Hello all,

I've got 15 or so older way scrapers that I've cleaned up (straighten/
polish/sharpen) and I'd like to make wood handles for them. Way
scrapers are used to remove metal from machine slides and ways, both
to flatten and to decorate the surface of the machine. New scrapers
are usually carbide-tipped, but these are older and just HSS. The
mechanical connection to the handle is a flat wedge tenon, identical
in shape and scale to those found on hand files. The tenons
proportions are constant, but the size increases with the size of the
scraper; just as with files.

I'd like to ask 2 questions, please:

1) A matching mortise will need to be cut in each handle to accept
the tenon. These mortises will be long and thin, and I'm not looking
forward to cutting 15 of them into the end-grain of the handles. Can
anyone suggest an easier way?

2) A substantial ferrule needs to be put on each handle. I was
thinking of cutting ferrules from 0.125" wall brass tubing and
installing them by heating the brass to 800 F or so, sliding on the
ferrule, and quenching the handle. I would rather not use any pins or
tacks to secure the ferrules, as they always seem to work loose over
time. Is there a better way to install a compressive ferrule onto a
wood handle?

Thank you very much for your time and help!

Dave