Wood Turning Project - Beginner
Making a Whisk Handle (1)
| Handles are great beginning projects. They provide a useful and elegant tool which is used time and again while at the same time teaching good wood turning skills. My method of using a friction drive to turn them ensures a centered shaft and ensures a gentle tool touch thus learning to let the tools do the cutting. If a catch does occur the drive allows the wood to spin thus recuding damage to the wood and trama to the turner. You will need a Jacob's chuck for this project but this inexpensive chuck should be a part of every turner's arsenal. |
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| This whisk handle is a wonderful first project as you can quickly score points for your new hobby by presenting to the house cook. Since I am the cook in our house this may not be so effective, but I might give this one away. |
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| For a whisk handle you need a wire handled whisk from the dollar store or cheapie bin at Wally World or wherever and a hardwood blank about 1" to 1 1/4" square. I am using spalted birch from my stash of small pieces but for a beginner I would recommend some more solid and easier wood such as plain maple or birch. |
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| The whisk has a ring on the end of the handle. |
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| Pull it out a bit and cut it off with pliers. |
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| Tuck the end back into the spring and even out the whisk wires. The ring is all that holds the spring in place so some CA on the wire will help hold everything together. |
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| Use a caliper to obtain the diameter of the spring and drill a test hole to be sure things are snug without binding. In my case this is 3/8"". |
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