Christmas axe handle help needed

B

beckerhead

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Feb 11, 2005
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After beating the bushes all over town for my dad's Christmas gift, I found the ONLY handle that fits his 2 1/4 lb. axe. His is 25+ years old, and scares me to death, as it has numerous cracks, and head slippage. I am going to replace the handle, but this sucker is jacked up! I need advice on how to straighten it. I have stripped and sanded the handle, that's all so far. Any help would be great!
Here are pics:
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asstpics006.jpg
 
abandon all hope :eek:

no, not really.

a trick that works for boards, and might work for this:
wet the whole piece, and then set it like you have it there, with a weight on the middle. the wet wood will straighten out and dry straight. it might work, or it might not, but it won't hurt it if it fails.
 
This will be tough. :eek:

siguy is right: it's going to take water, pressure, and probably some heat. You need to get the wood wet and warm in order to let the fibers stretch and slip a bit.

I'd build a steam box or maybe use some PVC to make a steam chamber. Steam the hell out of it, then try to bend it to shape. Might be useful to build a jig to let it dry in--in a straight shape. Have any clamps?

Maybe you could wrap it tightly in wet toweling and heavy duty foil and use a torch or heat gun to drive some steam into the wood. Then you might be able to bend it to shape.

That's a lot of work to straighten an axe handle.

I suspect it would be easier to chop down a hickory tree and carve your own handle, but this could be a fun challenge.
 
If you know any electricians in your area you might ask them if they have a 110V sleve that's used for heating conduit pipe prior to bending it.
 
what part of Arkansas fo you live in? you might be able to find one at a flea market or swap meet for a few bucks. I live in southern Missouri and folks haul handles up to flea markets around here, They get seconds from the handle factory and you can often pick out some pretty good lumber.


Pat
 
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