offset turning, assistance required

[Willy Nelson]

Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen
I am in the process of making axe handles, bot cross cut and block splitter.

I have carved a few handles, happy with the process they turned out well. Made from Wandoo.
Now I want to turn a handle for a block splitter, they are oval.
The hole to accept the handle is 33 x 37mm.
I have turned the handle round to dry.
Now, how many mm do need to offset the turning to achieve an oval handle??
Thanks
Willy

[Paul39]

I would offset 2mm off center one direction and turn , then 2mm off center the opposite direction and turn. You will probably have to go back to the original center and sand while rotating to get any ridges off where you grip. Also some sanding & carving to fit the hole.

I like to sand the hole in the tool with 50 - 80 grit to get some tooth on the metal, grease up the hole and handle with epoxy put the handle with saw slit in hole, drive in wedge, and then pour epoxy into any voids. Put tape on the bottom side to keep epoxy from running out.

When you break off the handle it is a real pain to get everything out of the hole in the tool.

[Chief Tiff]

I’d draw the required oval shape full size and measure the curvature of the long sides using paper radius gauges. You might find that the long faces need quite a large offset to match the curve and you’ll probably need to shave down the smaller faces by hand to fair everything in.