Awl hafts may be of solid wood, with awl blades fixed by drilling narrow holes and then friction fitting the tang of the blade into the haft. Awl blades may also be made with chucks or collets that grip awl blades of varying shapes and diameters, tightened by screw threads.
Many awl hafts designed for shoemaking have flared pommels, creating concave coves toward the end of the haft. These hoves can be used to wrap thread and pull it taught during inseaming and outseaming.