Straight Handle on a Single Bit Axe

[CedarEater]

California-pattern framing hammers traditionally have a curved handle.

I am certainly no expert but I don't know that I would go as far as to say that the California-pattern framing hammer really has any kind of tradition to speak of. It is a realatively new hammer head pattern. If you go to Vaughan's website they have many more Califronia framing hammer options with straight handles for sale than they do with curved handles.

I swing a hammer for a living and have always preferred the straight handle over the curved one on all my hammers including my California framing hammer. Whenever I swing someones curved handle hammer it always feels weird to me. Choking up on the handle gives a much different feel to the hammer depending on how far up the handle it is held. You get very different head alignment depending on where you grip the handle. Turning it around to use the claw just feels wrong and forget about an accurate swing with the claw side. Your "ergonomic" handle becomes very "unergonomic" as soon as you turn it around or hold it anywhere except at the grip.

The beauty of a straight handled California rip claw hammer is that the head alignment is the same no matter where on the handle you hold it or which side of the hammer you are using.


As far as single bit axe handles go, I have only used curved ones. However, I have been splitting a lot of firewood over the last couple weeks using a maul. I noticed today that when stricking some of the more stubborn rounds I was striking exactly the same spot consistently. Is that because the haft is straight or is it because its a maul and it doesn't stick easily so I am not changing my foot placement to retrieve the bit from the round?

This thread is making me want a straight hafted single bit. Every straight hafted single bit pictured in this thread is beautiful.

 

[Square_peg]

I noticed you had a Puget sound hafted. Its a strange design for me to really understand. I might have to get a spring board and cut down some giants before I could understand it.

Yeah, I think we'd need to do that to fully understand it. I've only used a little. I dropped an 18" Doug Fir with it last Fall but other than that it has sat in the garage.

Have you played with it much? I would think a little wobble would throw you way off your mark. Or if a guy just hafted it more closed would it negate this?

It's a double bit so it naturally has great balance which contributes to accuracy. I was comfortably hitting my mark with it right away. I'm not sure how one would haft a DB more closed. Because if one edge is more closed the opposite edge must then be more open. I'm probably not understanding your statement correctly, Garry.

I think the design may be most useful when you're working to a kerf cut by the saw. As a stand alone felling axe I found the narrow bit to be a detriment and wished it were wider. I just don't have enough experience with the pattern to know its ups and downs.

 

[garry3]

Square peg you would indeed be hung more open on one side of a double bit axe and more closed on the other. You understood me correctly.
I do wonder about the picture in Allen Klenman's book with the guy that has the DBL bit on a curved handle. I seen an old advertisement for the steel wedges that cover the top of the axe handle. They claimed they could be removed in seconds and would last a life time. Maybe this guy with the curved handled DBL bit was able to flip that head around fast and easy. I have just one axe with that wedge in it and don't want to mess up the wedge or handle trying to remove it.

I thought that maybe the Puget Sound pattern would cut down on handle damage. Those notches that they had to cut in that old growth was so long.

Did you notice how open those axes were hung in that picture that you posted?

 

[Ernest DuBois]

Could it be that special ergonomically formed single bit axe handles came into complete dominance in response to a need for more controlled and comfortable chopping from atop the fallen log? It seems to me a bit of a twisted, backward working rationale, if I am understanding what G-pig is trying to explain about where and when a curved handle makes sense. When I chop from up there, and that only occurs in the notching stage of the hewing process for me since I would never buck with an axe anyway, I don't even want the whole cutting edge to engage on the lower/under side because I want the bottom of the notch horizontal, all the more reason for a straight handle. Cuts with the toe predominate down there.

Puget Sound axes: Somehow I always had the impression these narrow-bitted double sided axes were designed for cutting cedars and comparably soft woods like sequoias... Maybe you can dispel this Square-peg, while at the same time holding back on judgmental admonitions to other commentators.

E.DB.

 

[300Six]

Did a little splitting with it...worked OK And I sure did stir up a good discussion here; too bad I'm not qualified to participate - but that's OK.

Of course you are more than qualified to participate; seeing as you weren't sitting on an armchair merely typing opinions!
I went out to the woodshed to study and heft a straight handle VS a curved one and do sense a degree of improved comfort in having a curve at the butt of the handle, and I can see for aesthetic reasons (a sudden curve at the end of a straight piece of wood would look out of place) why a gentle 'S' shape came about over time in order to balance the effect.

I'm thinking that the best test for curved handles would be with baseball bats! Surely those overpaid lads would buy into anything that gave them an edge.

 

[G-pig]

Could it be that special ergonomically formed single bit axe handles came into complete dominance in response to a need for more controlled and comfortable chopping from atop the fallen log? It seems to me a bit of a twisted, backward working rationale, if I am understanding what G-pig is trying to explain about where and when a curved handle makes sense. When I chop from up there, and that only occurs in the notching stage of the hewing process for me since I would never buck with an axe anyway, I don't even want the whole cutting edge to engage on the lower/under side because I want the bottom of the notch horizontal, all the more reason for a straight handle. Cuts with the toe predominate down there.

No-- that was you tacking my counterpoint to Square_peg onto the rest of the bullshit about when, where and why certain handles became prevalent. Which is not something I've thought about, nor do I particularly care about, which is why I've never gotten into that.

Im not particularly clear on what your beef is with the concept of a closed hang being part of an alternate set of differences to accommodate comfortable wrists and hands on the top of a log. I'm not very clear on your wording sometimes, especially now since we are talking about vertical notches cut from the top of the log and your use of the word horizontal.

 

[Ernest DuBois]

... (a sudden curve at the end of a straight piece of wood would look out of place)

Not at all 300Six, it's more or less the standard form for an ax handle in Finland.

E.DB.

 

[300Six]

The employer had a vested interest in providing them with the best tools available. Who would provide crappy tools to their hourly workers? A huge waste of money.

Not sure what kind of bug you've got where but you're easily the most curmudgeonly poster we have on these forums.

Sorry to have offended you but in some ways I consider this a compliment. Some of us old farts become cynical with age. Plus I notice that many folks become so obsessed with their hobby items that they become blind to simple truths. If I was an hourly/daily worker I'd use the lightest axe head I could find in the tool crib so as to look busy but if I was a piece worker (ie paid per tree or board foot, as likely these guys were) the axe would be my own choosing and it would be kept razor sharp. I spent one summer (1970) chopping trees on gov't payroll with gov't supplied axes. I really enjoyed the work but not being issued a dull, chipped or bent axe every morning. Foreman made an exception after about 2 weeks and I got to choose one and keep it under the bed at night. You can accomplish so much more with much less effort if it is maintained and kept sharp. None of the other 20 guys I worked with could have cared less about tools.

 

[Ernest DuBois]

No-- that was you tacking my counterpoint to Square_peg onto the rest of the bullshit about when, where and why certain handles became prevalent. Which is not something I've thought about, nor do I particularly care about, which is why I've never gotten into that.

Im not particularly clear on what your beef is with the concept of a closed hang being part of an alternate set of differences to accommodate comfortable wrists and hands on the top of a log. I'm not very clear on your wording sometimes, especially now since we are talking about vertical notches cut from the top of the log and your use of the word horizontal.

Yes you are right, vertical notches, not horizontal.
Probably if I were to try one of your nicely hung, in the closed posture, mounted axe heads I would be convinced it is the better way. The where and when questions making reference to specific instances, where; a top the log, and when; cutting down low, and not general questions of space and time, being historical questions more interesting to some than others. But we are in agreement that the closed head and the bent handle probably would have nearly similar effects relating our wrists. To be clear though, you were not making the case for using an other than straight handle for notching or bucking or in general chopping from on top of the log?

E.DB.

 

[300Six]

I am certainly no expert but I don't know that I would go as far as to say that the California-pattern framing hammer really has any kind of tradition to speak of. It is a realatively new hammer head pattern. If you go to Vaughan's website they have many more Califronia framing hammer options with straight handles for sale than they do with curved handles.

I swing a hammer for a living and have always preferred the straight handle over the curved one on all my hammers including my California framing hammer. Whenever I swing someones curved handle hammer it always feels weird to me. Choking up on the handle gives a much different feel to the hammer depending on how far up the handle it is held. You get very different head alignment depending on where you grip the handle. Turning it around to use the claw just feels wrong and forget about an accurate swing with the claw side. Your "ergonomic" handle becomes very "unergonomic" as soon as you turn it around or hold it anywhere except at the grip.

The beauty of a straight handled California rip claw hammer is that the head alignment is the same no matter where on the handle you hold it or which side of the hammer you are using.


As far as single bit axe handles go, I have only used curved ones. However, I have been splitting a lot of firewood over the last couple weeks using a maul. I noticed today that when stricking some of the more stubborn rounds I was striking exactly the same spot consistently. Is that because the haft is straight or is it because its a maul and it doesn't stick easily so I am not changing my foot placement to retrieve the bit from the round?

This thread is making me want a straight hafted single bit. Every straight hafted single bit pictured in this thread is beautiful.

I like this!
I too have no use for curved-claw hammers and will reach for a 'framer' (straight claw) anytime. I got my Provincial Tradesman carpentry license before the proliferation of all the air tools we see today. Idiot that I am I did buy into an indestructible Estwing model (20 oz) very early on (instead of a wood grip) and lucky me my wrist, elbow and forearm are not ruined. How I managed to bow the shaft of that Estwing from hand-pulling spikes out of a log house, as a young man, impresses me to this day. But I did have both feet planted on the wall and took a real tumble when that one particular obstinate spike did suddenly come loose.

 

[garry3]

Of course you are more than qualified to participate; seeing as you weren't sitting on an armchair merely typing opinions!
I went out to the woodshed to study and heft a straight handle VS a curved one and do sense a degree of improved comfort in having a curve at the butt of the handle, and I can see for aesthetic reasons (a sudden curve at the end of a straight piece of wood would look out of place) why a gentle 'S' shape came about over time in order to balance the effect.

I'm thinking that the best test for curved handles would be with baseball bats! Surely those overpaid lads would buy into anything that gave them an edge.

That S shape gives more head speed to the axe at the end of the swing. It does so by the off hand sliding down the haft, the right hand for a right handed person.

 

[Frank-New Zealand]

Absolutely curved haft for me. Because that's what I cut my teeth on. The deeper (within reason) the belly the better.
We all have our preferences but that doesn't mean one is right or wrong. All of us are different in our body make-up too so that's an important factor. What suits me is a 41/2 lb single bit on a 32" curved haft. My Dad R.I.P. also liked a 41/2 pounder but on a 36" haft.

I find a straight haft has a jarring effect for me with harder wood. Some of my friends agree others do not.

One thing is for sure though. Use an axe for a while then pick-up, and use a totally different one. It will be awkward for a few minutes only, because the brain adjusts very quickly.

I will never hang a single bit axe to a straight haft but respect those who do.

regards...Frank

 

[bbforstr]

I just bought a Council 3.5 # Jersey Pattern w/ straight handle. It will be my only straight handle single bit. It will be interesting to compare it to my KP Jersey pattern w/curved handle. It won't be an entirely fair comparison. The Council comes with a 36" haft. The KP has a 32".

 

[bbforstr]

image;
What an unbelievable waste of wood there was before cross cut saws came into common use. Those poor bastards could have heated my house with the wood chips they generated before that tree came down.

That's just the undercut. That tree was undoubtably felled with a crosscut saw. Whether the tree is Western Red Cedar or Redwood, those trees were incredibly valuable, they still are. The workers probably prepared the area where it would land, including removing stumps and possibly excavating a nice soft landing zone. Breakage has always been unacceptable to conscientious fallers.

There aren't even mills today that could handle such a monster log. We have one local mill that still cuts logs over 36". Many of the log trucks I see in N. Idaho are carrying over 100 pieces. It's cool that they are utilizing small wood, but the quality of boards being produced has definitely gone down hill.

 

[300Six]

That's just the undercut. That tree was undoubtably felled with a crosscut saw. Whether the tree is Western Red Cedar or Redwood, those trees were incredibly valuable, they still are. The workers probably prepared the area where it would land, including removing stumps and possibly excavating a nice soft landing zone. Breakage has always been unacceptable to conscientious fallers.

There aren't even mills today that could handle such a monster log. We have one local mill that still cuts logs over 36". Many of the log trucks I see in N. Idaho are carrying over 100 pieces. It's cool that they are utilizing small wood, but the quality of boards being produced has definitely gone down hill.

I was present when Crown-Zellerbach down-sized their saws and handling equipment at the lumber mill in Kelowna in the late 70s. This move singularly helped save Okanogan Valley old growth trees from being targeted by commerce as the upgrade mills could no longer deal with trunks over 24 inches. Ironic isn't it? I also spent a day with a Crown-Zee efficiency expert that was counting the B/F (board feet) a then new-fangled feller/buncher could process in an hour. The efficiency was staggering and the huge Cat-powered tracked machine could even save swing time by gathering a dozen trunks in a side basket. As I was watching the 60-80 foot 'pecker poles' get cut and sized to length and stripped of branches in mere seconds I couldn't help but realize that mechanization had entirely displaced the chainsaw, axe and the experienced ground worker.
Crown Z by the way (35 years ago!) did not sell their finished product to Canadians (or Americans) unless the exclusive Japanese buyers rejected a shipment. So here we are in n. America building everything with BS chip and particle board and cultivating poplar trees while beautiful fir and pine plywood is being loaded on a container ships headed elsewhere.

 

[idaho_crosscut]

California?

possibly, but i would say portland or seattle. those guys definitely look like NW hipsters at their finest. where they found the axes and a half chopped out face cut, i have no idea.

 

[Square_peg]

possibly, but i would say portland or seattle. those guys definitely look like NW hipsters at their finest.

It's true. We still dress like this.

 

[bbforstr]

The bark doesn't look like Western Red Cedar, but that's an enormous tree. I've measured some over 100" dbh, but that tree is well beyond that.

 

[Square_peg]

I think it's a Doug-Fir, which of course isn't really even a fir. Look at the bark at the upper right of the trunk.

I came across a nice Doug Fir yesterday up the Rex River.

 

[bbforstr]

Pegs

I could be fooled by the butt swell and heart wood color. I'm not used to looking at coastal species. Our DF can get big, but the one in the photo you posted is exceptional. I've measured cedars over 100" dbh. I've had plots with 720 sf of basal area on rare occasions. We get some White pines that go 50+" and 210'. We're mostly cutting small diameter wood now days. I'm kind of an old effer to still be working, but I'm still tougher than most of the newbies.

Is that you in the photo of the enormous DF? I always get my picture taken with big trees too.