• January Turning Challenge: Thin-Stemmed Something! (click here for details)
  • Conversations are now Direct Messages (click here for details)
  • Congratulations to Scott Gordon for "Orb Ligneus" being selected as Turning of the Week for January 20, 2025 (click here for details)
  • Welcome new registering member. Your username must be your real First and Last name (for example: John Doe). "Screen names" and "handles" are not allowed and your registration will be deleted if you don't use your real name. Also, do not use all caps nor all lower case.

How to turn an oval tool handle

Rough turn the cylinder.
Use two off center Centers about a 1/2" from the true center.

The best centers to use for this are cup centers with a point for the drive center and the tailstock center.
On each center I like to do a pull cut with a side ground gouge.

When both sides are turned for a tools handle you can sand on the true center since rounding the sharp corner is desirable.

Also for a tool handle you can do a modified oval. Use one of the offset centers on the tailstock sides and just turn one face. This gives a sort of flat on one side and the normal curve in the other.
 
Back
Top