Axe bevel question

[aaronc]

Hey guys,...I have a little project I'm laying out. I'm making a handle from a block of curly maple for a broad/hewing axe. It has a bevel on 1 side. When holding the handle and looking down the back of the axe which side should the bevel be on for a right handed person ? The right or left? This project is for decoration only but I still don't want anything "backwards".

Thanks, Aaron

 

[Steve Tall]

...When holding the handle and looking down the back of the axe which side should the bevel be on for a right handed person ? The right or left?...

I'd have the bevel on the right, which I believe is the most common preference.

 

[tanglediver]

I am doing the same thing with my first broadaxe, but for actual service, hopefully! If it passes to someone else, I don't want an unserviceable handle in someone elses hands. Even if it hangs on a wall for years, I want it ready when the time comes.
:joyous:
I am first looking around for a good piece of wood.

 

[aaronc]

tanglediver - good luck with your project.

Steve, thanks for the response. That's what I needed to know.

-Aaron

 

[Square_peg]

There isn't a steadfast rule. Most prefer the bevel on the side of the whichever arm is holding the end of the haft. Many right handers will hew with the right hand forward and the left hand back - bevel on the left. But I'm right handed and do it opposite.

I find most old broad axes hung with the bevel on the left.