The handle on my spindle gouge had and "accident" last night and needed to be replaced. I say "accident" but really I mean that I got mad at it, hit a log with it, and the handle broke right where the ferrule meets the handle. I salvaged the ferrule to use on the new handle and set to work.
I wasn't sure what I was going to make the handle out of. I have a couple nice curly maple blanks but didn't really feel like using one of them. Other blanks I considered were Walnut, Mesquite, Eucalyptus, Olive, Lignum Vitae, and Afzilia. I finally settled on a nice piece of Desert Ironwood. It's very hard and very heavy and should hold up to lots of use and abuse. It's also one of the best looking woods around. This piece has a small section of sapwood on the end, giving it even more character.
And it will hold up to being hit with a log much better than the stock maple handle of the other gouge!
ReplyDelete