2x4 axe handle... Let's find out.

quinton said:
Mine too.
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Me three.

Around here 2x4s are often Douglas fir. One supplier I've been using sends us a lot of #1's and even a few 'Select Structural' grade - prime timber. While I wouldn't attempt a handle out of Doug fir I bet I could get some work done with a good piece of select structural.
 
A handle made from heavy, and grainy southern pine would hold up for a long time. There would be plenty of strength there for a handle, but not the compression strength it would need to be durable at the eye.
 
Whiskey_Jim said:
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That's a real ugly piece of wood! And not even a hardwood. Firs and/or red-type pines (what you seem to have there) are stiff and brittle. It's gonna let go (maybe even before you're done shaping, carving and fitting) right where that "killer" knot is located 1/3 of the way up from the eye.
For gosh sakes do yourself a great favour and seek out a decent piece of lumber before expending an inordinate amount of time and effort on trying to make an axe handle.
 
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Well I beat her on the rotten leftovers of last winter and the head didn't move, handle didn't break. Up next is a fallen cedar tree I have been beating on.
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300Six said:
That's a real ugly piece of wood! And not even a hardwood. Firs and/or red-type pines (what you seem to have there) are stiff and brittle. It's gonna let go (maybe even before you're done shaping, carving and fitting) right where that "killer" knot is located 1/3 of the way up from the eye.
For gosh sakes do yourself a great favour and seek out a decent piece of lumber before expending an inordinate amount of time and effort on trying to make an axe handle.
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I have maybe 15 handles on deck. This is just some harmless fun. That head will get a proper hang when the handle reaches the failure point.
 
Whiskey_Jim said:
Well I beat her on the rotten leftovers of last winter and the head didn't move, handle didn't break. Up next is a fallen cedar tree I have been beating on.
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This is pretty cool idea i wonder how long one with nice grain and no bad knots like that would last thanks for trying it out
 
Update. Beat it on some more of last years firewood. One piece proudly took 20+ hits to knock in half. The head has moved a little off is the seat. Still won't break. I'm rather impressed in the performance but I left A LOT of wood on the handle. It took a lot of dead on smacks to knots.
 
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Any old piece of wood will last for a few sessions of chopping, especially when you're leery of it's performance and durability to start with. But carry on! Folks that used axes for a living were quite (through experience) discriminating about what they went forward with (down time is money and inconvenience) but today's weekend warriors and recreational users (that'd include me) could easily get by with clear Spruce, Pine, Basswood or Cedar handles, and never know the difference.
Problem with your 'laddy' is knots. No amount of wood quality can or will overcome inherent flaws.
 
Square_peg said:
Me three.

Around here 2x4s are often Douglas fir. One supplier I've been using sends us a lot of #1's and even a few 'Select Structural' grade - prime timber. While I wouldn't attempt a handle out of Doug fir I bet I could get some work done with a good piece of select structural.
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Him-Fir pretty much means hemlock here. Fir-Larch though is a different animal. A good piece of what we call tamarack(larch) would make a couple couple laps before it gave in. Like you said not all 2x4's are equal.

Is this handle still alive?
 
Larch has similar strucural properties as Doug fir. Even looks similar (the wood, not the tree). Big step up from hemlock.

I love going out to see the larches in the fall. Reminds me of my first years hunting.
 
Square_peg said:
Larch has similar strucural properties as Doug fir. Even looks similar (the wood, not the tree). Big step up from hemlock.

I love going out to see the larches in the fall. Reminds me of my first years hunting.
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Largely found mainly in Canada. Speaking of regional slang; I grew up with the name Tamarack for Eastern Larch and if you visit the Maritimes they refer to it as Hackmatack. These trees are always good nature lesson puzzles for school kids because they're a 'deciduous conifer'.
 
Square_peg said:
The alpine larch is common in central Washington. It's a disjunct population.
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We have a few of those. They are small here and are found way up on some mountains(8,000ft). We also have the more common Western Larch.
It's not easy to identify the lumber from Dug fir, but one clue is that Larch will have more of a oily texture at times. I used to see it used for the top cord on glulam beams and stamper as such. Not sure if that is still the case.
 
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