I often find that the handle supplied by the manufacturer on a bowl gouge is too short for my liking, so in this rotation I show you how easy it is to remove the gouge from the existing handle, and turn a custom one that better suits your needs. You can customize everything from the length, to the grip thickness, to the color of the wood and the ferrule, and I’ve found that using a handle with a thicker than usual grip has the potential to relieve tendonitis, tennis elbow, and other conditions caused or exacerbated by overgripping a handle that is too thin.

If you have a favorite tool (or if you find a new favorite in the vendor area) that you would like to make a handle for, bring it with you. Keep in mind that we will be working on mini lathes in the hands-on room so because of that (and the supplied blanks) your finished handle length will be limited to about 12″ max, making a spindle/detail gouge the ideal candidate for something to rehandle in this class.

If you don’t have a particular tool in mind yet, you can still feel free to come to this session- drilling for the actual shaft or shank of the tool you’re going to handle is the last step in the process so you can complete your handle except for that step and have it ready to go next time you need one.