Thread: help with making a hand plane handle

When I make them, I usually rough shape the thing, drill the hole, make sure it's going to fit and work, then finish shaping, finish and use it.

When drilling the fixing hole, I use a long 1/8" drill bit, so if there is an error, it can at least be corrected when the main hole is drilled. If it's way off, then I can plug it and try again, if a little off some judicious pressure on the thing in the right direction should line it all up again. To get the angle right, take the existing handle, and a suitable drill bit in the drill press chuck and tilt the table to suit. Then punch the right spot for the hole, clamp the thing down well and carefully drill it. I also slip in a brass or ally sleeve in there for additional strength. Maybe not needed, but why the heck not? I am not trying to score points.

Grain direction is usually with the grain running forward/backward in line with the sole, but if you wished to change that, then I guess you could. I'm mostly guessing there as my Record came with plastic handles, and that stuff doesn't have any grain.

If you need to make up a few, then make them up as a block, enough for as many handles as you need, if you have a hunk of wood big enough. I made two at once last time, and it was much faster and easier. Drill with a big bit where the inside curves are when looking from the side, then cut to your marking out lines with a jigsaw or bandsaw. I then used the ROS to smooth them up from the side, then the bandsaw to cut the handles from the block. Used the router table with a big roundover to take the sharp corners off, then finished up with rasps and files.

The pic is the Record, the other of the pair went on my homebrew scraper plane.

Sounds difficult, but it's pretty easy. You can also make it bigger/smaller or change the angle if you want to while you are there.

When I made my plane handle I copied an idea that gunstock makers use. To drill the hole and keep the hole located where I wanted it, I did this.
A metal tapered" point" -say a bit of 6mm diam rod is mounted on your benchdrill table. It is aligned to touch the point of your drill bit when you wind it down. Pre drill a pilot hole where the entry and exit hole positions are required. Place one hole on the point and the drill bit on the other end and drill almost through. Turn end for end and complete drilling the hole. Mine was drilled before I routed the radius on the corners.

Grahame

You are doing it backwards. If you first shape the tote/handle, then you will struggle to get the hole drilled accurately.

First drill the hole, then shape the tote around it!

It is straightforward to drill into square stock, then deduct for the angle of the hole.

This is perfectly illustrated by Alf's wonderful article that she recently wrote on the UK forum:

http://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5595

Regards from Perth

Derek

Thank you all for your replies. Derek, the article written by Alf is fantastic, thanks for posting the link I appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Grahame Collins

A metal tapered" point" -say a bit of 6mm diam rod is mounted on your benchdrill table. It is aligned to touch the point of your drill bit when you wind it down. Pre drill a pilot hole where the entry and exit hole positions are required. Place one hole on the point and the drill bit on the other end and drill almost through. Turn end for end and complete drilling the hole. Mine was drilled before I routed the radius on the corners.
Grahame

Excellent.....The best solution by far Grahame.......no hit and miss.......

I restore hand woodworking tools and the best solution is to take an old handle and crosscut it so that you have a cross sectional view of the interior and the angle of the bore.