I am curios if anyone makes their own tool handles especially for hammers, hatchets, axes, etc. If so I am interested in knowing what tools you used to make them and if the are particularly interesting styles possible pictures.

 

thanks

Mr. P.

I've done it for special tools.  Tools used: cross cut saw and axe---felling tree. Sledge and wedge---splitting billets, dry storage---seasoning with melted wax soaked ends. Carving axe, drawknife and spoke shave---shaping billet into handle. Rasps, broken glass and sandpaper---smoothing handle.

When available Bader belt grinder with 36 grit belt to shape into handle after rough shaping with carving axe.

I trace a handle that feels good to me, or a standard style onto heavy card stock/ posterboard to make a template. Trace onto the wood, cut it out on a bandsaw, leaving the line. Then I shape it with drawknife, spokeshave, rasp, 1/2 round file, sandpaper and scrape with a knife. Any one of those tools, some of them or all of them, depending on how goofy the grain is and what I feel like at the time. Sometimes I might also use a angle grinder with a flap disc or even my 2x 72. Whatever mood I'm in.

Steve

I have some hickory that I split up with a shingle froe after they have dried for a year or so. Then chuck em up in the wood lathe and turn them down to a close size and finish up on the belt sander.

I made 2 different handles recently. For a tomahawk: I used a chunk of hickory from broken axe handle, cut to size with a miter saw. I was struggling with a cheap store-bought drawknife so used a wood chisel and brass hammer and formed a rough shape; refined with a small 1" belt sander: 36 grit, 60 grit, finished with 120 grit. I did the same for the second handle on a machete, but that was with a chunk of white oak salvaged from an old bed frame. I posted them on the forum the other day if you would like to see the pictures.

Red oak handle for a “boy’s axe”.
 

2x6 cut down and shaped by draw knife then sander. B.L.O. Applied with 5 day dry then one coat of light stain followed by two coats of shellac. 

Made handle for the ball pein on the right in the photo. Oak split from log with a froe, then shaped with drawknife and sanded.

Does anyone still use shaving horses? I recently built one and found it to be very useful. Just curious.

Thanks

Mr. P.

My dad has a couple that he built awhile back and the work great! 

If I did traditional woodworking I'd definitely have one---or more!  Since I do general blacksmithing I don't have enough room in the shop for all my metalworking tools!

2 hours ago, ThomasPowers said:

If I did traditional woodworking I'd definitely have one---or more!  Since I do general blacksmithing I don't have enough room in the shop for all my metalworking tools!

 Yes i know what you mean about not having enough space. I dont even have a shop so I do all of my smithing outside