I Did It--- Broke my Axe Handle

Handles, like the heads themselves, are ultimately consumable. Got your money's worth out of it, I reckon.
 
Ouch that's two cracked handle reports tonight.
*#it happens, as the bumper sticker says;):cool:
 
A factor is our dry climate. The sun bakes it and they dry out. Then with chopping they are more fragile than you think. It took me 2 hours including the time to get the head off the broken handle and on the new with a decent job. If you use them you'll have to replace one in time. DM
 
Here it is.
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Here's the top end. I took your advice and counter sunk the wedge. Then burred the ends over it. This handle is very blonde wood, it could be where the tree was grown and the curing. DM
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I also gave it a coating of boiled linseed oil and a touch up sharpening. The haft is 25" from the bottom of the head to the bottom of the fawn's foot. 28" over all.
I've not cut anything with it yet as I'm letting the epoxy cure over night. This pack axe or Boys ax could be my favorite ax. Because it's portable and can get a lot
of limb work done. It's not the work horse that my Hults Burks is. Nor does it weigh 5 lbs.. But it's still is a good working duty class, around camp, trail cleaning
or around a farm. Thanks for the previous threads on this type ax because if not for those I may not have pick up this Mann. DM
 
Breaking along the short grain, the handle never having seen much use and when it did, the inevitable failure due to no fault by any user, the handle flawed from the start. Good riddance.:)
 
Yes, not on my ax. It was hung on my Father in Law's ax. By whom I don't know. Likely not him. It mostly rested in his shop. Which turns into a oven each summer. Usually around 115* in there. Then I came along and thought that was the wrong haft for his ax. Which was a Wards Master Quality 3.5 lb.. So, I removed it and hung it on my Boys
ax, which it fit. My Father in Law couldn't much swing an ax for the last 20 yrs.. So, he would ask me to come trim his trees (he has several large mulberry)
and I would bring my tools. The last time I recall using his axe was around 2000. And it could have been a year before that. So, I'm close. Anyway I thank you for your observations and both these axes now have new hafts. Mine gets used and I'll see how these hold up. DM
 
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I hope the grain structure on my new haft looks better. Because I plan on using this pack axe and like this size. Plus, the Mann steel holds a good edge. I normally
stop at a fine India 320-400 grit, a 1970's Norton IB-8 stone, made in the U.S.A.. DM
 
David Martin said:
I hope the grain structure on my new haft looks better. Because I plan on using this pack axe and like this size. Plus, the Mann steel holds a good edge. I normally
stop at a fine India 320-400 grit, a 1970's Norton IB-8 stone, made in the U.S.A.. DM
Click to expand...
I'm a fan of those Norton IB-8 stones. I have a few that I use for different things. I just got a chipped one for free that I plan on making an axe puck out of.
 
Call me a day late and a dollar short. I heard/read that a good glue job was stronger than the wood being bonded. The next time I break a handle, I will Gorilla glue it and wrap it with lamp pull cord (like a fishing pole eye). I can afford a new handle, but I want to test the glue theory and I think the wrap would improve the gripability.
The theory might work for wooden handled shovels, hoes, edgers, rakes, etc. David, you need to take your axe into the sauna.
 
Thanks, jblyttle. I've used this type stone since I started cutting meat in the early 80's. It works well on steels up to cpm154. As long as they don't have vanadium carbides in the mix. Commercial, industrial grade knives is were it really shines. Putting a nice, sharp edge on them. Plus, the India wears very slow. Offering good economy.
Maybe so Tig. Yes, we need more moisture here. DM
 
Ernest, looking at it some more, I think you have a point.
tiguy, that would be a lot more work for me. I was going to use it to smoke a brisket on the grill and get some end use out of it. DM
 
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