I recently bought a used Swan 3" slick. The handle doesn't seem to have the best fit to the socket. It looks like to sits too far out of the socket - about 3/8inch from being fully seated. Is this normal? should it fit deeper? Should the handle be a press fit into the socket and should the socket firmly retain the handle?

Brad
I turned an ash handle for my slick. It was not kiln dried but was air dried for a year. When I finished the taper I left it a little long, just in case it shrunk at all in diameter. I like to take mine apart so it fits in my Timber Framers chisel roll. It is a friction fit. Push it together , then give it a tap on a chunk of wood (handle down, use the weight of the slick to seat it)
NEVER trust the fit, ALWAYS carry the slick by the steel neck.
If the space bothers you, try trimming a little at a time of the small end, if the first cut ddoes not allow it to seat deeper then the taper is wrong and should be redone......learning to turn wood is fun.

Bob

Brad:

If the shoulder of the handle doesn't match up with the edge of the socket, don't worry about it. What matters is a good, tight, friction fit. In fact if the shoulder is bearing on the edge of the socket, it might actually prevent the handle from seating all the way. If you're not getting a good fit, lightly clean off the handle with some sandpaper, then re-insert the handle, and give it a little twist. Then look at the handle, and look for the dirty spot, which will indicate the high spot. Sand that down and repeat until you get a good fit. Make an index mark on the handle and the socket so that you always insert the handle in the same place (rotationally?).

Most importantly, listen to Bob's excellent advice about never carrying a slick by the handle. Always hold it by the socket.