fixing and preventing splits

Bladite

Bladite

ǝɹnsıǝן ɟo uɐɯǝןʇuǝb
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i have a couple older axes that i like the handles on, and don't really want to replace them...

they are, as i said, older, so the wood is starting to get some grain splits from the handle end

what woodworking techniques can one suggest to fix and reinforce such things?

it has occurred to me that i can probably spread the wood a wee bit around a split, dribble in glue into the crack, and let it flow through, then clamp the shit out of it and wait. then drill some wee holes, glue, and peg; then trim and sand.

this is more for repair and reinforcement, as i figure the handle end is not strength / impact bearing so much...

i've seen some handles with a kind of metal staple handled in the end, and other techniques, including wraps, and such...

bring forth the idea!
 
I'd go with the drill-and-pin method. Do it with brass rod and it'd be attractive to boot. :)
 
Spread, glue and clamp is my preferred method. I've used doweling on other wood working projects but never on a haft yet. I don't see why it wouldn't work. Maybe some 3/16" dowels?
 
I've used the glue and clamp method to save a couple old hafts and haven't had a problem with them coming apart after a good bit of use. Try finding a thinner glue as it seeps into the split better. A toothpick works well to nurse the glue deeper into the split and spread it around. To me its always worth the effort to try and save a cool old haft, I like a good vintage haft as much as I like a good vintage axe or hatchet head.
 
i was thinking of using a hair dryer on the wood to make it WARM and "heating" the glue a little

so, gorilla glue, or standard white wood glue or ... :)
 
You want a real nice wood glue. Even cheap stuff works well though. I might be tempted to use some kind of epoxy that will have a more flexible joint than wood glue... Wood glue is stronger than the wood fibers themselves but not as much for shock forces/impacts. Wood glue would probably be good though, you can add water to water based wood glue to slow the drying time and make it more able to soak into the wood. I think the only guarantee for the wood not coming apart later on is some kind of mechanical hold by wrapping. If you want to get real fancy, you could thin down the handle where the crack is and then fiberglass that part of the handle to larger than normal thickness, and sand it back to shape when dry.
 
That Gorilla glue that expands and foams .... awesome the way it fills gaps. I used it on an old back saw handle that had cracked, but because of the odd shape of a saw handle it was tricky to do anything else. I hadn't really used the stuff before that and I was pretty impressed with the way it just expands into the tiniest cracks - cracks I didn't even notice until it bubbled into them. I did the glue and pin thing on a hammer handle that I cracked when I delivered a bad blow to the end while driving the wedge. Just sanded the pin down when I finished shaping the handle. Seemed to work nicely.
 
that matthias guy is canadian and has a cute sister, which makes him an expert on glue :D
 
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