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Another handle i made.

As some of you may know, i have made a few handles by hand. No lathe, just good ole dremel and sand paper.

Well, today i decided to go buy a lathe. Ended up buying the one at harbor freight. $120. I also went ahead and bought the Drill press $60.

So i fired it up earlier and i ended up with this:

It's sycamore from southern Michigan, thanks to Dave (GolFisHunt) for the blanks. i wanted to to make sure those blanks got turned on a lathe, took a very long time to get one though.



Not sure what kind of not or finish i'll end up with.
 
I hate you guys. I've spoken to cigarsmoka about a lathe and you just put me one step closer to buying one. All I really needed was a half step.:001_smile harbor freight here I come. Looks great!
 
Thank you fellas. I didnt realize making one on the lathe would be so fast. I think i could make 4-5 handles on a Saturday if i start early.
 
Thank you fellas. I didnt realize making one on the lathe would be so fast. I think i could make 4-5 handles on a Saturday if i start early.

For me, the time in making a wood handle is in the sanding & finishing. Turning one really doesn't take that long. You are, after all, basically planing a piece of wood at very high speed. Acrylic takes a bit more time to turn because you have to be less aggressive, but not having to put on a CA finish (or whatever you prefer to use) saves a bit in the finishing stage. Looking forward to some more work from you.
 
I hate you guys. I've spoken to cigarsmoka about a lathe and you just put me one step closer to buying one. All I really needed was a half step.:001_smile harbor freight here I come. Looks great!

Just remember, a Harbor Freight lathe is the cheap part. Good tools and accessories are gonna cost ya! And don't forget you'll need a way to sharpen them...
 
Thank you fellas. I didnt realize making one on the lathe would be so fast. I think i could make 4-5 handles on a Saturday if i start early.
That's a pretty good number to do in one day. If I have no other pressing matters to attend to, I can pour a resin turning blank, turn the handle, sand and polish, and have the knot set in 3 hours time.

Just remember, a Harbor Freight lathe is the cheap part. Good tools and accessories are gonna cost ya! And don't forget you'll need a way to sharpen them...
+1 to this. I'd suggest getting a good set of turning tool and a cheap set. The cheap set would be best to learn how to properly sharpen so when it's time to sharpen your good tools you're less likely to ruin them. Just keep in mind that one good turning tool usually cost a lot more than an entire cheap set. There's actually a particular tool I want to get, but with a $200 price tag I'm afraid my wife would beat me to an inch of my life if I bought it.:lol:
 
Sure appreciate the advice guys.

i bought a cheap set of woodturning tools from HF as well. Once i get good at it and run these tools out, i will be buying a Nice set from rockler.

Where do you guys buy the resin/acrylic blanks?
 
Sycamore is a great turning wood, takes stain and finish very well, makes for a
durable end product. I would say it's my favorite turning wood.
 
Just remember, a Harbor Freight lathe is the cheap part. Good tools and accessories are gonna cost ya! And don't forget you'll need a way to sharpen them...

No doubt about that. That's why I haven't done it yet.I will probably have to by in stages.
 
...I'd suggest getting a good set of turning tool and a cheap set. The cheap set would be best to learn how to properly sharpen so when it's time to sharpen your good tools you're less likely to ruin them...

This is really good advice. Even with something like a Wolverine sharpening system (what I have) you should still practice on the cheap stuff so you don't have to fix up your good tools.

...Where do you guys buy the resin/acrylic blanks?

www.Beartoothwoods.com , www.Rockler.com , www.woodturnerscatalog.com www.Pennstateind.com and other places sell 1.5" x 6" acrylic blanks, but they're about $15/ea. If you're slick you can get 2 handles from each one. I cast my own which is yet another rabbit hole, but you can get exactly what you want, and it's fun too!
 
Very nice handle. I love how casual it sounds. Recently bought lathe. Check. Object spinning at high RPM's. Check. Sharp tool to plunge into spinning object. Check. My first project would probably be to get the bleeding to stop and pick the splinters out of my forehead.:001_smile
 
Very nice handle. I love how casual it sounds. Recently bought lathe. Check. Object spinning at high RPM's. Check. Sharp tool to plunge into spinning object. Check. My first project would probably be to get the bleeding to stop and pick the splinters out of my forehead.:001_smile

you know, since i was making all my handles by hand using a rotary tool. I sort of figured it wouldn't take much to crank out a handle on a lathe. It took me about 10 minutes to get the hang of it and figure the right angle for it. But it's not really that difficult at all.

I did wear goggles, long sleeves and a bandana, so i wouldn't get the shavings all over.
 
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