Handle for a double bit

M

MBAIGENT

Joined
Dec 7, 2015
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I have recently purchased an old Collins double bit axe head which I will restore for a give to a friend for a present. My intention was to make the handle but getting hold of hickory or any other similar hardwood has been very difficult in the south of the U.K.

I recently went into a small hardware store to find they do faithless handles. They aren't the most amazing handles but they are the best I have come by. They don't do a handle specific for a double bit but they do do one for a pick axe.... Would this still take the abuse of an axe handle?? I can imagine it would as it is still hickory and if I get a good grain orientation it should be good but I thought I'd ask some pros first.

Thank you for reading,

Matt
 
If you can get it rasped down and get a proper shoulder it should be fine ( but it'll take a lot to get the right handle profile, less than starting from scratch though )
 
If you are careful, you can take some of the bulk off quickly by making shallow saw cuts and then slicing them off with a chisel, almost like hewing on a small scale. Saves a lot of rasp work.
 
Ok that's great then thank you. I will probably get the spoke shave onto it to get it to shape, is a DB axe handle usually thinner than a pick axe handle or is it just personal preference?
 
MBAIGENT said:
Ok that's great then thank you. I will probably get the spoke shave onto it to get it to shape, is a DB axe handle usually thinner than a pick axe handle or is it just personal preference?
Click to expand...

It might depend on what kind of pick handle but my double bit handles are thinner than pick handles. The pick handles that I have experience with don't have the same pronounced swell that standard dbl bit handles have.

Maybe start with marking it off well with something like a pen and spending some time carefully fitting the head to it before worrying too much about the rest of the handle.

I haven't done exactly what you are talking about but I have made a few hammer handles from old pick, ruined dbl bit, and longer sledge handles.

Sometimes I feel a little spoiled being able to walk into a store and choose the best of the lot when it comes to handles. Also wish shipping US to Europe was cheaper. Would be fun to help out.

Definitely keep us posted.
 
It's doable :thumbup:

SwampyA.jpg


I've thinned it a bit since these pictures

swampyd.jpg


swampye.jpg
 
Ok thanks very much, I shall get to work on that then and share some photos of before and after! Thanks again
 
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