Paul Bunyan Sized Handle!

M

mattyak

Joined
Feb 29, 2012
Messages
100
I was walking through the village hardware store (the only one within 400 miles) when I came across this. My hand is right beside it not behind. And no my hands are not small. Quit you snickering. This thing is huge. Its a finished 36" handle by link. It is bigger than the unfinished racing handles I have by a considerable amount.


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The selection of handles is grand. 5 cruisers handles with poor grain orientation and the "Bunyan". Anyone have any handles you'd like to send to AK? Thats Alaska not Arkansas. I've got too much steel and not enough hickory. I know.. poor me:D
 
:D Ha. This coming from the man in the dress.. um I mean apron. No seriously, this thing is a monster. I thought about buying it just for fun but the grain isn't very good. Operator, thanks for the laugh. I knew it was coming just waiting to see who would go there first. Good on ya!
 
Buy it, count your blessings and break out the spokeshave. At least you've got plenty of wood to work with. Most I find don't have enough swell.
 
Peg

Im with you. Always good to have someone back up the thought process.

I was thinking that there is enough meat to hack a few inches, plane 'er down and end up with a nice custom octagon straight profile. Im short on handles anyway. The grain isnt good but its better than bad :D and living out here in the village ..... I can't exactly be picky. If it's there on friday it's sold! hahaha. Its funny how these things work themselves out.
 
mattyak said:
:D Ha. This coming from the man in the dress.. um I mean apron. No seriously, this thing is a monster. I thought about buying it just for fun but the grain isn't very good. Operator, thanks for the laugh. I knew it was coming just waiting to see who would go there first. Good on ya!
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I have seen those handles like that from link - they have them in our one Tractor Supply - massive to say the least - I dont think I would want to swing one all day, but it will probably serve someone out there - especially maybe with splitting in mind might work out fine.
 
Im not sure where you are in Alaska, bit if you can find Birch it will make a serviceable handle. I wouldnt use it for a splitting axe but a light axe for everyday chores it would work. Peter Vido has an axe with a Birch handle that has, I believe, 5 knots in it, and has used it for fifteen years (I think he also said it gots lost in the woods for a few years as well). Are there any other hardwoods that grow where you are?
 
trailmaker said:
This is a method of thinning that I'd like to try sometime.
http://axeconnected.blogspot.com/2011/03/thinning-handles.html
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That's a great blogpost and a cool way to do it.

His taste in swells differs from mine. I will almost never decrease the diameter of a swell. I might thin the grip leading up to it but I want the swell itself to be large to keep the axe in my hand. I also prefer not to clip the fawnsfoot. But I guess we all have our individual preferences.
 
I checked out some handles at one of our local big box hardware stores, yours looks like a work of art compared to it, I will try to get a pic of one soon.
 
So I ended up with the big stick. Its a bat really. I'm tossing around the idea of turning it into a 31" inch strait-ish design. There is plenty of meat to work with and still have a nice swell on the end. Thoughts?... Whatever happens the spokeshave will be in for a serious work out. Might try out the thinning method Trailmaker linked. Looks intriguing.

G-pig, yes we do have birch. I plan on getting some as soon as my shocks for my sled come back from the rebuild shop. I would like to use it for a few boys axes I have in the works.

A couple of comparison shots. Link and V&B.
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Square_peg said:
That's a great blogpost and a cool way to do it.

His taste in swells differs from mine. I will almost never decrease the diameter of a swell. I might thin the grip leading up to it but I want the swell itself to be large to keep the axe in my hand. I also prefer not to clip the fawnsfoot. But I guess we all have our individual preferences.
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I agree 100%.

mattyak said:
So I ended up with the big stick. Its a bat really. I'm tossing around the idea of turning it into a 31" inch strait-ish design. There is plenty of meat to work with and still have a nice swell on the end. Thoughts?... Whatever happens the spokeshave will be in for a serious work out. Might try out the thinning method Trailmaker linked. Looks intriguing.
Click to expand...

If you've got a well-tuned spoke shave, I can't see any advantage to that method over the spoke shave. It will require a lot more sanding, whereas with a spoke shave sanding is just a touch for me. If I were to try both, I doubt I would save any time over working it down with a spoke shave. JMO.
 
mattyak said:
So I ended up with the big stick. Its a bat really. I'm tossing around the idea of turning it into a 31" inch strait-ish design.
Click to expand...

The trouble with that is that you lose the curve in the handle.

I agree with M3mphis about shaving rather than chopping the handle thinner. Chopping risks starting a split. A spoke shave is better but if you don't have a spoke shave then power sanders work, too. A belt sander or angle grinder with sanding discs works well.
 
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