First House Handle arrived!

[Curt Hal]

My first House Handle just arrived. I must say I am impressed. It was an unfinished, premium, hand selected 30" octagonal, straight handle for a double bit. I tried unsuccessfully to find one in Alberta. The price is very reasonable - less than what one would pay for a crappy handle in Canada - but the shipping from the USA to Canada is a killer. For that, I think I may have found a solution. The grain is perfect, and the handle has been shaped really well - just a small bump on one of the sides to even out. Plus, it being unfinished, means I don't have to spend the extra time scraping the ungodly finish off of it. Very pleased.

 

[Chignecto Woodsman]

Looks great. Shipping is one of the main reason I haven't ordered their handles, I already get enough stuff from the States. Can you tell me how much shipping was?

 

[Remzy]

The shipping from there to here in Quebec was highly prohibitive so i never ordered one of their handle but they do look nice.

 

[Curt Hal]

Looks great. Shipping is one of the main reason I haven't ordered their handles, I already get enough stuff from the States. Can you tell me how much shipping was?

It was $33. Not something I would do again, except I have had this double bit here for more than a year and no success finding a haft. I have a co-worker who has a place in Montana with a mailing address. In exchange for a splitting axe and a hatchet, the co-worker will pick up anything gets mailed to the Montana address and bring it back to Calgary. I believe the shipping as about 1/3 of the cost if it is mailed in the USA. A premium haft costing $20 would be worth it to me as the ones of lower quality that I can buy here are about the same price. The other advantage is the lack of lacquer finish, which saves an hour of finishing time - the hour I enjoy the least - taking the stupid finish off the haft.

 

[Curt Hal]

The shipping from there to here in Quebec was highly prohibitive so i never ordered one of their handle but they do look nice.

True. The haft is nice, but I have seen the ones you make. Elles sont excellentes!

 

[300Six]

The shipping from there to here in Quebec was highly prohibitive so i never ordered one of their handle but they do look nice.

I live in Ottawa and within 45 minutes (80 km) can cross the border to Ogdensburg, NY. The 'mostly catering to Canadians' UPS Store there will hold parcels in your name C/O their address for $5 a week. Their service includes tracking etc. I've done this three times now (JBLyttle, for one, shipped me a complete axe (to Ogdensburg) for about $10) and Canada Customs rarely bothers with charging HST for used or small ticket items and often waves you through. This business of a supposed Free Trade Agreement between USA/Canada is entirely symbolic because getting ordinary stuff across the border via mail or courier has been exorbitant for years which makes absolutely no sense.