Handle Wood?

[joatmon]

I have some moulds and other tools that need new handles, in the mix are several round tool handles but also I would like to try my hand at wooden planes and such. Some screwdrivers and chisels may get the treatment also. I know an ex mill owner who has some boards that have been layed back for years and would like to get one or two boards for this project, what would be my best choices.
Thanks Aaron

[Ithaca Gunner]

I'm in the same boat with ya, my old set of Lyman large handles have about had it, split in two places, but they're the most comfortable of the bunch. The newer Lyman handles seem much too wide and give my hand cramps after a short time. The LEE six banger handles are okay, but a little long. I was just thinking of filling them in with Go-rilla glue and sanding them smooth.

[Chill Wills]

Hardwood - but you know that.
Apple is used for best handsaw handles
Ash is a good all round choice for general tools
Birch is in this class for some things too
Some pricey hardwoods serve great but unless in hand, just make the project silly by chasing around after them.
Oak can work but will split if the handle use is a lever.
Hickory is better in this application.

Really - many good choices - you sound like you have common sense so by using google you can find what has been typical for the tool.

[Chill Wills]

sorry - that last sentence sounded condescending - didn't mean it that way.

[country gent]

Ive used hard maple for handles with good results. A lot depends on the use and what you want the end product to be. I prefer a tight grained wood for handles and tools. It seems to just feel better in the hand.

[NoAngel]

Bodock as we say in the south here.

Osage Orange. It is RIDICULOUSLY hard and tough. I challenge anyone to find a domestic wood any harder. BUT, it's really holds up. I have a mold mallet I made over 7 years ago and it's still going strong.
You will ruin a chainsaw bar and blade if you ain't careful.
Bodock was THE wood for making singletrees and doubletrees years ago.

If you approach it like machining aluminum or another soft metal, it's not hard to work at all. Treat it like oak or walnut and you'll be burning up tooling.
It's a right ugly yellow when first finished. With time and lots of handling, it turns a burnt orange color that's right nice.
Also, there's very little need to put a lot of effort in finish as far as oils or varnish. Sand it slick and rub a little linseed oil. It won't soak up much at all. I actually sanded a set of grips down to 1500 grit and used a muslin wheel to polish it. It was so slick, they weren't usable. LOL!

[jeepyj]

just an opinion from an old woodworker about any hardwood you can get on the cheep would work. My lyman handles look to be Birch but I wouldn't hesitate to use a maple or beech

[jeepyj]

I'm in the same boat with ya, my old set of Lyman large handles have about had it, split in two places, but they're the most comfortable of the bunch. The newer Lyman handles seem much too wide and give my hand cramps after a short time. The LEE six banger handles are okay, but a little long. I was just thinking of filling them in with Go-rilla glue and sanding them smooth.
I have repaired several loose and even some cracked mould handles with Gorilla Glue with excellent success. Most of the time they function better than they were when they were new.

[1989toddm]

NoAngel, I would be interested to try a small piece of Bodock. If you feel like sharing. [emoji4]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[country gent]

I have used sage orange for a couple projects and it is very hard even when green and not cured once cured its very hard and more like metal working than wood working in some ways. As it ages it becomes very nice looking.

[georgerkahn]

I was in need for handles a while back, and a light kind of lit up when I saw the broom handle with threaded tip broken off which had been standing in shed for year -- yes, I couldn't throw it away as it might come in handy.

I cut it to good lengths, and drilled hole in its center for the tangs. Chucked it in my wood lathe, and turned it down a bit. Put on a coat of beeswax+ boiled linseed oil mix -- and they function well, plus look good.

On the first set, I made the hole too small, and in hitting metal handles with a mallet to raise the new wooden ones, one cracked right down the middle. Lesson learned? Don't make the holes too small. Commercial manufacturers probably learned this, too -- which is why some handles loosen and fall off after a bit of use. A bit of whatever-epoxy one has at hand cures that fault.

Just what I did...
geo

[JWT]

There are a lot of good wood for tool handles. Some good ones I have run across are:

Ash, oak, osage orange, black locust, hickory, buckthorn, maple, etc. I wouldn't use maple for an impact application (chisel handle). Oak or ash in that application would be better with a steel hoop to prevent splitting. Buckthorn and black locust are invasive plants in this area that are both great for tool handles, but the buckthorn smells bad when being worked.

The wood for handplanes is much more complicated. The block needs to be rift sawn and air dried for stability. Wood needs to be selected for stability. High density is also a plus for a plane. The additional weight keeps the plane moving more smoothly across the board. A light plane acts grabbier. The sole needs to be of a type of wood that is slick (very close grain) and long wearing. The gold standard for the sole was lignum vitae, but if you can find it today it's pricey.

[joatmon]

Thanks for all the replies, I'll make a list and go see what he has hiding in that old shed.
Aaron

[Forty Rod Ray]

Lignum vitai is one of the hardest woods. Great for handles. Caution with bois d'arc (Osage orange) some have claimed dangereous chemicals in wood and wood fines...

[10-x]

Dogwood is hard as china math. My mold whacker is a piece of dogwood from 1974, lots of dings but nothing serious. Need apiece at least 1 1/2 " in diameter, well dryed. Dogwood is state tree of Va. and maybe some other states, watch out for the " tree police".

[bedbugbilly]

Good suggestions already. When I had my cabinet/millwork shop, I was never short of material for handles when needed - hard maple, birch, white oak, ash, hickory - all depended on what the tool was. Where our current house is, we are in a woods with a combination of red oak, white oak and hickory mostly. I always kept my eyes out for "dead fall" out of he hickory trees in the spring - I had no problems finding branches with sections around 1" to 1 1/2" that I could cut 'blanks" out of and keep on the shelf. They were dead wood and after a year on the shelf, were plenty dry as far as moisture content. I used to do quite a bit of woodturning and those blanks turned up good for replacing such things as the wood on Lyman handles, socket chisels, etc.

[Walter Laich]

I was in need for handles a while back, and a light kind of lit up when I saw the broom handle with threaded tip broken off which had been standing in shed for year -- yes, I couldn't throw it away as it might come in handy.

I cut it to good lengths, and drilled hole in its center for the tangs. Chucked it in my wood lathe, and turned it down a bit. Put on a coat of beeswax+ boiled linseed oil mix -- and they function well, plus look good.

On the first set, I made the hole too small, and in hitting metal handles with a mallet to raise the new wooden ones, one cracked right down the middle. Lesson learned? Don't make the holes too small. Commercial manufacturers probably learned this, too -- which is why some handles loosen and fall off after a bit of use. A bit of whatever-epoxy one has at hand cures that fault.

Just what I did...
geo

+1 quick and easy for me. I in business of casting not making mold handles :-)

[NoAngel]

+1 quick and easy for me. I in business of casting not making mold handles :-)


Yes, but tool making is a hobby just like casting for some of us. I enjoy making many of the tools I use.

I made a hammer specifically for my Lee Classic Loader just recently.
Aluminum, Ebony & Bloodwood.

http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/dd371/Reloadingfool/IMG_1256_zpszjp5c2eo.jpg

[blikseme300]

Yes, but tool making is a hobby just like casting for some of us. I enjoy making many of the tools I use.

I made a hammer specifically for my Lee Classic Loader just recently.
Aluminum, Ebony & Bloodwood.

http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/dd371/Reloadingfool/IMG_1256_zpszjp5c2eo.jpg

That is very nice work. Nothing more satisfying than creating your own tools. I like your sig line as well.:drinks:

[Chill Wills]

Nice looking. Making what we shoot or the tools to make what we shoot is all part of the fun. Nice south bend. I am into old school iron.

[WRideout]

Bodock as we say in the south here.

Osage Orange. It is RIDICULOUSLY hard and tough. I challenge anyone to find a domestic wood any harder. BUT, it's really holds up. I have a mold mallet I made over 7 years ago and it's still going strong.
You will ruin a chainsaw bar and blade if you ain't careful.
Bodock was THE wood for making singletrees and doubletrees years ago.

If you approach it like machining aluminum or another soft metal, it's not hard to work at all. Treat it like oak or walnut and you'll be burning up tooling.
It's a right ugly yellow when first finished. With time and lots of handling, it turns a burnt orange color that's right nice.
Also, there's very little need to put a lot of effort in finish as far as oils or varnish. Sand it slick and rub a little linseed oil. It won't soak up much at all. I actually sanded a set of grips down to 1500 grit and used a muslin wheel to polish it. It was so slick, they weren't usable. LOL!

Bodock=Bois D'arc=Bowdark
Learned that from my Texan stepfather. It can be used to make archery bows.
Wayne

[ulav8r]

At the NRA convention in 1976, I sat at the table with the gentleman who started and owned Saeco. He told us that he went to a stock manufacturer(don't remember which one) and bought their scraps of figured walnut to make handles for his molds and tools.

[rwadley]

Bois D'arc means ''bow wood'' in French

[Wayne Smith]

If you have a choice of woods, first is hickory, second is maple, then white oak of the common american woods.

[sparky45]

How about a wood from the Genus Ebony? The only species north of the Tropics in right here in the good ole USA (other places as well), and is Persimmon. Grows wild all around my place and makes the best wood for woodturning projects. Neighbor and I have used it for Maul handles, ect.

[country gent]

At work I made a Brass Ball Peen hammer with an ebony handle up. This wasn't for actual use but was buffed up and polished to a shine and mounted on a plaque for a retiring mechanic.

[Alstep]

I always save broken broom & shovel handles. Chuck a piece in the lathe & turn away. Never throw stuff out, never know when it'l come in handy. And if I need something bigger, I go out to the firewood pile.

[3006guns]

Go to the hardware store and ask for chainsaw file handles. Already contoured (but can be changed to your liking) and have a hole predrilled (which can be enlarged if need be)

Made of hickory I believe and pretty tough stuff.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I always save broken broom & shovel handles. Chuck a piece in the lathe & turn away. Never throw stuff out, never know when it'l come in handy. And if I need something bigger, I go out to the firewood pile.
LOL, that's about exactly what I do...But I did buy this bag of handles at a thrift store recently. I don't know what they were originally for? came with an eye bolt and washer. No internal threads in wood, only a through hole. They are a lightweight wood like pine, but has a real tight grain, like mountain cedar. shown next to a Lee mold for comparison.

http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu127/JonB_in_Glencoe/thrift%20store%20handles%20with%20Lee%20mold_zpszu cybzyf.jpg (http://s640.photobucket.com/user/JonB_in_Glencoe/media/thrift%20store%20handles%20with%20Lee%20mold_zpszu cybzyf.jpg.html)

http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu127/JonB_in_Glencoe/thrift%20store%20handles_zpsln65fudv.jpg (http://s640.photobucket.com/user/JonB_in_Glencoe/media/thrift%20store%20handles_zpsln65fudv.jpg.html)


This is really my prefered...aged/weathered white oak, from the firewood pile...the knotty and gnarly the better.
http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu127/JonB_in_Glencoe/lyman%2045_zpslmbpmhqd.jpg (http://s640.photobucket.com/user/JonB_in_Glencoe/media/lyman%2045_zpslmbpmhqd.jpg.html)

[KCSO]

I save all my broken oak shovel and ax handles and recycle them into other handles. I have a few screwdrivers with curly maple handles and I have used scraps of purple heart and ebony for fancy handles for duelling pistol sets. Use your imagination, use denser woods for the most stressed applications and from there just go with it! Don't ignore turned deer antler as a choice either.

[Chill Wills]

[QUOTE=JonB_in_Glencoe;3987501]LOL, that's about exactly what I do...But I did buy this bag of handles at a thrift store recently. I don't know what they were originally for? came with an eye bolt and washer.


They are handles from jump ropes.


OK, OK. I'm guessing! ;)

[country gent]

File handles are a good handle for a lot of things. Ive used them for a lot of things. I have been known to even sand them out nice and stipple then oil finish them. A lot come out with a very nice look. Ive also used copper pipe caps for ferrles on wood handles.

[GhostHawk]

You can often find good Hickory or other hardwood Tomahawk handles if you shop around.
I know I found some in the 18" length for 6$ each.

[Wayne Smith]

How about a wood from the Genus Ebony? The only species north of the Tropics in right here in the good ole USA (other places as well), and is Persimmon. Grows wild all around my place and makes the best wood for woodturning projects. Neighbor and I have used it for Maul handles, ect.

I agree, if you can find it! Not exactly a common wood. Golf club wood heads are made from it,.

[country gent]

Another often over looked wood is Mullberry. It can be very pretty and is easy to work with.

[richhodg66]

I have used sage orange for a couple projects and it is very hard even when green and not cured once cured its very hard and more like metal working than wood working in some ways. As it ages it becomes very nice looking.

We have Osage trees growing everywhere here. The stuff lasts forever, you commonly see very, very old fence posts made rom it that have been out in the weather for sometimes 60 years or more that are still strong.

I live on some acreage and we have quite a few osage trees. The former owner had left an old shovel head out in the yard and I was going to buy a new handle and install it, but a handle costs almost as much as a new shovel. I wonder if I can find an osage limb straight enough to work something out of it, I never thought of it making good tool handles.

[woodbutcher]

:D Hi JonB.Those are handles for the aluminum skillets that are usually Teflon coated.The loop is for hanging them up.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

[David2011]

When mold handles start working loose I've had great results with high temp silicone sealer. I squirt a generous amount in the original handle hole, push it back on and wipe off the excess if necessary. Set it aside for 24 hours before using. Haven't had one come loose yet.

David

[Toymaker]

It took a while but someone finally said dogwood. It was used for axe handles at one time. It is tough stuff.

Lots of good suggestions, ideas and reasons in this thread.

[10 ga]

As they say, "in olden times" the traditional home made handles were made to be tough and durable. Most of the woods used have been mentioned. Osage, Dogwood, Persimmon, Hickory, sometimes White Oak and in specific uses Locust. I have used some of all these in various projects. I will warn against using any Hickory or Oak with wide rings = it's weaker and splits easily, trees from dryer and higher has closer growth rings and is tougher. This has been my experience, yours may be different. 10ga

[MaLar]

When mold handles start working loose I've had great results with high temp silicone sealer. I squirt a generous amount in the original handle hole, push it back on and wipe off the excess if necessary. Set it aside for 24 hours before using. Haven't had one come loose yet.

David

I just tried this recently and it works well.

[BAGTIC]

In the days of sail black locust was the preferred wood for belaying pins.

[woodbutcher]

:lol:Yep.Black locust is some rugged wood.Back in the day,one of the local cops was also a woodworker for a hobby.Made two night sticks about 18" long out of black locust.When he waded into a bar fight with those,it was like Gene Krupa on the drums with skulls for drums.His son still uses them to this day.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

[Newtire]

When mold handles start working loose I've had great results with high temp silicone sealer. I squirt a generous amount in the original handle hole, push it back on and wipe off the excess if necessary. Set it aside for 24 hours before using. Haven't had one come loose yet.

David +1 on the silicone sealer. Used this stuff to attach a scope mount to an octagon barrel. 25 years later, this temporary mount is still there. Comes off with a razor blade. Great for mould handles. No screws or pins needed!

[3006guns]

When mold handles start working loose I've had great results with high temp silicone sealer. I squirt a generous amount in the original handle hole, push it back on and wipe off the excess if necessary. Set it aside for 24 hours before using. Haven't had one come loose yet.

David

I've had the same problems with older Lyman handles working loose and spinning while I'm casting........enough to make a strong man drink. I finally got sick of it and mixed up some JB Weld, goobered some on to the metal tang and shoved it back into the handle. Dry in ten minutes and hasn't moved in three years. Of course, if I have to replace the handle some time in the future I'll have to carve it off...........