How do you handle it?

wimpyguy said:
One issue that I didn't see addressed here, is the grain orientation in the wedge. Does anyone have any recommendations for it? Almost certainly the grain shouldn't go perpendicular to the wedge, but should it be mostly parallel to the kerf or perpendicular to it? Or slanted 45 degrees?
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This is something that isn't settled in my mind. Historically axe makers have used soft hardwood wedges, mainly poplar. This may be to minimize cracked eyes during the wedging process (it happens, I've done it). But that soft wood also does a better job of conforming to the haft and eye. It may more completely fill the eye.

But I don't know if that necessarily makes a better hang. If that soft wood compresses over time then maybe it's more likely to come loose.

Sometimes I'll choose a hard wood with a coarse grain (elm is a favorite), thinking that it won't compress and that the coarse grain will give it some bite in the kerf. For the greatest compressive strength the grain should run perpendicular to the kerf. This produces some very tight wedging - be careful not to split the eye.

There's another thing I wonder about with the soft wedges. Do they become 'spring-loaded' when compressed? Are they able to take up slack and fill the eye as it loosens over time? I don't know. Just food for thought.

In any case I've had my best success when using Swel-lock or DPG mixed with 20% water on the wedge and kerf. I also prefer leaving the haft 1/4" proud of the axe head so the over-swelled end locks the haft on the head. I think perhaps the best situation is a haft 1/4" proud with a tight wedge recessed 1/8" into top of the kerf. Then hit this with DPG to make the kerf swell over the top of the wedge. I've never had one of these come loose but I've only been using these axes for 3-5 years so it's too early to say how much difference it makes.
 
Square_peg said:
This is something that isn't settled in my mind. Historically axe makers have used soft hardwood wedges, mainly poplar. This may be to minimize cracked eyes during the wedging process (it happens, I've done it). But that soft wood also does a better job of conforming to the haft and eye. It may more completely fill the eye.

But I don't know if that necessarily makes a better hang. If that soft wood compresses over time then maybe it's more likely to come loose.

Sometimes I'll choose a hard wood with a coarse grain (elm is a favorite), thinking that it won't compress and that the coarse grain will give it some bite in the kerf. For the greatest compressive strength the grain should run perpendicular to the kerf. This produces some very tight wedging - be careful not to split the eye.

There's another thing I wonder about with the soft wedges. Do they become 'spring-loaded' when compressed? Are they able to take up slack and fill the eye as it loosens over time? I don't know. Just food for thought.

In any case I've had my best success when using Swel-lock or DPG mixed with 20% water on the wedge and kerf. I also prefer leaving the haft 1/4" proud of the axe head so the over-swelled end locks the haft on the head. I think perhaps the best situation is a haft 1/4" proud with a tight wedge recessed 1/8" into top of the kerf. Then hit this with DPG to make the kerf swell over the top of the wedge. I've never had one of these come loose but I've only been using these axes for 3-5 years so it's too early to say how much difference it makes.
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According to my best understanding of wood structure, it is indeed a springy material for the most part. The higher the lignin content, the less springy it is going to be, but it will always be more spring-loaded than a steel wedge.

I am a bit worried about wood movement due to water content fluctuations. However, I will try to overcome this by pre-processing the wedge by immersing it in raw linseed oil for a day, and letting it harden (I avoid the word "dry" for linseed oil, because it's wrong). I hope to do this in a plac with average to high relative humidity, so that no or very little water leaves the wood during the linseed oil hardening. This should produce a piece of wood that is reasonably well isolated from the atmosphere, and therefore it should move very little with changing of relative air humidity.

From what you wrote, I understand that you propose keeping the grain perpendicular to the kerf as it has the greatest compressive strength? Did I get this right?
 
Yes, that's right, because the porous rings are then supported by the solid rings.

I don't pre-oil the wedge or kerf. I want the DPG to soak in. But once the wedge is set a couple coats of BLO is a good idea. You can also seal the eye and wedge with beeswax or a beeswax/BLO/turp mix. Keeping water out of the eye is a good idea.
 
Kevin Houtzager said:
Grain orientation doesnt really make a difference to the strength of the grain
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I disagree. If you have a wedge with a couple of early porous ring layers parallel to the kerf it will most definitely compress more than a wedge turned perpendicular to the kerf. In perpendicular orientation the solid late growth layers resist compression.

This isn't to say which orientation is better. It's just that orientation will strongly effect compression.
 
I'm well aware of the thickness of a wedge. And it takes less than a millimeter of looseness for a wedge to fall out. And I've owned many wedged tools that were tight from the factory and came loose over time. Many factors may have contributed to those wedges coming loose. Compression of ring porous wood is a possibility. It's also possible that the ring porous wood layers of the hickory handle compressed. Or both. But wedge compression can be reduced if the grain runs perpendicular to the kerf.
 
I’ve seen brief mentions of heartwood when carving your own handles, but for clarification: handles are cut from the wood between the bark and the heartwood?
 
KillerGriller said:
I’ve seen brief mentions of heartwood when carving your own handles, but for clarification: handles are cut from the wood between the bark and the heartwood?
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Ideally yes, the sap wood.

I known people that have use a 100% heartwood handle and had no issues whatsoever with it, lasted many years for them.

I bought a very expensive boutique axe and it came with a 50% sap wood 50% heartwood handle, how about that!

I will be interested to see how long it lasts, perhaps as long as a full sap wood handle, well see.
 
There are studies that demonstrate heartwood is just as strong as sapwood. But sometimes heartwood has more flaws than sapwood. On large tree where the heartwood has had many years to grow since it stopped sprouting limbs you may find perfectly good wood.

I would say to more closely examine heartwood. If it looks free from defects then give it a few raps against a concrete floor to hear its tone. If it rings clear its probably fine. And heartwood makes a beautiful handle.

Another thing to look out for is the line separating the sapwood from the heartwood. This is a point of potential failure. You never want that line at a critical runout point. Better is heart and sap woods run parallel the whole length of the haft. And pay close attention to the line separating heart from sap. A thin black line there or any gaps can indicate wood that is more likely to separate.
 
The two guys that I deal with the most at the TN Hickory factory both prefer heartwood as long as it’s clear of any defects. They claim it’s much more weather resistant.
 
A friend of mine just dropped off this piece of White Ash, 48-60"ish x 7-8"ish, nice and straight. I think it's from a branch/offshoot because there doesn't seem to be much/any heartwood to it, but I could be way off here. What do you think?

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I'm hoping to get to get more than a few handles out of it...:cool:
 
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A young fast growing tree will have little heart wood. The heart being off center is a natural growth pattern. Trees in the northern hemisphere tend to to put on more growth on the sunny south side.

Indigenous canoe makers knew this and always split a trunk in the east-west direction to separate the north and south wood. The tight north wood is heavier. A trunk split north-south would make a canoe with a terrible list.

Likewise branch wood differs with the top of the branch being in tension while the bottom of the branch is in compression. The compression wood will be denser.
 
I’m assuming the tighter grain is a stronger/more rigid wood, whereas the broader grain would be slightly more flexible?
 
Thanks for great info guys!

The piece in the pics above has only been cut for a couple weeks, how long should I leave it before playing with it? It’ll be outside this winter but it’ll be up off the ground. Should i cover it or give it air?
 
KillerGriller said:
Thanks for great info guys!

The piece in the pics above has only been cut for a couple weeks, how long should I leave it before playing with it? It’ll be outside this winter but it’ll be up off the ground. Should i cover it or give it air?
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I would quarter it, paint the ends, and put the quarters in a building until spring. This coming spring I would remove the bark, and by this time next year you should have wood that is dry enough to work with.
 
Square_peg said:
Indigenous canoe makers knew this and always split a trunk in the east-west direction to separate the north and south wood. The tight north wood is heavier. A trunk split north-south would make a canoe with a terrible list.
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I'm a serious canoer, so I don't know if it will hold interest for anyone else, but I need to recommend a old documentary film:

https://www.nfb.ca/film/cesars_bark_canoe/

It's free to watch and not narrated. It's just documenting a First Nations fellow making a birch bark canoe. And it is utterly fascinating to watch. I'll bet there average person in this forum would find the same. Worth the time.
 
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