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How do they make hammer handles?

I made a nice naval bronze hammer head for a chisel hammer, but when I made the hammer handle I became curious about how they make the replacement ones you buy at the hardware store. Obviously, the one I turned has a round cross-section, but all the commercial ones have an oval cross-section. How do they do this? If possible I'd like to make mine this way, too, but can't figure out how to do it easily on the lathe.

I suppose I could turn the handle, then use a spokeshave to make it oval. Is this my best bet?

Reply to
tastbits
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Turned on two centers. Draw marks from corner to corner on a square blank. Mark actual center, and a center on each end a small distance in the same direction from center.

Turn round on real center, then shift the blank and turn it on the new centers. You will get an oval, though you will likely have to blend a bit with sandpaper when smoothing out the transitions between true cylinder and reduced oval.

Reply to
George

Very interesting. I wonder where my words disappeared to? I've been called a man of few words, but this is ridiculous.

I don't remember exactly what I said, or thought I said, but it was something to the effect that I've made a few hammer and mallet handles by the down and dirty method of simply turning them round, then sanding the sides flat on a big disk sander. They feel good in the hand, and I like the look of the flats on the sides, too.

-mike paulson, fort collins, co

Reply to
Mike Paulson

Several ways to handle it, but the way the BIG boys do it...once upon a time I worked at a toolshop that made cutterheads for YatesAmerican...Turn the blank at fairly high speed, say about 500rpm or so, and have two high speed(3500rpm or more) revolving cutterheads on either side of the blank move into the blank. The cutter heads can have dozens or more rows of teeth and they are placed at different radii so that each revolution of the blank sees the teeth cut different diameters.

The only machine that I actually saw running during customer trials was able to produce single bit axe handles at a rate of 3 handles per minute per spindle...and the machine had 6 spindles! The dust collector hoses for this thing were the size of a small car! Really 12" diameter for each spindle and two spindles shared a dust collector blower head.

A truly awe inspiring machine!

Mike

Reply to
The Davenports

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