36 in or 28 inch for this Collins?

Curt Hal

Curt Hal

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Jul 8, 2014
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I have a couple of 36 inch fawns foot handles and a couple of 28 inch handles. Which would you hang this Collins with? I believe this is the Connetticut pattern?
 
Looks like a full size Connie. It'll need more handle than a 28". Consider a 32"-34" if you can find one.
 
Handle length by convention is weight related. Once you get up over 2 1/2 lb (the head) a 28 inch handle is going to start to feel short (unless of course you're aiming to make a miner's axe (short straight shaft with a heavy head)). 36 inch hafts tend to be reserved for the big boys (4 lb and up). Oftentimes the head eye size VS the handle eye size will guide you in the selection process; short haft is likely to fall right through a big head.
What's the head weight of your's?
 
Curt Hal said:
3 lbs 2 3/8 oz
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Now you've got an excuse to go looking for a mid-sized handle in 32" or thereabouts. To satisfy yourself you could tie/clamp/tape that head on to the handles you already have and get a feel for length required. Or you could visit the hardware store with a tape measure and a fish weigh scale in hand and heft the 3 pounders they've got. That'll tell you a lot about which direction (handle length) you want to go.
 
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Seems to be many short handled axes in the NE. The size you like would be what I would do.
 
What is the profile like? Looks fairly thin in the pics but hard to say. Connies that light can be thin because they are drawn out to relatively large heads. If you're not felling large trees I wouldn't be afraid at all to hang that on a 28. One of my CTs is a 3lb Collins and it's thin, almost concave in the cheeks. The profile tells me what the axe is going to do - probably limbing and other cutting/chopping tasks, but not splitting - and that may help decide what stick you want. If I turn it into a limbing, woods general purpose axe that gets carried around, it's gonna be short.
 
Just wondering...do the 28" handles even come close to filling the eye of your CT Collins? If they are a boys axe helves the CT will be to big for them.

Tom
 
Just found some handles at a smaller centre outside of the city. Got a couple of 32" and A 36" straight handle, which is very rare find in this part of the world.
 
Double Ott said:
Just wondering...do the 28" handles even come close to filling the eye of your CT Collins? If they are a boys axe helves the CT will be to big for them.

Tom
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The profile is quite narrow now that you mention it. Would that imply climbing or felling. Not splitting for sure. What would you hang on a 36" straight handle?
 
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Double Ott said:
Just wondering...do the 28" handles even come close to filling the eye of your CT Collins? If they are a boys axe helves the CT will be to big for them.

Tom
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Not as easy to find new ones, but %90 of the older full sized axes that I find are on 28-32" handles. I'm pretty sure that House carries shorter full sized handles.

I would be OK with a 3-ish pound head on a 28" handle. I would do some mock ups anyway.
 
jblyttle said:
Not as easy to find new ones, but %90 of the older full sized axes that I find are on 28-32" handles. I'm pretty sure that House carries shorter full sized handles.

I would be OK with a 3-ish pound head on a 28" handle. I would do some mock ups anyway.
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The army surplus made in sweden's that were so popular a couple years ago was just that. Not at all a bad set up, 28" haft and about 3lb head.
 
I took the good advice always found on this page and hung it on a 32" haft. I like it! The grain was interesting, so I sanded it up to 600 grit to make it pop a bit and have applied many coats of beeswax. Thanks for the great advice!
 
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