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View Full Version : The Great Chisel Handle debate.



tea lady
22nd September 2008, 08:14 PM
OK! So we've talked about the other end, but what about the end THIS side of the tool rest. The handle.:cool:

What are peoples thoughts on handles? Favorite shapes. Their own made ones. Etc. I want thoughts on design. Size. shape. Weight. Finish. For example; DJ had an interesting shaped handle on his bowl gouge that really fitted the hand well. There was also a comment from Ern about not wanting too heavy a handle on something he was doing. Can't remember now. So here we go. :2tsup: Over to you guys.:D

Pat
22nd September 2008, 08:24 PM
Did anyone else just hear the can of worms open:U

TL all handles are a personal preference. In my case I try for a round full shape as I have large hands. Of course what I see and what I produce are normally two completely different things. :)

funkychicken
22nd September 2008, 08:25 PM
I prefer long. 20" long:D

Toolin Around
22nd September 2008, 08:33 PM
Most of it you're going to find is strictly personal to your preferences. A couple things I've noticed over the years though:

If you live in a colder climate it's nice to have a surface that has some grip to it. When the hands and handle are cold they tend to be a bit dry and slippery and you'll tend to hold the handle far too tight, becomes very fatiguing over long periods of time.

A handle that's too small a diameter is more of a problem than one that's too large a diameter - as you can always turn down a over-sized one. So error on the side of caution and turn them large if you're not sure.

Length will depend on personal preference and the tool being fitted. I.e. you're not going to put a 3 foot handle on a spindle gouge or a 1 foot handle on a bowl gouge... Other than that the skies the limit on design an dimension.

Robomanic
22nd September 2008, 09:21 PM
My two cents goes towards the finish on the handle. I feel that an oiled finish copes with sweat, dust, cold hands and hot hands more evenly than a slick sealed clear coat.

Cliff Rogers
22nd September 2008, 09:40 PM
Handle? :? You use a handle on your turning tools? :unsure:


Only joking :D although it is an optional extra. :rolleyes:

It is a preference thing & you will soon work out which ones you do & don't like.

Generally, (not set in stone) for detail work you will fine a shorter handle is better & for roughing a longer handle is better.
Also, generally, you will find a longer handle is better on a tool that is used with a longer over hang at the tool rest.

I tend to put a 'knob' at the but of my shorter handles that is about the same diameter as the meaty bit just behind the ferrule.
I also make the butt of my longer tools roughly the same diameter as the meaty bit behind the ferrule but it is not so much a 'knob' at the end of the handle, more like a longer bulb.

I'll dig up some pics later.

Sawdust Maker
22nd September 2008, 10:02 PM
I loosely based mine on the P&N handles (as that was what I had handy)
The hardwood 4x2 offcuts I had lying around dictated length to a certain degree, but I've noticed that I seem to like them longer then the P&N. I'm nowhere as experienced as Cliff and thus can't comment on knobs or bulbs. :no:
The couple I bought from Northwood I find too small and will have to rehandle at some stage.
I also found this article (http://www.thompsonlathetools.com/handles.asp) to be helpful

thefixer
22nd September 2008, 11:21 PM
G'day AM

Yep to all the above. It's about personal preference and comfort. I make my handles to about 350 mm long and 40 mm thick at the hangy onny end. The length gives plenty of leverage and a confident feel and although I have small hands I don't like my finger nails to touch the palm of my hand when gripping the handle. It's sort of like hanging on to a cricket bat:rolleyes:.

Cheers
Shorty

Ed Reiss
23rd September 2008, 12:51 AM
Hi TL....

Lately as "Mr. Arthur Itis" has started to attack my hands, I've found that larger diameter handles are much easier and more comfortable to hold....am in the process of turning larger handles for all the tools I have....no:no:, not going to say the number, that's on another thread!!!

Cheers,

Ed :D

Skew ChiDAMN!!
23rd September 2008, 01:51 AM
All my tools have different handles... the ones that need leverage (eg. oland tools) have long handles while the general run-of-the-mill tools have average length handles. I have a few small tools for fine detail work and they're just long enough to fit comfortably in one hand.

The shapes of the handles all vary as well, for two reasons. As I hold scrapers differently to gouges or hook tools, so the general shape of the handle varies so the tool's comfortable to hold in the position I hold that particular tool in. People have told me that some of my handles are ugly... but they're like granny knickers. Damned fugly but comfortable enough that I don't care.

Secondly but just as importantly, the different shapes allow me to recognise any tool at a glance when the working end is hidden under a pile of shavings. :- It irritates the heck outta me having several tools with the same handle, especially when I' alternating between two or three in a session.

FWIW, I like my handles to be plain, undressed timber. Maybe waxed when I first turn them. Sure, with use it doesn't look pretty but they soon absorb enough skin oil to protect the timber while still providing maximum grip (IMHO) and they're only tools - not show items. :p

artme
23rd September 2008, 03:06 AM
Got so many different shaped handles I'm very adept with anything that comes to hand!:B:B:B

Cliff Rogers
23rd September 2008, 10:16 AM
I took some pics last night & then forgot to post them. :doh:

There are samples of my long ones, my short ones & one that came on the Ci1 Easy Rougher that is extra long with 2 positions for your bottom (right/back) hand.

Alastair
23rd September 2008, 10:46 AM
Good day All,

Pretty much agree with most of the sentiments above.

My handles are all loosely modelled on the original "bought" tool I owned, a Record 1/2" spindle gouge. I got used to that shape, and have stuck with it. That said, I have rehandled that as well, both to make it a bit longer, and also to complete the whole set of home turned handles.

Length and girth vary, partly for duty, (longer and heftier for the roughing and bowl) and also according to the timber available at the time. Early versions were glued up out of offcuts of oak and beech from a furniture factory waste pile, and latterly, I spent a free evening at my TAFE course turning a lifetime supply from Q'land maple. Ferrules are sections of copper water pipe. Finish is usually just carnauba wax friction applied with lathe running.

Skew has a point regarding recognising tools. I have diligently applied different detail designs to the end of the newer handles, to identify them. In practice, however, I can never remember which design is what, so end up looking at the cutting end anyway.

regards

tea lady
23rd September 2008, 11:08 AM
Nice tools guys. :2tsup:
Can DJ post a pic of his bowl gouge with the knob? I thought it was very interesting. And after stirring him about it at the Mini-turnfest I think it was very nice to hold.:D

OGYT
23rd September 2008, 11:20 AM
Mine are like other's have called Skew's handles... ugly. But they are made for my hands, and all of them have flats on the handle so they won't roll off the lathe bed during temporary lapses in turning. I also prefer a longer, fairly rough (smooth, but not slick), handle, so I don't have to grip it too tight. Usually bees wax to start... makes it a bit sticky, so it handles really easy.

RETIRED
23rd September 2008, 01:01 PM
Keep it on topic and out of the gutter.

pitbull
23rd September 2008, 01:18 PM
I took some pics last night & then forgot to post them. :doh:

There are samples of my long ones, my short ones & one that came on the Ci1 Easy Rougher that is extra long with 2 positions for your bottom (right/back) hand.


I like the look of the Easy Rougher Cliff, may have a try at copying that.
What's the length of the handle please?

Harry72
23rd September 2008, 02:50 PM
I finding the Robert Sorby shape is best for the bigger tools, as I have large hands, this one is about 50mm in dia
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v725/ST170ish/16mmbowlgouge.jpg
And I find the woodcut shape(long and flat) best for smaller tools

Cliff Rogers
24th September 2008, 10:18 AM
I like the look of the Easy Rougher Cliff, may have a try at copying that.
What's the length of the handle please?


400mm overall, the hand grip at the end is 110mm long.

Diameters,
The fattest bit is 42mm.
The next 2 fattest bits at the hand grip are 38mm
The thinnest bit is about 27mm

pitbull
24th September 2008, 01:18 PM
Many thanks Cliff. :2tsup:

DJ’s Timber
27th September 2008, 07:16 PM
Nice tools guys. :2tsup:
Can DJ post a pic of his bowl gouge with the knob? I thought it was very interesting. And after stirring him about it at the Mini-turnfest I think it was very nice to hold.:D

Haven't been ignoring you TL, just been away for a few days, anyway I'm not too sure on which one you're talking about here, so have taken a pic of a few to see which one you mean. Is it one of these?

84576

tea lady
27th September 2008, 11:48 PM
Haven't been ignoring you TL, just been away for a few days, anyway I'm not too sure on which one you're talking about here, so have taken a pic of a few to see which one you mean. Is it one of these?

84576

Ooooh, that's OK.

:hmm: I don't think any of them are it.:? It seemed to have a really long handle, with a kinda bulb at the end.:shrug: I was using it so I'm sure it wasn't a figment om my imagination.:no:

Nice boot BTW.:D

DJ’s Timber
27th September 2008, 11:55 PM
It wasn't one shaped like this was is?

http://www.easywoodtools.com/Images/items/hi-res/EasyHandle.jpg

tea lady
28th September 2008, 12:00 AM
Noooooo!:C I'm sure it was a handle you had turned yourself.

DJ’s Timber
28th September 2008, 12:03 AM
Okey dokey then, I'll take some more pics tomorrow to see if we can track down which one you're talking about :;

DJ’s Timber
28th September 2008, 12:32 AM
Been looking back through the thread on the turning day I had here for the Ci1 Rougher and I think this is the one you're talking about but it's not mine and I cannot remember who's it was either, may have been Grumpy's

http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=79526&d=1217755839

tea lady
28th September 2008, 12:53 AM
Yes, that is it.:2tsup: Not yours? :hmm: Oh well.:shrug: It was nice to use.:cool:

Grumpy John
28th September 2008, 03:40 AM
Been looking back through the thread on the turning day I had here for the Ci1 Rougher and I think this is the one you're talking about but it's not mine and I cannot remember who's it was either, may have been Grumpy's

http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=79526&d=1217755839

The picture seems to have disappeared DJ :oo:, could you post it again.

DJ’s Timber
28th September 2008, 12:29 PM
I can see it GJ, in both posts, mine and your quoted posts :shrug:

If you still can't see it go to this thread (http://www.woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?p=781305#post781305) and have a look at the third pic of Jeff on the lathe

Grumpy John
28th September 2008, 12:39 PM
I can see it GJ, in both posts, mine and your quoted posts :shrug:

If you still can't see it go to this thread (http://www.woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?p=781305#post781305) and have a look at the third pic of Jeff on the lathe

Not one of mine :no:

DJ’s Timber
29th September 2008, 10:30 AM
Not one of mine :no:

If it's not GJ's, maybe it's Jeff's, have a feeling he bought one along :think:

Calm
29th September 2008, 06:39 PM
I think i need to plead guilty.

These are the handles that i made for some HT chisels i bought. They are roughly a copy of the Hamlet set i was given for my 50th birthday.

The largest gouge has the narrowest handle and i like the feel in the hand better than the smaller gouge.

was sharpening it for me and was used most of the day on DJ's lathe.

Cheers

tea lady
30th September 2008, 06:54 PM
I think i need to plead guilty.

These are the handles that i made for some HT chisels i bought. They are roughly a copy of the Hamlet set i was given for my 50th birthday.

The largest gouge has the narrowest handle and i like the feel in the hand better than the smaller gouge.

was sharpening it for me and was used most of the day on DJ's lathe.

Cheers
:wave: Yes!!!! that's the one. :cool: The one on the bottom. I really like the feel of it, although on the day it felt a bit weird. But on thinking about it, it really did fit the hand very well.:2tsup: (Phew I wasn't going crazy.:rolleyes:)

Sawdust Maker
30th September 2008, 09:26 PM
:wave: Yes!!!! that's the one. :cool: The one on the bottom. I really like the feel of it, although on the day it felt a bit weird. But on thinking about it, it really did fit the hand very well.:2tsup: (Phew I wasn't going crazy.:rolleyes:)

TL
none of us even contemplated the thought you would be going crazy :no:

Now you have the basic shape we expect to see a post of your version pretty soon :D

powderpost
30th September 2008, 10:21 PM
My preference is for a simple "cigar" shape, length about 275mm. Some are longer and some are shorter. To make a handle, I fit the driving spur in the tailstock, and a jacobs chuck and appropriate bit in the headstock, fit the blank in the lathe and slowly bore an appropriate size hole. Then the centres are put where they are supposed to be, with a revolving cone centre in the hole bored in the handle. This ensures the hole is axial. For square tang tools, use the square end as a reamer for about half the depth and holding the tool vertically, handle up, and hit the end of the handle with a mallet to drive the tang home. Round tools need the hole slightly undersize. In all the years I have been turning, I have never had to resort to gluing or pinning the tool into the handle. For ferules, I mostly use 19 or 25mm hard drawn copper tube. The local friendly plumber often gives me scraps of copper tube left over from jobs. This is not the only way to turn a handle, but I find it works well for me. Hope it helps.
Jim