About two hours more work (for two handles) mostly with a spokeshave and a knife, but also with some rasp work and a pencil to mark what I want to do at each step, as it’s easy to lose track of what I’m doing otherwise.

I am taking both handles along to today’s Eldorado Farmers Market to see which the guy prefers. The one pictured here has a slight waist in the middle when viewed from the top, which makes a bigger difference in how it feels than I expected. The pencil will go along as well, so I can mark the correct length on the shaft that goes with the handle he picks.

The carving vise that’s doing almost all of my workholding as I work on the handles is the cheap Chinese green carving vise that a ton of people sell in slightly different shades of green (or sometimes red). They go for about $180 post-tariff-madness, but there are deals to be found if you search a lot. “Patternmakers carving vise” is the search term I used, and it tells me that Taylor Toolworks has the best price today, at $150.


P.s. The granadillo layer on this handle has the grain running perpendicular to the grain of the handle. I don’t think it’ll make any difference in strength, but the appearance of the two will differ a little. I’ll see if anyone notices…