Home made handles

[sime42]

15 minutes ago, Stere said:

I bought a load of fork handles from sam turners.

 

 

 

The top T peices were not very well attached though

 

I like the old one piece handle design  but they aren't sold anywhere as handle blanks in the UK would be nice to make some  but maybe with  the wood grain direction they look abit weak versus the metal D versions?

 

 

 

 

 

These'll be stronger.

 

 

 

[openspaceman]

7 hours ago, Stere said:

I bought a load of fork handles from sam turners.

 

 

 

The top T peices were not very well attached though

 

I like the old one piece handle design  but they aren't sold anywhere as handle blanks in the UK would be nice to make some  but maybe with  the wood grain direction they look abit weak versus the metal D versions?

 

 

 

 

That one doesn't have the reinforcement to stop the hand hold from splitting.  That type I remember had a steel rivet passing through the hand hold with washers each side.

[Dan]

https://goingwiththegrain.org/category/books/going-with-the-grain/

[Dan]

This shows you how to make chair legs but you can easily use the idea to make handles 

[sime42]

On 29/03/2025 at 00:48, Macpherson said:

I found this book years ago ' British trees and their past and present uses ' one of it's traditional suggestions was Rowan for tool handles.. which I've done quite a few times now, just for mostly hand tools that tend to lie about the garden wherever I was working last... ferrules are easily bought online.

 

British Native Trees - Their Past and Present Uses by -: Very Good Paperback (2006) | AwesomeBooks

WWW.ABEBOOKS.CO.UK

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Free Shipping - ISBN: 9780954189952 - Paperback - - - 2006 - Condition: Very Good - British Native Trees - Their Past and Present Uses This book is in very good condition and will be...

 

 

Interesting, I've not heard of using Rowan before. I love stuff like this. It's good knowledge that's rapidly getting forgotten. I've got this book that has a section about all the principal native timbers, and their traditional uses. Everything had a specific application, and every application had a specific timber. Doesn't mention Rowan though. I'll try it next time I need a new handle, if I can remember.

 

 

 

 

 

[Stere]

Quote

These'll be stronger.

 

The T ones were cheaper versus the D style but I had to re- screw on the T tops are many  were loose.....just stapled on badly.

 

Very fancy handle on this one and also decent looking long socket for a modern tool

 

 

 

Greenman Ash Stainless Steel Border Spade S2468 < Greenman Garden Tools

GREENMANGARDENTOOLS.COM

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A very versatile spade at home, in the border, and the vegetable plot in-between plants where its narrower blade means less...

 

 

Ash  is it gonna run out with adb eventually?

 

Carters seem to be the only UK place still  advertizing that they are mass producing such items? They look the same as the ones I bought

 

 

/images/uploads/headers/_standard/handles_header.jpg

Spade, Shovel and Fork | Richard Carter

RICHARDCARTERLTD.CO.UK

 

Rowan / mountain ash does it mean the wood has  similar  properties or might be just the leaf shape? Slow growing though to get many handles from it.

 

 

Ive seen some garden tools advertized with beech handles,  & axes form italy and spain often have  beech handles fitted as the norm.

 

Hickory or ash is suppose to best for striking tools due to elasticity properties thus give some anti shock and also osage orange is that traditional wood used by natives americans.

 

 

 

 

Edited Tuesday at 10:49 by Stere

[Muddy42]

You could use a dowel jig (picture below) to make perfectly circular handles for rakes or similar?  The widest Ive made were 1 inch wide, but I can't see why you couldn't go wider.  I used a second piece of wood with a hole on the outturn side to help with the alignment.  I used a drill to turn the wood and a very sharp chisel.

 

[organic guy]

Loving the jig.

Cleaved some straight bits of ash last night to see what happened.

Turned out not as straight as I thought and knots where no knots were visible.

Off to my workshop tomorrow to have a play.

[Dan Maynard]

I forgot to say, I made a new rake handle from a single hazel stem as the broom handles from Screwfix kept breaking. It's lasted years.

 

Just peeled the bark, it's not super straight but that doesn't matter.

[Rich Rule]

We use Hazel or Rowan for a makeshift rake handle over here in Norway.

 

Usually pretty straight and lasts a decent shift.