Reliable source for axe handles?

Twoinch said:
why did they stop running the good patterns, and start using all these terrible, terrible designs...
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I am always wondering this. It's called a duplicating lathe right? And on youtube you can watch videos of the HH lathe in action ..... what happened to the old patterns?

On a related note I have seen some vintage handles that are spectacular, I think it's time for me to start collecting patterns. If anyone has any I'd like to turn them into pdfs or something that could be shared.
 
cityofthesouth said:
If anyone has any I'd like to turn them into pdfs or something that could be shared.
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You mean like this?

Axe%20handle%20dimensions.jpg
 
Hahaha, yeah just exactly like that. Damn, every measurement needed! Have you seen the handles that are really curvy? I want to get one of those. A guy who has one told me he would send me an outline and some measurements. Fingers crossed. If I make a handle from a board, it's gonna be one like that.

That image is pretty tough to read. If you can translate some of it I will make a higher quality version and make it available. That's a great source of data.
 
Order placed August 30- I think they hate me for this!! LOL!
73718411632 (1632) SB Axe 32' - Grade AA- #1; all heart wood if possible
73718411632 (1632) SB Axe 32' - Grade AA- #2; octagon and all heartwod if
possible
73718411632 (1632) SB Axe 32' - Grade AA- #3 ; octagon- sap wood
73718411632 (1632) SB Axe 32' - Grade AA- #4 ; sap wood
737184116301 (1630) Single Bit Axe 30' - Grade AA; octagon
737184316367 (1636S) Straight SB Axe 36' - Grade AA
737184117285 (1728) Boys Axe 28' - Grade AA; All heartwood if possible
737184115304 Double Bit Axe 30' - Grade AA
737184316282 (1628S) Straight SB Axe 28' -
737184916369 (1636P) Pickaroon 36' - Grade AA

:) Bill
 
While the axe book by Cook is a good read, it is not the tell all on axe handles it is made out to be. For the amount of time trying to figure out all those dimensions and measurements on a handle a man could have a cord of wood cut.

Hang it. Feel it. Fell it. Chop it.

Don't make it too complicated.
 
Operator1975 said:
While the axe book by Cook is a good read, it is not the tell all on axe handles it is made out to be. For the amount of time trying to figure out all those dimensions and measurements on a handle a man could have a cord of wood cut.

Hang it. Feel it. Fell it. Chop it.

Don't make it too complicated.
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When I started looking at these dimensions I said the same thing to myself .... why are we measuring axe handles down to 32nds? All the same, it was a good exercise until I get the dimensions for the ones I really want. If anyone sees any errors let me know then I'll post a link to the pdf.

PRR_32axehandle by city_ofthe_south, on Flickr
 
cityofthesouth said:
When I started looking at these dimensions I said the same thing to myself .... why are we measuring axe handles down to 32nds? All the same, it was a good exercise until I get the dimensions for the ones I really want. If anyone sees any errors let me know then I'll post a link to the pdf.
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well, in my opinion, 1/16" of an inch is a large variance in something that is only 3/4" thick. 1/16" is enough to be felt in the hand, and can make a handle too thick or too thin. so naturally, the next unit would be 1/32" which i would agree with, thats why those vintage handles, like the OP link cruiser handle i have, are beautiful, comfortable, and uniform. you slacken the tolerance, and we end up with the absolute garbage we see nowadays. i say these companies NEED to have specs down to the 32nd again.

when im shaping my handles i tend to use millimeters as my measure. i get the dimensions within 1mm of where i want to be, and finish with sandpaper. you would be surprised how much work is involved in taking 1mm off a handle using glass or a scraper, let alone sandpaper. 1mm equals about 1/25th of an inch, and thats as slack as i can go without noticing in the final handle thickness
 
Twoinch said:
well, in my opinion, 1/16" of an inch is a large variance in something that is only 3/4" thick. 1/16" is enough to be felt in the hand, and can make a handle too thick or too thin. so naturally, the next unit would be 1/32" which i would agree with, thats why those vintage handles, like the OP link cruiser handle i have, are beautiful, comfortable, and uniform. you slacken the tolerance, and we end up with the absolute garbage we see nowadays. i say these companies NEED to have specs down to the 32nd again.

when im shaping my handles i tend to use millimeters as my measure. i get the dimensions within 1mm of where i want to be, and finish with sandpaper. you would be surprised how much work is involved in taking 1mm off a handle using glass or a scraper, let alone sandpaper. 1mm equals about 1/25th, and thats as slack as i can go without noticing in the final handle thickness
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The volume of purchase for axe handles to become relevant again to the point of going down to the 32nd just isnt there these days. Unfortunately, if you want that kind of specifics, you will have to do it yourself.

It the case of the 2 professional Timbersports lumberjacks I talked to while on vacation, they dont spec out anything on handles except for length, weight, and height above eye. None of them had exact specific down to the 32 dimensions.

Again, Hang it. Feel it. Fell it. Chop it. Simple. Effective.
 
thanks. i guess its time to kill the conversation, operator seems to find this one unmoving.

many things can be simple and effective. that doesnt mean better isnt better. the USFS, PRS, and every other agency did not specify these things on whims. i dont think the companies really would need to change much at all, other than the pattern they stick in the other end of the lathe.

on another note, timbersport guys are bad a$$ dudes, but what they use and specify has little bearing on what i, or any other user finds necessary in their own tools.
 
Well in either case, measurements are measurements, they'll serve the purpose of preserving a pattern and also give me an idea about sizes if I end up making my own pattern, or finding others I like. It'll be simpler to visualize the differences so that the subtleties are easier to duplicate.

For myself I don't have a particular preference, I like the variation. I like the idea that a handle can be different with just a few subtle changes and I wouldn't be surprised to find timbersport lumberjacks who don't care, and others who fit their handles to their very specific liking. There isn't just one car, one woman, one axe, one knife, one flashlight or one of anything else I like. And like anything with at least two sides, there will be forum threads full of arguments. :)

BTW, thank you square_peg for helping on a couple of those - I couldn't make them out with any certainty.
 
:) I am excited to get the order, even if some requests were not possible- it will all work out. I have hammer and small hatchet heads that need wood too. Some discarded axe handles can be thinned down to solid wood and reused.

I just scored an amazing Warren small double bit that needs a new handle. A cut down/slimmed fat of the shelf handle will find a new purpose.

Bill
 
Twoinch said:
i dont think the companies really would need to change much at all, other than the pattern they stick in the other end of the lathe.
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I agree. I think it would be very easy for one handle maker to seize a huge market share simply by switching patterns. That maker would get a lot of good press here and at other places on the web.
 
That's interesting. A first pass haft looks to give you a little more swell to work with. That's one place where House handles sometimes have a problem.
 
cityofthesouth,
Thank you for sharing that- explains why I can sometimes feel sprial ridges in the hafts I get. Blocks sanding removes them easily enough.
Still waiting on mine, I think I made the PITA list! LOL!
Bill
 
The pic doesn't do justice to just how huge it is. Those hammer handles are massive and so is the finished handle. All of them will need lots of material removed so it's a little misleading for size. Although just as you mentioned Square_peg, the swell is still barely large enough on the finished one even though the rest of the handle is over-sized. The first pass feels like the weight of 2 handles easily. I should weigh it. I'll take some measurements tonight and get the weight - that should help. I am thinking that at the very least, the first pass handle will be consistent because they haven't been touched by a belt sander.

They called me on this order because they weren't working on 28 inch handles for another few days. I ended up getting 30s because they had them. I like the idea of the first pass handle, but at the same time I am thinking it really wouldn't be much more work to start with a board, if any.
 
cityofthesouth said:
I like the idea of the first pass handle, but at the same time I am thinking it really wouldn't be much more work to start with a board, if any.
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I usually just start with a Tennessee Hickory handle as they are fat as a bat and have plenty of wood to work with. Plus it's usually top notch wood (actually, every one I select at the local supplier is top notch wood).

The swells are the thing that modern handle makers just can't get right. Perhaps it can't be done by machine alone.
 
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