Axe maul handles

[Lego]

After watching Wranglerstar's youtubes on restoring and hanging axe handles, found a suitable splitting maul head on eBay and then headed down to a large hardware retailer (Masters) to pick up a new handle for it.

I looked through the whole shelf and found the straightest handle with the straightest grain in the correct orientation. I also bought a couple of bastard files and a rasp.

I filed down the handle to fit the eye of the maul. The top of the eye had a gap all the way around it between the handle and head, so I decided that I needed to have a cross wedge. I cut up some wedges and fitted them tightly. I left the head slightly proud and treated it all to liberal doses of boiled linseed oil. I made a reservoir around the protruding handle at the top and made a pool of BLO so that the oil would penetrate (just like Cody said).

I split some seasoned gum and the head held up nicely on the handle. I cut about two or three cut logs. On the second day I split some more seasoned logs, then thought I'd try some freshly cut jackaranda logs. I'm pretty accurate and didn't over strike so I was surprised when the maul bounced and my 'new' maul handle was broken. I checked and there was no evidence of over strike. The handle had had snapped clean. The crack line is definitely not running from the cross kerf. Im a little lost and put it down to poor quality wood used by the handle manufacture.

Any ideas? Can anyone in Australia advise me where to get quality axe handles? I know that there are quality Australian made ones, but I can't find anywhere that has good quality ones.

 

[Lego]

Btw the handle is an Ayreford 'American hickory' handle:

https://m.masters.com.au/mob/produc...X+TiY5EaGHx1ug__.ncdlmorasp1201?bmUID=liQ8pXs

 

[300Six]

That's real bad luck! Looks to me like you did a beautiful job of hanging that head too.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Here's a question for ya': sight down the length of the handle and look to see if any of the grain cuts across the handle's axis. End grain orientation is only part of the equation and I see some possible signs that you may have had runout issues on that handle, though I could be wrong (hard to tell in the pics.)

[video=youtube;PyCTEvZ5w5s]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyCTEvZ5w5s[/video]

 

[Lego]

42, you're spot on. On the grain runs diagonally across the length of the handle. This might explain why the break line runs diagonally down the length of the handle. Wish I learnt this info beforehand, but it's all part of the learning experience. It'll make the task of finding a decent handle even more difficult.

Thanks for your insight.

 

[quinton]

Kiln dried hickory is basically lifeless wood. From what I've learned on this forum, from men who have worked with trail crews, that type of failure is common. For the record, l've never witnessed an air dried handle failure in my life.

 

[garry3]

I think that handle is probably off tangentially. Most of the time that is a non-issue with handles. Its harder to spot than growth ring violations. Its usually close enough to not cause failure, but all handles can be broken.

http://eu.lib.kmutt.ac.th/elearning/Courseware/ARC261/images/chapterPics/chp3pic19.JPG

 

[Square_peg]

Looks like a classic case of runout. Maybe a bad piece of wood to begin with, too. What a shame after that beautiful hang.

 

[rjdankert]

Here is an illustration of runout:

http://www.lutherie.net/frankford.runout.html

"It's nearly impossible to do by splitting or riving the wood".

Bob

 

[300Six]

Offhand I didn't see any glaring evidence of obvious grain runout on your photos but then again the break itself does look suspicious. I'm once again (which will generate a groan from regular forum members) going to post my illustrative picture of severe 'grain runout'. Handle on the left is 'lovely' whereas the one on the right is 'an accident waiting to happen'. Now, with curved handles you also seek vertical end grain because of the horizontal curves inherent to such a handle will create run out if you use horizontal end grain. But in the case of a straight haft (such as for a maul or double bit axe) it really isn't that crucial whether end grain is horizontal or vertical. In fact diagonal might even be ideal under those circumstances. But what you don't want in any wood handle is length grain running out somewhere along the way.

 

[quinton]

Offhand I didn't see any glaring evidence of obvious grain runout on your photos but then again the break itself does look suspicious. I'm once again (which will generate a groan from regular forum members) going to post my illustrative picture of severe 'grain runout'. Handle on the left is 'lovely' whereas the one on the right is 'an accident waiting to happen'. Now, with curved handles you also seek vertical end grain because of the horizontal curves inherent to such a handle will create run out if you use horizontal end grain. But in the case of a straight haft (such as for a maul or double bit axe) it really isn't that crucial whether end grain is horizontal or vertical. In fact diagonal might even be ideal under those circumstances. But what you don't want in any wood handle is length grain running out somewhere along the way.

As much as you've used it, I'm surprised that handle ain't failed yet.

 

[garry3]

Here is an illustration of runout:

http://www.lutherie.net/frankford.runout.html

"It's nearly impossible to do by splitting or riving the wood".

Bob

That link is excellent. At times it can be very hard to see. I suspect the worse cases are from trees growing with some twist.

 

[300Six]

As much as you've used it, I'm surprised that handle ain't failed yet.

Jokers! I liberated that from a Home Hardware Store as a forum example and to make darn sure no naive buyer/user ever actually got a chance to hang a head on it.

 

[garry3]

Jokers! I liberated that from a Home Hardware Store as a forum example and to make darn sure no naive buyer/user ever actually got a chance to hang a head on it.

Did you not know of the unwritten forum rule that if you bought a haft you had to hang it?

 

[Grimalkin]

I would honestly try some gorilla wood glue and clamp that.

I saw a test online that a guy did, after waiting a day for the bonding process, he tried to break the bond, and the wood ripped in a different spot, it wouldn't even rip where the glue was.

 

[Square_peg]

No. The next grain on either side has the same flaw. Toss that one.

 

[Grimalkin]

No. The next grain on either side has the same flaw. Toss that one.

You do have a point with the bad grain.

 

[300Six]

I would honestly try some gorilla wood glue and clamp that.

I saw a test online that a guy did, after waiting a day for the bonding process, he tried to break the bond, and the wood ripped in a different spot, it wouldn't even rip where the glue was.

You only ever do that in an emergency and with the expectation that you will only get one more strike with it. I tried various glues on rake, shovel and wheelbarrow handles many years ago and not a one of them held up. There are other things at work within pieces of wood that have fractured, that no mere glue can rectify.

 

[Old Axeman]

Get a new haft and do another beautiful hang. I like the shape of your maul. And try not to watch Wranglestar.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

And try not to watch Wranglestar.

This.