Problems with axe head staying on

T

thefirstsuspect

Joined
Oct 30, 2013
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So I had a Norlund axe that the handle broke on so I recently replaced it but I can not get the head too stay on no matter what. I put a wood wedge in it but not a metal one. Do I need to put a metal one in? What am I doing wrong?
 
Git it too a real good dry wood to metal fit. Then soak it in linseed oil for 2 weeks or so.
 
Did you leave the handle protruding through the eye 1/4"? That helps a lot.

Have you hung it upside down? The eye should be largest on top.
 
Square_peg said:
Did you leave the handle protruding through the eye 1/4"? That helps a lot.

Have you hung it upside down? The eye should be largest on top.
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Yes I put the head on right. I also soaked the wedge in oil for about a hour and left the handle protrude about a 1/4''.
 
Wood wedges are first choice and traditional. Metal wedges are mostly used by folks that are too impatient (that'd include most of us) to disassemble head from haft for the sole purpose of re-newing the wood wedge. Many hangs become ever so slightly loose over time but do not readily come off or apart, which is why steel wedges/nails/screws and what-have-you are often found pounded into well-used and/or older axes.
 
How is the head coming off? Is the wedge coming out, is it just slipping off the end, or is there play in the front-to-back pivot of the head? Any pictures and further description would help a lot.
 
jpeeler said:
How is the head coming off? Is the wedge coming out, is it just slipping off the end, or is there play in the front-to-back pivot of the head? Any pictures and further description would help a lot.
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The head just slipped of the wedge stayed in place though.
 
Looks like your haft is too small for the eye, which is surprising since my norlund has a rather small eye.
 
I would guess that you're not wedging it tight enough. But it would help to have pictures.
 
Another +1 for what Peg said. How much of the wedge do you have in? If it's not most of it, head's gonna slip off.
 
jpeeler said:
Another +1 for what Peg said. How much of the wedge do you have in? If it's not most of it, head's gonna slip off.
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Aye. If the wedge is bottomed in the kerf, you may need to cut the kerf deeper and/or get a thicker wedge.
 
Great. The more you rehaft, the better you get at it. You will also notice how different axes will hang differently.
 
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