Anyone use house handles?

[Kentucky]

Ive never ordered from house handles before, anyone have any comments on shipping time, handle quaility etc? Also how much difference is there in their lower grade and "AA" grade handles? Thanks

[sutured]

I posted this before, but here's what I found with househandle:

Maybe I was unlucky, but I ordered four axe handles from househandle (grade AA), and they were all terrible. Bad grain, inconsistent shape, tool marks that had to be filed and sanded out, and all of them covered in a thick, blister-forming shellac that takes a long time to sand off. While the prices were better than the local hardware stores, the quality was, if anything, worse. I wouldn't have selected any of them if I could have seen them first.

With postage being what it is I didn't try to return them, so I don't have any comment on the customer service. I just used them on heads I didn't care much about. But I definitely won't be ordering from them again.

At this point I'm trying to find a supply of hickory logs to split into blanks so I can make my own handles. It's not that I'm that particular, but how hard is it to cut a handle so the grain runs the correct way? Seems like only one in thirty handles is made properly.

[Square_peg]

I recently bought two handles from House Handle. I ordered AA handles. In the comments box I requested octagonal shaping, no lacquer and a grain within 20° of vertical. I asked them not to ship to me if they couldn't fulfill those requirements. I didn't hear back from them about receiving my order. I watched my bank account for a charge for a couple weeks and didn't see anything. Then 3 weeks after I had placed the order they showed up on my doorstep. Nice handles. No lacquer. Great grains, one about 15° off of vertical and the other off by maybe 2°. There were uneven router marks at the shoulders but they were very easy to smooth out with a rasp - took less than 60 seconds.

In summary, the communication wasn't great but the axe handles were. They were precisely what I ordered. I definitely plan on ordering from them again.

[Double Ott]

I have had great luck with house handle. I have at least six o 7 handles from them. I did ask for what I wanted in the comments section and I received just what I asked for. Just before they completed my order they called me and asked if I wanted to have the handles lacquered...I told them no thank you.

I have two other friends on another forum that are part of the "Axe Mob" that have also had very good luck with house handle. They even did a custom handle for one of them.

I'll definitely order from them again.

[coreboy]

i second everything Peg said

[jwaj]

I'm thinking about giving them a try. Just wanted to try out one of their octagonals. Thanks for the comments tip Square_peg.

[dw01]

House does great work, ships fast and the price is right.

[trailmaker]

I'm not finding any octagonal handles on their site or a "comments" section. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

[coreboy]

when making a purchase in "shopping cart" just add it in on the bottom of page

[Square_peg]

What coreboy said.

[trailmaker]

Copy that, thanks.

[Operator1975]

I have that black raven double bit and a nos 42 octagonal I think I make hang with. Or would a regular size db look goofy on a handle that long?

[VintageAxe]

There's only one way to find out... I'm sure some old timer somewhere tried it.

Back to house handles, does anyone know what kind of wood they are? I got some at a hardware store years ago, and the wood was a darker tanner color than I'm used to seeing in hickory, and some of them had cross-grain rays that remind me of oak. I also had trouble with some big pores (I have no idea what the technical term for these is) that wound up splitting open and ruining the handle. It sounds like nobody here has run into that, which is good news. Might have to get some more from the website...

[Square_peg]

I have that black raven double bit and a nos 42 octagonal I think I make hang with. Or would a regular size db look goofy on a handle that long?

I think it would look alright so long as you used an axe at least 10" wide.

Back to house handles, does anyone know what kind of wood they are? I got some at a hardware store years ago, and the wood was a darker tanner color than I'm used to seeing in hickory, and some of them had cross-grain rays that remind me of oak.

I got one of those tan colored handles from them. Seems alright so far but I haven't really had it all that long. One thing, there are many varieties of hickory. I don't know how the different varieties compare structurally.

You raise a good point that deserves further research.

[Steve Tall]

A couple videos posted by House Handle showing axe handles and hawk handles being made. An axe handle takes about 1 minute and 15 seconds to carve on the lathe, while a hawk handle takes only 6 or 7 seconds.