Turned Replacement Handle: ALDI Hi-Pressure Air Pump

The original handle on this hi-pressure bicycle tire air pump was made from two pieces of formed plastic snapped together. It flexed so much in use that it didn’t take long for it to break so badly that I almost cut my wrist on the sharp edges of the break.

From time to time I pick up from our local dollar store short dowel cut-offs in whatever thicknesses are offered. I have several pieces 2-3/4" thick, about 10" long. One of these was perfect for what I wanted: a beefy handle more suited to my paws and that would outlive the pump.

Finish is made up of several buffed-dry applications of WATCO “Natural” Danish Oil while still on the lathe.

I hadn’t fired up the lathe in quite a few months. I was glad to see that I hadn’t forgotten how to rough out the desired shape by eye and with calipers. A good little project that corrected a manufacturer’s design flaw, for the cost of a little bit of electricity, and the cost of the dowel: about fifty cents.