Reply To: Drilling hole in new tool handle – how?

The way I’ve always done it is as follows:
– mount the blank in the chuck. It should be 1.5 to 2 inches longer than the desired length of the handle.
– use a Jacobs chuck in the tail stock to drill the hole for the tang.
– mount a cone center in the tail stock which fits in the hole drilled and keeps it centered.
– turn the handle, finish on the lathe if desired, then part it off at the chuck end.
– sand off the nub left from the parting off and touch up the finish.

I’ve also done off-center turning to get oval and 3 and 4 sided handles, but that is a bit more complicated.