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Handles for the Lathe-less |
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It helps to make a simple gauge for marking the lines to plane to for your octagon. Any old bit
of scrap with a line of holes for two dowels and two pencils will do nicely. The only technical
part is spacing the holes down the centerline. From dowel to pencil, to pencil to dowel, use a
ratio of five to seven to five. For a gauge of suitable size for marking handles, I use a spacing
of 5/8”, 7/8”, 5/8”. The dowels and pencils are just a friction fit in their holes. You could glue
the dowels if necessary, but not the pencils because they'll need to be sharpened periodically.
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To use the gauge, simply run the dowels astride your prepared handle blank so they're both
running along the outside edges and the pencils are drawing two lines parallel with the sides.
These will guide you in planing off the corners to create an even octagonal length of stock.
Simply stop when you hit the pencil lines. It will even work on a tapered blank. Don't be afraid
to tweak any of the eight sides if you're a bit off. If it looks right to you, that's more
important than what any layout lines may indicate.
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For a tapering octagonal shape, I just take extra shavings off the end that I want to narrow.
If they're consistent in thickness, you can count how many you do and repeat on all sides to
retain the octagon almost without having to check as you go. A bulbous handle will start with a
larger diameter blank and more shavings must be taken to round it off as desired. If it's very
curvy, you might find it easier to use a spokeshave, or you may want to apply coarse abrasives. No
one will know – I won't tell.
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Other Articles from this Issue |
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