This is the tenth entry in a nineteen part series that covers the construction of one of my saws from start to finish. For links to the other entries, please see the full chronological index. -Ed.
Finishing
After drilling the holes for the nuts and bolts, I sand the handle one final time with the finest grit (usually 360 or 400), looking closely for any stray marks that need more attention.
The finish I use for most of my handles is Tru-Oil, a linseed oil based wiping finish sold for finishing gun stocks. It is fairly simple to apply (wipe on with a fingertip and/or rag), dries quickly (an hour or two in most cases), builds fast, and is durable. It certainly is not perfect, but it is as easy and good as anything else I have tried.
Tru-Oil will darken the wood and has a golden tint to it, so if you are looking for a crystal clear finish, look for something else.
Since I am about the last person you want to ask for finishing advice, this will be a short post. The best tip I can give is to use a scrap of saw blade (or the actual blade itself if you want to clean it off later) as a stand for the handles to dry on.

Saw handles in the white. The apple handle we have been following is the second from the right; it is flanked by riftsawn cherry on the left and quartersawn beech on the right.

Another shot of some more handles in the same batch. Walnut crotch on the left and right, lightly spalted walnut in the center.
With that, work on the handle has been wrapped up. From here we move on to making the spine and the blade.
In case I haven’t mentioned it yet, I’ve been thoroughly enjoying your build along. Thanks for putting it together for us!
You are welcome. I’ve had fun sharing it, although I didn’t realize quite how much time it would take up when I started. I haven’t kept track of the time spent on it, but I would guess that it takes longer to document it than to actually do the work.
Indeed! Proper documentation of anything often takes a lot of work!
(Says the guy who writes software documentation for a living…)