# gaggia wooden handle mod



## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Having an afternoon spare and not happy with the cheap plastic handle on my classic, I thought I could do better, Red Oak handle with matching redoak and walnut tamper

Cheers Jim


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## GCGlasgow (Jul 27, 2014)

Nice, good way to spend an afternoon, is there much weight on the tamper?


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Almost none, very light, but to my mind the 20lb pressure comes from the user - the benefit of wood is that I've been able to make an exact fit to the filter 58.5mm approx.- and the wood wont scrape the filter, however I have got an SS discs to place on its tamping face, later.

~


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## h1udd (Sep 1, 2015)

I love it ! .... nice craftsmanship .. please, tell, where did you get the wood from ?


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Free, I used to make driftwood box,s from - you guessed it driftwood I find on the sefton coast - http://www.driftwoodbox.co.uk - my old website - I got made redundant last year from the charity I worked for so I might have to go back into production, I only stopped when I worked out I was making just £2 an hour !! oh the life of an artisan craftsman -

~~


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## timmyjj21 (May 10, 2015)

Nice. How does the handle stay on? Liberal amounts of glue, or a nufty hidden bolt?


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

a little epoxy resin, but to be honest it was an interference fit that will stay on by itself- I toyed with bolting through again but it would be overkill, the only reason its bolted on is the plastic handles would be loose otherwise, I think its because of the variance in the metal castings, and its a cheap easy way to secure them as they are hollow. The hollow bit is what bugged me the portafilter is a good solid casting then attached to it is a cheap plastic handle, even Bakelite would have been better.


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## h1udd (Sep 1, 2015)

hmmm, I hate people with natural talent







.... nah, not really, envious of your ability


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

Nice work! Wish I had the skills, tools, time and space to be able to make stuff. Must be not only useful but also very fulfilling (maybe not if you have to make a living from it at £2/h though) ?


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

having a workshop under the house helps, I was one of the last few years that they ran metalwork and woodwork olevels before the switch to CDT in the 80,s as a result people don't get the chance to really learn to use wood or metal - funnily enough I went on to study design in Wood, metal and ceramics, - Its never to late to start a new hobby ;-)


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## h1udd (Sep 1, 2015)

I was just trying to work out if I should start roasting or buy a lathe .. I wonder whats more fulfilling ?


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

You sound a similar age to me then. I did woodwork and metalwork at school (but didn't take them at O level cos I wasn't very good at them!) ?


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

do both- run the roaster off a stepped pulley on the lathe- apart from the fire risk everything should be fine. Seriously making a wooden coffee tamper is dead easy.


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## h1udd (Sep 1, 2015)

Hmm, what do you think the most basic spec lathe I could get away with to turn PF and lever handles would be ?

I see them for £90 on line ... Which means I need to spend £300 in reality ... Then there are the tools


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Its just process's and experience like most things, many schools had woodwork and metalwork down for the thick kids so they could start a life of manual labour and not bother the universities, since I got made redundant I've spent a lot of time odd jobbing for sparks, joiners and decorators, all in my opinion highly skilled professions but badly paid, I sometimes wonder why dentists get paid so well for a basic manual job- but then I'm jealous and earning £50 a day ! come the revolution!


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

For something small like handles, any small wood lathe would do

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WORKZONE-WOOD-TURNING-LATHE-/111870160246?hash=item1a0bfb2d76:g:4VMAAOSw5dNWkSa3

That one would do it, you only need a big lathe for big work, it wouldn't take long to learn how to use it there are loads in lathe bids on YouTube showing technique, the trick would be to get some hardwood offcuts from eBay to use - softwood will give poor results.

Like most things you can end up buying expensive extras but for the past few 100 yrs wood turners used these -






with great results


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## baileyt (Jan 31, 2016)

Good work! Did you consider making a matching steam knob also?


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

baileyt said:


> Good work! Did you consider making a matching steam knob also?


I am looking into it - but it will require a certain amount of disassembly to remove and replace it, alternatively I may make a wooden cover that fits over the plastic one, watch this space !


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## Rhys (Dec 21, 2014)

jimbojohn55 said:


> I am looking into it - but it will require a certain amount of disassembly to remove and replace it, alternatively I may make a wooden cover that fits over the plastic one, watch this space !


Was going to suggest the same.. Could always remove the centre bit of the steam knob and epoxy it in a middle of a wooden one?

We used to have an old lathe that took a Wolf Tools electric drill (which went bang) so my dad rigged up a large electric motor, ran a pulley off this onto the lathe and used a light switch to turn it on and off. He used to make Scarborough reels for payment of fishing trips he went on to Whitby. I used to turn bits of wood on it as well, or rather reduce broom handles to matchsticks...


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## Jumbo Ratty (Jan 12, 2015)

jimbojohn55 said:


> ~
> View attachment 18776


Very nice indeed. I think it's given it a touch of class.

Definitely the best looking 2015 classic ive seen


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## ChiangMaiKevin (Dec 18, 2017)

I'm going to try teak wood


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## li69b7 (Dec 27, 2017)

Nice


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## crxxx1 (Dec 28, 2017)

A matching steam knob would be so cool!


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