Three new tools, so three new handles. My first dip into the under-steel boutique tools, so got into the good woods. I spent some time recently going through all my handles....factory handles, ones I had made.... trying to figure out what I like. I found I prefer a straight cylinder (boring) in the range of 1 1/8" to 1 3/8". Stuart Batty in his catalogue says his handles are 1.3" and that is perfect; that's 1 5/16, so that was my target on two of them, a little smaller on one.
Carter & Son 3/8 spindle gouge, in a padauk handle 1 3/16 x 10". The ferrule is from a pex female sweat adapter, that idea lifted from someone here. Shellac finish. Also, a 1/2" Carter Mike Mahoney 'The Cleaner' bowl gouge, with a Oneway ferrule, in a wenge handle. The wenge was sold to me as bloodwood, but when I opened it up, nope, wenge. Which is fine. Thinned marine varnish finish. I'm not sure about the Oneway ferrule; sound idea, but I don't know if I will do another one.
Also, a Hunter Badger #5 tool. I did a stair job a bunch of years ago; the college wood program I taught in milled some ash from lumber harvested on a property first homesteaded by Highland soldiers who had fought at the siege of Fortress Louisbourg, here in Cape Breton, and still in the family, Then I did the stairs later. I had some left; I knew there was going to be something pretty at the bottom end, but when I turned it I found that it was all pretty curly. Beautiful. Marine wiping varnish again.
After doing my little research project, and discovering my preferred range of diameter, some of my factory handles are WAY bigger than that (thinking big Taylor handles here), and now I can't stand them, so new handles on the list for them.