Metalworking a Replacement D-Handle

This D-handle build came about when the grandkids and I decided that we needed a wagon to haul our buckets of fishing gear and poles back to the lake instead of carrying them.

Instead of buying one we decided to make one out of material in the scrap pile. When the wagon was almost finished, I looked around for a commercially available D-handle to attach to the tongue (the piece that connects the handle to the wagon body). Not finding one, I decide that I could try making one. The handle in the pictures is the result.

The handle can be made out of any weldable pipe or, for that matter, square tube. I chose a ¾” electrical conduit, mainly because it was handy. At 16″ long, it had room for a four inch grip area in the middle and six inches per side to form the “D” part and mount section.

I started with a 16″ long ¾” diameter electrical conduit. The grip and wagon tongue size will determine the size of your materials.

Cut the ring marks to the long felt tip mark (shown in the image) leaving about a ¼”.

Now, cut the long way splitting the ends more or less in half.

This is what it looks like when you are done cutting.

After you have cut your metal, you can begin bending the sides.

Flatten the metal from where the future grip will be to two inches from the end that will be the mount.

This is what it should look like after you’ve flattened it.

Bend it over and tap lightly to make it snug.

Check it and then bend it to make the sides parallel.

Spot weld as shown.

Finish up by bending your piece into the shape of a D-handle.

This is the first step in the bending.

You are halfway done at this point.

Your handle is now more or less finished.

Clean up the fold and finish grinding (get ride of those sharp/pointy corners).

It is almost ready for paint. In this picture you can see the spot weld heat signature.

Here it is painted and ready to go! Cross drill mounting holes in the half round and you should be ready to attach it to whatever you need it for.

After finishing two of these handles (I didn’t take pictures of the first one) I realized there were several other possible ways this handle could be made. The more you make, the more you see how to make other things.