A long musing about wooden tool handles.
 

Shopmade wooden handles for our turning tools are at least one custom
accessory that we all can afford. They are inexpensive, fun to make and
come in many flavors. They may reflect their owner's turning technics
and philosophy better than the lathe(s) he owns or the work he turns out
or for that matter, the smocks he wears or doesn't wear. Could be, but
the ferrules, size, shape, timber and finish of tool handles all
together count for less than the user's ability. You learn to turn by
doing, not by designing and there's a world of difference between
sitting in a chair for a demo and standing at the lathe for a hands-on.
I heard that!


Preferring the steel or aluminum OEM handles or those made at home from
pipe or steel bar probably suggests more than a willingness to open the
purse or a love of weapons, but I don't know what, so for now, I'll only
consider wooden handles. Besides, I happen to like wooden handles.


Size varies, but the shape and finish of handles that come with store
bought turning tools act as a sort of identity for the company. That's
not always a good thing for some companies. The quality tools made by
Bob Sorby, Hank Taylor and other old friends are often better identified
by the handle than by the shaft. I retain most of my 'name brand'
handles partly to show that I do have a few quality store-bought tools,
not always because I prefer their handles to mine. They are "A poor
thing, but mine own".


It's a wrench to take off a distinctive company handle, but some store
bought handles are just not for me. I turn my own custom handles for
some of my store bought tools and put the store bought handles on my
ugly shopmade tools. That way I get two bragging rights instead of one.
There's a certain swagger in deliberately adding a rough limb or broken
hoe handle to a fine powdered and frozen steel shaft with a high
sounding name. :) You can boast with excess indifference, can't you?

Personal preference is the master word, but I wonder if purpose and
application shouldn't decide a particular turning tool's handle. Maybe
one shape, size, etc. after all doesn't fit all. I happen to prefer a
relatively short and thick tubular handle with a plain rounded end for
spindle roughing gouges and skews. For spindle gouges the company line
generally suits me though some are pretty short and skinny. Is that to
save money on manufacturing and shipping costs to spend on promoting? I
dunno. For detail gouges and deep fluted swept-back 'bowl gouges' with
vanity names, I like handles long enough to reach my hip or belly and
for deep scrapers even my armpit. Better to swing and sway with the tool
than to flail and wave with it. Sometimes a slow romantic dance holding
your partner close beats jitterbugging. :)


How long these custom lengths need to be depends on my corpulence at the
time. Sadly, that's a variable since Lori is a very good cook, but she's
also a calorie cop. Being a Yankee, her pot likker is sometimes a
little thin for this Southerner. As for fat back and sow belly, forget
it. :)

I hope that I've gently annoyed some of you enough that you'll share
some of your prejudices (or indifferences) re wooden turning tool
handles. TIA and all that.


Turn to Safety, Arch
Fortiter


http://community.webtv.net/almcc/MacsMusings

A long musing about wooden tool handles.
 

I seldom replace the wooden handles that come with tools, but I buy
unhandled versions of things like Glaser bowl gouges and turn a wooden
handle for them.. I like the feel of wood better and ther's a
practicle reason as well. My shop is in an outbuilding heated only by
a barrel stove. Metal handles stay cold far too long. Once I get the
fire cranked up I can start to turn much earlier with wood than I
could with metal or plastic.

A long musing about wooden tool handles.
 

Before someone has to mention it. I do know that it's April Fool's Day.
:)


Turn to Safety, Arch
Fortiter


http://community.webtv.net/almcc/MacsMusings

A long musing about wooden tool handles.
 

You know the Sorby rep told (years ago when they used to travel) at a
Woodcraft demo that most of their tools were made with the idea that
the factory handles would be "knocked off".

Personally, I like most of the handles that came on my tools so I
don't do that. But I have made some hollowing tools, scrapers and ac
couple of others that I really like.

But more importantly, this tightwad may have another reason to look
strongl at unhandled tools. After getting my Packard, Berea and
Turning Supplies catalogues I was surprised at how expensive tools are
now. So many tools are "signature lines" or "designed by the
international superstar" that I was surprised to see that they
probably make 2/3 of the offerings.

I learned an important lesson from my tobacco purveyor about 25 years
ago when I started smoking "good" cigars. Don't buy the tube. I
rarely ever buy anything that is premium branded because someone
endorsed it.

I don't know, and sadly don't care about a tool that Henrijit
Unikkkrit Wosczinyckiiln from Finland heralds as his own design. He
is not here to help me learn how to use it to its potential, and
probably won't be down here to South Texas soon. I certainly don't
want to pay 20% on top of the price for a premium tool unless I get a
great deal better performance, and I don't care whose name it on it.
I am WELL past tool collecting.

All of that rambling leads to this conclusion. A good bang for the
buck seems to be the P&N as well as some others that are out there.
IIRC, the difference between an unhandled P&N and a handled Taylor or
Sorby wasn't that much. Now however, I compated Lee Valley to
Woodturning Supplies and it is certainly worth the trouble to knock
out a custom handle.

Apparently, there are other quality tools coming down the pike that
will be sold unhandled, too. On WoodCentral there is a guy that is
trying to get some traction selling his tools, and they are all
unhandled. That's where his savings lie. No on-hand ash woodstock
for handles, no auto duplicator lathe to turn out the handles, no
finishing room for them, no ferrule costs, no assembly, etc. While
the jury is still out on those tools, the first reports back from the
testors seem good.

So I guess I'll be leaning that way instead of continuing to buy tools
with handles.

I don't care much for the metal handles either. I tried using them,
and they just don't have the feel I am after. I didn't enjoy the
sensation of holding onto a pipe, and it made my craftwork (if that's
what it is) feel a little too industrial. And for smaller tools, it
really didn't feel good at all. I felt like I was working on the
plumbing.

Robert

A long musing about wooden tool handles.
 

I don't really like most of the factory handles that come with my
tools. I did concrete work for 30 plus years, and also being bigger
than average, I like my tools overbuilt. I like longer handles and
bigger in diameter than the standard. They just fit my hands better,
and make for a easier day. I did start out with the factory handles to
get an idea of what I like, but now make all of my own. I have
laminated some, used scraps for others. I may get around to using somd
bamboo pallet scraps for my next handles. Have to wear out a couple of
gouges first.
robo hippy


On Apr 1, 1:18 pm, "
wrote:
You know the Sorby rep told (years ago when they used to travel) at a
Woodcraft demo that most of their tools were made with the idea that
the factory handles would be "knocked off".

Personally, I like most of the handles that came on my tools so I
don't do that. But I have made some hollowing tools, scrapers and ac
couple of others that I really like.

But more importantly, this tightwad may have another reason to look
strongl at unhandled tools. After getting my Packard, Berea and
Turning Supplies catalogues I was surprised at how expensive tools are
now. So many tools are "signature lines" or "designed by the
international superstar" that I was surprised to see that they
probably make 2/3 of the offerings.

I learned an important lesson from my tobacco purveyor about 25 years
ago when I started smoking "good" cigars. Don't buy the tube. I
rarely ever buy anything that is premium branded because someone
endorsed it.

I don't know, and sadly don't care about a tool that Henrijit
Unikkkrit Wosczinyckiiln from Finland heralds as his own design. He
is not here to help me learn how to use it to its potential, and
probably won't be down here to South Texas soon. I certainly don't
want to pay 20% on top of the price for a premium tool unless I get a
great deal better performance, and I don't care whose name it on it.
I am WELL past tool collecting.

All of that rambling leads to this conclusion. A good bang for the
buck seems to be the P&N as well as some others that are out there.
IIRC, the difference between an unhandled P&N and a handled Taylor or
Sorby wasn't that much. Now however, I compated Lee Valley to
Woodturning Supplies and it is certainly worth the trouble to knock
out a custom handle.

Apparently, there are other quality tools coming down the pike that
will be sold unhandled, too. On WoodCentral there is a guy that is
trying to get some traction selling his tools, and they are all
unhandled. That's where his savings lie. No on-hand ash woodstock
for handles, no auto duplicator lathe to turn out the handles, no
finishing room for them, no ferrule costs, no assembly, etc. While
the jury is still out on those tools, the first reports back from the
testors seem good.

So I guess I'll be leaning that way instead of continuing to buy tools
with handles.

I don't care much for the metal handles either. I tried using them,
and they just don't have the feel I am after. I didn't enjoy the
sensation of holding onto a pipe, and it made my craftwork (if that's
what it is) feel a little too industrial. And for smaller tools, it
really didn't feel good at all. I felt like I was working on the
plumbing.

Robert

A long musing about wooden tool handles.
 

I use a mish-mash of things, partly because I rarely set aside much time
for working on, say, rehandling all my tools to some standard. On the
other hand, if a hunk of wood has turned down below the size of what I
seek when I get past the defects (I'm a firewood, etc. turner, not an
expensive blank guy) I'll often turn a handle, even if I don't have a
specific tool to mount in it just at the moment.

The only brand name things I have are a couple of Glasers with the weird
handles, bought as such to see if there was much of anything to the idea
that the shot-filled handle "worked better". Good metal, dunno that I
see a lot of difference to the shot fill, but the substantial length is
nice .vs. some other commercial tools.

However, the main thing I'm bothering to post a reply about is finish on
wood. I positively hate film-finished wooden handles, as the feel is
bad. If not making a replacement handle, at least stripping or scraping
off the poly/varnish/whatever and hitting the bare wood with wax/oil
improves the heck out of a handle for my taste; likewise, that's the
finish of choice for handles made at home.

--
Cats, coffee, chocolate...vices to live by