Plumb re-handle - worth the effort? - re-hung again!

daizee

daizee

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Dec 30, 2009
Messages
11,115
Hi Axey folk,

I have a Plumb felling axe (3-4lb?) with the following markings:
M-591 AD35-C32
029

The handle was poorly made and split awhile back a little bit. After examining my three axes this evening, I concluded that this plumb was the best shaped for its job. (the maul got some time on the belt sander earlier...)

Anyway, the factory handle was epoxied into the eye, and it's proving very difficult to get it out. I've cut, drilled chiseled, pounded, etc.. Geez, I have other stuff to do!

Should I keep at it? is it worth the effort?

The new handle that's been kicking around is a couple inches shorter overall, but given that I'm no woodcutter and unlikely to know the difference, I'll just use that one.

-Daizee
 
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Hey, so you cut the handle off, right? Are you trying to punch the left over wood out the top of the eye. It is usually much easier since the eye is wider at the top than bottom. Hopefully, that makes sense.

Is it worth it? To me, hell yeah. Old Plumbs have *ss kicking steel in my experience. If it's not worth it to you, you may send it to me!!! :p
 
Please see my thread:) I got a pretty ugly Plumb off Ebay, but I saw its inner beauty:)

If you actually like the head as it is, you are ahead of the game. A few YouTube videos show using a drill and drift to knock that handle out.

Still not convinced? I'll take second dibs after Memphis:)

Best,

John
 
oh yeah, I'm trying to punch the wood out both directions - neither is working. There was about 1/4" of some kind of red epoxy filling the top of the eye, and it absorbs hammer blows like you wouldn't believe. I'm sure there is a technique to this which would be obvious if I knew what the hell I was doing.

This isn't an old one, I probably bought it new. At most it would be 10 years old. Oh wait.... did this one come from my mom's house? Hm. Maybe older? But not "old".

Ok, I'll keep at it.
 
Sounds like the old Plumb permabond in the eye - and yes that is very hard to get out. You have to drill it out - and it is very hard your drill bits - it will dull them in no time.
 
Operator1975 said:
Sounds like the old Plumb permabond in the eye - and yes that is very hard to get out. You have to drill it out - and it is very hard your drill bits - it will dull them in no time.
Click to expand...


That must be it. I shoved a 3/8" bit through it several times *before* pounding on it, and it's still jammed in there. I got enough movement to get the permabond out because the remaining wood moved more easily towards the top. Still stuck!!
 
Hope this helps you out. I use grade 8 bolts of different sizes as a punch to drive out handle remains from axe heads. Grade 8 are strong, you can get them from any hardware store. They are rather cheap and have worked well for me. I also have a few pieces of scrap steel that I use as a drift. I found those at a garage sale.





Just my .02, Double Ott

EDIT: Yes the Plumb is worth saving!
 
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daizee, I've got a Hults Bruks boy's axe with an epoxied eye. I've tried three times now to get the handle out without cutting it off. So far no luck, and I've been pounding the crap out of it with a 3 pound sledge. So, I feel your pain. I think I'm going to have to cut if off. I should have just left it alone from the get go.
 
I'll try the bolts. I was using a 1"x3" piece of metal from something else, but the bolts would probably work better.

BTW, what is the typical Rc hardness of these things?
I'm fantasizing about cutting a chunk of it out to lighten it up, just for funsies.
Is the poll usually heat-treated? The poll on this head has a lot of dings, probably from being smashed with a sledge when improperly used as a splitting axe (I've met the culprit... and he is.... me).
 
Most axes do not have hardened polls. Your's probably would show minimal wear if it did have a hardened poll. The "soft" body of an axe generally is pretty...soft. I don't know the RC, though. I want to say that the RC hardness of the BIT of an axe is usually no greater than 60 at most. The body is much softer, again generally.
 
It's not terribly unusual for people to cut up their axe heads with hack saws, if that helps answer the question....
 
haha, I'm not sure I've got the patience to cut it with a hacksaw. Maybe a bandsaw, but figured I'd ask before risking a blade.
I'd be shocked if the bit was as high as 60. That sounds brittle for a chopping tool to me. If I do cut it I'll leave the edge alone anyway.

BTW, a 1/2" bolt as a drift got the remaning crud 3/4" of the way out before progress stopped. I'll attack it again next weekend.

-Daizee
 
daizee said:
I'll try the bolts. I was using a 1"x3" piece of metal from something else, but the bolts would probably work better.
Click to expand...

A short section of old axe handle makes a decent punch, too. Just rasp it down so it'll fit through the eye.
 
daizee said:
I'd be shocked if the bit was as high as 60. That sounds brittle for a chopping tool to me.
-Daizee
Click to expand...

Yeah, generally only special use axes (ie racing axes, maybe some mortising axes, some hewing axes, etc) and some European axes designed for soft woods venture into steel that hard.
 
Can we get a photo?

I have to think that Plumb built it with certain proportions and balance in mind. How much are you thinking of cutting?

Just filing the edge of most older US axes makes me think they are more like 50-55 RC. They are hard and take a good edge, but the file does cut them pretty well.
 
I've removed only one permabonded handle. The haft was so chewed up by misses that sawing it off caused me no pain. Then I drilled through it from the bottom several times and pounded out the bits between the holes, also from the bottom. There was no metal wedge, only more permabond in a kerf. The PB surrounds the haft and fills any voids in the eye, but there was still a layer of rust which probably helped in breaking the bond.
This is one of the fragments, showing a bit of the PB-filled kerf.
K0zE8vmv
 
John Frankl said:
Can we get a photo?

I have to think that Plumb built it with certain proportions and balance in mind. How much are you thinking of cutting?

Just filing the edge of most older US axes makes me think they are more like 50-55 RC. They are hard and take a good edge, but the file does cut them pretty well.
Click to expand...

I'll take/upload a better photo this weekend when I get back into the shop. I was hoping to show it all ready for hanging, but that seems to be be taking awhile...

In this pic the haft is still attached and I've just drilled the first three holes.

IMG_20121007_194133-small.jpg


I'm thinking about cutting maybe 3/4" off the bottom, but leaving the bit full-length, referencing this style, but taller top-to-bottom:

http://dragonsbreathforge.com/images/weaponry/axes/axe11_02.jpg
 
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