Axe wedge goes up. Issue on my homemade handle

[EngrSorenson]

I also don't understand how a cone wedge would work in an axe with a glued wedge unless the glue joint and haft happened to crack in a favorable way.

Yes, and forget the glued wedge scenario altogether… the implication is that it would work on axe tongues with no kerf (or crack)- like a kerf-less (or crack-less) wedging system. Kerfs behave differently than pilot holes in very significant ways, but chiefly in the way that a kerf allows wood to move great distances. FTB hasn’t given me bad advice yet, however, so…

im going to have to run an experiment and see what happens!

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

I also don't understand how a cone wedge would work in an axe with a glued wedge unless the glue joint and haft happened to crack in a favorable way.

The wood...flexes...like wood does. It's not that complicated. Drill hole, drive in wedge. Wedge spreads wood.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Do you understand how driving a circular steel wedge into the top of a slightly loose handle would tighten the fit? Not really really a major difference in using one made of wood. It just has the middle filled in instead of being hollow and you pre-bore the space for the "cylinder" inside the wedging portion. I've tightened up quite a few handles using 'em at this point and only had them made in bulk for me after I'd been using hand-carved ones for several years. I wasn't the one to first come up with the notion, either!

 

[EngrSorenson]

Do you understand how driving a circular steel wedge into the top of a slightly loose handle would tighten the fit? Not really really a major difference in using one made of wood.

It’s possible, however, that the swelling the dowel wedge causes is small and only intended to make a tighter fit of an already tight-ish fit, but from what I’ve read here I’m not sure if this is what you mean.

I think you answered all my questions with this! Dowel wedges are for improving the fit of a slightly loose head, so deformation of the wood and a slight swelling that it causes is sufficient.

Thanks for your patience and persistence, Benjamin!

 

[garry3]

Sorry, not easy to insert pictures, please see links below :

https://imgur.com/Na3W0DG

https://imgur.com/fMLtRer

https://imgur.com/l5CbI5M

https://imgur.com/iD007lQ

EDIT : Oh ! It works !

Looks like your fit isn't all it should be on the bottom of the haft looking at the second picture and you are already handicapped by a shortened eye. It's not unusual to see some wood start to curl around the bottom of the eye on a well fit haft after the head is driven home. If it was me I would pull the head and drop it down further. I would also get rid of the large shoulders. The transition from shoulder to eye isn't to abrupt but large shoulders are usually there as a way to hide problems from the manufactures and large shoulders won't make it easier to get a good fit. They don't bring anything to the table in the way of strength either.

 

[Alberta Ed]

I always pin my ax heads -- 1/8" hole drilled through. tap in a 1/8" nail, file it flat both sides, no problem.

 

[Brent Halverson]

Keep the next wedge you try to use blindfolded before it is put into place, this way if it can not see the axe it is going into it can not become embarrassed about becoming part of it and it won't try to leave.

 

[Square_peg]

Keep the next wedge you try to use blindfolded before it is put into place, this way if it can not see the axe it is doing into it can not become embarrassed about becoming part of it and it won't try to leave.

And good morning to you, too, Sunshine!