Reply To: Tool Handles

Just a point on Danish Oil: Not all Danish oils are the same recipe. In the UK, for instance, it’s very different than in the US. I used a Danish oil in the US that I liked made by Deft. I used it for 20 years and found it easily repaired and renewed and I also liked its non-invasive feel after several coats because I still felt as though I was touching the wood. I haven’t found that to be the case with UK manufactured Danish oil, which feels more like a surface treatment. I say this because when we mention Danish oil we may not be talking the same product. Danish oil is usually but not always a mix of varnish and oil. The higher the varnish content, the more the protection but the higher the plastic feel. On the other hand, the lower the varnish, the less build or thickness you get. Boiled Linseed Oil was always the preferred oil of my youth and I still like its feel on my hammer shaft. European Danish oil dries quickly and that’s an advantage too. The tools I use the most seem to need no added treatments. Hand planes and saws and the like. Of course, using them is the best treatment of oil, I mean all.