I finally got around to making handles for some small files:
You’re allowed to drill wood on a metal lathe, although running a vacuum cleaner to collect the fine dust is a Good Idea:
Yes, I could 3D print nice knurled handles, but these are something of an homage to my father’s small files with similar wood handles.
I’ve been meaning to do this for … decades …
I’ve turned handles for all my files from wood, did a lot of them from chunks from 2×4 or similar. Though I did just find the lost chainsaw file, which uses a piece of branch for a handle.
Sounds like a field expedient repair!
A metal lathe with carbide insert tooling (the type with chipbreaker grooves is good) makes a fairly decent woodworking lathe.
I’m fairly inept with traditional woodworking tools, but managed to turn a nice walnut box and a candle stick from a piece of loquat tree. As I recall, I used a carbide boring bar for the interiors. The candlestick was turned with wet wood, then turned again several years later.
Tiny Lathe™ uses carbide inserts, so I could start making pens. Given my level of dexterity, pen-making cries out for a CNC lathe … [sigh]