How to tell a newer POS Collins from a older one?

M3mphis said:
The other day I was looking at some mexico made collins boy's axes at a local feedstore. The handles looked like they had been cut out of 3/4" plywood. Seriously, they were cut out of a flat piece of wood. It was weird.
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Yup, you're 100% correct. It's to maximize wood usage and minimize cost. I've got one laying around somewhere too. It looks like a stage prop!
 
We have a couple Collins Pulaski's with that type of handle at work. Flat on both sides. They're actually pretty comfortable to grab. Almost like an octagon handle.
 
M3mphis said:
The other day I was looking at some mexico made collins boy's axes at a local feedstore. The handles looked like they had been cut out of 3/4" plywood. Seriously, they were cut out of a flat piece of wood. It was weird.
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yep, ive seen those too... and the guy at the hardware store tried to convince me that they were "top quality"... yeah right!
 
I love the amount of info this forum can compile. But speaking of the 3/4'' handles new Collins have, thats almost like something I've wanted to try, but in 1''. My local store sells 1'' boards of Red Oak or Maple, and Red Oak held up on my hawk. But I digress; the thing is people such as myself don't want to get into handle making due to the difficulty of finding and drying hardwood, or finding a special lumber yard, but a lot of big hardware stores sell 1'' hardwood boards. Lemme go get a pair of calipers for a second before I try to word this. Going to measure three good handles, that aren't the size of a 2 by 4...

And before I forgot, I'm talking about boys axe handles. All I got. I imagine hatchets would be smaller, and for full size axes this might not work.

Modern Council Handle
Comb 1.30''
Throat .85''
Shoulder (At highest spot) .85''
Top of Eye (w/ wedge) .60''

French Pattern Handle Repo
Comb 1.45''
Throat .90''
Shoulder (At highest spot) 1.10''
Top of Eye (w/ wedge) Forgot...

Antique Handle before handles became POS
Comb 1.45''
Throat .80''
Shoulder (At highest spot) .80''
Top of Eye (w/ wedge) .80''

Average
Comb 1.40''
Throat .85''
Shoulder (At highest spot) .80''
Top of Eye (w/ wedge) .70''

Theoretically, my measurements say I could buy that 1'' board with the right grain and make a decent octagon handle with no measurement issues. Besides shaping around the eye, all I'd need is to shave some wood off. The comb would be a problem, but a groove and some paracord could easily provide a artificial comb. What do people think?
 
There might be a local store selling hardwood lumber, where you could get hickory. I suggest checking the yellow pages under "hardwoods". I've done this for small axe heads. Found some straight grain hickory with the "right" orientation (after some searching through the boards).
 
Square_peg said:
We have a couple Collins Pulaski's with that type of handle at work. Flat on both sides. They're actually pretty comfortable to grab. Almost like an octagon handle.
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I've got a bunch of Ames/True Temper handles like that in my stockpile. I have one in use and it is pretty comfortable. It seems like it would be a breeze to thin one down with a power planer; 15 seconds on each flat side, and a few minutes with a scraper to round out the edges.
 
Steve Tall said:
There might be a local store selling hardwood lumber, where you could get hickory. I suggest checking the yellow pages under "hardwoods". I've done this for small axe heads. Found some straight grain hickory with the "right" orientation (after some searching through the boards).
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Steve, if you're in the Puget Sound region then you might want to check out Blackstock Lumber in Seattle. I'd be shocked if they didn't stock hickory.
 
i dont know about your area, but out here in town, their is a 'specialty' hardwoods lumber store that has racks and racks (inside) of exotic woods from all over the world...

i would think you should be able to find something similar... maybe?
 
bearhunter said:
i dont know about your area, but out here in town, their is a 'specialty' hardwoods lumber store that has racks and racks (inside) of exotic woods from all over the world...

i would think you should be able to find something similar... maybe?
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Now that I think about it, my neighbor was telling me about just such a place. Might be easier to go take a gander than try to plane a board, but wheres the fun in that? :)
 
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