gotta get a handle on it..

Hi Bob, I actually have one of those that I'd forgotten about.. so you hang onto yours. Thanks anyway for the offer!!



I'd like to make a wooden grip handle, fitted with metal hardware. I have some Baltic Birch plywood that would be nice.

I make these handles. I use 1/4" ply and then glue additional laminations onto it until it fits my channel. Internally, I have a small piece of steel with a groove in it for the cable to pass through which is pinched when I tighten the plastic knob. It works ok, it doesn't work as well as the bucket handle I use made of nylon. The spacing is correct, it just seems as though a lot of wasted leverage and wrist movement takes place. I think leverage functionality is far superior with the nylon vs the wood. I have redrilled the holes on my nylon version closer to the handles centerline reducing the spacing to 1 7/8". I 've yet to find a handle that works better than this does for 1/2A and .15's. The brickies at work have dozens of containers of muriatic acid which these handles are from. I just pop them off and take them as needed. I just made a pick with the crane using the choker strap through one of these handles attached to a skid. That skid was close to 1000 lbs and the handle didn't break, it distorted but it actually surprised me that it didn't fail.


nylon chemical container handle with .015" leadouts.

Top view of handle

Side view. Black walnut handles.

Those are NICE Ken! I actually forgot that I saved some photos of your handles a while back...




Thanks for posting more.. and some input on the construction.

I have made 3 more since then. They all look identical. I did obtain some acorn nuts for the aluminum extrusion.

Ken,
Where did you source the alum channel?
I like the drum handles...I can't seem to locate a source for 3 or 4. I guess I haven't.tried hard enough!


I had an old Cox handle break recently. I won't use my old ones any more, and will toss them the next time I do a major work-space cleanup.
I was given a NOS Carl Goldberg red one like shown above. It feels somewhat flexible, when it should be pretty stiff. I won't use it with anything I care about, especially if said planes are as heavy as my Mossie. However, I do like the adjustable wedge. The adjustability lead me to look at other handles, and how they are made. Which lead me to look into the RSM Renger handle...Oh, My! I even copied his pattern and scaled it up to fit my hand. A quick cardboard template showed me this was my next handle. But I didn't make the first yet. I discovered it would take me more than $10 worth of time and materials just to get to the point of assembling a Larry Renger home-job clone.

No Financial Interest-
Then I bought an RSM handle..
Frankly, even as cheap as I am (and that is REALLY cheap), I will buy more so that I can have one each for my favorite planes, and one or two for all the others. The lasercut parts and hardware just make it too easy to buy "the kit," and then do the assemble/finish thing. My only change to the kit is to open the area around the adjustment screw and use fiber washers to grip the wire (this minimizes crushing the wire, and allows for multiple adjustment cycles). I especially like the mild exponential feedback, and appreciate that the handle comes with spacers to change throws and feedback instantly by removing just two screws.

Shamefully, I didn't paint the first one beyond sand and polyurethane finish (I left it behind one evening, never to be found again). Handle number two got a PU finish, and then safety orange enamel to make it easy to find during tear down/pack-up. These work so well, that I'm going to place another order, but will get two of RSM smalls, and one RSM large. Mr. Rule messaged me that the bigger one is similarly designed, and scaled up:

Jim, the channel came from Mcmaster Carr. I believe the size I used was discontinued but the next size up wasn't much larger. I can double check because I have a small piece left, I think it was 5/16" U-channel. Your handle though looks very nice. Nicely done and I bet it's a joy to use.

These were all made by me here and were easy to make. If any of them interest you, I can scan them in and send it your way.

Just took a better photo of the two I felt would be more geared towards what you are looking for. As in the previous post, I can scan them in no problems if needed. They are both 1/2a handles. The red one is the same as in the drawing pictured made from 1/8" ply, and the other was traced from a plastic one, but it has a 1/8" ply core with 1/4" balsa shaped sides.

Hope this helps!

Hey fella's, Thanks sOoOo much for the interest and ideas! I really like the RSM kit-handle (944jim) and I really enjoy hearing how you guys make your own handles.. or make modifications to handles produced by others.

I like the idea of a "quick-change" line-spacing option within a handle. Some designs that I've seen; look like they would fill that requirement.

Roddie,
I sent you a PM. Now I don't see it in my sent/out box.
PM your email Addy.
Jim in MS

Ok. Some more detail. In one shot is the adjustment screw for centering the control line. In the other are the various adjustment plates. A bit of exponential feedback is felt by leaving the right angle corners on the adjustment plates.
Rounding off the corners minimizes their effects.

Hi Jim, I got your PM and replied. "Thank You". These latest images showing the adjustment plates, are very interesting.