turning tool handles

[condeesteso]

Bit of help required please. I sometimes turn handles for chisels etc, and regularly hit the same problems.
My lathe is a Coronet, long bed, and I have a good chuck for it (can't remember what, it's American, ex Rutlands).
The 2 issues are [1] boring the hole for tang - not coming out bang-on centre (even though the stock is chuck-mounted centrally).
And [2], the order of work. I start with a square-section blank, say 140mm long. Turn a good cylinder then mount into the chuck, still supporting the r/h end with live centre. Turn the ferrule dis down at the r/h end, then rough profile the handle as close to the chuck as I dare go.
Fit drill-bit in tailstock and bore stepped tang-hole (usually annoyingly off-centre as above).
Then I flip the stock and finish-turn the handle, holding stock by ferrule in chuck (not good as not enough stiff support for the stock).

I have checked tailstock alignment to head centre - it looks bang-on. I suspect a set-up issue but what??
Also, do I need some kind of cup centre to support the handle end away from ferrule for final shaping.
I am a bit stuck and would appreciate help / advice.
Thanks all.

 

[paulm]

Hi Douglas,

What I do is drill the hole in the rectangular stock first.

This can be done on the lathe holding the piece in the chuck, or on a pillar drill if you have one, or freehand with a cordless drill if need be.

Then mount between centres using the drilled hole to accept the live centre at the tailstock end, this ensures the hole is central to the finished piece.

Size the end by the tailstock to accept the ferrule, stopping the lathe and testing the fit frequently as you get close to the size needed.

Then shape the rest of the handle. this only being worthwhile if you haven't messed up the ferrule fitting, which is why the shaping happens last, just in case you do mess up and need to chuck it in the firewood pile !!!

Sand the handle (except for the ferrule section), add finish if wanted (can be done on or off the lathe), and part off the handle end, hand sand the end as necessary and touch up finish.

Fit ferrule and fit chisel or whatever into handle.

Hope that helps.

Cheers, Paul

 

[AndyT]

What Paul said!

 

[chipmunk]

Just a couple of extra suggestions to Paul's post....

I find it easier to fit the ferrule as soon as the tenon is sized because I find that it's easier to gauge the ferrule thickness and so you don't get a step between the taper of the handle and the ferrule that way.

Most ferrules I use are pipe fittings and so an open-ended spanner of the right size is far easier than callipers or trial and error - 22mm or 15mm. Hold it at the back of the lathe facing forwards against the tenon and cut with a parting tool or parting/beading tool with the other hand (it does need to be at least as wide as the spanner head is thick though) and as soon as it slips over the tenon, the tenon's the right size.

When drilling short holes in handle blanks on the lathe I find it often easier to mark centres and place a drill chuck in the headstock with correct drill bit and trap the handle between headstock drillbit and tailstock centres. Holding the handle blank in one hand wind in the tailstock to drill on-axis with the lathe on slow. Some might question the safety but if you let go of the blank it will spin safely between drill (drive) and live tailstock centre.

HTH
Jon

 

[Spindle]

Hi

I go along with Paul's suggestion to drill ther hole first however if you then use the tailstock to locate the work using the hole it will only be concentric if your hole is, (drills will wander when drilling into end grain).

If you are drilling largish holes, eg. for turning tools, I would use a steel bar gripped in the chuck as a mandrel and sleeve the drilled blank over this - bring up the tail stock and turn away. Using this method ensures the hole will be concentric to the handle when finished.

Regards Mick

 

[Paul Chapman]

What Paul said, above. Made this round at his place - my first bit of turning



The only thing we did differently to his description was to fit the ferule before turning the rest of the handle



Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Silverbirch]

I go along with Paul's suggestion to drill ther hole first however if you then use the tailstock to locate the work using the hole it will only be concentric if your hole is, (drills will wander when drilling into end grain).

Hi Mick,

As the blank is being held rigidly between headstock and tailstock, surely the hole will become concentric as the excess wood is turned away to shape the handl; hence Paul`s comment that the hole can be drilled freehand if necessary?

Ian

 

[Spindle]

Hi Ian

Not necessarily:

Yes the entry point of the hole will be concentric but as you drill deeper the drill can wander or its axis not be perfectly aligned to the blank.

The out come will be that whilst the tool enters the handle centrally it will not be along the same axis as the handle.

It all depends on how accuratly the drill follows the axis of the handle.

By using the mandrel method you will turn the handle around the axis of the hole and ensure concentricity.

Difficult to explain - I'll try to post a drawing to clarify.

Regards Mick

 

[Phil Pascoe]

:? I've drilled a blank from both ends and had the holes miss each other by 30mm (600mm blank) - it shouldn't happen, but it does. Where possible, I'd drill in a press.

 

[Spindle]

Hi

I hope Paul Chapman doesn't mind me borrowing his photo to try and demonstrate my point.

I've added a red arrow to indicate the axis of the handle and drawn in an 'off axis' hole.

I hope this helps and thanks to Paul for the photo

Regards Mick

 

[Silverbirch]

OK, Mick I get it, thanks, but normally you wouldn`t be drilling terribly deeply into the handle, (proportionally not as deeply as you have shown in your illustration), so any "wander" would be fairly minimal. Also, you would need to source a rod of matching diameter to the tool you were fitting the handle to,in order to act as a mandrel each time, would you not? I normally drill with a jacobs chuck in the tailstock, rather than freehand and I agree your method is theoretically more accurate, but I`ve handled/re-handled a fair number of tools using the method Paul describes without a problem.

Ian

 

[chipmunk]

A couple of suggestions to help drilling on axis....

Create a dimple in the end of the stock to be drilled with a spindle gouge or skew chisel on its side to locate the drill bit on axis to begin with.

Don't force the drill bit into the end grain and keep withdrawing every half to one inch or so to free the flutes as they become clogged.

Use riven timber rather than sawn so the grain is naturally straight - this is especially good for turning tool handles anyway IMHO where short grain could, at least in theory, cause a handle to snap with a bad catch.

Check the alignment of head and tail stocks and make sure your MTs are clean. Not just the kiss test with centres but make sure that a chucked extended drill bit in both head and tailstocks passes the kiss test too.

Use as short a drill bit as possible and don't extend it in the drill chuck further than necessary to help prevent it flexing - if it can't flex it can't wander.

HTH
Jon

 

[AndyT]

Some of the older patterns of bit are better for drilling into end grain than ordinary Morse jobbers. If you don't have any nose bits or shell bits this could be the time to get some.

 

[chipmunk]

Andy makes a good point about drill types. Many pen turners like bullet point drills for end grain and I find that the DeWalt Extreme2 HSS twist drills are a bit pricey but very good.

Here's a quick run-through of a couple of handles I made this afternoon..

Kiss test of the drillbit in the headstock

With centres marked trap the blank between drillbit and tailstock live centre.

Hold blank in left hand, turn on lathe slow and advance tailstock with right hand about an inch or so. Turn off the lathe, clear the swarf, reinsert the bit into the hole and repeat until drill is to depth.

Here's a view of how concentric the hole is (85mm deep) with reference to the centre at the tailstock end of 310mm blank with the blank turning on the drill bit. It just looks about 0.5mm off-axis and some of that may be the slop of the bit in the hole.

60 degree live centre in the hole - NB The end of the blank needs to be square to the axis of the hole and the blank otherwise the live centre will not be in the middle of the hole.

Tenon cut with 22mm spanner as gauge and ferrule fitted.

Handle roughly shaped mostly with roughing gouge but 3/8" spindle gouge used for butt end.

Sanded through the grits to 400.

Grooves added.

...and burnt with a length of steel wire. Toggles on each end of wire - don't be tempted to wind around fingers!

Parted off (skew chisel) and sanding sealer applied.

Along with its mate. Two coats of melamine lacquer on each handle - denibbed with webrax in between coats. The shafts, as they may turn in use, were glued in with Titebond PU glue.

And here are the finished tools with shafts inserted.

HTH
Jon

 

[condeesteso]

It's odd I put a thank you post on this yesterday and uploaded it and it's not here :shock: Probably hanging on the end of something entirely different elsewhere.
Many thanks to all for a lot of very good info and expertise. This really is a concise 'now-to' on turning tool handles - an excellent reference piece.

I have noted the recommended order of work, and so far am getting far better results.
Re the bit wandering off, the idea of it following the grain is likely to explain some of my problem before. I did notice recently a bigger hole with a Forstner didn't wander off - I imagine a forstner cutter will take no notice of the grain direction.

Anyway, need to do a few more so will be adopting best practice here - many thanks again.