Belnap Bluegrass

[stevewest]

Question for the experts. A friend has asked me to rehab an axe. Belnap Bluegrass double bit Western pattern with phantom bevels and a nice stamp. Head has a little rust and a few small nicks in the edge - it should clean up just fine - wire brush, WD-40 and some 000 steel wool and gently file the edge down and then sharpen. What I have a question on is the handle - really nice piece of hickory - I suspect it is original. Octagonal, great grain, no run out but somebody shortened the handle and there is now no knob/swell. I was thinking of planing down a flat on each side - tapered - and gluing/doweling/rasping/sanding a piece of maple on each side with a slight swell just to put a knob on the end. Handle is beautiful except for this one detail. How would you gentlemen approach this? Head was loose on the handle - wedge popped right out. I am going to seat it down another 1/4" and use some swell tight with a walnut wedge. Should be fairly simple to really get the head locked on, but I am unsure about what to do at the other end. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Yankee Josh]

Question for the experts. A friend has asked me to rehab an axe. Belnap Bluegrass double bit Western pattern with phantom bevels and a nice stamp. Head has a little rust and a few small nicks in the edge - it should clean up just fine - wire brush, WD-40 and some 000 steel wool and gently file the edge down and then sharpen. What I have a question on is the handle - really nice piece of hickory - I suspect it is original. Octagonal, great grain, no run out but somebody shortened the handle and there is now no knob/swell. I was thinking of planing down a flat on each side - tapered - and gluing/doweling/rasping/sanding a piece of maple on each side with a slight swell just to put a knob on the end. Handle is beautiful except for this one detail. How would you gentlemen approach this? Head was loose on the handle - wedge popped right out. I am going to seat it down another 1/4" and use some swell tight with a walnut wedge. Should be fairly simple to really get the head locked on, but I am unsure about what to do at the other end. Any help would be appreciated.

I've done that several times, and approached it two other ways as well. The way you described is the best.
Just make sure and hang the axe first! Otherwise you'll bash your nice work on the palm swell all to shit.
Oh one other thing, I make my swell pieces about 2" - 2-1/4" tall. You can always sand em down once glued on. And make sure the mating surfaces are as flat as you can get them before gluing up!
I use titebond 2 but some guys use a 2 part epoxy. Good luck man!
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