Craftsman Axe Head Handled - Lots of Pictures

S

SkogKniv

Joined
Jul 25, 2009
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465
Took a hardware store run this morning. Picked up two handles, also wiped out the wedges they had, then went across town and cleaned out the other store of theirs as well.

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Now lets get rid of that crappy paint. An Axe and paint don't go together no way no how.

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Lets get that old handle out.

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A little time working the handle, the head went right on. Right at the bottoming out of the wedge I seen some slight cracking in the wedge. Nothing I am worried about though in the slightest. That is one tight fit right there ;) Tried a different technique on the wedge this time, dipped my finger in linseed oil and rubbed some on the wedge. Made for driving it nice and smooth. Now in a few days it will harden.

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Spent a little time taking the bulk of the handle. Went for a shoulderless shape like the days of old.

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Did I mention I got a perfect alignment on this ;)

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For size comparison, next to my GB Scandi forest axe.

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Hope you enjoyed!
 
that looks really nice! i've got an old craftsmans hatchet head that i recently hung. their nice tools...
 
Craftsman are a nice line of axes overall. I have a couple hatchets, boys axe, 3 lb SB, 4 lb SB, 4 lb Jersey, and a double bit Craftsman, and they are all nice and solid axes. Nice thing is, if you would happen to bust one up, just send it in, Sears will still replace it. Pretty neat.
 
The grain in that axe handle is running exactly opposite of the way it should be. That handle will break very easily.
 
Thanks for the post. I never thought about the linseed oil on the wedge to make it slide in. I have used a little bit of glue. I have some trouble keeping the wedge from splitting at times. They seem to be made of poplar, kind of a green color in a soft wood that easily splits. I have a craftsman "Companion" hatchet that has a nice weight to it and takes a razor edge. I don't know who made them for Sears. It has a nice shape to the head. Nice work.
 
Very nice. I love seeing axes brought back to life. Nice hang job. I'm going to try the wedge in linseed oil next time. Thanks for sharing.
 
Ah! Now that is a work of art! Love the fact that you did this job the right way. On some of mine, I've drilled a hole for a pin (usually a small compression ring) so that the head will stay on through thick and thin. These days, the modern epoxy or liquid weld compounds are usually sufficient to keep a head secure for the lifetime of the axe. While the extra pin takes some effort, it is standard procedure where race axes are concerned. All of these highly specialized axes are pinned prior to competition. You've got a great axe which will probably be with you for quite some time, good job!
 
Square_peg said:
The grain in that axe handle is running exactly opposite of the way it should be. That handle will break very easily.
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Certainly it is always taught that the grain should parallel the long axis of the head, but my grandad bought a Collins second-hand and used it hard for over twenty years. (He was 6'4" 225 and could strike a good lick.). It had the wrong grain too and somehow survived.
 
Thomas Linton said:
Certainly it is always taught that the grain should parallel the long axis of the head, but my grandad bought a Collins second-hand and used it hard for over twenty years. (He was 6'4" 225 and could strike a good lick.). It had the wrong grain too and somehow survived.
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He was a lucky man. Over the last 30 years I've probably picked up a dozen hammer heads that used to be attached to handles like that one (I'm in construction). I wouldn't waste my time re-handling a tool with a handle like that. If it lasts, that's great. But I wouldn't count on it.

As always, your mileage may vary. :)
 
My neighbors father was a professional logger in the 20's and 30's; I was looking at his axes that his son still had, they all had been made from Ash split radially and as a result the grain was going the exact wrong way. In general, if you take good care of you handles and keep them in a stable environment, assuming the overall quality and soundness of the wood is good, they will last a long time. Of course, through running grain is the main issue of strength, and perpendicular grain on a straight handle is a smaller problem than on a curved handle.

Check out the second photo in this article;
http://www.oldjimbo.com/survival/coloradoaxetests.html

It split along the grain, but the grain was fairly straight (parallel to the direction of force). To me this just screams that inferior wood is being used these days, just like most everything now unfortunately. I make my own handles and have never had a breakage, despite several with less than ideal grain orientation.
 
It's good to know, I have a handle I picked up before knowing better and the grain is less than perfect and there's some heartwood in, won't bother re hanging it now.
 
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