Every woodturner is of course different but woodturning tools are made in a one size fits all category.
Most of the time this is fine but many woodturners like to tailor a tool to fit their own hands.
This is easier than most people think.
Many of the woodturning suppliers sell tools without handles in the first place.
The price savings is small, so small that most turners do not even consider bothering with it and get the tools already handled.
However, price is only a small part of the consideration.
Woodturning is a hands on craft and one that involves the whole body.
Much of the time a tool is held down against a hip and turned into the wood by the movement of the body while the nuances of the cut result from small motions of the hands and wrist.
Just as woodturners have different heights and weights so they also have different sized hands and varied hip placements.
The result of most turners being self taught and the oft repeated adage that there is no one right way in woodturning means that no two turners make the same cut in exactly the same way.
While some would say that has little to do with customizing a tool, the ease with which a turner can do so means that a little effort could go a long way in enhancing the enjoyment of an already enjoyable craft.
All that is needed for most tools is to make a handle that works for the turner and wood turners make things of wood all the time.
The trick is to decide how to make the handle as far as design is concerned.
Step one is to determine the fit to a person's hand.
One of the easiest ways to do so is to try all the tools in the shop to see which is most comfortable and then to ask what is needed to make it more so.
This is a little more complicated than it sounds because a skew is held and used differently than a bowl gouge and a tool for small spindle work is held and used differently than a tool for large faceplate work and so on, but an experienced turner will be able to determine what is needed to get the best fit.
Step two is to turn and fit the handle.
For most wood turners this is nothing new but it is a place for either plain work for a working tool or to be fancy to display a pride in the work place.
Step three is to use the tool and see if it is good as was wanted.
If not, little time and expense has been spent so it is easy to redo if so desired.
The last step is simply to keep using the tool and revel in the satisfaction of a job well done and a craft that continues.
Most of the time this is fine but many woodturners like to tailor a tool to fit their own hands.
This is easier than most people think.
Many of the woodturning suppliers sell tools without handles in the first place.
The price savings is small, so small that most turners do not even consider bothering with it and get the tools already handled.
However, price is only a small part of the consideration.
Woodturning is a hands on craft and one that involves the whole body.
Much of the time a tool is held down against a hip and turned into the wood by the movement of the body while the nuances of the cut result from small motions of the hands and wrist.
Just as woodturners have different heights and weights so they also have different sized hands and varied hip placements.
The result of most turners being self taught and the oft repeated adage that there is no one right way in woodturning means that no two turners make the same cut in exactly the same way.
While some would say that has little to do with customizing a tool, the ease with which a turner can do so means that a little effort could go a long way in enhancing the enjoyment of an already enjoyable craft.
All that is needed for most tools is to make a handle that works for the turner and wood turners make things of wood all the time.
The trick is to decide how to make the handle as far as design is concerned.
Step one is to determine the fit to a person's hand.
One of the easiest ways to do so is to try all the tools in the shop to see which is most comfortable and then to ask what is needed to make it more so.
This is a little more complicated than it sounds because a skew is held and used differently than a bowl gouge and a tool for small spindle work is held and used differently than a tool for large faceplate work and so on, but an experienced turner will be able to determine what is needed to get the best fit.
Step two is to turn and fit the handle.
For most wood turners this is nothing new but it is a place for either plain work for a working tool or to be fancy to display a pride in the work place.
Step three is to use the tool and see if it is good as was wanted.
If not, little time and expense has been spent so it is easy to redo if so desired.
The last step is simply to keep using the tool and revel in the satisfaction of a job well done and a craft that continues.
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