House handle: too big for carpenter hatchet head

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austin37

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Afternoon,

2nd post about this hatchet head.. found in dads old toolbox. Wanted to bring new life to it and hang a handle.
Ordered handle came today; all excited.. open box and to my disappointment it’s too large for the hatchet eye. Any suggestions on which one I should buy to fit? And what would fit this handle? Can I buy one from Ace hardware that will fit my hatchet head? The handle I bought is 18 inches long. Seems far to long for that kind of use that hatchet would see
 

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You can shape it down to fit ...but yeah that handle is for a 28oz riggers axe...not 22oz half hatchet like this...so it's a much bigger handle overall
 
Hickory n steel said:
You can shape it down to fit ...but yeah that handle is for a 28oz riggers axe...not 22oz half hatchet like this...so it's a much bigger handle overall
Click to expand...
What size handle does my carpenter hatchet use? Do the Ace hardware handles compare in quality to house handles such as that?
 
You just gotta look through them and a good one can be had.....

The handle your half hatchet takes will be 14-16"
Bringing your head with you is a good idea...just remember that every handle is going to need to be fit to the eye .. It's gonna be a little bigger...
 
You will inevitably need to shape the end of a replacement handle to fit your head. If there is too little wood, it will not fit it well at all. If there is too much wood, you simply remove the excess. That handle will fit it if you chave it down--it's just also a larger handle than was most common on that kind of head. However, there is pretty much no handle that you can simply drop into an eye, bang the wedge, and call it done. The fitting is what makes that fit secure, so it being larger than the eye is ultimately a desired trait.

Out of House's selection specifically, the one they describe as a "broad hatchet handle" is the one typically used. I'm not sure why they named it that, though, as carpenter's half-hatchets are much more common than broad hatchets.
 
Hickory n steel said:
You just gotta look through them and a good one can be had.....

The handle your half hatchet takes will be 14-16"
Bringing your head with you is a good idea...just remember that every handle is going to need to be fit to the eye .. It's gonna be a little bigger...
Click to expand...
Thank you for the info
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
You will inevitably need to shape the end of a replacement handle to fit your head. If there is too little wood, it will not fit it well at all. If there is too much wood, you simply remove the excess. That handle will fit it if you chave it down--it's just also a larger handle than was most common on that kind of head. However, there is pretty much no handle that you can simply drop into an eye, bang the wedge, and call it done. The fitting is what makes that fit secure, so it being larger than the eye is ultimately a desired trait.

Out of House's selection specifically, the one they describe as a "broad hatchet handle" is the one typically used. I'm not sure why they named it that, though, as carpenter's half-hatchets are much more common than broad hatchets.
Click to expand...
Good point about the excess and needing to trim it to fit… interesting they went with the broad hatchet handle description for best handle size mated to the 1 1/4 lb carpenter hatchet
 
I like House Handles in general, but I don't like all of their patterns and any haft made for striking tools that isn't hickory isn't worth buying.
 
garry3 said:
I like House Handles in general, but I don't like all of their patterns and any haft made for striking tools that isn't hickory isn't worth buying.
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Had I known they weren’t genuine American Hickory i would of looked elsewhere
 
I learned years ago not to purchase ash hafts for my rigging axes as they wouldn't last half as long as hickory.

A guy might think that ash would be good enough for an occasional use tool but I have not found that to be the case. A couple years ago I picked up one of my hatchets to take on a hunting trip that had an ash haft that I didn't notice on my haste to get out the door and right on time first use that haft failed at the eye. Ash might be OK on some of the European axes with their larger eyes.

I don't have many ash hafts left having culled that stuff out, but I did find this one. It for sure isn't going anywhere that I might actually need it.
They make for nice looking hafts I suppose...



And yes, that haft is from House Handle.
 
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FortyTwoBlades said:
That's very odd. I've never received anything but hickory from them with axe handles. The only ash I've ever received has been for long-handled tools, and it was stated clearly.
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It does state AA grade ax handles hickory, just expected it to look different than I imagined
 
garry3 said:
I learned years ago not to purchase ash hafts for my rigging axes as they wouldn't last half as long as hickory.

A guy might think that ash would be good enough for an occasional use tool but I have not found that to be the case. A couple years ago I picked up one of my hatchets to take on a hunting trip that had an ash haft that I didn't notice on my haste to get out the door and right on time first use that haft failed at the eye. Ash might be OK on some of the European axes with their larger eyes.

I don't have many ash hafts left having culled that stuff out, but I did find this one. It for sure isn't going anywhere that I might actually need it.
They make for nice looking hafts I suppose...



And yes, that haft is from House Handle.
Click to expand...
What exactly makes a rigging ax a rigging ax? Does that mean something of its use historically for helping chop wood to rig cabins or structures?
 
austin37 said:
What exactly makes a rigging ax a rigging ax? Does that mean something of its use historically for helping chop wood to rig cabins or structures?
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Today they have been standardized as a 28oz head on a 18" haft I think it is, it's really close to 16" to the base of the head a handy story pole at times.

They originated in the oil fields framing oil derricks (rigs). When I entered the trades they were the premium hammer for framing with superior weight and balance to a hammer. They had always created a problem on job sites because of the jealousy of those that couldn't weld them and couldn't match the speed of those that could. As a consequence, the hammer users labeled rigging axe users as "hacks".

I think it was the California unions that started it all by outlawing rigging axes (no doubt to protect their slow framers with hurt feelings). OSHA followed suit tagging them as a safety hazard and as such they couldn't be used on any government funded job in any state (but they didn't have a problem with drywall hammers). In response to this Hart hammers was founded in a California garage in the early eighties by cutting off the blade of rigging axes and welding on claws and the California framing hammer was born though in its final form was quite a bit lighter than the rigging axe but by that time nail guns had pretty much taken over all but some small head strong folks.
 
Austin37 asked:
"What exactly makes a rigging ax a rigging ax? Does that mean something of its use historically for helping chop wood to rig cabins or structures?"

As garry3 said, they were used on oil derricks when those were made of wood. The advantage was that you had the axe blade for shaping, with a nail notch for pulling nails. You could also drive a 16d nail with one blow.
During my carpentry apprenticeship in 1977, one of the instructors stated that he didn't allow rig axes on his job sites. That was because one of his men was driving a nail overhead, and when he drew back his rig axe, he hit himself in the forehead with the corner of the axe blade. I'm sure there were many other similar injuries that led to them being banned on job sites.
 
Whitewood said:
Austin37 asked:
"What exactly makes a rigging ax a rigging ax? Does that mean something of its use historically for helping chop wood to rig cabins or structures?"

As garry3 said, they were used on oil derricks when those were made of wood. The advantage was that you had the axe blade for shaping, with a nail notch for pulling nails. You could also drive a 16d nail with one blow.
During my carpentry apprenticeship in 1977, one of the instructors stated that he didn't allow rig axes on his job sites. That was because one of his men was driving a nail overhead, and when he drew back his rig axe, he hit himself in the forehead with the corner of the axe blade. I'm sure there were many other similar injuries that led to them being banned on job sites.
Click to expand...
As a teenager, I nearly had nightmares about chopping my ear off with that style hatchet. Therefore, I steered away from the Carpenter's/Half-Hatchet/Rigger's Axe design since. Lately however, they seem to be trickling into my life somehow, whether gifted to me, incorrect item shipped to me, or I buy two to get one. In that case, it's simply another project to jump into, head first.
 
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