[David Bethune]

What are your favourite handles on your carving tools and why?

Long?
Short?
Design?

I was going to turn some new ones and I wanted some opinions.

Thanks
David

[whittlinJim]

Whatever is the most comfortable fit in your hand and gives you the best control. Everyone will have different preference depending on what kind of carving they do, the size of their hands,ect. What kind of tools are you putting the handles on? In most cases you woudnt put really long heavy handles on palm gouges, or very short handles on something you are going to smack with a mallet. You need to find the best fit for both you and the tool.

Jim

[Eddy Smiles]

Form follows function..... or is it? Function follows form? .... Ahhhhhhhh nevermind! Like Jim says, just make them so that they fit comfortably in your hand!

[susieq]

Long.
When I gouge carve, I like to clamp the wood into a wood vice and hold the gouge with both hands.

[squbrigg]

Good question David,

Handle length and design I find often depends on what it is I'm carving. On larger carvings, like a large relief, I'll reach for long shafted gouges (ie: Pfiel's), but once into detail I'll go to my relief set shaped specifically for relief (a Henry Taylor set).

If I'm doing a shape in the round, I find Ramelsons handy along with knives, and the short slim handle and short shaft a perfect fit. I have a set of palm gouges, but don't find them particurlarly useful for a shape, though if they were a bit larger and longer, like a pear size/shape, then perhaps they would do better. Hand held over clamped will also have a bearing on the tool length.

I have no preference over round or hex shape tools. I have removed handles from tools and made new ones to achieve a better fit, and the Ashley Isles hook skew is a good example. I purchased the long shafted one but found it too awkward, so removed the handle and carved my own and shortened up the length of the tool. It made all the difference in the world and that tool is my favorite tool to work with now.

Experiment a bit, especially with shape and length, until you find something you like.

Bob

[Lynn O. Doughty]

Old Reliable has a really nice feel to it as it's evidently designed to be used with a lot of pressure. Also, the larger area of the handle lets you have a much better grip. Maybe that's another reason why I like that knife so much.....besides being very thin and sharp it's really comfortable to use! Now if only they would come out with a blade about an inch longer. Wow! What a knife that would be!!!