Pain,

Oh for the love of god... an ice cream scoop? How the hell am I going to
make that? I was thinking there might be a kit out there that would
allow
you to just slip a turned wood handle onto it... but OH NO... no sucha
thing out there... Any ideas guys? I really like seeing this girl smile.

Here is a way to make a scoop but it may not be functional for ice cream.
Last weekend I saw a turning demonstration by Eli Avisera. (He is great. If
you ever have an opportunity to see him, don't pass it up.) He made a couple
mini scoops but the same principles could be applied to larger scoops.

He turned a ball with a handle, all in one piece. If you have trouble
visualizing this, think of a lollipop with a fancy handle. You could do this
between centers and when done, just part it off. I would suggest doing all
or most of the finishing before parting it off.

He remounted the piece with the ball in a chuck and with the other end
slightly off center. He turned a bit off the very end of the handle which
added some interest to the shape. Mounting the ball in a chuck represents a
problem. It is almost guaranteed that the jaws will mark the sides of the
ball. I solved this by making a chuck out of PVC pipe. Just find the right
size for your application.

Next, loosen the jaws, and rotate the piece so the handle is pointing
straight up (or straight down) so it is at a right angle to the length of
the lathe. It should fit between the jaws of the chuck. I cut a notch in one
end of the PVC pipe so the handle could swing in there. Then hollow out the
ball just like it was a bowl. Sand and finish and you have a turned scoop.
Doing it probably doesn't take much longer than I've spent composing this
deathless prose!

Hope this helps,

Harry