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Tristan, since you made your other handle and some FTE'rs offered ideas and two videos as seen here, I have been contemplating how to create my own handle.
I plan to use a wood lathe and an unknown species of wood. I have a wide variety t9 choose from on my stockpile though, so we will see. I was working with a red cedar log just yesterday in my shop for another project. The red cedar always catches my eye when it is freshly cut.
Are you going to apply a finish? Maybe a polyurethane or epoxy?
What are your thoughts on methods of attaching the handle to the lever? I have a couple in mind, but don't want to pollute your process.
Tristan, since you made your other handle and some FTE'rs offered ideas and two videos as seen here, I have been contemplating how to create my own handle.
I plan to use a wood lathe and an unknown species of wood. I have a wide variety t9 choose from on my stockpile though, so we will see. I was working with a red cedar log just yesterday in my shop for another project. The red cedar always catches my eye when it is freshly cut.
Are you going to apply a finish? Maybe a polyurethane or epoxy?
What are your thoughts on methods of attaching the handle to the lever? I have a couple in mind, but don't want to pollute your process.
I'm going to apply a Spar urethane.
I wish I had a wood lathe. I used a table saw to get the bulk of the material off, a belt sander for most of the sanding and a drill clamped in the Vise as a lathe to finish off the texture and finish rounding everything.
I'm kind of torn on how I want to do my shift **** attachment. Honestly, that she handle that I had made, all I did was drill the hole to the perfect size and beat it on with the rubber mallet. I did NOT have the first issue with it coming loose or, wiggling or anything like that. It held just like the stock one did of course not to a very long test of time but it really did seem pretty sturdy so I feel like drilling the hole to the proper size and beating it on with a mallet works fine but, I do worry about the soft Cedar wanting to wobble out after a few years. I kind of want to thread the end of the shaft and install a steel insert in the ****. I made the lower portion of the new **** big enough that i could drill itnout and install steel threads. I think for now, im going to tap it on with a dead blow mallet whilst I decide exactly how I want to do it.
Please share your ideas on the matter. Dont worry about "polluting my process." I would love to hear your ideas and would love for you to contribute to the thread so that I and others in the future could find this and maybe decide to make their own **** as well as, I enjoy your company and your knowledge very often comes in handy for not just me but many others and I'm certain, anybody that knows you would want your input on the matter as well. Personally, I will read 10 paragraphs if you write it.
The sap wood of the cedar would concern me over time, but depending on the depth of the lever into the handle and the circumference of the cedar, it may be just fine.
Were you planning on wood threads or an insert with threads?
I have gone back and forth about using a threaded insert in the wood or not. I don't know if I want to make an effort to change the top of the lever to a nut, threads or leave the splines.
I am most likely going to try and put an aluminum band at the bottom in an effort to retain the shape and integrity of the wood over time. I think aluminum would be a cleaner look over a copper band, but who knows. Perhaps I will paint the shift handle a body color or interior complimenting color instead of the black that it is now.
@Bitterroot Diesel was making a billet plate to fit at the bottom of the shift boot for a while, but I haven't seen them in stock in a while and the price was a bit high for my budget. Although, if I am doing a "makeover" of the shift handle (thanks again Joel/runningman777 for lending me the hardware). I am eyeballing some cherry burl, honey locust or perhaps a spalted maple with an oil based polyurethane on it to bring a bit more of the gold in from the body color. Time will tell...
For reference sake and future ease of finding, I have pasted the two videos below that we briefly discussed. These are not going to be a guide for me, just a bit of inspiration and maybe answers when I step back and scratch my head trying to figure out the best course of action.
You brought back the 10 paragraphs... That was funny and I appreciate the humor you bring to the community. If you keep these improvements up, you will be doing a full show and tell session at the GTG. I was doing a pre-camping season check on the truck yesterday and you inspired me to check the bell housing bolts and ZF6 mounts. All good thankfully!
Only the raw aluminum billet bezels are out of stock. Material should be here soon, but I don't know when I'll have time to make them. I still have a few hard coat black anodize.
The sap wood of the cedar would concern me over time, but depending on the depth of the lever into the handle and the circumference of the cedar, it may be just fine.
Were you planning on wood threads or an insert with threads?
I have gone back and forth about using a threaded insert in the wood or not. I don't know if I want to make an effort to change the top of the lever to a nut, threads or leave the splines.
I am most likely going to try and put an aluminum band at the bottom in an effort to retain the shape and integrity of the wood over time. I think aluminum would be a cleaner look over a copper band, but who knows. Perhaps I will paint the shift handle a body color or interior complimenting color instead of the black that it is now.
@Bitterroot Diesel was making a billet plate to fit at the bottom of the shift boot for a while, but I haven't seen them in stock in a while and the price was a bit high for my budget. Although, if I am doing a "makeover" of the shift handle (thanks again Joel/runningman777 for lending me the hardware). I am eyeballing some cherry burl, honey locust or perhaps a spalted maple with an oil based polyurethane on it to bring a bit more of the gold in from the body color. Time will tell...
For reference sake and future ease of finding, I have pasted the two videos below that we briefly discussed. These are not going to be a guide for me, just a bit of inspiration and maybe answers when I step back and scratch my head trying to figure out the best course of action.
You brought back the 10 paragraphs... That was funny and I appreciate the humor you bring to the community. If you keep these improvements up, you will be doing a full show and tell session at the GTG. I was doing a pre-camping season check on the truck yesterday and you inspired me to check the bell housing bolts and ZF6 mounts. All good thankfully!
I was thinking of a press fit style insert with some retaining compound on it of some sort. Not sure how well the retaining compound would stick to wood though. Kind of like the injector cups are held in place. Similar to that was my first thought.
I'm excited for the oil based Spar urethane I'm putting on this afternoon. It's gonna make that cedar pop. Going to final sand with 400 first. I can't wait to get of work!
I too think an aluminum band would be nice. Copper would look good to on certain colors i think. Depends on what flavor of wood you go for!
Thanks for posting the videos. I will check them out after work.
Happy to hear your bell housing bolts and transmission mounts were in good order. It was pretty easy to tell when the mount was broke for sure. The vibration in the manual shifter was ridiculous in low gear with a trailer. It was violently thrashing left to right until I got out of low. It was Bad! So happy to be done with that.
Doing a good job. I was in the garage cleaning up supplies for another project I finished yesterday and realized I have some shift handle material in there waiting to be use. I have some mahogany and other species that might be well suited for the role.
I need to get to the hardware store for some angle iron and plumbing supplies for another project and will look at what they have for aluminum pipe for a lower end collar.
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