# wa handle making tools and guide



## jai (Sep 18, 2013)

hey guys id love to start getting into making wa handles but dont know what equipment is recomended to start. if there are any threads with the info im looking for feel free to link. thanks


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## CrisAnderson27 (Sep 18, 2013)

When I made my first wa handle, I pored over the internet looking for resources. In the end I had to cobble a bunch of methods together and hope for the best since all of the information out there is mostly incomplete.

As far as tools...I'd suggest a drill press (a lathe would be super nice!) with a decent set of drill bits (I use up to 1/2"), and some kind of decent belt/disc sander with a true flat platen. Other than that, some clamps for glue up...and you're pretty much set. You can do it with less...if you're determined, but I'd say that to make them effectively that would probably be the bare minimum I'd recommend you use. As a matter of fact...thinking about it...it's exactly what I _still_ use lol.

Oh, also...some type of miter saw...or table saw would be nice as well. I am using an old Craftsman radial arm saw...and its a life saver compared to doing it by hand like I did with the first one.\

Hope that helps!


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## mkriggen (Sep 18, 2013)

What I did is go to the "shop talk" forum, start from the back and work your way forward, reading all the threads that relate.


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## mikew (Sep 18, 2013)

As mentioned above, a disk sander would be your most useful machine for wa handles. You can use it to hog down blocks to size and do all of the shaping of the handle. It will also accurately square off your handle material which is essential when making multiple piece handles.


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## NO ChoP! (Sep 18, 2013)

From what I've ascertained, you should try and go with the biggest disc possible, probably no less than 9", maybe 12" preferred; being that you really only use about half the discs length, and most wa handles are 5+ inches....

Also, some quality clamps and rasps will be necessary. A part I skimped on, and regretted it, with my first attempt. Slotting out the hole is a real pita....


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## CPD (Sep 19, 2013)

Somebody once told me "you can do a lot with a little, or a little with a lot".... think that fits woodworking projects well. For speed and accuracy I would say a drill press and a belt/disc sander are the two most useful power tools to have. I rely mostly on those. A band saw is also a big help for sizing blanks or rough cutting spacers and things but it's not at all essential. 

If you're going to go with D handles or do a lot of hand shaping - some good files, or some adhesive backed sand paper stuck on flexible sticks of hardwood are huge help too. 
A carvers vise, or some sort of "holding" tool that will make it easier to work on the pieces freehand is another plus.

For slotting the tang hole, I will use a dremel tool to help along with a drill press.


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## CrisAnderson27 (Sep 19, 2013)

CPD said:


> Somebody once told me "you can do a lot with a little, or a little with a lot".... think that fits woodworking projects well. For speed and accuracy I would say a drill press and a belt/disc sander are the two most useful power tools to have. I rely mostly on those. A band saw is also a big help for sizing blanks or rough cutting spacers and things but it's not at all essential.
> 
> If you're going to go with D handles or do a lot of hand shaping - some good files, or some adhesive backed sand paper stuck on flexible sticks of hardwood are huge help too.
> A carvers vise, or some sort of "holding" tool that will make it easier to work on the pieces freehand is another plus.
> ...



A band saw.../drool! I'm happy with my radial arm saw for now...but I hate how much wood it wastes in the kerf. It may not seem like 3/16" is a lot...but its enough that it limits my options for handle blanks sometimes...particularly when I'm cutting liners/spacers of the same wood. 3/16" waste for a 1/16" spacer is a sucky trade.

I've been using a zip bit in a dremel (you need the high speed or it just wanders all over the ferrule) for the tang slot. It's VERY nice...but man do you have to be careful.


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## CPD (Sep 19, 2013)

CrisAnderson27 said:


> I've been using a zip bit in a dremel (you need the high speed or it just wanders all over the ferrule) for the tang slot. It's VERY nice...but man do you have to be careful.



Cris, you should check out the flex shaft attachments for the dremel. I use one of them to do inlay work sometimes (good for engraving too) and it's much much easier to control than trying to hold the whole machine freehand. At about $35, i think, it is not expensive and it makes it much easier to be precise with a dremel. Also, I use downcut inlay router bits that I got from a luthier supplier. They cut fast, clean and quick...but most importantly, being downcut, they don't wander. 

(Guitar makers have some awesome specialty tools for doing fine detail work..and often their router bits/burrs are much better than the standard stock at the local hardware store. )


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## mkriggen (Sep 19, 2013)

CPD said:


> Also, I use downcut inlay router bits that I got from a luthier supplier.



Can you supply name/link of the supplier, I would love to get some of those bits.

Mahalo,
Mikey


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## CPD (Sep 19, 2013)

mkriggen said:


> Can you supply name/link of the supplier, I would love to get some of those bits.
> y



Pretty sure I got them from stewart mac (stewmac.com)..... them or LMII - both sell all kinds of cool tools and supplies for guitar makers. There are lots of specialty bases and bits for dremel or mini routers at both.

For dremel type bits - another unusual source is jewelery maker/supply shops like Rio Bravo. You can often find high quality and unusually sized burrs/bits from them (try and find a 1mm cutting edge) .... though their stuff is aimed more for metal shaping/grinding/polishing than using on wood


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## apicius9 (Sep 19, 2013)

CPD said:


> Pretty sure I got them from stewart mac (stewmac.com)..... them or LMII - both sell all kinds of cool tools and supplies for guitar makers. There are lots of specialty bases and bits for dremel or mini routers at both.



I have had my eyes on their little router tool for a long time, they have nice stuff. 



CPD said:


> For dremel type bits - another unusual source is jewelery maker/supply shops like Rio Bravo.



LOL, wrong movie, I thing you mean riogrande.com  

With all that said, I am glad if you are happy with your Demels, but for me, investing in a Foredom tool was one of the smartest things I ever did. I burnt 3 Demels, should have done that much earlier... The also have the flex shaft that makes work easier and less tiring for your hands. Cleaning out the tang slots is one of the main things I use them for, but as Cris said, you gotta be careful because it's easy to go to far or the wrong way.

Stefan


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## mkriggen (Sep 19, 2013)

apicius9 said:


> Cleaning out the tang slots is one of the main things I use them for, but as Cris said, you gotta be careful because it's easy to go to far or the wrong way.
> 
> Stefan



Ain't that the truth brother!ullhair:


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## CPD (Sep 19, 2013)

apicius9 said:


> I have had my eyes on their little router tool for a long time, they have nice stuff.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



....yeah, rio grande. That's a funny slip. No John Wayne in their store, lol.

I'm with you on the Foredoms. They are great tools and well worth the upgrade over the dremel if you are going to throw a lot of use at them. I don't have one but have used one a few times. They're comfortable and seem bombproof. 

The router bases as stew mac are really well made, too. I have my eye on the little purfling base as a way of cutting inlay channels for a future project. 

The guitar tool that's caught my eye the most though is this sanding setup from LMII http://www.lmii.com/products/tools-services/rout/shape/drill/luthiers-friend
I only make the occasional handle for myself or friends so I have zero need for it but if I was gonna make a bunch - always struck me this setup looked like it might be a good base to streamline the process so it wouldn't take as long to freehand sand/shape each one on the belts and discs.


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## apicius9 (Sep 19, 2013)

Thanks, that's an interesting tool, I'll have to think about it more to figure out how I would use it. But I actually enjoy the freehand part of it. To be more precise, I use the sander tables to get things started close to the right angles, but then work free hand from there. It may be more work, and with jigs it would be easier to be more precise and replicate patterns and shapes. On the other side, I tried to avoid going into 'mass production mode' (with one exception). Making them free hand just means that each one is unique in a way. If you take a caliper to them, most of them are not perfect. Sorry if I talk to much about what I do in the wrong thread, I mainly wanted to express that I value uniqueness over precision and therefore free hand work over jigs and production tools. If they look good and feel good after mostly hand-eye coordination, I am happy enough...

Stefan


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## CPD (Sep 19, 2013)

apicius9 said:


> I mainly wanted to express that I value uniqueness over precision and therefore free hand work over jigs and production tools. If they look good and feel good after mostly hand-eye coordination, I am happy enough...
> 
> Stefan



I hear you! I'm of a similar mindset, for the most part. I like consistency and precision - i want a certain amount or repeatability when making similar things -- but I really like the idea that anything hand crafted has its own unique character. The challenge of the hand work is part of the fun for me too. 

I'm making two D handles for myself right now... on them, I used jigs and templates to keep the modified D shape I was going for consistent but I also did much of the shaping freehand to give it a taper and curve that felt right in my hand. I guess I like a bit of a balanced approach.

Tools like that sanding station definitely suit some styles more than others. Struck me that for some, though, the fact that it's a way to use a drill press accurately as a sander (usually the drum attachments are not any good) is both a cool way to double up the functionality of a tool to save space in a small shop. And, for those that either want to speed production or are less comfortable with freehand, it's a clever set up. With templates, seems like it could be a fast way to rough shape coke bottle scales or octagon shapes.


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## NO ChoP! (Sep 21, 2013)

Dangit! I lost my Dremel set up in my move last year, and was looking to replace it, and now you've all planted the Foredom seed! How can I explain this to the wife????


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## mkriggen (Sep 21, 2013)

NO ChoP! said:


> Dangit! I lost my Dremel set up in my move last year, and was looking to replace it, and now you've all planted the Foredom seed! How can I explain this to the wife????



Tell her it's part of your "buy American" pledge?:trickydicky:


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