quality of purchased handles

[wdmn]

Not to flog a dead horse... but I don't have a live one.

Ordered 5 handles from a reputable handle source recently and paid the extra to have them hand picked.

Superficially the handles look good. The grain is oriented in the proper direction. Four of them are not even that thick, and only need a little bit of thinning down.

However, scrutinizing these handles closely reveals that almost all of them have some degree of grain run out, a couple appear to have full run out with the grain crossing the handle completely at some point.

Is this to be expected with long handles (these are 28 inch through 36 inch handles), or am I justified in being disappointed with this? I'm hesitant to contact the company about it because it's hard to photograph, and plus, my purchase is not very big, costing almost as much to ship as the order is worth.

Have others had similar experiences I wonder? Any advice?

 

[jpeeler]

I've had good luck with the company you're talking about, but I always say, specify as much as possible what you want. My phrase is usually "Handles with as much sap wood as possible, with vertical grain in line with the bit of the axe, and grain running all the way through the axe handle." If you don't specify, they can send you whatever they want, regardless if it's hand picked or not.

I've tried many different companies for handles, and the one you tried is probably the best.

 

[wdmn]

Thanks jpeeler. Next time I will do as you say.

I've definitely not found any better in the many stores I've looked, so I'm sure I'll try them again. Wish there was a way to pick them out myself though. Guess I gotta keep working on the one I started making.

 

[lmalterna]

I have made two orders of 8-12 handles each time, hand picked- I have about 20% rejects. Compare that to hardware store at only 1 in 5 being useful. Good odds and prices but still need culling. I get some that are warped and when I learn to steam, will still be good handles. I do wish they would offer 32-34" straights. My 1630S from them was 28.5"........

Bill

 

[Square_peg]

I still think the best wood comes from Tennessee Hickory. If you can find a local retailer that stocks them you can pick one for yourself. They're fat as heck and require a fair amount of work get them into shape but the wood is absolutely top notch and the grain is whatever you pick out. That said, I've got some very good handles from House Handle, too. I still order from them. Their selection is best. And they're great to deal with.