# Thompson Lathe Tool Handles



## Eric_S

Thanks for the review Bob. I saw these just a few days ago in one of my recent winter tool catalogs and was curious about them. I may have to pick these up in the future. How long are they?


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## reggiek

Great review….I too favor a heavier handle….gives you alot more stability and is much safer as the handle will not split as easy as the cheap wood ones…I have had one blow and luckliy for me the tool hit he guard on my lathe (gotta love the Powermatic lathes). I also like the ability to add more shot to make them heavier or lighter for balance….I too will look into these…I have been making my own with steel pipe imbedded in wood handles - but it is alot of work and time consuming.


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## Big_Bob

Eric:
They come in 12, 16, and 20 inch sizes. I got the 20 inch.


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## StumpyNubs

I dunno, I just feel dirty buying handles for lathe tools when i could turn my own on the lathe. Seems wrong… But that's just me, I know others feel differently.


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## Big_Bob

Jim:
For spindle turning you could be right. I have found that with a large bowl gouge working with on a large out-of-round bowl blank the greater the mass of the handle the less the turner gets beat-up turning. Remember the rule in Physics, Force = Mass x Acceleration. The greater the mass of the tool the less the acceleration on the turner.


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## Gerry1942

I have a lot of lathe tools including a Thompson 1/2 inch bowl gouge I bought about 5 months ago. While my Easy Wood Finisher is still my favorite , my Thompson is a very close second. It is a a beautiful work of art itself 
as well as highly functional gouge. It holds an edge better than my other 3 Bowl gouges. The handles contain a fine shot and can be balanced to suit the user.. The price is competitive with other similar two part tools. It comes with your name laser cut in the handle at no extra charge.


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