House Handle buying experience

So House Handle got back to me after I sent the requested pics. The good news is that they are going to send a new boys Axe and new house axe handle, along with a prelabled return box for the bad ones. The bad news is that they can't ship for a few weeks as they are out of stock on the boys handles. Sigh, but could be worse. Happy with customer service. Glad I didn't wedge it yet. I'll put that head on the Link handle, refinish the wood and probably sell it cheap. I have a 2.75lb Jersey with a boys sized eye that may turn into something nice, but I was thinking about a 20-24 inch handle for that. I have a few 36 inch handles and big heads, may I'll practice with one of those. We will see.
 
It's not that you're being too picky - a straight axe is probably a good thing - I'm just not sure it can be figured out with pictures. All accounts I've seen are that HH will set you up with a new one if you don't like it. I will say that a lot of the disappointment is a matter of expectations. A "prime" handle today is one that takes more time to fix than to hang. I'm not saying it's right, I'm just saying that you might as well change your expectations or get used to disappointment. I would still examine the head to be sure that you aren't having a problem with it. I've seen eyes that ran cockeyed, bits that ran cockeyed, and combinations of both. Then determine what exactly the head is doing.

axehead_hangingissues by city_ofthe_south, on Flickr

I feel like it might be leaning. If that is the case then you can begin to visualize what you need to do to square it up.

It may help to look at it like this. This is not my axe or my picture but the owner knows I am using it. This head might be off center. The kerf seems to be in line with the head which might suggest that the head is good. However, you can see obvious gaps at the right places which is causing the twisting effect - the gap at the rear on the right, and the gap at the front on the left.

piney_axehang by city_ofthe_south, on Flickr


Or you can look at it like this.

gba_dbit_bend by city_ofthe_south, on Flickr

Too many problems to fix. The bits are crooked, the head is crooked, the handle had a curve. You will have to go through the checklist of possible problems. I would probably find a way to be 100% about the handle by finding the peak at the tongue and hang a plumb line or something to see what is going on. If you can't get the handle to look bent without a head on it, I would begin to suspect the eye of the axe itself.
 
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I noticed something else. In the underside pictures of your handle I notice the head is shaving wood more on one side than the other. Then I noticed the "tight side" (if you will) corresponds with the direction the head is leaning. Here is an illustration.

axehandle_shoulders by city_ofthe_south, on Flickr

One shoulder (the arrow) is higher than the other which may be causing the one side (opposite of the arrow) to lean over, digging into the wood more.
 
Thanks for the time and effort that you are putting into being helpful. It is appreciated.

I'm comfortable with the concepts and I have no problem with the ideas behind proper hanging. I understand tilt/lean etc. I know that it should be square, and I'm not happy with it. I'm not the best or most experienced hafter, but I can do it. I'm fin with slow shaping/rasping, using pressure marks to show high spots. With more experience I'm sure that I could do more with this, but I am confident that the shaft and the head are off center. There is no leaning, but very obvious tilt. Regarding the head, my eyes tell me that if anything the bit may skew slightly to the left, so with such a pronounced tilt to the right I'm satisfied that while I may benefit from experience, this is more the handle and less me. It will be interesting to see how things go mounting this onto the Link handle.
 
Possibly, and I will look at that, but the tilt is visible with the head barely seated, fully seated, and you can see it on the handle with no head at all.

Regarding expectations, I agree with your sentiment completely.
 
jblyttle said:
Thanks for the time and effort that you are putting into being helpful. It is appreciated.

I'm comfortable with the concepts and I have no problem with the ideas behind proper hanging. I understand tilt/lean etc. I know that it should be square, and I'm not happy with it. I'm not the best or most experienced hafter, but I can do it. I'm fin with slow shaping/rasping, using pressure marks to show high spots. With more experience I'm sure that I could do more with this, but I am confident that the shaft and the head are off center. There is no leaning, but very obvious tilt. Regarding the head, my eyes tell me that if anything the bit may skew slightly to the left, so with such a pronounced tilt to the right I'm satisfied that while I may benefit from experience, this is more the handle and less me. It will be interesting to see how things go mounting this onto the Link handle.
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Yeah when I refreshed the page I realized you had responded before I finished writing the post (s). :(
 
To give credit where it is due, the hammer handle was just about perfect. The head is a Stanley 2.5lb sledge yard sale fine, was either a buck or free, can't remember. Was a rusty hunk thought.






What is it about axes and hammers, the species always seem to inhabit the same habitat!
 
Square_peg said:
Give a small child any object. First thing the child will do is put in their mouth to see if it's edible. If it's not edible the child will immediately start hammering with it. It's instinctive.
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Then they smack their little sister with it and get a stern lecture about putting eyes out.

(Or in the case of my son, smack his BIG sister with it. He got that from me.)
 
The replacements arrived today, and at first glance they look MUCH better. They look like premium handles. They included a return label for me to send back the bad two, so the replacements cost me nothing extra. Although there was some pain in this process, I have to give them credit for great customer service. I'm satisfied and feel confident giving them most of my future business. One note, I saw that the shipping cost for these two was just about exactly half of the original cost to ship 4, so I wonder if the strategy to order more than one or two at a time to save on shipping is valid.






 
I see that they still have a problem being able to cut a kerf in the middle of the handle. One shouldn't have to specify "with a straight kerf" in their order.

But for the most part, I've been happy with all my handles from them.

Tom
 
rbeggs said:
I don't think the handles are ever varnished in the first place, I think they are pulled off the line before that process. If they were sanded to remove the varnish they would be a little slimmer than varnished ones and they don't seem to be. I think they charge more for unvarnished because it takes work to pick them out of the line and have a separate process for the hand picked. I personally would pay double for unfinished handles because it's a job getting that crap off of them, it just gums up when sanded.
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my experience says that they are indeed varnished by default and then sanded off by request. on the butt of the poll, on every single axe handle in the shipment (30 of em or so?) had varnish only on that very part. it had been sanded off everywhere else (except for the inside edges of the wedge kerf, as well)
 
Double Ott said:
I see that they still have a problem being able to cut a kerf in the middle of the handle. One shouldn't have to specify "with a straight kerf" in their order.
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Yeah. Why do they even bother cutting it if they're not gonna even try to center it?

I really wish handle makers wouldn't kerf their handles. They're actually easier to hang un-kerfed. And come on, if you can't cut your own kerf you've really got no business re-handling an axe.
 
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