Making an Axe Handle

The last couple of days I have been going nuts with axe handles.

Some of you might remember a few months ago I posted up a handle I made from Maple. A few days ago I considered it dry enough, so I finished it out a little, and mounted a nice 3 pound Collins head on it. Then I made a hatchet handle from some nice dead standing Hickory. After that, I have handled an old Norlund head with a Hickory handle, and now an older Craftsman lathing hatchet with Hickory as well.



Today I video recorded the making and fitting of the Craftsman head.

Axe Handle Making Video

Alot of my technique and design inspiration comes from this Isien Tyot video (the whole series is great, but I really enjoy watching this guy work!):
Classic Axe Handle Making

Thought some of you guys might find it interesting/helpful

Enjoy!

 

TF, I start off with the eye section of the handle oversize, and trim it a little at a time, slowly working it so that the head sits where I want it. This way I make sure to get a snug fit and don't take off too much.

I don't use a metal wedge mostly because I don't have any . One one of my axes, I tried using a cedar wedge, which was a mistake because it was too soft, so it just compressed when I started chopping. I couldn't pry the wedge back out to replace it with a harder wood, so I used some brass sheet stock as metal wedges. Usually, I simply don't need them.

Yep, regular old school glue. I do this just to give the wedge a little bit of extra grab, to keep it from working it's way back out when I'm chopping. A metal wedge applied at 90 degrees to the wood wedge (like Gransfors Bruks does) will help hold the wood wedge in place too.

Mark, I do enjoy making them, as well as using them once they're done! In my backyard, it's almost exclusively Maple, so that's normally my wood for various projects. There is some Hickory scattered around though, so I take advantage of that when I can. Sadly, I don't have a shaving horse (and my early attempts at creating one failed ), so I pretty much stick to the axe and knife. I do have a nice drawknife, so maybe I should give a shaving horse another try.

Katdaddy, My first handle took a few hours. The one in the video was ready to hang in about 35 minutes. They get easier, faster to make, and better with each one. Just a matter of practice. :thumbup:

You also have to choose your wood carefully. If you get a piece with alot of knots or a really twisted grain, it will be much harder to work (not to mention it will create a weaker handle).

 

Gene, that is indeed the Norlund! The handle it was on had a little too much room front-to-back in the eye, so the head worked loose. I've had it sitting around waiting for a new handle, and yesterday it finally got one! I like the head alot, and I thinned out the cutting edge a bunch (about two hours of grinding, if I remember correctly...). It's a great axe.

I'm still on two man-powered wheels, but I agree we should get together and do some chopping and bumming! Maybe another winter (or fall) gathering is in order...

 

Brian, I was supposed to go to work on a roofing job this morning, but the guy never showed up , so I was wearing my work boots when I headed out back.

My brother and I were cracking up because of the speed as well

I really like the old, almost square patterns. The head is so tall, there is alot of wood inside that eye!

Shotgun-I got the wood out of standing dead trees in my back yard, but you could probably find good boards at a lumber yard. Try to find one that isn't quarter sawn, so that the grain will run parallel to the short sides of the board.