Off-Centre Tool Handle

Dan Michener

This tool handle differs from the usual cylindrical shape in that it resists rolling off the workbench, is very comfortable to hold and sometimes attracts rude comments (“What went wrong there?”). I first made one of these by mistake. I was doing an exercise in turning a spiral when I confused the off-centre marks. The result, with modifications, wound up as my favored type of tool handle. Most of the shaping can be done with just a roughing gouge.

Figure 1

1. Select a piece of hardwood of a size appropriate to the tool to be handled. (I use 2”x2”x13”). Maple and ash are good hard woods, unlikely to split when being used.

 

2. Centre-punch the ends. Mark the punch marks with a pencil so you can easily tell them from other punch marks you will use later.

Round the piece between centers and take it down to 1 5/8”-1 7/8” . Use the larger size if you are going to mount something fairly robust, like a ½” gouge.  

 

3. With the lathe stopped, draw a line the length of the cylinder, using the tool rest as a guide.  (Figure 2).

Figure 2

Next, mark off 2” – 2.5” on each end of the spinning cylinder with a pencil. Then take the cylinder off the lathe. (Figure 3).

Figure 3

4. Decide which end you want as the “tool end” and which will be the “handle end”.  From here on I keep the “tool end” on the right. On the “tool end” centre-punch a point half way between the center and the end of the line along the cylinder. (Figure 4).

Figure 4

On the “handle end” mark the place at the end of the line along the cylinder, and then mark 2 points , each 1/3 of the way around from the first mark. The end of the cylinder will now have 3 equally spaced marks around the rim. Centre-punch points ½ way between the middle point and the two rim marks which do not line up with the horizontal line along the cylinder.  Mark numbers ‘1’ and ‘2’ on these two center-punched holes. It doesn’t matter which is which, so long as you can tell them apart when you are doing the turning. (Figure 5).

Figure 5

5. Put the cylinder back on the lathe with the “spur drive” in the #1 off-centre punch hole on the “handle end”, and the live center tailstock tip in the off-center punch in the “tool end”. The cylinder is now off-centre.

Be careful! You can’t see the edges of the wood while it spins off-centre and it is easy to have the tool rest closer than you think it is. Hand turn the piece before you turn on the power!

6. Turn the off-center cylinder, removing wood between the pencil lines, leaving 2”-2.5” on the ends. Cut away material, alternating between punch points ‘1’ and ‘2’ on the handle-end, leaving the turning piece somewhat fatter in the middle, until a  “fit”, pleasing to the hand and appropriate to the tool you want to mount, is achieved. I use a roughing gouge for this, but many tools will do just as good a job. (Figure 6).

Figure 6

It is hard to tell how much wood you are removing from the spinning, off-centre piece. To keep the cuts equally deep in the two off-centre positions you can stop and see how close you are cutting to the horizontal line you made in Step 3. Even up the handle by cutting each side about the same distance from that line.  (Figure 7).

Figure 7

Clean up with a scraper.

7. Using the center marks, reposition the handle on the lathe. Round the handle end; decorate if you wish. (Figure 8). Rounding and finishing the tool end can wait until the tool hole is drilled.

Figure 8

8. To drill a straight hole down the centre to accept the turning tool, remove the spur-drive, put in a drill chuck having a Morse taper. Seat the drill chuck well! I give it a couple of whacks on the end with a wooden mallet to ensure it won’t come out while drilling. Use a small drill bit to make the pilot hole. Bring up the tailstock until the off-centre handle is only just supported in the center punches, between the end of the drill bit and the live center on the tailstock. (Figure 9).

Mark the drill bit with tape for depth control and remove the tool rest so you have plenty of room.

Figure 9

Turn on the lathe at low rpms . While holding the wood with your hand to prevent it from turning, advance the quill, forcing the bit into the wood. Back out frequently to get rid of the shavings in the hole.

Figure 10

Repeat with a larger drill bit to make the hole the right size to take the tool or to accommodate a tool holding insert.

Remove the handle and take out the drill chuck.

9. Reverse the handle and reposition between centers. Use a cone shaped live centre in the tailstock to fit into the tool hole. Trim the “tool end” to fit a ferrule if you want to use one. Round off the shoulder. Clean up the handle with a gouge or scraper to get rid of the pencil lines and refine the thickness as you wish.

10. Sand; a drum sander works well. I use analine dyes to give the handles a distinctive appearance and I finish with sprayed on lacquer, usually 3 coats with a bit of sanding between. Mount your turning tool in epoxy, pound on the ferrule.

Figure 11

June, 2015

Picture Butte, Alberta,  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.