My first hang

[Sn0man]

This is a fairly recent Collins, probably late 90s or 00s. The handle had some overstrike damage and I want some practice, so I cut if off and tried my first hang. I learned a lot, which is precisely why I wanted to do it with a cheap head instead of my dead uncle's vintage Kelly Perfect. Right now the head is soaking in linseed oil for a week. I got some AA grade handles at House Handle. Here's what I'll do different next time:

1. I'll be more careful shaping the neck symmetrically because the head cants to the left (looking from behind the poll).
2. I'll do better while shaping the wedge so it fills the eye; it needs to be fatter and longer
3. I trimmed the neck too short -- next time I'd like to leave some sticking out, maybe 2 mm?
4. I marred the head while sawing off the neck, and had to do some sanding.
5. I'd rather learn to drive the wood wedge correctly and not need metal wedges. But if I do, I'll grind it down so it can fit perpendicular to the wood wedge, or else use ring wedges.
6. I'd like to learn how to avoid those cracks.

 

[Dusty One]

When you go with just the wood wedge you should get rid of the cracks.

 

[Sn0man]

When you go with just the wood wedge you should get rid of the cracks.

Good to know, thanks

 

[Peck Price]

Wishing my first hang looked that good, great job.

 

[Honed_Edge]

I think around the fourth or fifth time you really start getting it. Everything after that is refining your style. There are lots of ways to do things and we all have what works best for us. If it comes out nice and lasts, you did it right!

 

[tommytman]

I use a stanley surform shaver to shape the handle and a rasp file. Here are my tips.
1) bring the head to the store when you pick out the handle and pick the handle that will take up as much of the eye as possible.
2) You want about the bottom 1/3 of head to fit the handle and be on the solid part of the haft where there is no kerf
3) get the head started on the haft and see where it binds, mark with a sharpie and remove the sharpie with the rasp and repeat. this takes time but will get you there. remove material symmetrically and check that the head does not start to cant left to right or front to back. if it does remove material slightly to correct. remember that you do not want to have the kerf pinched so you need to relieve the wood to get no pinching.
4) make sure you have the wedge sized to the kerf depth and make sure you sand the wedge to fit. You have to eyeball this....how thick is the kerf and how much wedge thickness do you need to fill up the gaps. Don't use a wedge with a steep angle profile.
5) if (as in your situation) your handle has gaps in the front and back then use a big wedge to help fill that area. after you hammer the wedge in you can cut small pieces of wedge to fill the remaining gaps. If you get advanced you can cut the kerf and drive second wood wedges perpendicular to the main wedge to help fill gaps.
6) Drive your wedge in. There are many video on how to do it. I use the back of a jersey axe to hammer or I put the wedge end on an anvil and hammer the butt of the handle.
7) If you drive a metal wedge and have spaces front and back of the eye the handle will split as yours did. In this situation I would avoid using the metal wedge. Use a longer wood wedge to take up as much space as you can and then use small wedge pieces to fill in the gaps. I use round wedges and like those if a metal wedge is needed. I use wood glue on the wood wedges
8) Remember to go slow at first. Sometimes it takes me several hours over a few days to rehang an axe.
9) Watch some videos online by Buckin. He has a lot of nice tips.
10) I have been hanging the axes 'proud'. I leave about 1/4 inch wood above the head.
11) The metal wedge will crack wood; especially on the part that is hung proud....if that is an issue for you then don't use one.
Here is one I did this morning. I worked on it over several days off and on.