Help with stuck axe head

J_mcrane

J_mcrane

Joined
Dec 7, 2013
Messages
580
I have an old cedar axe head that I can't get pushed out. I've trying knocking it out with a punch. Drilled holes to weaken it. I need a new plan. Any thoughts?

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Hit it in the other direction?

I'd say a few more holes -- especially along the front and rear edge and possibly increase the diameter of the ones you already have.
 
RICKOFF said:
Drill more holes lots more holes, till it looks like Swiss cheese!
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Yep ^ after awhile you can wiggle the drill around and connect the holes, then use a old chisel to get the edges. In takes some time.
P.S don't tell your friends you've done this before they'll ask you to fix there's too 😀lol
 
This can be tough, I use a punch and a heavy hammer and that works most of the time, but I have had a few heads that seemed impossible. Small drills tend to be too fast, burn or snap off. I'd try a larger slower drill. A bit/brace followed by a punch may be ideal.
 
Also I have found that a 1/2 - 5/8" dowel works and I have a 1x1/4x1/4" piece of flat stock that does a good job try not to embed the punch that just makes worse. Just remember that your not trying to save the haft, saving a haft is whole different ball game.
 
A scrap of old axe handle makes a dandy punch once you've swiss-cheesed it with the drill.

Drill, baby, drill.

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The top of the eye is bigger and the wedge spreads the wood out, it's never gonna fit through bottom of the eye.
Hit it through the bottom and out the top, if you had done this in the first place it would've come right out in under a minute 👍.

Think of it like you were trying to pull one oil funnel through another .
 
Lieblad said:
Toss in the campfire ?
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In a pinch you can dig a small hole and fill the bottom with damp soil, burying the bit. Then build a small fire over the top to burn out the eye. Of course if the soil dries during your fire you still risk ruining the bit.

From Woodmanship by Bernard Mason;

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J_mcrane said:
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Everything mentioned so far seems like it would/does work.

If this picture means that there is some sticking out on the other side (in your palm), stick it back in a vise and cut that off flush with the eye.

Flip it over and drive the now cut off piece out the way it came. Rinse and repeat until you can possibly loosen the wedge up and pick/chisel/drill until you can get the whole thing or even part of it out.

If that doesn't work then you just have less for your drill bit to eat at while trying something different.

Also, If you have the handle it came off of you can cut it off, shape it into a punch, and try using that - try to cover as much of the eye as you can without making contact to the eye walls. A good solid wooden punch can be handy on others as well.



Never burned a handle out but you can do that as well I guess.


Some of them can be surprisingly stubborn for sure.
 
I'll just add that I've drilled two holes an inch or so apart all the way through. Then took a wood chisel and split off a chip between the two holes. I'm not sure it's any faster than a lots of holes drilled, but I usually end up prying a lot of chips out with an old screwdriver on the tough ones.
 
How many curse words have you said? I find it takes a minimum of 17 usually to get the tough ones out. Not to mention the time loss from getting mad and getting up and walking away. :p
 
Slim278 said:
What Hickory said.
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Works every single time for me, the real problem is removing a handle you're trying to save.
If you've never cursed before, just try to save and rehang a handle that maybe got a little those. By the end of this you'll have said every single curse word there is, some you didn't think you new and you'll probably have invented a few new ones 😉
 
You make an axe eye shaped drift from an old piece of hickory (or better yet, steel) and drive the old wood out from the bottom to the top, you can't be stopped. I don't waste time with any other method now. It's been a long time since a stuck handle gave me any trouble. You'll need a hole to drive down into, but the top of an open vise works fine. I do advocate drilling and swearing though, for sure.
 
BamaDADx3 said:
How many curse words have you said? I find it takes a minimum of 17 usually to get the tough ones out. Not to mention the time loss from getting mad and getting up and walking away. :p
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Sometimes I have a buddy stand by just to curse with me. It speeds the process. Works with fixing cars, too.
 
Try going to the bottom of the axe head, where you cut off the handle and knock the remaining axe out from bottom to top direction. Many of these axes had tapered eyes that prevents the wood from being knocked out from top to bottom. Knocking out the wood from the bottom through the top is the way to go.

ripshin
 
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