Making a broad axe haft

[Square_peg]

Hey Pegs, that looks phenomenal!! Top notch work there.

Want to make one for me????!

Wow! That head is in dang good shape. It deserves to be rehung.

 

[Square_peg]

Green Maple will warp like hell if you leave it leaning. Once its dry its fairly stable. I bet you rig up a clamp and make a sweet double offset handle so it'd lay parralel to the plane of the cutting edge.

Yeah, I think an Z-curved handle would be really slick.

 

[M3mphis]

Hey Pegs, any updates on this? Have you used it? How does it feel? How do you like the offset? Etc......

I'm feeling inspired to carve up a handle for my broad axe.

 

[CedarEater]

Wow! Thats some really nice work!

I need to find me one in need of a new haft so I can attempt a haft like that.

 

[Square_peg]

Hey Pegs, any updates on this? Have you used it? How does it feel? How do you like the offset? Etc......

I'm feeling inspired to carve up a handle for my broad axe.

If I did another I would reduce the offset a little and make the overall length a little shorter. The offset changes the balance of the axe and makes the cutting edge want to twist away from the work. The back hand (right hand in my case) needs to apply some force to counteract the twist. I added some friction tape to make that easier. It works well.

Edit: To see this broad axe put to work see this link.
A timber for hewing

 

[vanwag44]

I finally wedged this thing today and I'm calling it done. I've enjoyed the challenge and I'm please with the result. It's not perfect but it will do. After hanging I gave it 2 coats of BLO mixed with mineral spirits for deeper penetration.

I stole a page out of Humppa's book and used a 3-piece wedge.

I think the curve in the haft is just about right for me.

I hope that I will soon take it to task.

Square peg, where can I find info on how to do this three piece wedge? I'm getting ready to wedge a broadaxe and the wedging you did looks unbelievable!

 

[Square_peg]

Square peg, where can I find info on how to do this three piece wedge?

Right here. What do you want to know?

I kerf the haft both ways and then drive in the cross-wedge first. Then I drive in the two pieces of the main wedge. A fellow forum member does it the opposite way, he drives the main wedge first then starts a split in it with a chisel and drives the cross-wedge. Eitehr way seems to accomplish the same thing.

 

[joshiecole]

I think this might be my favorite handle making picture thread.

 

[vanwag44]

Right here. What do you want to know?

I kerf the haft both ways and then drive in the cross-wedge first. Then I drive in the two pieces of the main wedge. A fellow forum member does it the opposite way, he drives the main wedge first then starts a split in it with a chisel and drives the cross-wedge. Eitehr way seems to accomplish the same thing.

Thanks again Square_peg! Seriously man, now I get to show my ignorance even further, the handle I bought from Hickory House doesnt have a kerf, the first one I ever bought that didn't, what saw/cut thickness do you recommend for the cuts? And how far should you cut down? I really appreciate your responses man, I do search the forums before asking so as to minimize my pain in the rearness. I think I can figure out depth, it's more the width of the cut I am not sure about. On a side note, I bought www.axerestoration.com because it was available shockingly, I wont have time to build the site for a while and view it as a long project, but would you be interested in being a contributor somewhere down the line, I don't have the knowledge but I can build a site and there's not much out there now.

 

[cityofthesouth]

On a side note, I bought www.axerestoration.com because it was available shockingly, I wont have time to build the site for a while and view it as a long project ...

Cool. I'm always looking for a project and I'd contribute to your site if you are interested in volunteers.


Anyway, I'm glad you resurrected this thread because I hadn't seen it, but I had seen Square_peg's picture of this particular axe. Good stuff.

 

[Square_peg]

the handle I bought from Hickory House doesnt have a kerf, the first one I ever bought that didn't, what saw/cut thickness do you recommend for the cuts? And how far should you cut down?

I usually kerf thin with a Japanese style pull saw. Occasionally I find the need to widen a kerf - some pinch as you cut them. Depth should be about 2/3 the depth of the eye. You could go a little less on a broad axe that has a very deep eye. One of the other handle makers here used to drill a small hole thru the haft as a stopping point for the cross kerf - the idea being to prevent the kerf from splitting down thru the eye. I thought that was overkill until I had cross kerf split just like that recently. I'll be drilling my next one.

Some handle makers here are doing most of their work with a bandsaw. That is a faster more efficient way of doing things. Another fellow is carving his hafts green and leaving the wedges proud until the haft has dried and shrank. He makes some great handles that way.

If you're doing a broad axe then you might consider using my removable wedging system. That way you can switch the handing of your broad whenever you desire. Of course you'd have to buy a 2nd handle.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1249527-Removable-wedging-system-for-axes

On a side note, I bought www.axerestoration.com because it was available shockingly, I wont have time to build the site for a while and view it as a long project, but would you be interested in being a contributor somewhere down the line, I don't have the knowledge but I can build a site and there's not much out there now.

I might contribute. Keep us posted. There's a ton of good info right here on bladeforums.

 

[cityofthesouth]

One of the other handle makers here used to drill a small hole thru the haft as a stopping point for the cross kerf - the idea being to prevent the kerf from splitting down thru the eye. I thought that was overkill until I had cross kerf split just like that recently. I'll be drilling my next one.

This is a good nugget of wisdom. I continue to shy away from cross wedging an axe because of the fear of splitting, this could make all the difference. I am thinking about moving the cross wedge toward the front or rear of the eye, or doing two, so that each one is exerting a little less pressure. Or, even cutting the cross wedge on an angle, similar to the way a metal wedge would be done.

I wonder if broad axe handles come without a kerf because some users don't wedge them at all? So that they can switch hands easily if needed.

 

[halfaxe]

I wonder if broad axe handles come without a kerf because some users don't wedge them at all? So that they can switch hands easily if needed.

I've run across a couple broad axes where they were wedged from the side with a stout removable wedge. I think to make switching sides easier. The handles were short, maybe about 18 inches.

 

[300Six]

I wonder if broad axe handles come without a kerf because some users don't wedge them at all? So that they can switch hands easily if needed.

I would prefer than no factory handles, for anything, have pre-cut kerfs only because that bandsaw slit is often careless, angled, and off-center!
Wood screws of old were uniformly tapered from tip to shank and (since broad axes weren't subject to high stresses of choppers and splitters) I wonder if a strategic row of these (3 or 4 screws ) twisted inside the eye (where the wedge kerf would otherwise be) in slightly under-sized pilot holes would enable securing of the head to the haft in such a way that haft removal (in order to change head orientation) was a relatively quick and simple matter. I've never seen a Plumb 'take-up wedge' but suspect these revolved around an adjustable cone-shaped wedge with a screw in the middle too.

 

[vanwag44]

Thanks, I thought about the removable system but since this is going to be a gift for someone else who I didn't think could tackle that. Thanks a bunch for the kerf info! I'll keep you and city of the south in mind down the road. Your both such great sources of knowledge.

 

[300Six]

Thanks, this is going to be a gift for someone else who I didn't think could tackle a removable wedge.

If it's going to be a gift to someone then why disguise this, what obviously is already old and worn, by superficially colouring the metal? Easier would be to give it a coat of automotive paint and then lightly expose the cutting edge with sandpaper and clearcoat. Then it could cheerfully hang on the wall for quite a long time (1000 years) before succumbing to rust!

 

[Steve Tall]

...I've never seen a Plumb 'take-up wedge' but suspect these revolved around an adjustable cone-shaped wedge with a screw in the middle too.

The "Plumb Take-Up Wedge" is simply a conical screw (in a "reamed hole") in a tightly-fitting handle, as shown in this 1922 magazine:

 

[vanwag44]

If it's going to be a gift to someone then why disguise this, what obviously is already old and worn, by superficially colouring the metal? Easier would be to give it a coat of automotive paint and then lightly expose the cutting edge with sandpaper and clearcoat. Then it could cheerfully hang on the wall for quite a long time (1000 years) before succumbing to rust!

Using this method, what coloring of paint do you normally use? I do like the clean metal look, I was concerned about rusting though.

 

[300Six]

Using this method, what coloring of paint do you normally use? I do like the clean metal look, I was concerned about rusting though.

Sorry, I've never painted an axe head in my entire life. Cursory wire wheel cleanup and then rubbing on of oil is something I'm quite happy to do though. Colour photos of a brand new broadaxe (in 1966) from Walters Axe show theirs to be paper labelled with no paint, even though regular production axes (also shown) were painted black, red and even blue before the label went on.