Replacement handles in Canada?

J_mcrane

J_mcrane

Joined
Dec 7, 2013
Messages
580
I recently moved to Canada. I just today rescued a few old axes, sledgehammers. Hammers, mail, rakes, and hoe.

Where can I buy quality replacement handles to fix up?

Thanks


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I've been having real good luck at Home Hardware over the past 35 years. This is a St Jacobs, Ontario-based outfit, with country-wide franchises, that hasn't outgrown it's boots (they don't, and won't, compete against Big Box stores such as Lowes, Rona or Home Dept). They cater to small towns, city fringes and to rural and suburban folk. I peruse their axe and hammer handle collection once a month (mostly in Manotick, outside of urban 'Shitty of Ottawa') and they generally stock a little bit of everything and the handles (so far) are not Chinese. Over the past few years somebody in Canada has been supplying them with good unfinished (no lacquer or varnish) hickory handles (albeit thick) and the sticker/SKU on the 32" axe handle I bought very recently (this one was flawless grain-orientation-wise!) is marked BM 7631 761.
Managers at these relatively small stores usually own the business and live nearby and are more than willing to accommodate keener's requests.
 
I'm in Calgary and have had good luck at the Home Hardware store in Canmore. They will order for you. Can't find double bit handles anywhere so I order from House Handles. I just got 10 from them so the shipping isn't horrible.
 
Locally, Princess Auto has 36" single bits and a decent selection of hammer handles made by Link, Crappy Tire has 36" and 28" made by whoever makes their Yard Works line, and Home Hardware has handles ranging from a 21" full size eye to mauls made by V&B I think. HH even sells a fiberglass replacement handle if you wanted to go that route for whatever reason, plus they carry 1L bottles of raw and boiled linseed oil.
 
Another vote for Home Hardware, they sell V&B (Vaughan & Bushnell) handles that are made in USA and seem to be pretty decent.
 
mckrob said:
Another vote for Home Hardware, they sell V&B (Vaughan & Bushnell) handles that are made in USA and seem to be pretty decent.
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You're right. These are thin and curvy and have a generous butt swell and they're already lacquered. But the grain orientation is severe 'hit and miss' on these (inspect them carefully) and they cost almost twice as much as the BM-stickered handles that have no identification or lacquer.
 
My local home hardware has the best selection. Amazingly they still carry a non varnished 28" handle with perfect tight grain and a big palm swell. I highly dought they will carry this for much longer because home hardwares in other towns are only carrying the varnished ones.
 
Trevor51 said:
My local home hardware has the best selection. Amazingly they still carry a non varnished 28" handle with perfect tight grain and a big palm swell. I highly dought they will carry this for much longer because home hardwares in other towns are only carrying the varnished ones.
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I don't know where the 'no name' unfinished handles come from (these are simply stickered with a BM prefix) but I sure let my local HH store manager know that these were a better deal than the V-B marked ones.
 
I am all about supporting local businesses. That said, you can order from House Handles by eye size. I have purchases many handles locally and spent literally hours shaping the helves to fit the axes I was restoring. The House handles I have used are a pretty quick fit, because I order by eye size. Additionally, you can order octagonal handles, which again saves hours of work. I have made a couple of round hafts into octagonal ones - lots of fun, but very time consuming. Finally, you can get hand selected, premium, unfinished handles.

I have purchased the unfinished handles from Home Hardware. The are solid, to be sure, but be prepared to spend some time with a rasp to fit them.
 
I don't want to be 'that guy,' but I think it's worth learning to make your own. It may take longer for the first handles, but you will get better and be and be able to make them much faster, especially for something small like a claw hammer. Either way, octagonalizing a round haft shouldn't take hours with the proper rasp.
 
Park Swan said:
I don't want to be 'that guy,' but I think it's worth learning to make your own. It may take longer for the first handles, but you will get better and be and be able to make them much faster, especially for something small like a claw hammer. Either way, octagonalizing a round haft shouldn't take hours with the proper rasp.
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Few among us are going to disagree with you. But: ordinary folks already get thoroughly flustered when a store-bought handle doesn't immediately fit after they've gone to great lengths (believing that they were saving money or being consumer 'green') just in trying to remove the old haft. Us proudly or smugly telling them that carving an entirely new handle, from an old chair leg or chunk of firewood, is a 'piece of cake' isn't going to go over all that well. Especially if experience with an earlier store-bought handle was an immediate fit and only cost $5.
 
300Six said:
Few among us are going to disagree with you. But: ordinary folks already get thoroughly flustered when a store-bought handle doesn't immediately fit after they've gone to great lengths (believing that they were saving money or being consumer 'green') just in trying to remove the old haft. Us proudly or smugly telling them that carving an entirely new handle, from an old chair leg or chunk of firewood, is a 'piece of cake' isn't going to go over all that well. Especially if experience with an earlier store-bought handle was an immediate fit and only cost $5.
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Agreed. For the general public it's 'store fit' or nothing.
 
Hopefully the "or nothing" will end up for sale later instead of being sent to China to be made into toasters.
 
I just picked up some handles at a Home Hardware. I am out of town, but when I get home, I will post some comparison photos, eye sizes and prices. For interest's sake, the 36" handle at HH for a single bit starts at $8.75 USD, for $2.50, you can get it unfinished and hand selected; then there is the cost of shipping. The 36" handle I just picked up at Home Hardware was $19.95(CDN). It is varnished. Their unvarnished 28" handle was about $15(CDN), compared to a 28" HH handle at $9.15 USD plus shipping.
 
300Six said:
Few among us are going to disagree with you. But: ordinary folks already get thoroughly flustered when a store-bought handle doesn't immediately fit after they've gone to great lengths (believing that they were saving money or being consumer 'green') just in trying to remove the old haft. Us proudly or smugly telling them that carving an entirely new handle, from an old chair leg or chunk of firewood, is a 'piece of cake' isn't going to go over all that well. Especially if experience with an earlier store-bought handle was an immediate fit and only cost $5.
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I see your point, but I don't think a gold Bladeforums member who is "rescuing" old axes and hammers is hardly considered "ordinary folks." I also don't think it's necessary to carve a new axe handle from firewood, although riving blanks is ideal, I'm an advocate of making handles from 5/4 dried hardwood lumber. I'd bet that most people who are into buying older tools have more than enough tools on hand to make a handle in a number of different ways. One more point, in my opinion rasping/filing the handle and getting snug, straight fit is the most difficult and nuanced part of making a handle (I'm talking about making a handle from lumber here of course). The rest of the process should not be as difficult to do, especially considering the poor state of available handles.

Square_peg said:
Agreed. For the general public it's 'store fit' or nothing.
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Probably, but as I said before, it doesn't seem like I am addressing the general public, I could be wrong.
I made my first axe handle because I went to four or five stores and found nothing remotely usable, so it would have been "nothing," except that I'm somewhat handy and needed an axe.
 
Park Swan: I didn't mistake you as being 'ordinary folk'. Tool hobbyists, such as the majority of axe forum members, revel in finding an excuse (ie now I need to figure out how to make a new handle!) to fondle their collection, and to justify scoping-around for more and different implements and learning more uses for them. Great hobby and so far not become expensive either.
 
Oh, I didn't think you meant me, I was talking about the OP of this thread.
 
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