After an hour of splitting, I have a loose wedge in a new axe

[Epicurian]

Axe is new/unused and sat around for a couple years prior to use. Should I soak head in BLO?

Is this a sign it simply dried out some, or a poor fit from the factory?

Thanks.

 

[Square_peg]

Just dried out. Drive the wedge in deeper and if necessary add a metal wedge. Then a BLO soak wouldn't hurt. But some Swel-Lock might be a better idea.

 

[300Six]

Many of the wood handled tools I have that don't get used much (sledgehammer, double bit axe, for instance) can become a little bit loose so I used to soak the heads in a pail of water the night before using them. It's difficult to drive an existing wedge in further and I'm not a fan of metal tag-ons. Now maybe what I've also been doing for the past 20 years is subject to debate but routinely squirting some oil (and allowing it to soak in) on the end grain has seemed to work fine for me too. Wood handles tend to get bone-dry and contract to the nth degree around here by mid winter!

 

[300Six]

Sorry, I just noticed you state "loose wedge". If you can get it out without breaking, it could be replaced with a thicker one or one with less of a taper. Or if it's really loose maybe you can drive another one in beside it.

 

[zcd]

If you're able to re-wedge it that would be ideal. Soaking can cause the handle to swell and become "crushed" against the head, which aggravates the problem once the handle dries out again

 

[Skiv]

Wood handles tend to get bone-dry and contract to the nth degree around here by mid winter!

I have that problem too. Was listening to Environment Canada's "nowcast" the other day and a reporting station close by was reporting 30C and 12 per cent humidity. Living in the "New Mexico of Canada" has its advantages, though.

 

[300Six]

I have that problem too. Was listening to Environment Canada's "nowcast" the other day and a reporting station close by was reporting 30C and 12 per cent humidity. Living in the "New Mexico of Canada" has its advantages, though.

You could be in Osoyoos or Lillooet and maybe in 'stubble-jumper' country but my daughter just cooked the tranny on her 'everything she owns travelling with her inside the car' journey while running the mountain grades at 30 C (100F) through to Pemberton and on to Whistler last week. I've gotten so old and grumpy I try to save handle installation on saws/axes/hammers for when it's end of January and -20 (C or F) has come and gone a few times. Living with the Indians in n. Ontario over a winter I had nose-bleeds regularly from 'zippo' humidity and resorted to soaked towels draped all over the house every day. That the handle of the axe I had on hand became loose during all that did not surprise me in the slightest.
I used to tell the kids in school wood shop that wood is alive and continues to live and breathe and to take that into account when trying to build anything. Inevitable they stare at you like you're 'some far-out crazy old man' but if their memories are good it is one lesson they do grow into.

 

[Ernest DuBois]

Maybe it's a sign you have stored it up where it is to dry, like the owner of the tool shop to whom I had to point out that he had his nice Gränsfors and other axes out on display hanging on the wall right above the radiator. I don't know if he ever fixed that.

E.DB.

 

[Square_peg]

....like the owner of the tool shop to whom I had to point out that he had his nice Gränsfors and other axes out on display hanging on the wall right above the radiator.

Not a good idea. Good on you for setting him straight.

 

[bbforstr]

I try to be sure my hafts are drier than the conditions in which they are used. If you keep them in a very dry environment while you are getting them ready for hanging it helps. Or you can get them 100% ready then store them in a dry environment for a week or two. After that, drive the wedge home and you shouldn't have problems.

I found that keeping them in my garage leads to similar problems. No problems if I keep the pre hung hafts in my living area, other than the wife complaining about all the handles laying around. We got a dehumidifier for the basement. Now it's drier down there than upstairs. Dry the handles out as much as possible before driving the wedge and I think your problem will be solved.

Soaking in water is temporary. Dry lock works. Never tried BLO on a loose helve.

Good luck. Let us know what you try and how well it works.

 

[Skiv]

You could be in Osoyoos or Lillooet and maybe in 'stubble-jumper' country but my daughter just cooked the tranny on her 'everything she owns travelling with her inside the car' journey while running the mountain grades at 30 C (100F) through to Pemberton and on to Whistler last week. I've gotten so old and grumpy I try to save handle installation on saws/axes/hammers for when it's end of January and -20 (C or F) has come and gone a few times.

Heh. "Old and grumpy" just means you're efficient.

"Resume Speed" where I live, is the little hamlet of Black Pines north of Kamloops. The place pictured in the Walters axe photos is StoneGround Farm -- which we call because that's the only kind of ground we have.

Living with the Indians in n. Ontario over a winter I had nose-bleeds regularly from 'zippo' humidity and resorted to soaked towels draped all over the house every day. That the handle of the axe I had on hand became loose during all that did not surprise me in the slightest.

Folks who think in terms of an Ottawa summer day just don't get how dry it can be when it's really freekin' cold.

I used to tell the kids in school wood shop that wood is alive and continues to live and breathe and to take that into account when trying to build anything. Inevitable they stare at you like you're 'some far-out crazy old man' but if their memories are good it is one lesson they do grow into.

I always hope one of the little "time bombs" I drop on my students will go off when they most need to remember something.

 

[Frank-New Zealand]

Epicurian... have you fixed that axe yet?

I am not a fan of metal wedges as they cannot swell. Always hang an axe in dry conditions if possible. Check that the wedge will not 'bottom-out' in the kerf. You may have to saw the kerf a bit deeper.

A common mistake is driving the haft in too tight. Better for it to be loose and let the wedge do the job it is designed for.

If you stand the axe on end and let a few drops of oil soak into the wedge and haft I'm sure you will have a good result.

The very worst thing is to leave a tool out in the weather. If it gets wet then dries out a few times the haft will just fall out.

regards...Frank