I Can Handle It!

Lud · September 21, 2012, 11:38:47 AM

So while the wife's away, the craftsman plays. While she's in Italy seeing her folks I got to get a handle on a few things.

The broadax was an auction find last year. Another thread talked about the deer's foot handle so a quick carve and a woodburn got that nice. The miner's pick had been around a long time here at the farm. The handles are all hickory from her on the farm that I sawed up in the spring and turned on the lathe a bit. I found that a nice octagonal handle results if you index square stock on the lathe, you can shave off the 4 corners with a cheap little electric hand plane.

The hookeroons are a batch I made up from some old heavy files I got at garage sales , heat up with the torch and blacksmith into shape. Firewood folks like them and I get pestered by friends once they see them

It was a broke off broom with only about 3" of handle left . so I split off a piece of spalted maple, drilled it first and then turned it on the lathe, put a finish on it and glued it on with Titebond III , which is my glue of choice lately.

I'd read a thread that Charlie commented on and so got some gun blueing from up the road at the Log Cabin Black Powder Gun shop. I put the blueing on both the broadax and the miner's pick and liked the result. I'd had some of the ONE Time finish left over from big table project in the spring. I put that on all the handles and let them cure in the sun. Saying what the heck, I put that over the gunblueing too and really liked the result.

Here's the pics....

And don't give me any grief about the shoe in the picture! Enjoy 8)

Riggs · September 21, 2012, 11:42:47 AM

Nice looking work!!

I think I have a pair of shoes like those too ;D

WDH · September 21, 2012, 09:12:23 PM

If you were as good fixing shoes as making handles, you would be in good shape :D.

Those handles are awesome!

thecfarm · September 21, 2012, 09:20:38 PM

Nice looking handles. Now that's done what next can you show us???

SwampDonkey · September 22, 2012, 06:01:31 AM

All I can say about the shoes is they've been well worn by a handy man.

The handles look really nice Lud.

Now is the broom going to use to tidy up before the wife returns home? ;)

Lud · September 22, 2012, 11:03:13 AM

The Laundry will be done, the vacuuming will be done, the dishwasher will be run, the dogs will be brushed and washed, the mowing will be done, some shopping will be done ..........before she gets home...........but not just yet! :D :D

She'll decide where the broom is most useful. Maybe around the fireplace but it could be the dogroom. Whatever she decides, ..I can handle it. ;D