Need some advice on a Mann....

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knomad

Joined
Feb 23, 2013
Messages
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Long time lurker. Happy to be here and hide while i read most of the time, but now Ive got a bit of a ramble, so please bear with me...

My grandma passed and I got a few antique blades. One is a Case 8" butcher blade that needs a bit of love but has no pitting and an intact handle. The other is a Mann single bit axe head with "2 2 Mann Lewistown, Pa" stamped on the blade. The heel was snapped off, looks like at least an inch of heel was missing, but maybe a bit more. I know from basic research that it is (was) a 2 1/2 lb head.

I found it in a pile of junk salvaged from her house, and saw it as project. I managed to grind down the "beard" a lil, as the blade looked a lil off balance with the big chip missing, but Im hoping you guys will tell me if it was mistake or not. The weight is down to about 2lbs, 1 oz. I wanna rehandle it with a straight handle , about 20-22" inches long. Having a bit of trouble finding one, so it may be a project this winter. We are chopping alot in my parents backyard, so it will be handy.

I rehafted another 3 lb head that was laying around, but the handle felt too long. I managed to take down two small diameter trees (12" and 8")

SO, here is my list of questions, if any of youse guys are bored.
-bad idea trimming the heel? Will this throw off the balance too much?
-straight handle a bad idea? I like the idea of the smaller size, and probably wont see action bigger than whats already been mentioned.
-whats the right handle length for the current weight?

This will stay in the family, so the grind job i did on it isnt too disappointing. More curious about getting the most performance out of it. Thanks in advance! I hate to beg for info, but these type of threads are also what i really enjoy reading. If ive been outta line with any of this post, lemme know, i dont post a whole lot, so i may be rusty.

Pics to follow!
 
https://imgur.com/a/gQvom

Pics are a lil crappy, and the rust looks MUCH worse than it is. May trim the heel a bit more, depending what feedback i get here. Clean up and a possible powder coat job to follow.
 
That was a wide bit to begin with so you probably did right by grinding away the broken heal. I'd go with a longer handle - 26" to 28" . 20" - 24" is a kind of no mans land with axe handles. Too long for one hand, too short for two hands and just the right length for hitting your own shin. I know the Euro-exporters sell a lot of axes in this length but I haven't found any place in my arsenal for them.
 
Thanks! Is straight a bad idea? I figured with the shortened blade it would be a bit of a big, heavy hatchet.
 
My chopping is also limited to my dads back yard, and occasional splitting for the bbq pit. Ill look up some euro style handles.
 
knomad said:
My chopping is also limited to my dads back yard, and occasional splitting for the bbq pit. Ill look up some euro style handles.
Click to expand...

The European axes in this length are like the gransfors bruks small forest axe which are in the size range of a large hatchet head weighing just under 2lb , so they won't fit on a boys axe head ( 2-1/4 or 2-1/2lb is a boys axe ) you could get a house axe handle meant for a full sized head but in the length you're looking for, you'll have to order it online though .
 
Got it. Have been looking locally with no luck, makes sense. Thank you for the repy!
 
Longer handles are safer, as per SqPeg, plus better for splitting. Nothing wrong with straight handles, they're my favorites.

For those that don't use axes much, a shorter handle "feels" better, but generally they will come to prefer something longer after they get the hang of it. The real limit is tied to ones build. I have a 36" handle on my double-bit "felling" axe, but prefer the 34" straight ones on my jerseys for all around use. If I know the work is going to be light, my boys axe can be used and it is easily usable one handed even with 28" handle.

There is some logic and history behind the selection of handle lengths for each head weight.
 
Thanks! Seems like ill go longer than i originally wanted. I didnt find any references online that showed corresponding weights and head styles and equivalent lengths, but this post has steered me in the 28", straight hanble direction.
 
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