A hole in the haft or not?

Curt Hal

Curt Hal

Joined
Jul 8, 2014
Messages
558
As I begin to feel a little more proficient at rehafting, I am contemplating a very important - possibly life changing question: Should one drill a hole in the haft, just by the swell? What is the purpose of this hole? Does it have a practical application? Who drills and who does not drill - and why?
 
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I dont mind holes in the haft i buy, never will put one in the haft i make.

I presume they are used to hang the axe on a wall, which i dont do.
 
evildeadedd said:
I am not sure what they would be on a full axe for, but on a hatchet I would think it for a lanyard.
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Ditto! The thong can go around your wrist if there are worries of slipping out of your hands. Discrete hole through the swell won't detract from strength either. But if the hole is purely decorative (ie you don't have a use for it) then don't bother.
Ideally you drill a small through (or pilot) hole first and then come in from both sides with the final drill size; otherwise there will be tearout to deal with.
 
I greatly dislike them personally. I find them to be uncomfortable on the handles I've used with holes drilled in them.
 
It's very very unlikely that I'd ever drill a hole in a handle that has a good swell on it. The only time I've drilled a hole in the end of a handle was on a slip-fit handle to install a cross pin to mimic the effect of a swell. A lanyard on an axe or hatchet strikes me (pun deliberate) as a bad idea. It could be used for the attachment of a removable carrying sling, though.

[video=youtube;BVtPyianYuM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVtPyianYuM[/video]
 
I would think most of the time a lanyard would make losing your grip more dangerous. If I lose grip on it there is a 60 to 70 percent chance that the momentum will carry it either away from me or into the ground. If it on a lanyard there A 100% chance it is coming back at me, I don't like those odds.
 
halfaxe said:
I think in the far north chopping a hole in the ice to set fish nets for survival a lanyard is a good idea. You lose your axe through the ice, you are screwed.
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Probably a tether would be a better idea in that case. Then the axe can still fly safely away from the user in the event of an accident but can be retrieved if dropped.
 
halfaxe said:
I think in the far north chopping a hole in the ice to set fish nets for survival a lanyard is a good idea. You lose your axe through the ice, you are screwed.
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Correct assumption. I lost (and have watched others do the same) an ice spud (wide chisel tip incorporated into a long handle) one time while chipping through to finish a 3 foot thick auger hole for ice fishing. Lanyard in that case is necessary and I was novice enough at the time not to have used it. Lanyard is not a half bad idea when wilderness canoeing either. Some bagged/barrelled/boxed goods will float if the boat accidentally goes over but lashing an axe, paddle and fishing rod to a thwart becomes 'wishful thinking' if you forget despite managing to get back on dry land.
 
The only time I heard a good reason for the hole is from someone who lived in the north who said if you lose your axe in the snow, you won't see it again till spring and it will be all rusty.
 
I know that a lot of old folk out here in Oz drilled a small hole in the end of the knob so they could fill it with a little oil at a time which would eventually soak down into the full length of the handle to preserve it. Doesn't happen much these days though.
 
(My apologies for the necro-post)

There's a few craftsfolk online I've seen recently, that have drilled holes through axe hafts and inserted/peened pins for aesthetic appeal; considering they aren't leaving a void like a thong hole, is the strength of the shaft still effectively/marginally/not at all compromised? The ones I saw looked like standard brass or stainless knife scale pins.
 
KillerGriller said:
(My apologies for the necro-post)

There's a few craftsfolk online I've seen recently, that have drilled holes through axe hafts and inserted/peened pins for aesthetic appeal; considering they aren't leaving a void like a thong hole, is the strength of the shaft still effectively/marginally/not at all compromised? The ones I saw looked like standard brass or stainless knife scale pins.
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I can't speak to why any one would do that. I'm sure they have their reasons. But for me they are only a detriment. When re-hanging they invariably split at or near the hole. Above were some good ideas about why some would need it but aesthetics are, in my opinion, the wrong reason to be doing it.
 
I have only drilled a couple of axes just below the swell. They were used when lashing the axe to a pack on a horse or mule. Your axe needs to be secure, but easily accessible!
 
Curt Hal said:
What is the purpose of this hole? Does it have a practical application?
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The hole is purposely there for ideal storage conditions. Hanging the axe from the wood with the weight at the bottom keeps the wood straight and combats warping from the surrounding atmosphere, sometimes harsh, sometimes not an issue at all. This is also true with guitars and especially Bass Guitars which are much heavier. Hanging a Bass from the top of the neck by the head with the weight of the body at the bottom can really help in a climate with extreme seasonal changes. I have a few that have been hanging like this for 20 years and they are as straight as an arrow and others sitting on stands where the neck sits freely and they are all slightly bowed.

From the Hults Bruk website:

"Axe handles left exposed to weather may shrink, splinter or split, or become warped if the axe is stored leaning against a wall.
To avoid warped handles, never stack heavy objects on top of the axes or store an axe leaning against a wall."

It is for this reason that they provide the hole to hang it from.

Now.. que everyone saying 'iv'e never had a handle warp and iv'e been storing them against a wall for 40 years'. That's great news but I suppose it is more so a precaution for those soles that live in volatile weather changes.

Holes on hatchets are for a lanyard to secure the tool to the hand/wrist due to only one hand gripping it the chances of losing it are higher than with a longer handle using two hands.
 
I always put a hole on short one handed hatchets and attach a wrist thong.
The trouble is that most people use the wrist thong incorrectly by pushing their hands THROUGH the thong or lanyard.
The correct way to use this "wrist thong" is by looping the thong over your thumb and letting the rest of the thong pass over the BACK of the hand , this locks the short handled hatchet into your hand and you can swing the hatchet any way you like without the hatchet slipping from the hand in wet or cold weather.
I believe that Rex Applegate popularized using the thong or lanyard in this way.
Peace.
 
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