Turned Oval Tool Handles
Make a complete set of heirloom screwdrivers with this step-by-step lathe technique.
In this article, the editors of ShopNotes take you step-by-step through a technique for turning oval tool handles on a lathe. It sounds impossible, but it's really quite easy. It's called "off-center" turning and the end result is a handle that's quite comfortable to hold. Patterns for small, medium and large tool handles are included.
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What You Get:
- 8 printable (digital) pages of step-by-step instructions
- 29 full-color photos, illustrations and exploded views
- Full-size patterns for small, medium and large handles
- Materials list. Sources list
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Similar Woodsmith Plans
Imperial Plans
The United States Customary System of Units (USCS or USC), more commonly referred to as the English or Imperial system, is the standard set of units for our plans. It uses inches and feet for measurement. This is the one you probably want if you are in the United States, and it is the one we have traditionally offered on this website.
Metric Plans
The International System of Units (SI), more commonly referred to as the metric system, is the alternative set of units that we have available for some of our plans. It uses millimeters, centimeters, and meters for measurement. This is the one you probably want if you are outside the United States. These plans are provided by our business partner, Australian Woodsmith, and are based on the original Woodsmith plan. However, dimensions and other elements of the plan may vary between the metric and standard versions. Be sure to double-check the plan before building.
Premium Plans
All of the information that you need to build our plans can be found in the standard plan. However, if you want even more granular detail to make your job easier, you should consider our premium plans. These come with additional shop diagrams that we drew when creating the prototypes. Shop drawings are not available for every plan.