House Handle, love hate (mostly love but....)

[jblyttle]

This is my 3rd order with them and the 3rd order with problems. In both past cases they took care of me entirely and without question so that is great but I'm sorry to keep having to ask. I ordered 12 handles here of various types. Some premium, some not, some no lacquer some not. In the past the non premium hammer handles have been just fine so I order some for non premium rehangs. Most of these were very good to great, but there is no reason for me to be receiving handles with multiple splits, black mold and spalted from fungus. My last order had a "AA" handle arrive with wormholes. I want to love these guys as they do have mostly good products and great customer service, but I don't want to have to call on that great customer service with every single order.

 

[olybears57]

Agreed. 7/8 of the handles I get from them are very good. The other eighth is almost certainly garbage.

 

[Agent_H]

Did this one get wet you think?

Yeah, a couple of those are a little rough JB. I bet they clean up nice but not what I would expect from new handles. The mold; can that just be sanded/rasped out or does it penetrate some?

I've ordered 3 times from them and two of the orders had a less than desirable handle in it. Not like a couple in your pictures – more like a little checking on the swell end. I did get nine of one kind of handle when I had ordered (and paid for) only six. So I guess "gift horse" applies.

On a side note, this weekend I stopped to pick up more muck boots at a local place and walked back to tools to find they carry House Handle. We’ve been flooding here and needed an extra pair to live in the truck. Did a double take at first when I saw the HH sticker but I assume they do provide to retail, just didn’t think about them outside of ordering online and then shipping. Picked up a hewing hatchet, a house axe, and the thinnest stock single bit maul handle I've come across. It's being straightened a touch with some heavier dumbbells strategically placed.

Might stop by tomorrow again to look at cruiser handles.

 

[cityofthesouth]

Yeah for any kind of straight handle I just go to the hardware store. My local place carries AA handles and I regularly see what you're seeing JB. If that sort of stuff is AA, I'd hate to see what B wood looks like. They must be made from branches with the bark still on, caveman grade. I guess that would be C...

I don't know if they just have a different person doing the work or what but the boy's axe handles in my local place are usually really nice .... if I had any use for them.

I know there is lots of love for hand tools, and I like to use my spoke shave for therapy, but I can turn a sledge handle (or whatever) into a couple hammer handles in minutes on the 2x42 with 36 grit belts.

 

[300Six]

This is my 3rd order with them and the 3rd order with problems. In both past cases they took care of me entirely and without question so that is great but I'm sorry to keep having to ask. I ordered 12 handles here of various types. Some premium, some not, some no lacquer some not. In the past the non premium hammer handles have been just fine so I order some for non premium rehangs. Most of these were very good to great, but there is no reason for me to be receiving handles with multiple splits, black mold and spalted from fungus. My last order had a "AA" handle arrive with wormholes. I want to love these guys as they do have mostly good products and great customer service, but I don't want to have to call on that great customer service with every single order.

Grain on third up from the bottom looks suspiciously like this:

 

[jblyttle]

Grain on third up from the bottom looks suspiciously like this:

Yes, but I accept that. That is a second quality handle that cost $2, so as long as it is straight and split free I am OK with that. These are mostly 12-16" handles and the second grade stuff I get for non premium heads. There is no guarantee with regard to grain and it is usually heartwood but I accept that. The splits/mold etc are a different matter entirely.

 

[jblyttle]

Did this one get wet you think?

Yeah, a couple of those are a little rough JB. I bet they clean up nice but not what I would expect from new handles. The mold; can that just be sanded/rasped out or does it penetrate some?

In the second picture it is just on the surface- I will take care of it as I am going to sand and oil it anyway. The third and fourth pics are of the same handle. It is awful. It may have been sitting in water, but if it was, it was prior to lacquer. The joke is that somebody picked up a split piece of wood that was black with mold, made a handle out of it, lacquered it and thought it was good. Then somebody took that handle and packed it into an order as it it were OK. There were a few points where it was picked up and somebody should have decided to make firewood out of it. The handle in the last picture is spalted, which is to say that it has fungus growing through it. There are sometimes where this is desirable, as it can make for some pretty wood for sculpting and knife scales, but it looks terrible on a hickory tool handle. Spalting also reduces structural strength- not an issue for most uses but again not good for a tool handle.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

I had a European hay fork come to me with a bit of spalting in the beech handle...ended up snapping right off on me. Fortunately it had a long handle and was a socket-neck rather than a tang-and-ferrule so all I did was cut the handle down below the spalting and sanded a taper back on it, jammed it back in the socket and drove in the retaining nail and it was back in business. No complaints since, but it was a good demonstration of how spalting affects the integrity of the wood.

 

[Agent_H]

I stopped by just to take a closer look. Ended up coming home with a 18” scout handle, 2x House axe, 36” Axe eye maul, 36” Single bit, Boy’s axe, Scout axe, 16” and 14” blacksmith hammer handles.

Here are the House Handle offerings at the shop.

Two of the house axe handles looked along the lines of this one:

I pulled every handle off the rack (with the exception of the carpenter adze and sledges) to look them over.

There were a couple with horizontal grain with runout, a hammer handle speckled with mold, and limited amounts of “Red Hickory” with the exception of the double bit I hung up last on that rack, which was mainly heartwood. Looks like something Olybears could make look good.

All of the hammer handle grain was parallel to the heads and most of the handles only had up to 20-30 degrees off parallel. There was one or two that were pretty ugly up close. The axe handles kind of were the same except a few of the double bits felt really light for their size. I remember someone posting about why that is but couldn’t find it.

Bad picture here but this is what I picked up. The 18” scout handle I was messing with for one of those 1.5lb “Made in West Germany” hatchet heads.

Was interesting to see what would be shipped to a store for stock - all were marked AA.

I got asked if I needed help maybe 6-7 times while I was back there… Probably didn't even notice I reorganized for them.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

If those were all AA maybe they need an AAA grade. Not like those were unacceptable lower grade handles but it seems like calling them AA is gilding the lily a little.

 

[trailtime]

I have purchased enough House handles to know that I'll have better luck at the local hardware store for "standard length" SB and DB axe handles. I've had too many House handles arrive warped. I still go to House for speciality handles which my local stores won't stock.

 

[Steve Tall]

... a few of the double bits felt really light for their size. I remember someone posting about why that is but couldn’t find it.

Hickory with a higher density is generally stronger, so I would avoid the handles that feel noticeably lighter.

From Technical Note Number 171, USFS, 1936
http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fpltn/fpltn-171-1936.pdf

...A reliable indication of the strength of hickory
is its density. That is to say, of two pieces of the
same size and dryness, the heavier will be found to
have the better strength properties. This fact makes
it possible for large manufacturers or purchasers of
hickory handles or wheel spokes to inspect the pieces
by weight very rapidly and at small expense with auto-
matic machinery.

The man who is buying only one handle will usually
find a visual method of judging hickory more convenient
and practical than weighing. A fairly reliable visual
guide to strength is found in the proportion of summer-
wood appearing on the end of the piece. The summerwood
is the solid-looking or less porous portion of each
yearly growth ring. It is quite easy to distinguish
from the springwood portion of the ring, which is full
of pores or small holes. The summerwood has much greater
strength than the springwood, because it contains more
wood substance per unit volume. Wide bands of summer-
wood and relatively narrow bands of springwood, there-
fore, indicate a stronger piece of hickory than bands
of summerwood and springwood of nearly the same width.
The greater the proportion of summerwood in a tool
handle or other piece of hickory, the greater will be
its strength.

The number of growth rings per inch also affords
some means of grading hickory. Few growth rings per
inch, as shown on the end of a handle, indicate a stronger
and tougher piece than many rings, provided, of course,
that it is straight-grained and free from defects at
important points. Acceptable handles commonly show not
more than 20 rings per inch, although much good hickory
will be found with as many as 40 rings per inch. More
careful inspection, however, by weight, is recommended
for this very slow growth material.

As a further guide in choosing a good tool handle,
it is worthy of note that the best hickory shows an oily
or glossy side-grain surface when smoothly finished;
also, when it is dropped on end on a hard surface, such
as a concrete floor, it emits a clear, ringing tone,
in comparison with the dull sound produced by hickory
of inferior quality.

The adoption by the general public of these methods
of grading hickory, in place of the worthless prejudice
with respect to color, would put an end to the waste-
ful practice of culling red hickory stock. When hickory
was plentiful , this was a matter of seemingly little
importance; but now every means should be taken to
conserve the waning supply of an important wood, for
which no satisfactory substitute has been found.

 

[BaseCamp]

Second order from HH. Second order with problems. I ordered 11 handles, 5 of them are comically warped, all AA and "handpicked". Very disappointing. QAQC is seriously lacking. Here is to hoping their CS is better than the products I received.

 

[the possum]

As a further guide in choosing a good tool handle, it is worthy of note that the best hickory ...when it is dropped on end on a hard surface, such as a concrete floor, it emits a clear, ringing tone, in comparison with the dull sound produced by hickory of inferior quality.

Yeah, this one is also very easy to check in the store, especially the big box warehouse type places with concrete floors.

I whittled my daughter a little walking stick from osage orange heart wood. The fat end is about as thick as my thumb, and the tip is no thicker than my pinkie. If I let it drop tip first on concrete, it sounds dang near like a solid steel rod. I can hardly even flex it leaning my weight on it.

 

[garry3]

I seem to have had better luck with HH than most. I also do like Trail Time and just order what I can not get locally.
The biggest problem I have had is the handles warping after I get them. Its a different dry in my climate for sure.

I straighten warped handles with heat and a couple clamps.

 

[Operator1975]

I got in an order about 2 weeks ago. Thick. Grain was ok overall. Kerf cuts terrible. The SB 32 in curved was everything I could of hoped for, while the boys axe is probably the thickest axe handle I have ever seen.

I am trying another company I found via a bud, and see what they can do. HH didnt seem to care that I said I would post the handles on here, or would need a follow up order of 200+ handles if the quality was good. We will see what happens.

 

[rockman0]

while the boys axe is probably the thickest axe handle I have ever seen.

I have 2 boys handles and a couple of sb 36" the boys handles are much thicker than a standard sb. No idea why they do that. If you have them octoganalize they are much thinner and usesable when you get it. Or you can rasp to an oval shape with very little work to get there. I agree the kerfs are typically off center and shallow. Ive bought at least a dozen or so handles of several types. All have been hand picked. The grain has been ok, none were warped, the tongues have been off center on several and seldom get a centered kerf. I'm going to try making one from a stave. Lots of work but it's enjoyable work for me.

 

[Agent_H]

I seem to have had better luck with HH than most. I also do like Trail Time and just order what I can not get locally.
The biggest problem I have had is the handles warping after I get them. Its a different dry in my climate for sure.

I straighten warped handles with heat and a couple clamps.

This might be repetition here but would you snap a couple pictures next time you straighten one out? No problem if not.

I've only straightened a few. Heavier dumbbells with risers under strategic spots. "Ok" to pretty good staying results with a lengthwise bend. I also have a larger Wilton wood vise that is unmounted. It's heavy enough to grab one end or the other. The other end can be clamped in my mounted vise. Kind of uses gravity to untwist a little.

I haven't used heat and steam yet so I'm curious.

HH didnt seem to care that I said I would post the handles on here, or would need a follow up order of 200+ handles if the quality was good. We will see what happens.

200+ handles seems like 2-3 (maybe more) small hardware store’s worth of an order. I don’t know anything about their production levels or what they can come up with “off contract” but that seems like a good deal on their part. It might also be that the level of quality you would want isn’t something they can just pack up at one time and send?

 

[garry3]

This might be repetition here but would you snap a couple pictures next time you straighten one out? No problem if not.

I've only straightened a few. Heavier dumbbells with risers under strategic spots. "Ok" to pretty good staying results with a lengthwise bend. I also have a larger Wilton wood vise that is unmounted. It's heavy enough to grab one end or the other. The other end can be clamped in my mounted vise. Kind of uses gravity to untwist a little.

I haven't used heat and steam yet so I'm curious.



200+ handles seems like 2-3 (maybe more) small hardware store’s worth of an order. I don’t know anything about their production levels or what they can come up with “off contract” but that seems like a good deal on their part. It might also be that the level of quality you would want isn’t something they can just pack up at one time and send?

They move very easy with heat and your chances of having them stay that way are greatly improved.

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Here I am just using a heat gun and adding some curve to a handle. It but I highly recommend you lay your handle across a pot of boiling water and cover it with tin foil. Its so much easier, 15-20min will usually be plenty of time. You need to have everything ready to go when you remove the handle from the heat as the window will close pretty quick as the handle cools rapidly. It will take very little effort to move the wood if it is hot enough. Think heating the haft all the way through.

 

[Agent_H]

Garry thank you for that. Appreciate it!

Do you ever push them back further than straight with the clamps to allow for any remaining natural bend? Sort of over compensate for when you release the pressure?

So at least I was on a similar track with the "risers".

This handle has been in my work area for a couple of years. Every time I have used BLO or BLO/stain, I have wiped my hands or gloves free of excess on this handle.

Would be fun to try to straighten it and it's not going to happen with anything I've tried so far.