Handmade double bit Collins axe handle _ Video

Remzy · Mar 18, 2015

Hi guys, just made this video for fun and thought i would put it up here if someone ever felt like seeing how i make my axe handle.

I will have to admit that making a double bit handle was harder than I anticipated... :foot:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXPtJ52vX_A

Im not a film maker and my english accent is horrible but I believe the handle turned alright and I hope at least one guy (or gal!) out there get a little info out of this.
Take Care,
Remzy

Curt Hal · Mar 19, 2015

Ca marche!

Great video. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

garry3 · Mar 19, 2015

Cool video. Nice to see it start to finish with out a power tool.

Agent_H · Mar 19, 2015

I enjoyed that Remzy - thank you for sharing. Your accent is fine as well. That right there is more work than I have put into a handle, ever. Also like that you left the swell on it up to this point. Very cool - liked the curls you are pulling off with that spokeshave.

Double Ott · Mar 19, 2015

Remzy , Thank you. I appreciated your workmanship. A beautiful helve.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: ... Tom

aikonen · Mar 19, 2015

Thank you very much, I love these kind of videos. Subbed!

Square_peg · Mar 19, 2015

Excellent video. Great haft. I really like that large swell.

Well done. Thanks for sharing that.

DocPyres · Mar 19, 2015

Wonderful video! I really enjoyed that, thank you!

Nice work too. It turned out beautifully.

300Six · Mar 20, 2015

As nice as it gets! Perfectly wonderful job you did on this. Your film skills ain't bad either. After all that amount of time and effort this 'baby' really is become your's. Based on blank selection and layout I'm willing to bet you never manage to break this haft either.

cityofthesouth · Mar 21, 2015

Very nice, just a fine piece of work.

rjdankert · Mar 21, 2015

Remzy said:
Hi guys, just made this video . . .
. . .

Great job on the handle:thumbup:

Remzy said:
. . .my english accent is horrible . . .

If you are trying to sound like someone from England, then I agree

Remzy said:
. . . I hope at least one guy (or gal!) out there get a little info out of this. . .

This guy did.

How did you get the blank out of the board?

The saw you used for the relief cuts looks very efficient. Did you sharpen it?

Thanks for posting.

Remzy · Mar 22, 2015

rjdankert said:
Great job on the handle:thumbup:

If you are trying to sound like someone from England, then I agree

This guy did.

How did you get the blank out of the board?

The saw you used for the relief cuts looks very efficient. Did you sharpen it?

Thanks for posting.

Wow thanks for the positive feedback guys, i honestly did not expect this kind of response, i was sort of expecting people to find this information redundant so i was a bit reluctant to post the link here.

heheh no i was not attempting to sound like a brit, just, i dont know, i am quite able to write and understand English but when it comes to speaking it, i just dont get much chance to practice.

I went to the store to get the blank started and cut because i do not own a decent table saw, and cutting hickory lenghtwise by hand is a B***, ive already done it in the past and its really tough, try it for yourself, youll most likely hate it, cutting it across the grain is no problem tho, i dont know why.

the saw ive used belonged to my grandfather and yes ive resently sharpened it by hand, and that took quite a bit of time too but once they are sharpened and well taken care of, they tend to last décades without a need for resharpening! Disston saws were amasing.

thanks again for the feedback, I appreciate it.

rjdankert · Mar 22, 2015

300Six said:
. . . Based on blank selection and layout I'm willing to bet you never manage to break this haft either.

Absolutely!

The original board was flat or plain sawn. By selecting the section he did, he ended up with a quarter sawn blank.

Quarter sawn is desirable because it the most stable.

rjdankert · Mar 22, 2015

Remzy said:
. . . I went to the store to get the blank started and cut because i do not own a decent table saw. . .

FWIW I would not advise anyone to cut rough sawn lumber on a table saw, especially ripping. I am not saying that it can't or shouldn't be done. My reason is a rough sawn board will likely rock when laid on the saw table. The table saw will have a lot of blade in the stock when cutting (especially thick stock). This increases the chance of the blade jamming in the kerf. A band saw with with much less blade in the kerf will handle this better.

Remzy said:
. . .
. . .and cutting hickory lenghtwise by hand is a B***, ive already done it in the past and its really tough, try it for yourself, youll most likely hate it . . .

I have rip and crosscut handsaws that see some use. Never tried ripping a thick hickory board and wouldn't look forward to doing so.

Remzy said:
. . .
the saw ive used belonged to my grandfather and yes ive resently sharpened it by hand, . .

That is great that you have your grandfather's saw. And better still that you sharpened it and use it.

rcwells · Mar 22, 2015

Amazing work, it was a great pleasure to watch! Thank you so much for taking the time to put it all together and sharing it! I too appreciate the fact that the saw was your Grandfather's and that you took the time to properly care for it. I love this stuff!

RC

Remzy · Mar 23, 2015

rjdankert said:
Absolutely!

The original board was flat or plain sawn. By selecting the section he did, he ended up with a quarter sawn blank.

Quarter sawn is desirable because it the most stable.

just thought id ask, what do you guys think is that stain around the lumber cross section? it looks like some weathering or something, when i turn the lumber into a handle, the stains remains after working the wood and treating it with oil, thats really weird. When i purchased the lumbers, it was stored Inside.

300Six · Mar 24, 2015

I wonder if the sawyer 'buttered' the board ends with some inexpensive (and leftover and dirty) wax or oil type stuff. Another thing that often stains wood (part of the reason saw mills often don't want timber from urban areas) is rust uptake from ingrown nails/spikes and fencing.

Remzy · Mar 24, 2015

That crosscut section you can see in the picture is newly sawn as both ends were painted green to protect them, so i presume the stain comes from the outside as it shows the "wet ring" everywhere in the piece of wood.

heres a picture of another handle ive handmade with the same piece of lumber, showing what i mean.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1260696-True-Temper-TB2?p=14434104#post14434104
check the first and third pictures, on the swell, thats not heartwood but said stain.

preventec47 · Aug 4, 2015

I have seen recommended in the table saw manuals that when you have a thick board that will not lay flat
that you are supposed to nail or screw and very straight piece of lumber to it to give you a reference side
that is flat and will let you push the board straight through the table saw.

DarthTaco123 · Aug 4, 2015

I love the video! It just gave me the inspiration I need to finish hanging a few two or six heads in the garage.