DIY File Handles Without a Lathe.

lilredex · May 19, 2013

One of my favorite "free wood" locations had some mahogany (looking) sticks today, so I grabbed a few. They came in various colours and weights, and were part of some crating, probably originating in a country like Indonesia.

My project was file handles, using only a plane, rasp, and sandpaper. The ferrule is a length of steel tubing, from a chair leg, and was pressed on. The finish is wiped on boiled linseed oil. The octagonal shape helps to keep files from rolling off a work table. The taper helps to make a custom fit for your hand.

DIY File Handles Without a Lathe

DIY File Handles Without a Lathe: One of my favorite "free wood" locations had some mahogany (looking) sticks, so I grabbed a few. They came in various colours and weights, and were part of some crating, probably originating in a country like Indonesia. Shown in picture #2. My proj…

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5lima30 · May 19, 2013

Nice DIY project!

Brad54 · May 20, 2013

Damn, the flats on the sides are a GREAT idea! One worth doing on my existing file handles.

-Brad

ADSR · May 20, 2013

Great idea! Much better than the plastic oil product stuff people love so much.

nine4gmc · May 20, 2013

slick, nice job and good thinking!

Hafen_Kafer · May 20, 2013

Those handles are beautiful.

skippy24 · May 20, 2013

Nice job. How did you account for the tapered metal file insertion? Did you just drill a small hole in the wood handle?

lilredex · May 20, 2013

skippy24 said:
Nice job. How did you account for the tapered metal file insertion? Did you just drill a small hole in the wood handle?

Thanks.....Step drilling (three sizes of bits) is the preferred method. If you just bore one size equal to the midpoint dimension of the tang, that works too, on the smaller sized files.

Have used both methods sucessfully.

MarkG · May 20, 2013

Nice. I did something similar years ago, but started with an old ax handle or something, and filed and sanded the end to shape and varnished it. It's got an oval shape that keeps it from rolling, I did the stepped-drill hole for the tang as you did, but made my 'ferrule' out of tightly wrapped bare wire wrapped into a shallow groove filed on the handle to kind of keep it flush and neat, as shown. I wrapped it into a thin smear of epoxy to keep it in place. The wire wrap also ensures that the handle won't split when the file is jammed in there tight!

Omphaloskeptic · May 21, 2013

Thanks, I like it!

Bugeyed Earl · May 21, 2013

Nice work on the handles! I love finding interesting exotic wood in pallets. I usually can't identify it, but it's nice to work with.

I usually use wine corks for my file handles (the synthetic cork/rubber ones hold up best.) Due to the size, they serve more to keep from getting jabbed by the pointy end of the file, but that's adequate for me. And I get to drink wine.

lilredex · Jun 2, 2013

Thanks, you never know what turns up in pallets and crating wood.........kind of like living on the coast and watching logs drift in...could be from anywhere in the world.

d_rock · Jun 3, 2013

looks good!

Jere · Jun 5, 2013

My favorite is the broom handled one, just my style. Nice work on the others, they came out very well and I love stuff made from pallets

DIY File Handles Without a Lathe.

lilredex

Well-known member