# Handle for Rus Demka tool



## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

I gave Rus some wood pieces and Rus gave me a carbide tool. A fun exchange. :thumbsup:

I promised I would post pictures of the handle.

OldMacNut was about to start on his handles before his arm injury got the upper hand. Making this a bit of a build in case this helps other recipients of Rus's tools to make a handle.

First we start with a blank. I happen to like making a laminated handle. I feel if I am making something, I prefer to make something I would not be able to purchase. Second reason is I do not have a lot of solid stock which is 8/4. 

For a handle, I try and use scraps of wood where possible. In this case I had a piece of planed bloodwood and rough cut cherry.

I hand planed the rough cut cherry on a side since it was twisted. The #6 from my July hand plane "lot" purchase came in very handy.

I then surfaced the cherry in the planer, and ripped in half on the table saw.

I then cut all pieces to width and glued together.

I like to have the ends smooth for mounting on the lathe, so I sanded the ends flat on my disc sander. I could have used the table saw.

First step for me is to mark an "X" on each end and then make a small hole with a spring loaded punch.

This is not quite a square. It does not have to be square. I do like to make the blank a bit larger than the desired max finish diameter.

I am aiming for max diameter of 1 1/2in so I made the blank nominally 1 3/4in x 1 3/4in.









I prefer to mount the is "between centres". I could have mounted the head end in the chuck. Using a centre allows the wood to spin if I happen to dig in too much with the roughing gouge. I learned this the hard way. :thumbdown:









Using a One-way chuck spur on the head end. Just allows me to leave the chuck in place. Takes up a few inches of length, but in this case I am still able to fit within the lathe capacity.









After a few minutes with the roughing gouge I had this round. Happy to say no catches and no spinining on the centres. I included some chips in the picture just for grins.









This step is highly unusual. I am going to try using Rus's tool to make a handle for the tool. A bit of a catch-22 you say.

I happen to have purchased a McNaughton Bowl Saver set back in July. This comes with a large and small McNaughton tool handle in which the knives are installed. I have not used the set yet, although I have been accumulating log sections for bowls.

The tool was just too big for the small handle, but an easy fit in the large handle.

These handles are HEAVY. Good for the bowl saver use.









This is where I stopped yesterday. I wanted to post so Rus could see the progress.

For those who may be interested, stay tuned for the next set of pictures.


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## robert421960 (Dec 9, 2010)

that is really gonna look great :yes:
looking forward to more


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## Shop Dad (May 3, 2011)

Looks good Dave. Tuning in!


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

Nice job Dave.


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## RusDemka (Jun 9, 2012)

Ooohhh, very nice, my large tools were prototypes, so I made new new shafts and ground the bevels different this time, so I have 2 large handles I now now need to make, I think I'm going to use maple laminated around bloodwood... 
Thanks for the post Dave, I like to see people putting the tools to use, I take pride in every tool I make,,,


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## oldmacnut (Dec 27, 2010)

I recovered enough to turn 2 more stave bowls tonight, my arms are pretty thrashed, so I am probably going to do the write up tomorrow night, I mean I have 2 cherry ones to turn still, but man, it really zapped me. Ill post pics tomorrow.

I to need to glue up and turn my handles, I am also going to replace the short handle Rockler put on the square chisel I have with something longer, I ended up using the round cutter for most all the work tonight, the longer handle made it so much easier on my wrists and elbows.

Looks good so far, I cant wait for more.


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

*Drilling for the tool handle*

Taking the pictures does slow down progress. I hope these are useful for others. Going into detail for the readers who are new to turning.

Next steps for me.

I mark the lines which represent max dia, min dia, ferrule end, chuck end.









I turned down the end for the chuck thinking I would use the spigot jaws, then it turned out to be too large, so I ended up switching chucks to the one with the #2 jaws.









I like to drill the hole for the tool first. My logic is that if I mess up the drilling I have minimized the effort with the blank.

My first two handles, I just mounted in the chuck, aligned with the same live centre as for initial roughing, then replaced the live centre with the drill chuck.

The relatively shallow hole for the tool handle worked, but when I later needed to drill deep holes for pepper mill blanks, I had some wobble which made the hole diameter inconsistent.

Back in July I bit the bullet and made a steady rest based on a picture I saw from my internet searches.

If anyone wants a "re-construction" thread for the steady rest, let me know.

I installed the steady rest while the wood was chucked and the right end aligned with the live centre.

I then tighted up the wheels of the steady rest to the blank.

I then replaced the live centre with the drill chuck.









A nice clean hole. The steady rest does help to minimize or eliminate wobble.









The drill chuck is removed and the live centre replaced, this time with the small cone.

The blank is now ready to be shaped.









Thanks for looking.

Stay tuned for the next set of pictures.


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## RusDemka (Jun 9, 2012)

Ive been planning to make my own steady rest for a while now, looks good..


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## Shop Dad (May 3, 2011)

Nice job on the steady rest Dave. Looks like it works perfectly!


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## oldmacnut (Dec 27, 2010)

I would like a steady rest, but I have a mono tube lathe, and truth be told, no idea when I will be able to afford the nova, so I'd like to see your how to, and maybe I will modify it for a mono tube.

Your How To on the handle has kicked a fire under my butt to do the segment how to, Ive updated it, and am adding to it as I work tonight.


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## BigJoe16 (Feb 20, 2012)

oldmacnut said:


> I would like a steady rest, but I have a mono tube lathe, and truth be told, no idea when I will be able to afford the nova, so I'd like to see your how to, and maybe I will modify it for a mono tube.
> 
> Your How To on the handle has kicked a fire under my butt to do the segment how to, Ive updated it, and am adding to it as I work tonight.


I would think the steady rest wouldn't have to be connected to the lathe. If you could square it up right with the spindle, you could make the base so it just clamps to the table top.


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## rayking49 (Nov 6, 2011)

I'd love to see how to do a steady-rest. How to requested!


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## gproch (Apr 30, 2012)

rayking49 said:


> I'd love to see how to do a steady-rest. How to requested!


Ditto on the steady-rest

Sent from my iPad using Wood Forum


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

oldmacnut said:


> I would like a steady rest, but I have a mono tube lathe, and truth be told, no idea when I will be able to afford the nova, so I'd like to see your how to, and maybe I will modify it for a mono tube.
> 
> Your How To on the handle has kicked a fire under my butt to do the segment how to, Ive updated it, and am adding to it as I work tonight.


It looks like I will be writing a bit of "how to" for a steady rest. :icon_smile:

I will give some thought on the change to use a mono tube. It will be possible. Clamping is easy. How to keep from slipping sideways may be the challenge. If I recall the mono tubes have a small line inscribed along the top of the tube which is used to align the tail stock, likely by a pin.

Off the cuff perhaps a screw can be used so the point contacts the groove.

I am happy if my post gets you back to working on your segmented bowl threads. I think lots of readers are eager to see the write-up. :smile:


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

*Completing the handle*

The handle is turned to final shape. 

I was going for a conventional shape, but this can be whatever shape feels good in your hand. Just do not make too thin that it can break while in use.

I started out using the RusDemka tool. I quickly realised this is a different turning technique and a bit of a learning curve. I did not want to risk messing up the handle, so I completed the shaping with my Doug Thompson spindle gouge with a conventional bevel, easy to rub.

The right end has been turned to the inside diameter of the ferrule.

My largest purchased ferrule was only 1in OD, which was 7/8in ID. 

I felt this was not wide enough considering I drilled a 5/8in hole. Rather than purchase a new ferrule, I found a piece of copper tubing with inside diameter of 1 1/8in.

I had a few iterations of turning for the ferrule. I did not want to make this too small. Important step to get correct. 

You need to decide your own shape and embellishments, if any.

Many handles have little grooves for embellishment. I decided to use a 1/4in bead.









Once I had the ferrule diameter to fit, I turned the piece around and gripped the ferrule end in my spigot jaws. I wanted to turn the other end to a small diameter to allow me to finish the end and sand as much of the end as possible.

This is the handle after being sanded to 800 grit.









I like to apply a product called EEE-Ultra Shine. It is a very fine abrasive. Apply with a rag, paper towel, or just a finger. Not much needs to be applied. Then turn on the lathe and heat up with rag, paper towel etc.

The result is a very smooth and shiny appearance. This is not a finish, it is just a shiny surface ready to have a finish applied.

http://www.packardwoodworks.com/Mer...e_Code=packard&Category_Code=finish-shellawax









For the finish I applied Shellawax (same company as EEE-Ultra Shine). This is applied the same way, then heat to melt the wax.

The ferrule was an easy fit. The iterations to get this to fit were worth the hassle.

Here is the final handle. I think a lamination looks better than solid single species.

The copper tube I used for the ferrule happened to be chrome plated. I decided to leave this on for a "bling" effect. :laughing:

Rus, I hope you feel this handle is a good compliment to your workmanship on the tool.









The next post will be the handle with the tool installed.


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## RusDemka (Jun 9, 2012)

That handle looks awesome, I like the beads you put in, gathering ideas for my other two large tools :thumbsup:


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## RusDemka (Jun 9, 2012)

How did u get the ferrel that color?? It's copper right? Looks Chrome on my phone


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

It's very nice. Dave's a great turner. Look at my handle he did for me. 









Mortising chisel.


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## RusDemka (Jun 9, 2012)

Dominick said:


> It's very nice. Dave's a great turner. Look at my handle he did for me.
> 
> Mortising chisel.


A mortising chisel??? I think I should have thought of that for my furnature building tools..... Looks great... Were did you get the chisel?


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

RusDemka said:


> How did u get the ferrel that color?? It's copper right? Looks Chrome on my phone


Rus, it is chrome plated brass. I decided to leave the chrome plating on. Add a bit of sparkle to the tool. :icon_smile:


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

*Installing the tool in the handle*

The final step is to install the tool.

My previous handles were round bar stock, do all I had to do was drill a hole to match the bar diameter.

This is 1/2in square bar. I decided to make the hole 5/8in diameter. I thought this would be easier to get the proverbial square into a larger round hole.

I drew a line on the tool to mark the depth of the hole in the handle. This was so that I would be able to tell when the tool was seated all the way in the hole.

I still had the X marks from the initial centre marks for mounting on the lathe. I used a corner chisel to cut out the 4 corners.

I removed the debris and then decided to see if it would fit.
I removed the carbide cutter, supported the end of the tool on a piece of scrap wood, covered the end of the handle and lightly tapped with a dead blow mallet. To my surprise it fit first time.

I checked the bar and the mark was in the handle, so all the way home.

I was thinking about adding epoxy. At present this feels to be a strong fit. I can always add epoxy later if the tool bar feels loose.









For the readers who have not heard of a corner chisel, this picture shows what they look like. A handy chisel to have in the toolbox.









The final picture of the tool and handle. I may be biased, but this looks good. 

Since the carbide cutter is round, I drew a line with a Sharpie, so that I can keep track as I rotate the cutter to get a new surface.









Thanks for reading. Now to try and re-construct the making of a steady rest.


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## RusDemka (Jun 9, 2012)

That looks like a million bucks.... :thumbsup:


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## gproch (Apr 30, 2012)

Just plain WOW

Sent from my iPad using Wood Forum


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## RusDemka (Jun 9, 2012)

gproch said:


> Just plain WOW
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Wood Forum


Gproch, when do we get to see your handles??


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## gproch (Apr 30, 2012)

RusDemka said:


> Gproch, when do we get to see your handles??


Well, I did finish the very first tool you provided. It was not very pretty, but works just fine. I went to WC and am taking a class. I am hoping to turn the three handles this week. I have been busy making Halloween decorations and about twenty Christmas luminarias. The wife has prioritized what she wants.

Sent from my iPad using Wood Forum


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## rayking49 (Nov 6, 2011)

Nice handle. I like the lamination look.


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

RusDemka said:


> A mortising chisel??? I think I should have thought of that for my furnature building tools..... Looks great... Were did you get the chisel?


Thanks. I had the mortising chisel laying around for some time and I wasn't using it for anything, 
Then I saw Dave posted a thing about his that he made a handle for his, and I liked what he did, so he offered to turn a handle for me, for nothing. 
Awesome guy. I believe I got it from Horror freight.


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