Broken hatchets

[Chris Pierce]

I was just reading a thread about battoning. We have all seen pictures of knives (even busse and becker) broken while being used to split logs.
I was wondering, does anyone have pictures of hatchets axes or mauls hat were broken while splitting wood?
Personally I'm thinking no, but then some modern handles do have grain problems. Which is not what I'm looking for.

 

[Alocksly]

If you miss and get some overstrike often enough you'll eventually break any wood handle. With splitting mauls and axes it's almost inevitable if you don't use a handle guard. Synthetics will last a lot longer which is why while my choppers are all wood handled, the two splitting tools I use for all my firewood have fiberglass handles.

That said, if you're careful and only split from the outside in to protect your handle it shouldn't break with normal use.

 

[300Six]

Rather difficult to "break" a hatchet head unless you take to pounding on one with a sledge. Handle is weakest link in the chain, expendable and easiest to replace and therefore similar to equating tire wear on a car to actual wear on the car itself. Two different critters!

 

[KingKoma]

I have seen axes with deformed eyes but without mushroomed polls. I figured they have been pounded on with something softer than the steel (probably wood) but it was done hard enough to mess up the eye.

 

[M3mphis]

Handles do occasionally break even without user error, but it sound like that's not what you are looking for, correct?

I have seen axes with deformed eyes but without mushroomed polls. I figured they have been pounded on with something softer than the steel (probably wood) but it was done hard enough to mess up the eye.

I have seen and agree with this. If you are going to really pound hard on the poll of an axe, you've got to consider the strength of the eye walls. An axe isn't purpose built for taking a lot of pounding on the poll, that would be a maul's job.