Best way to Haft a double bit

T.Saslow

T.Saslow

Periodic Thinker
Joined
Jun 12, 2013
Messages
479
Hey guys,
I'm about to hang a nice vintage Plumb double bit felling axe and i have been thinking for a very long time on how to hang it. What are your opinions on using glue over BLO when pounding the wedge in?
Thanks in advance!
Tanner S.
 
I wouldn't use either. I'd use Swel-Lock or its generic equivalent DPG (dipropylene glycol - NOT PROPYLENE GLYCOL!!). This product gets inside the cells of the wood and permanently swells them.

Another trick you can do to keep a wedge well secured is an old loggers trick. Leave the haft a 1/4" long like most of us do. But when you drive the wedge stop just short the point where you couldn't drive it any further. Then let it sit overnight. The next day cut the wedge off flush and drive the remaining wedge in with a wide flat punch shaped like the top of the wedge. You can whittle one. What this does is allow the sides of the haft to swell over the top of the wedge locking it in. This works!
 
Okay, i don't have any of the Swel-lock or DPG. I have heard from Wranglerstar on Youtube that the BLO does that anyways though. Is this false then? Otherwise, i think i can try the overnight trick out with the BLO. Have I been misinformed?
 
xXBackyardCrafterXx said:
Okay, i don't have any of the Swel-lock or DPG. I have heard from Wranglerstar on Youtube that the BLO does that anyways though. Is this false then? Otherwise, i think i can try the overnight trick out with the BLO. Have I been misinformed?
Click to expand...

No, BLO won't swell the wood, at least not appreciably. Plus is slicks the wedge so it could slide out a bit before the BLO cures. As BLO cures it acts like an adhesive so you could get some benefit from that if you set the axe aside for a week after wedging it.

If you want to glue then try either Gorilla glue or construction adhesive. Gorilla glue swells as it cures, so while it won't swell the wood it will still help fill gaps in the eye. Construction adhesive also works. It stays flexible and can be used to fill any gaps in the eye. Either of those is an OK way to go.

Several people here have commented on the effectiveness of Gorilla glue. I've used the construction adhesive on several hammer handles and never had one come loose even after years of daily use in construction. But with axes I'm more of a traditionalist and don't use adhesives. But it all comes down to personal choice. Just don't use BLO - that's yet another place where Wranglestar has it wrong.
 
Okay, thanks for the tip! I think i'll try the construction adhesive.
 
If you want to put a wedge in so it wont come out, follow the above. Only other thing I have ever done is use super glue. I put a generous amount down into the kerf first, applying to the sides as well. Then I apply a thin layer to the wedge. Then drive it home and leave some extra out above the eye so it will bulge out over the eye as stated. I haven't had one come loose with super glue, gorilla glue, or even Elmers wood glue to this point.

Technically speaking, you should be able to wedge it with maybe just a little blo to let the wedge sneak in a little better, and if you do it right, shouldn't technically need glue or lots of blo, especially if you leave a good amount (1/4) above the eye. Technically. I still use at least blo or glue on working axes. Those that wont be doing work I just use a little blo to get it done.

PS. Metal cross wedge to secure is a whole different topic with as many opinions as members on here.

Good luck!
 
I'm of lesser experience than the other posters, but when I re-hung my double-bit Sager about 20 years ago, I coated the in-place wedge and end of the haft with 5 ton epoxy; but not BLO. This axe has spent weeks on a horse and has worked up many cord of Fir and Pine. Never a problem. I should mention that I made a heavy-duty skirting leather sheath for the Sager, so the head is always protected.

I put probably a dozen coats of BLO on the haft over the years, and except where the haft rubbed the side of a cliff while slung on a pack saddle; it still looks great.
 
Sweet! thanks for the tips guys! i think i will go with the construction adhesive since it flexes more than the epoxy but i may try epoxy on an axe that is mine someday and see how that works as oppose to construction adhesive.
 
I make perfect fit wedges of hard wood and generously coat it with high strenght wood glue that serve as both a lubricant and adhesive when it dries and after the wedge has been driven home, I make the axe head stand in a vise with rubber jaws and make a pool of BLO on top of the eye/wedge and let it soak before pouring more drops, saturating the endgrain until it will not get in the endgrain any longer, yes this take several days and weeks but i think it pays off as i believe you could have the most secure wedge in the world, if the wood shrink due to humidity change/sun exposure/time, the head would come lose anyways.

BLO your end grains! :)
 
Square_peg said:
Always a good idea. And applying a couple coats of tung following the BLO is even better. Tung will keep the water out better than BLO.
Click to expand...

I gotta get some tung oil. I want to +1 or +6 Square_peg. I have been using some BLO on the wedge before I drive it to see if there is a benefit (because I have seen it said a number of times), but I doubt I will any more. I haven't found that it actually ends up offering any holding power and I think too much BLO in the eye (either on the handle before you seat it or the wedge) ends up acting more like a lubricant.
 
Square_peg said:
Always a good idea. And applying a couple coats of tung following the BLO is even better. Tung will keep the water out better than BLO.
Click to expand...

Agreed, BLO does almost nothing to repel moisture according to tests I've seen. I've never sprung for tung oil, but I have used "tung oil finish" which is BLO and polyurethane. That looks and works well, but I've come to prefer the cheap helmsman urethane spar varnish, which has BLO, various resins, and a UV inhibitor. Not the best spar varnish, but works well on tool handles, as it is just grippy enough and a little softer than most varnish to resist crazing and cracking. I usually dilute 25-30% with paint thinner and wipe one two or three coats.
 
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