It is Thanksgiving, and I am giving thanks.

At one time I planted several hundred willows.

These willows grew tall.

And they gave me lovely dappled garden shade.

This made for a very nice garden to work in!

Now, due to a shift in climate, [...]]]> Mmmmm.   Rotted willow smoke!

It is Thanksgiving, and I am giving thanks.

At one time I planted several hundred willows.

These willows grew tall.

And they gave me lovely dappled garden shade.

This made for a very nice garden to work in!

Now, due to a shift in climate, all but a few are dead.   In any case, when climate change gives you lemons …

Push over and dig up a few willow roots.

In it’s own way, a dead willow is still a treasure.

When you dig up a dead willow root, you get an amazing thing,  Rotted willow root!

With some coals and a few scraps of willow root you can make the best smoked turkey in existence.

I don’t use petroleum to start my coals.  The smell is horrid, and the taste is worse.  Great barbeque does not start with petroleum distillates.

I like to use a starter tower.  Since the handle broke on my old one, I quickly turned a new cedar handle.  Nothing fancy, but better than the original.

In the foreground you can see a bunch of willow root chips.  These will crumble about like weak cork.

I have lots of oak and it smokes really well.  I have used hickory, and pecan and both of them do well too.  I have mesquite growing in my yard, and prefer it to oak, hickory and pecan.   But as long as I have rotted willow root, I have no interest in any other wood for smoking turkey, fish, lamb or whatever.    Willow root makes for some yummy turkey.

Bob

The blanks were glued up from mesquite and kauri.   Click on the image if you want a better view.

Kauri is pretty nifty wood.  If the end grain is [...]]]> I have been making pens to give to all the members of my family.  Here is the starting pile of blanks with one example.

The blanks were glued up from mesquite and kauri.   Click on the image if you want a better view.

Kauri is pretty nifty wood.  If the end grain is exposed on the side when turning, it will brighten and darken to your eye as you rotate the pen in the sun.    Very pretty, but this wood is a softwood so working endgrain is rough.   The tree this wood came from, fell into a salt bog 40,000 to 50,000 years ago and my source for this wood has dried up.  So if there is a flaw in the wood, I work around it and incorporate it into the design.  I have had quite a few failures and destroyed a lot of precious wood on the way to making these and learning how to work this wood to it’s best advantage.

Here they are with about half of them made.  Click on the image to get a better view, if you are so inclined!

Now that I have a feel for the wood, and know how to work it, I have, of course, ran out of it.   In any case, this wood is a bit more pricy than I can usually afford, so I doubt I will have much more occasion to use it.  Still it fun to use a wood that grew before what we would recognize as a man, walked this earth.

After having made so many pens, I decided that it would be foolish not to make notes on the process.  Here are the steps I take and reminders about what I need to pay attention to.   Even though I am finished, there is no reason to forget what I have done.  Points 7 through 10 are the ones I don’t want to forget.

1. To laminate a mufti-layer pen I planed the center board flat on both sides.  Then I used sandpaper stuck on a granite plate to make the board face really flat.  no need to perfectly thickness the board.   The boards that glue on either side only need to be flattened like this on one side.

2. Cut the glued boards into blanks and then flatten two adjacent sides.  Using the line made by the edge between the sides, line up and evenly square both of the ends and flatten them to be square with the reference sides.   Square and flatten the remaining two sides.  Make sure your setup is square before trying to make the blanks square.

3. Mount blank in chuck and drill blank.  test before using a drill bit for the first time.  Make sure the brass sleeve will fit easily but not too loose.  Do not trust the pen supply companies to have the right bit size or to have a bit that drills well.   Delicate wood can easily be ruined by a bad bit.   Drill slowly in several passes making sure the bit does not get hot and the sawdust does not build up.

4. Glue the brass tube into the blank.

5.  Once drilled, and the tube is glued in, take the blank to a belt sander.  Make sure the sander is set up square.  Staying true to square, grind the ends down to the length of the tube.  Round the blank so that you can start turning at a high speed.  Collect the wood dust made by this process.

5. Make sure all the lathe tool are wicked sharp, dull tools can ruin the the materials and work that you have already put into this project.  When turning a project where the end grain is exposed, take less wood on each cut and leave enough wood to sand down the rough surfaces that may arise.

6. When smoothed. wet blank with rubbing alcohol and smooth again.  Wet and smooth again.  This will raise the grain and clean it up.

7. Put a few drops of safflower stand oil on a small square of cloth.   Rub the oil into the cloth and then rub the blank with it to pop the grain on the blank.  Examine blank for flaws.

8. Put a pinch of wood dust on the small oiled cloth and use it to burnish the blank to a high finish at high speed.  Make sure the dust is worked into the cloth and not loose on it.  Put on gloves to keep CA off of fingers.  To prevent injury, make sure that the gloves are weak enough to rip off your hand if grabbed by the work.

9; Use the same oiled and wood dusted cloth to apply CA.  Hot work in several layers and then finish with a smooth gloss.

10.  Remove stuck turning guide by tapping with morse taper extraction rod.  Slide rod into pen blank, hold turning guide in one hand and hit guide against the end of the rod repeatedly.  Like tapping a plane iron, this will drive out the turning guide.

11. Line up pen parts as they would go.  Examine and make sure the pen parts are good, clean and have the wrappings off them.  Make sure your hands are clean and that you have a clean secure place to put the finished pen.

12. Don’t forget the clip and make sure the clip is lined up when you want it.

13. Unless you have a good, real use for the damaged and unrepairable blanks, get rid of them.  They are bad for moral.

Bob

I have been researching and [...]]]> I will warn you, this walk-through is a big one!  The results, however, will let a woodworker without a lathe or mad shaping skills to have a reasonably high chance of turning a small chunk of wood into a lovely handle that can be held with comfort and pride!

I have been researching and experimenting with tool grips for quite some time. Recently I have begun to solidify my research and decided it was time to figure out how to make the perfect tool handle, make it well and make it consistently. Part of my goal here is to provide a handle form that does not need a lathe to turn. I wanted to make this something that would inspire and allow budding craftsmen to use, make and repair hand tools.

First off is the specialized shooting board for making octagonal tapers!  Then we will make a jig for boring straight holes into the handles. Lastly we will make a bit for drilling straight holes. You will need some decent 1/2″ or so plywood, some screws, a length of drill rod and some nice lengths of stable wood that is about 2″ by 2″.

Here is my shooting board for making handles. Don’t worry too much about it making no sense to the eye. Think of it as Toolmaking Art!

This abstract wall hanging is a tool for making tools! This is a guide for the controlled removal of wood from a handle blank. For this to work well you need a nice and quite square block of wood, a bit longer than the handle you plan to make. The shavings shown are about as thick a shaving as I can make with the plane shown.

All this really is, is a V-Block with a tapers cut into the sides, mounted on a chunk of plywood.

The taper on the left of the V channel is 1 to 16, the taper on the right of the central v channel is 1 to 4.

At the ends of the V-Channel are holes drilled for dowels to keep the handle blank from moving with the plane.

By using this to plane a square block, the corners can be removed to make it roughly octagonal.  Then the original sides can be planed down to match the taper of what used to be corners.  The end result is a nice octagonal cone.

It can take forever to plane down the sides initially, shaving at a time.  so a rough saw cut not too close to the final dimension can help speed up the process.

Then a plane can run along the side of the shooting board and quickly make an nice smooth surface.

Here is the handle blank half finished.  If you look close you can see where the plane made a rough cut into the grain.  Because of the angles involved, this will usually not happen if you saw off a bit of waste first.

Here is the handle nearly finished.  A bit of hand sanding or shaping will still be needed to make the transition between the front and back tapers even and smooth.

Here is how I made the shooting board.  First I started with a V-Channel cut into a block of cedar.  I like cedar because it is inexpensive and reasonably stable.  The V was cut to be slightly less that a 90 degree angle, so that slightly uneven blocks would still be held stable.  Note here, that a block that is not very close to square is used to make a handle, the result will be an handle that is not at all close to octagonal!

Here is the back of the same V-Block.  I am using my reference cone to check the line I drew  for a guide.

Here is how I made the line.  I wanted the taper to be 1 to 16.  For accuracy, I try to use as much length of measuring tools as I have.  So I decided to use a 1.5″ rise to 24″ run.

I ‘Burned’ an inch, that is added an in to the measure, so I was not using the end of the rule.

But instead of doing it right,  and measuring along the length, I measured using the hypotenuse.  Yep, I made a stupid mistake, fortunately I did not use my measurements.

Because table saws are dangerous, I use a rail saw for power cutting.  Since the saw blade runs right down the edge of this aluminum rail, I can place a block of wood beneath it and make a precise cut.  So I lined it up with the cone in the V-Channel.  The cone is not visible since it lines up with the edge of the rail.  But the shadow of the cone is visible .   Then I lowered the rail, adjusted the saw and cut the taper.

See how the cone fits nicely with the taper cut in the side of the V-Block.

The center tool handle was made using the shooting board shown.  The cone and the handle on the right used the  much funkier and less pretty prototype.

Here is the jig for drilling a straight hole.  I used screws to hold this together.  Three square blocks sitting square with two long sections of plywood.  I used a long drill bit, and lined it all up with an aluminum L-Channel to  try and drill a fairly straight set of holes.  Since I had a lot of area for holes if I messed up, I was ready to drill another and try to do better.  The drill bit was tested as straight by rolling it on a granite plate.  Then it drilled the first two holes and made a divot at the end for the tool blanks end point to register with.

Before drilling I make a nice divot in the end of the tool handle to center the drill bit in.

Then the handle blank is centered into place with it’s point in the divot.

I hold the handle while the drill bit cuts the initial hole.  After getting the hole started, I let go of the handle to see if it is centered and straight.

It is easy to see a ghosted edge if the handle is off center in any way.  Below the photo of the spinning handle shows that I have everything right!

Sadly the photo below shows that the end result of drilling gave me an off center hole.  The truth is, I fooled myself into thinking this would work.  I really did not want this project to be complex and require much metal working, so that you the reader might be inspired to actually follow these directions.  Sadly,  my goal blinded me to something I knew.  Most drill bits wander with a deep cut into wood.  Drilling into endgrain is the worst.  Constant force make the bit flex and follow the path of the least resistance.  This compounds and makes for an irregular hole.

What you need for drilling this sort of hole is the same sort of tool that was used in the early days to drill gun barrels straight.  Did I say, used in the early days?  This technology has not changed much, apart from putting a hole through the center of the drill to pump oil through to lubricate the drilling, the shapes are much the same, apart from a hundred or so variations.

So what we need here is a shell auger!  Here is how I made one.  First I took a drill rod blank the size I wanted.  Then I ground a skew on the end and a flat taper from the point to about 4″ back on the rod.  This rod is 1/4″ soft, unhardened tool steel.  Normally this steel is basically shaped, hardened, tempered, and then the finished shape is made.  In this case we are just going to file it into shape and use it.  It will dull comparatively quickly, but it will be easy to sharpen.  Not all edged tools have to be hard.

I filed a flat taper about 1/16″ deep at the end of the rod, so that filing would be less and be easier.  It is easy to skate off of a round surface when filing and scar the exterior that you want to remain smooth.

Here is a nice rounded channel tapering to the point.  The taper is nice, since as I sharpen this, the end will be reduced, and the channel deepened.  The taper means I can keep the same profile as I use and sharpen this tool.

The channel makes a moon shaped profile at the end of the bit.  The deepest part of the channel, just barely reaches the center of the rod.

The bevel on the end of the shell auger drops away from the groove edge and away from the leading point of the auger.  This gives clearance for the cut to be made.

The actual cutting edge of this auger is the intersection between the longer half of the groove and the end bevel.  Because this tool cuts only on the face of the tool, and slowly scrapes material without digging in, it makes a straight and centered hole.

Here it is ready to be used.

Because a shell auger does not start with a center point, I made a hole first with a spur bit to initially guide the auger.

A shell auger is slow, and needs to be removed to clean the hole regularly.  It can also get hot quickly.  Not that I am afraid of ruining the temper of this one since it was never hardened.  It scrapes instead of digging in and cutting so it does not make chips typically, it makes powder.

Here is the tool handle drilled with a shell auger, spinning in place.  Perfectly centered on the alignment divot.

Here is a close up of the handle spinning.  Shell augers work!

Now when I put a tool into the handle it sits straight and true!

The shell auger made from unhardened tool steel needs sharpening after cutting holes in two handles.  With some fine sandpaper on a flat surface the end bevel can be cleaned up.  If the channel needs to be cleaned up too, fine sandpaper bent around another section of drill rod will do a good job of polishing it.

There you go, a compete process for making octagonal and tapered forms.  Keep in mind that a straight octagon can be made with just a v-block cut to size and not taper at all.  Let me thank Ray Gardiner for straightening me out when I was chasing a rabbit down a hole on this, and Steve Wirt for his interest, information and encouragement.  This project took me on quite a few detours and turns and I would have been much, much more frustrated by it without their imput.

Bob

One method I have used to compare grips, is to have them face off. Then I can see, as I swap hands and grips, which grip applies more force with less effort.

I followed the suggestions of a source that advised making an OK [...]]]> The previous discussion of grips is far from over!

One method I have used to compare grips, is to have them face off. Then I can see, as I swap hands and grips, which grip applies more force with less effort.

I followed the suggestions of a source that advised making an OK sign with your thumb and index finger to find the ideal diameter for a tool.

I think I will ignore that source from here on out, the handle is way too big.  1 3/4″ is definitely too large.  My smaller fingers only get a bit more than half way around this.   Not a secure grip.

So now I will evaluate another source of ergonomic data.

The study,  Optimal cylindrical handle diameter for grip force tasks

by Yong-Ku Kong and Brian D. Lowe, indicates that an ideal diameter would be 19.7% of the distance from the tip of the middle finger to the crease where the wrist starts and the palm ends.  If I divide this by pi, to get a diameter I get 6.27%.    From middle finger tip to crease, I measure right at 8″.   From their data, a 1/2″ diameter grip would be ideal for me.  OK, we are back to the drawing board.  I like 1/2″ for a pen, but it is way to small for a good chisel grip.

So after loosing faith in authoritative experimental data in this field,  it is time to use simple logic.  If the grip spreads the forces to a maximum area of the hand, this will reduce stress.  If it can be spread evenly or distributed to use the strengths of the hand well, that will be even better.    Having the handle function for a wide range of grips is also a must.   It also seems logical that a larger grip will reduce the chance of cramping by keeping fingers less tightly curled.

Another  question for me is whether an octagon puts more stress on due to micro-adjustment or less stress due to positional feedback. since the bones swivel all the way back from the elbow, I suspect that micro-adjustment is no big issue. So my guess is that the solidity of the grip and the feedback makes the octagon superior.  On the other side, I have used a hexagon shaped tool handle and found the facets to be much too large.  is reducing the facets from six to eight enough?

In any case I am forced to examine my hand and the grips I use and the size of handle that that grip requires.

When pounding on a chisel I use a hammer grip with the blade pointing down.   Slightly over 1″ feels about right.

I want to start using the gouge grip,

But I don’t want the butt of the chisel in my palm since industrial statistics show a good deal of hand injuries are related to tools that are pushed by the palm.

When chiseling away from me I usually use a fencing grip with my index finger extended towards the blade. Again, a hair over 1″ feels pretty good.

When chiseling across relative to my body, I just grab the chisel. I may fold the thumb back if I need extra clearance.  1″ again is fine.

For detail I like to use several different pinch grips. For this, 1″ is usable but too large.  I like a big pencil but if it gets too far over 1/2″ it stops being comfortable.

For cutting and whittling, my grip is pretty standard, with my thumb extended on the back of the blade.  I am used to a fairly wide range of sizes for knives, so I don’t have a huge preference here.

To accommodate all of these grips, a handle that tapers from a bit larger than 1″ to about 1/2″ at the tip may be the solution.  This profile seems to match with what Thomas Martin, in his,  The Circle of the Mechanical Arts, London, 1813 considered a to be a chisel grip.

Since I like a fencing grip quite a bit, I want the tool to taper from a maximum diameter of about 1 1/8″ to a minimum diameter of maybe 1/2″ inch over the distance from the tip of my pointing finger on the tool, to where my pinkie wraps around the tool. I want my pinkie on the back side of a taper to give it a secure grip. After a bunch of figuring I came up with a 1 to 16 slope and made this cone.

I mostly used the methods shown by Timber Frame Tools.  I figured out that if I cut a taper on the side of the V-Block, it would make a good guide for getting the angles correctly.  Oddly enough this works the same even after you have cut down the tools other sides.  The V-Block mounted on a board, can be both a guide for sawing, and a specialized shooting board for reproducing handles.

Then I gripped the cone to see if I even liked the thing and adjusted to where it felt snug in my hand.

The point between my pinkie and my ring finger, was where I decided to start my taper. I made a second cone so I could keep the first as a reference. The angle of the back taper was selected by feel. I kept pruning down until I liked the feel of it. The slope on the back is 1 to 4.

Then I smoothed it down. Cut off the excess on both ends and smoothed it some more.  I am quite pleased with the book matched grain appearance!

The chisel is 7″ long, 1 1/4″ at the thickest and 5/8″ at the thinnest. Not quite the dimensions I was expecting, but I love this handle.

And it does it all!

Low Clearance grip for chiseling horizontally in front of you.

Regular grip for chiseling horizontally in front of you.

Fencing grip for chiseling away from your body.

Gouge Grip, which I have not used enough to know when to prefer it yet.

Mallet grip for when you are pounding a chisel.  I will also put my other hand over the hand holding the tool, to add pressure while rocking the chisel side to side for deeper push cuts.

I don’t actually use this one, but I was taught to use it so that injuries would be less if I missed and hit my hand. I still think it will hurt pretty bad.

This is a grip that I use with a knife edge when whittling.   I also use it for chiseling upward.   When using a paring chisel, I usually use the fencing grip.

Then there are a couple of pinch grips that I use.

Keith Cruickshank’s amazing Video Blog has a video showing some carving grips by Brad Ramsay.

Brad has some amazing skills there!

After watching the video again, and getting some feedback on grips from WoodNet, It is possible that I have most of the single hand grips, but have left out the zillions of two handed variations.

Now that I have listed all the grips that  I use, I would love to know if I am missing any important ones, or better ones?

Back to the octagonal grip in hand, I love it!  It feels right!  It is a lot of work to make right, and I fear that when I drill the end to put a bit on it, I will go crooked and make the tool look stupid after all this work. Still it is all worth it. Unless I hate it after I actually use it, this is now hands down and entirely, my favorite handle size and shape. Oddly enough, my better half loves it too, and she has tiny hands compared to me.

Bob