Screwdrivers in Black Walnut

I too, used the screwdriver shanks from Lee Valley and made 2 sets of screwdrivers for Christmas presents. I was only able to take pictures of one set. Handles are made from Black Walnut, 1 coat danish oil, 6-7 coats clear laquer. Initials were burned into the handle top using a wood burning kit (before finishing).

As seen in the pictures, I made my own ferrules using 3/4 ID copper tube caps. The reason for this (and the main reason for this post) is because I had read from many others making screwdrivers using the Lee Valley shanks and ferrules was that they experienced splitting when driving the shanks into the handle without cutting guide slots with a jigsaw blade. So I had guessed that the reason for the splitting was that the Lee Valley ferrules are to narrow. Using the 3/4 ID copper caps I drove all shanks in, minus guide cuts without a single split! So I hope this helps someone in the future. Plus, I like the look of copper. :)

Thanks to Loogie and JamesVavra for the inspiration. I handn’t touched a lathe since grade school and thought I’d give it a shot. I’m a novice for sure, but I think I did alright.