fixing handles

Any hard hardwood will work, assuming you are not putting the handles under extreme stress, like shovels. But I have even made shovel handles out of alder, which is not very hard, which held up very well because they were not cut with diagonal grain, like some handles from handle factories. A place where several branches took off made a nice end knob for the top. I made the shovel handles with a drawknife, not on the lathe.

Epoxy works great for fixing many types of heads. I buy a 16 oz epoxy batch at a time and use it on a number of projects. If on a garden tool, it is good to use a large diameter screw.

On lathe tools, a ferule (or reinforcement ring) is good to use. You can use copper pipe, a brass bushing or other non-corrosive type of metal for the ring.

Derek

I like mesquite. There are a lot of ways to affix the handles. Rivets come to mind, press-fitting, and epoxy, to name a few Tom Work at your leisure!