Spatula Handle Replacement

Some years ago (2018) I replaced a tattered split wooden handle on a small stainless-steel spatula with a new Mesquite handle.    The top photo below shows the spatula with the old handle which my wife got in 1977 and at the bottom the completed mesquite handle replacement.  I did make the new handle a little larger and softened the edges more than in the original to fit my wife's hands.

At that time, we also had a second similar spatula gotten at the same time whose handle did not really need replacement.  However, in the intervening four years that spatula’s handle degraded to a point where it also needs to be replaced or fitted with a new handle.  Here is what that spatula looks like now.

I could have used another piece of mesquite to make the handle but wanted to try something different.  While looking for a handle replacement I came across a material called Micarta® used to make “scales” or handles for knives.  The one I selected is a thermoset laminate made from layers of green dyed linen and phenolic consolidated under heat and pressure.   The left two photos below show what the phenolic (top) and linen (bottom) layer looks like while the right photo shows the layeres on edge view.

The first step is to remove the rivets holding the handle in place.  That starts by using a spring-loaded punch to dimple the center (top photo) of the rivets in preparation for drilling them out.  The bottom photo shows the drilling in progress and a closer view of the punch mark on the left rivet.

This photo shows the rivets drilled out and the handle removed.  The red arrow points to one of the removed rivets.  As you can see, I did not have to drill it out completely but just deep enough to get through the flared out top section.  Once they get removed you can see where the wood around the rivets had decayed and chipped out.

Starting work on the scales is next.  There are two pieces of Micarta® in a package but because the completed handle is fairly narrow, I can take one of the scales and cut it in half.  However, first is to put a finished, polished rounded edge on one end of the blank.  This is the end that will taper down to make a smooth transition to the blade of the spatula.  The shaping and finishing process is not covered here but will be later.  With that done a strip of masking tape gets put on the blank and a knife edge marking gauge is used to cut a line down the center of the blank.  The left photo shows the marking gauge and the line.  The right photo is a closer view of the business end of the gauge.  The knife edge is a reground X-Acto blade.  Side note the marking gauge is one I made out of lacewood.

The bandsaw is used to cut the blank apart.  It works well and since it has a thin kerf not much material gets removed when making the cut.

While the bandsaw makes a narrow cut and a decent surface, they do need some clean up before moving on.  This gets done using the big disk sander.  The surface is by no means finished but it’s what’s needed at this point.

After the edges are cleaned up a thin offset gets routed the same thickness as the blade.  This offset is only 21 thousandths of an inch thick.  This is so there won’t be a gap due to the blade’s thickness when the handles get attached.  The top photo shows the router setup.  The piece of plywood with the handle keeps the blank square with the fence and my fingers away from the router bit.  The middle photo is a closer look and the bottom photo is of the finished routed offset.

The handles can be attached either mechanically as in riveted like the original handles or attached with an adhesive.  I decided to use a long cure epoxy because I like the no hardware look and the finished piece won’t be under much stress.  If I were making a big machete used for chopping or something that was under a lot of stress or shock load then I would use a mechanical fastener along with the epoxy.  The top photo shows the initial setup I used to align the handle with the blade.  Because the handle is slightly thinner than the blade two playing cards set under the handle raises it up so it’s centered and in-line with the blade.  In the bottom photo the epoxy has been applied and the handle halves clamped in place.  This will be left alone for a full 24 hours to cure.

In the top photo the clamps are removed and the handle is ready for shaping.  There are a few places where the epoxy needs to be cleaned up but it’s good and solid.  Next is to flush the two sides and round the handle’s end using the big disk sander.   From there the drum sander is used so the center section of the handle gets slightly narrowed to form a waist.  After that a 1/8” radius bit is put in the router and the edges are very carefully routed.  Being careful is important since it would a bad thing if the spinning bit contacted the blade.  From there it’s back to the drum sander to touch up the sides which is what the bottom photo shows.  The light white line across the handle is a reference mark for the start of the waist's curved edge.

Final shaping is done by hand sanding the edges until the handle feels good when held.  Only a couple changes in profile were required.  First, the curved transition from the side to the top got softened so the transition to the top flat is more gradual.  Second, in the waist area the overall size of the arc was made larger and the transition to the flat top is more gradual.  In both cases the side to top transition more resembles an ellipse versus the initial circular arc cut with the router.  It’s all a matter of what feels comfortable.  The photo shows the clamping setup and the first set of dry sandpaper grits starting with a coarse 120 grit and ending with a fine 600 grit.  The bottom photo shows the handle with all that done.

Next is to wet sand working through finer grits until ending at 1500 grit.  When that’s done the surface looks like the top photo.  Most of the scratches are gone but the surface does not have as high a polish as I want.  The final polishing is done on the lathe using a flannel/cotton mix buff loaded with white diamond abrasive. 

The end result is shown in the photo along with the four-year-old mesquite handled spatula with its lacquer finish that’s been in continuous use.  My guess is the new set of Micarta® handles will do at least as well.  I mentioned the profile of the handles depend on what feels good to the user.  As you can see the two spatulas handles are slightly different in shape.  The mesquite was shaped to be comfortable in my wife’s hands and the Micarta® one in mine.  Neither is uncomfortable to use it’s just that one feels a little better than the other depending on the user.

I would be the first to admit that doing the handle replacement would not stand up to a financial cost/benefit analysis since the cost of the Micarta® scales is probably half the cost of a new spatula.  That said there is a case to be made for reuse and repair of things versus just throwing them away and buying new.  An equally good or better reason is woodworking is a hobby and I derive a lot of satisfaction from the work.  In the final analysis I suppose that's a good enough reason.

Compound Sliding Miter Saw Dust Collection - #2 Completion & Testing

After the front piece is cut the long back brace piece is next.  It’s cut to height and longer than needed since I don’t know yet where the right end of the collector will end up.  The vertical attachment point is also made although for now it’s just roughly clamped in place.  The final location shown here gets set once the collector is completed.

Next the two sides of the collector’s dust chute on the far right are cut out of ¼” plywood and screwed in place.  These are a couple of pieces that got cut more than once before I got everything square, aligned correctly and tight.  Once they get fitted the left end piece is made from ¾” plywood and screwed in place.

Here the top photo shows the back spacer with a hole in it where the vacuum hose will get connected.  The spacer just adds some thickness to make the hose’s friction fit more stable.   It is glued and screwed on the long back brace.  Now, when initially installed the long back brace did not have a hole.  Once the glue cured a hole is drilled through the spacer and the underlying long back piece.  Because I don’t have a bit the same size as the hose the closest smaller bit got used followed by enlarging it with the oscillating drum sander.  Also shown is a filler piece better shown in the bottom photo which it taken with the collector upside down.  The bevel on the left side of it goes up against the rounded rotating part of the saw’s mechanism.

At this point the collector is mostly built except for a couple of small braces that get glued to the left and right sides of the collector’s dust chute (red arrows) plus the top which is screwed but not glued in place.

Next, is a simple manifold built for the two hoses that come off the chop saw.  It also includes a hole in its bottom and a connector for the HEPA vacuum hose.  Speaking of the hoses, the ones that connect the saw to the manifold came from an old hand-held vacuum that we hadn’t used in years.

These two photos show how the vacuum is attached to the PVC connector that comes out the bottom of the above manifold.  In the center of the right photo there is an electrical cord plugged into the vacuum.  That’s the power cord for the chop saw.  When the chop saw is started the vacuums senses that then turns itself on.  When the saw is stopped the vacuum runs for another 15 seconds to clear the hoses of dust then shuts off.

Next is to make a connecter to go between the top dust port and the hose.  This is done using a short section of PVC pipe turned down using the lathe so it fits inside the dust port on the saw.  The setup for turning the piece on the lathe is shown in the top photo.  The bottom photo shows it (red arrow) in place along with a 45-degree PVC fitting and the hose all connected.  On the back side of the saw there is a screw that holds the PVC connector in place.

Last before final testing is to locate and attach the vertical attachment point then add a bolt and wing nut that will hold everything in place yet allow the dust collector to be easily removed when rotating or tilting the saw.

With that done everything is all together and ready for final testing.  The first thing to do is to make the blade relief cut through the top of the collector by bringing the fully retracted saw down to make a full depth cut.  The red arrow points to the completed cut in the collector. 

Next is to start making test cuts to see if and how everything works.  The good news is that most of the dust gets captured and sucked into the vacuum under the saw.  I say most because there were some places where the collector did not fit tight enough against the rotating part of the saw and some sawdust was escaping out some pretty small gaps.  Once identified those spaces get blocked with some foam weatherstripping I had on hand.  The top photos below show views of the left and right sides of the collector while the bottom one shows the underneath side of the collector. 

Once in place they blocked off the escaping sawdust and the whole collector/vacuum assembly works really well.  Depending on the cut the dust collection is not 100% but I think better than 95% of it gets captured and am happy with that.  The photo below shows the finished collector system done and in place with the left-hand adjustable fence removed for clarity.  I will say that having the vacuum come on with the saw then run after for a bit is really nice since I don’t have to remember to turn the vacuum on before making a cut.