I have a brother who is wanting to make a couple wood handles in a shop class. I have no experience with wood handles.

First question is what is a good type of wood to use for handles?

Second is what is the proper way to finish the handle to seal it completely?

Third question should i have him bore a hole to the largest diameter of the blank that each handle will mount too and use tape arbors to make it a tight fit as the blank tapers?

any and all input is appreciated

You can use nearly any wood that you like. But, remember, the harder the wood, typically the heavier is the wood. So, soft woods can make excellent handles and they finish nicely.
A very simple finish is to use a couple of coats of epoxy thread finish with a light sanding between coats.
Other folks will use spar varnish, tru coat, or some other finish.

The idea of boring a hole to the largest diameter of the blank is a good one which will make is easier to mount on the blank.

Another idea that works very well is to take a foam arbor that is perhaps 1/4 inch smaller than the wood handle. Then bore out the inside of the wood handle to match the OD of the foam arbor. Then, ream out the foam arbor for a perfect fit to the blank. Then, glue up the foam arbor into the wood handle and onto the blank at the same time. This give a nice uniform fit with a much lighter grip due to most of it being foam.

Good luck

Hello Brody.

May I ask, is this handle going to be on a surf rod?
Will it be drilled through or will it have a male ferrule?
Will it be a fore grip or an aft or butt grip?
Is this rod to be used in a rod holder? And if so what type of rod holder?

I can go on but this should get you thinking.

Hope it helps.

Tight Wraps & Tighter Lines.

Bob,

New Bern, NC.

Brody my friend has only one functioning arm. He puts his rods in a stainless ring attached to his belt so he needs a fairly substantial grip. For years we have been making them out of cedar. The one thing about cedar is when it is turned down and reamed out it is not much heavier than cork so the rod stays balanced. Although soft it holds up very well. We finish all of them with Flex Coat high build and they look good for years. Your brother will have fun making it and the grip will be quite functional and good looking.

He drills the hole out close on the lathe then we ream it to fit.

Good luck and post photos when your finished.

Tom

I also have built many handles from Western Red Cedar. They are very light and holdup well. For finish I've used Thread finish, Poly and true oil. The only problem I've had is with poly. Found I needed to refinish every year because of chipping and moisture getting under the finish. Used many other woods for handles that were great looking but heavy.

I was thinking about doing this and like the idea of using foam in the center to help keep the weight down.  How well does the foam core, wood shell transfer vibrations?

Planning on putting it on a 6 to 7 foot medium light extra fast blank for walleye jigging.
I plan on giving him the finished rod when he graduates high school this spring.

I never thought about using foam arbors on the inside. I will look into that idea before he starts the process.

I was thinking about having him make it in a split grip configuration to help keep weight down.

If the handle is sanded smooth would a few coats of perma-gloss be a good option as a finish

Brody,
It is so simple to use 2 coats of flex coat thread finish that it is tough to beat the convenience and long lasting results of the finish.

Take care

Hello Brody.

6-7', jigging and no rod holders.

I would go with Cored Cedar Grips with 1-2 coats Thread Finish.
With coring you drill a hole through the grip as close to the size of your arbor material as you can and build the grip on a mandrel, once built ream to fit.
The instructions can be found Volume 14 Issue 6 Page 16 of RodMaker Magazine ("Grip Coring Great Looks-Less Weight" By Tom Kirkman.

The Thread Finish is a little heaver than the PG but gives a better feel (it's softer, so easier on your hands).

You can go to the RodMaker site and order a back-issue if you don't have one.

Tight Wraps & Tighter Lines.

Bob,

New Bern, NC.

Permagloss makes a very tough finish that will never be affected by sun, or water. Soak a sponge brush in finish and apply while it's still on the mandrel spinning. One side to the other about 1 inch a second seems to work well on wood, or graphite grips.

Brody,

Permagloss works fantastic for this type of application! It will slightly darken the wood, allowing the grain to show better. It won't be a high gloss finish, but it holds up well.

Take care,

Chris

I have recently built several fly rods with wood handles - Bradford pear, and birds eye maple are my go to woods..
I am woodturner, also, and after trying to finish a number of bowls, my preferred finish is BirchWood Casey Tru - Oil. it takes about 6 coat, but you get a nice gloss finish, and since it is a build up finish, you can rejuvenate it, by just putting on alight coat.

I have recently built several fly rods with wood handles - Bradford pear, and birds eye maple are my go to woods..
I am woodturner, also, and after trying to finish a number of bowls, my preferred finish is BirchWood Casey Tru - Oil. it takes about 6 coat, but you get a nice gloss finish, and since it is a build up finish, you can rejuvenate it, by just putting on alight coat.

I have recently built several fly rods with wood handles - Bradford pear, and birds eye maple are my go to woods..
I am woodturner, also, and after trying to finish a number of bowls, my preferred finish is BirchWood Casey Tru - Oil. it takes about 6 coat, but you get a nice gloss finish, and since it is a build up finish, you can rejuvenate it, by just putting on alight coat.

I have recently built several fly rods with wood handles - Bradford pear, and birds eye maple are my go to woods..
I am woodturner, also, and after trying to finish a number of bowls, my preferred finish is BirchWood Casey Tru - Oil. it takes about 6 coat, but you get a nice gloss finish, and since it is a build up finish, you can rejuvenate it, by just putting on alight coat.