Looking for a good Axe, custom maybe.

Joined
Dec 15, 2001
Messages
774
Ok, let me start by saying im hard on tools. I tend to break things. Im looking for a tough Axe. One that will be able to take sustained use/abuse and still come out in one piece. I have found the weak part of ANY axe is the handle, wood breaks, it just happens, doesnt matter if it is a cheap $20 axe or a brand name $100+ axe, wood just is not that strong, miss once and strike the log/tree with the handle right under the axe head and bye bye handle. So im looking for an axe with a METAL(preferably steel but even aluminum would be better than wood) Handle. I want this axe to last a lifetime. And i dont mind paying to make it happen. Head weight should be about 4-5lbs with a 6-8" cutting surface. Will be used as a felling axe as well as to split the wood. Handle length 30-35". Since metal handle will vibrate like a mofo im assuming, i will just wrap it in leather or whatever i have on hand at the time, maybe even paracord. Any suggestions? Thanks guys!
 
Please try to take this the right way..
The idea might sound logical enough, but it isn't. Fiberglass handles are now commonly sold in BC, and so one of those would probably go a long way to solving the breakage problem. A wood axe handle should last for many years in daily use, though, and for a lifetime otherwise. If you are having accuracy problems, you'll be having other problems too - with recognizing hazardous situations.
If you go out into the bush with an axe, but without the skill to use it properly - then the axe may come back in better shape than you do.
 
I will take your comments the way they were ment, im not that easy to anger anyways. I am not having accuracy problems and have only broken an axe handle once from missing(which BTW was only because i slipped while swinging it). Im just saying that no one is perfect and it can happen, when it does happen i would like to be able to keep working not have to go buy another handle. I may be in a situation when it breaks where my survival might depend on having a functioning axe. I know wood has been used for years and can last years if it is of good quality and treated properly. However any way you look at it wood is not nearly as tough as metal and other man-made materials, i had not thought of fiberglass, thats a good idea and i will look into it. Any other ideas? Thank you for your input.
 
Have a look at Cliff's comments on the 4 1/2 lb Hults, that's only sold in BC. That and a fiberglass handle should work for what you want. It's a lot of work to use on small stuff, though. If you reprofile it, you'll have to put light tap side cuts into every alder, or you'll be seeing lots of springboarding.
The Hults are usually available for well under $100 CA.
 
Thank you for the input. I will take a look at them for sure. I just got a Iltis Felling axe which looks solid and im sure will last me a while. I needed an axe ASAP so i got the Iltis. But am going to look into getting something with a Fiberglass handle as well.
 
If you like the Iltis, you might want to call Lee Valley and see if they still have a head - mine was about $50CAN. Fiberglass handles are about $20.
 
Rifter :

... strike the log/tree with the handle right under the axe head and bye bye handle.

Fibreglass won't stand up to that level of impacts for any length of time either, especially with that weight of a head on a full sized handle

-Cliff
 
Go to Swamp Rat Knife Works... looks like they are making one heck of a warhawk!!! all for under $200-

....damn, and I just spent my money on something else... time to sell off a kidney!
 
How about a "strike-plate" to help with Rifter's problem of handle breakage?
By "strike-plate" I mean a curved plate of metal, probably aluminum or steel, that covers the front of the axe handle for around 6 inches, starting where the handle meets the axe head and going down from there for around 6 inches.

I've made strike-plates for my wood handled axes and hatchets (I think I have four wood handles). My strike-plates are made from 1/8" aluminum plate, some small pieces of scrap that I picked up. They are not elaborate devices.

To make my plates, I cut out a rectangular piece of aluminum, with a hack saw, and then bend the piece with vice grips or pliers to an appropriate curve. I play with the curve of the plate until it fits reasonably well on the handle, covering the front of the handle and curving around the handle's sides. To hold the strike-plate in place I use hockey stick tape, wrapping the tape around the plate and the handle. And that's it.

I think my strike-plates must be somewhat effective, but maybe I'm wrong.
 
Any protection on the wood would be of benefit as one of the major concerns is direct impaction and fracture. If you check a wooden handle after such an impact you will see it dented and/or cracked. However there is still the problem of just handling the heavy torque which will not be fully solved by a strike plate though that will reduce it significantly because it will smear the force out. A really good idea.

-Cliff
 
how about thick dense foam? to absorb the impact? With metal there will still be a big shock when it impacts.
 
You are going to get one hell of a shock in any case as the head is going to want to wrap around the wood while you hang on to the hammer so it is really going to try to torque out of your hand. However the metal should reduce the site damage to the handle which is critical. A wrapping in hemp rope might do a lot of good as well. It should get smashed in, absorbing the impact, which should save both your hand and the handle. Some custom hawk makers do a leather wrap near the head for this reason as well.

-Cliff
 
My large GB Splitting Maul has a metal sleeve surrounding the wooden shaft where it enters the head (it tapers back farther on the bottom side). I haven't missed and tested its effectiveness, but I definitely feel better knowing it is there.

Go to www.gransfors.com , click on English, then "products". If you click on the picture of the large maul, you will get an enlarged image that clearly shows the metal collar.
 
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