This project will show how you can make these one-of-a-kind wooden key grips over an afternoon – with hand tools only

1. HANDMADEKEYGRIPS

2. For a small project like this, I love going full Neanderthal from start to finish – so
can you as the method used is easy to master even for someone with limited ex-
perience using hand tools. All you need is a few house or car keys, some scrap
wood and a few hours of shop time.
Using lamination
A key grip consists of two matching
pieces with the centre hollowed out
to house the key’s shaft. While a
router plane can be used to hollow out
such a recess, the plane is not a
common tool found in the average shop.
I came up with a simpler solution:
lamination.
The grip is made of three pieces instead
of two, with the middle piece cut out to
fit the key’s shaft (see the diagram to
the right for the template).
By stacking and working multiple pieces
together, you can make several grips at
the same time.
Selecting the wood
Any scrap hardwood lying around
in your shop is a perfect candidate
for this project. I like to mix types
of wood, for example, using a
different species for the middle piece.
My grips are about 7mm to 8mm in final thickness for a shaft
that is 2mm thick. I start with blanks about 3mm thick and about
40 x 80mm in width and length.

3. Preparing the pieces
1 Gather the blanks and trace the design on the top piece.
2 Use double-faced tape to hold the top and bottom pieces together,
then plane the middle piece to the exact thickness of the key’s shaft.

4. Cutting the top and bottom pieces as a stack
3 Clamp the stack of top and bottom pieces in a vice and use
a fret saw to cut out the profile on the waste side of the line.
4 Leave the lower part of the waste on the stack as a handle for clamping. Finish
the stack to shape with a rasp. Rasp the stack to the line in a side-to-side man-
ner to avoid blow-outs.
5 For the arc, use a round rasp or file to remove the waste to the line.
6 Sand the stack smooth and cut the pieces out.

5. Cutting the middle pieces
7 Place the key’s shaft in the centre of
the middle piece and lay out the contour.
8 Cut out the middle piece along the
contour line with a fretsaw …
9 … checking the fit of the cut-out with
the key.
Assembling the pieces
10 To assemble, join the middle piece
to the bottom piece with CA glue.
Clamp together, paying attention to
the alignment of the edges, and let the glue
cure.
11 Apply CA glue to the middle piece,
the key’s shaft (on both sides), and
the top piece sparingly. Clamp everything
together.

6. Drilling the key-ring hole
12 After the glue is cured, drill a key-ring
hole on the grip and countersink the
hole.
Sanding and finishing
13 Sand everything smooth, putting a
slight chamfer on the edges.
14 Finally, apply a few coats of an oil
finish of your choice to bring out the
grain.
You can find various ways to personalise your grips
such as using a template that mirrors the shape of
your car. There will be no shortage of keys for you to
work on once family and friends know about your
newly acquired technique. But, can you find enough af-
ternoons to meet the demand?
For more useful crafts and woodworking projects please check here:
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