby Hollowmaster and a Mulit-Tip Scraper to use as hollowing tools for wood turning. They're nice tools, but I find the handles a bit shorter than I'd like. So I ripped off the stock handles and turned a couple new ones from some maple leftover from my workbench. Add a few burned rings, finish with several coats of wipe on poly, and the handles are now much nicer to use.
Credits: for a really good overview of how to make tanged and socketed tool handles, visit Nordic's web site. He has a nice set of instructions, so there's no use in me repeating those details here.
© Copyright 2006 Chris Billman