How to make strong file handles using a plastic bottle

Wooden file handles tend to dry out and crack, so sometimes they have to be replaced. Often, new handles do not serve the best, as they are hastily made from unseasoned wood. As the shanks of the files get clogged in them, they severely split the fibers, which causes cracks. Let's look at a few tips to help make your handles stronger and more durable.

Materials:

• handle for a hoe;
  
• plastic bottle;
  
• wood glue;
  
• sawdust.

Making a pen

An excellent material for making handles is the handle of a hoe or shovel. It's dry, cheap, and long enough to assemble handles for a dozen files. The handles, especially for hoes, have a smooth surface and optimal thickness, so they fit well in the hand.

To prevent the handle from breaking during operation and cracking, it will require a cap in the form of a ring. You can use the neck of a plastic bottle as it. It is cut off with a hacksaw.


The cut piece is thicker than the neck of the bottle, so the handle needs to be planed and sanded. If you have a lathe, this can be done in a minute.


Having reduced the diameter of the workpiece by the length of the neck, it is stuffed from above. The cap should fit tightly, then it will definitely not fly off. It is advisable to lubricate the cutting with wood glue before planting. Exposed glue can be wiped off with sawdust.


The resulting workpiece must be sanded at the ends, making it smooth. If the handle does not fit well in the palm, then it can be ground down a little to a smaller diameter.

Next, a hole is drilled in the workpiece to install the blade. To do this, use a drill slightly thinner than the diameter of the file shank.

Because the shank is pointed, the bottom of the hole will not be completely filled. Therefore, you need to pour sawdust into it and fill it with wood glue on top.

Before the glue is absorbed into the sawdust, you need to stuff the handle onto the file. The pressed mass is compressed at the bottom of the hole, so it does not interfere.

When it hardens, it will prevent the canvas from loosening. Direct expansion of the wood by the shank when stuffing will occur only at the point of compression with the cap, so the handle will not crack.

If you saturate the handle with oil, it will stop absorbing moisture, which will prevent cracks from occurring. A file assembled in this way will not fall out of the handle even after decades.

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