Popular Woodworking 2006-08 № 156, страница 24

At the Lathe

handle feels by holding it as you will in use.

When you have the shape close to what you want, take the workpiece off the screw chuck, place the ferrule over the screw, and re-mount the handle on the lathe. Make your finishing cuts, then sand and finish the handle (I use a hard wax, buffed out with the lathe turned on). Cut in close to center at the end and sand, but don't part off yet.

Carefully finish the fit of the ferrule. It

should be snug, but should not require serious force to get it onto the spigot. Once it is in place, you can trim whatever wood is protruding, sand and polish the ferrule.

With the lathe going very slowly, finish parting off the handle. Sand and finish. (At high speeds, centrifugal force will cause the handle to fly away from the axis, damaging the screw, the handle and, possibly, you. If your lathe doesn't have a very slow speed, skip

this step, remove the handle from the lathe, and sand and finish by hand.)

Remove the handle from the lathe and mount the tool. Place the sharp end on a block of softwood, put the handle on the tang, and give it a sharp tap or two with a leather mallet. Now admire your newly beautified tool for a moment, and then use it to make more handles for all your turning tools. Just please don't ask me whether I've done this yet. PW

I slow the lathe way down and finish cutting the end of the handle. If your lathe isn't variable speed, skip this part and finish up the end by hand after taking the piece off the lathe. It is very dangerous to have a piece this long and thin spinning at high speeds without tailstock support.

Here's an advantage of a lathe with variable speed; sanding and finishing is so much easier on the lathe than off.

I've removed the completed handle and am installing the tool.

The newly handled tool in use to begin the next one. (I'm holding it a little high, so you can see the handle.)

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Popular Woodworking August 2006