A graver handle is just a turned wooden handle with a brass ferule around the neck to stop it splitting. The high speed steel graver is then just tapped into a pre-drilled hole in the handle. Simple, but I wanted something a bit more elegant. Also, as I’m starting out I want to be able to play with different graver bits.
So, I turned a handle from a piece of hardwood, the hole for the brass ferule was 9mm in diameter. The hole for the ferrule went deep into the handle to add strength once assembled. I used standard 1/2 inch brass round bar as a starting point for the ferule. I turned the brass ferule with a 5mm diameter hole to take the graver bit and an M4 grub screw to lock the bit. The 5mm hole goes all the way through the brass ferule, this makes assembly easier as there is no air lock.
I bonded the brass and the hardwood handle together using 5 minute two-part epoxy. You can see grooves in the brass and these were added to hold epoxy. Effectively holding enough epoxy in the joint as it was slid together.
Once this was set I then mounted the handle around the other way in the lathe. Holding the assembly using the brass part. Note I used a piece of biscuit tin wrapped around the brass to protect it. This 3-jaw chuck in the Hobbymat MD65 tends to leave marks.
I then curved the handle so that it would be comfortable in my palm and I could happily apply pressure. Once I had a shape I then just polished the wood. The polishing was done in the lathe, thus allowing me to get a great finish on this graver handle.
References
- https://youtu.be/Y2LXM6qWPvs – Uri Tuchman youtube about making and sharpening a push graver.
- RDG Tools – small 3, 4mm square HSS and round HSS