That lasted long... (Update)

I

Irongun324

Joined
Mar 22, 2012
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I'm quite new to hanging my own axe, but I've swung them plenty. I put one together not very long ago, handle from my local Lowes. After a couple of solid landings (ie not pass throughs on a limb) it snapped clean. Urggh.

Just bad luck with grain (i didn't know to check it before I got it) or is it bad to bury an axe hard like that? Seems like that shouldn't be a problem.
 
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BigBox's handle selection sucks. find a little hardware store within 25 minutes from u....
 
There was more wrong with that handle then just grain orientation. A cross grain can still be a great handle. An old axe guy told me that what happens is the start to separate on the grain lines and you have a little time. He also said if they hold the first few months, then you are good for many years.

I bought an old axe that was cross grain and had a lot of separation but had no broken.
 
I never buy a haft with wrong grain. But I have seen plenty that last for years. Worked in the bush for a few years and only ever saw one axe haft break (clean) as you say. That was when a young guy completely over shot the mark.

Was working in the forestry one day when one of the team was just sick of working and decided to break the haft of his axe. It was a nice 4&1/2 lb Hytest on Hickory. He sunk it deep into a Brigalow tree and tried to break it by sideways leverage. The worker was a powerful man in his mid twenties, but had one hell of a job breaking that haft. He did splinter it in the end but was very surprised how tough it was.

My favorite woodpile axe (Big Bertha) has had a badly cracked haft from the day I bought her. It refuses to break though.

regards...Frank
 
Can I link to pictures without a paid sub? Would love to show you guys the damage.

EDIT:

I wish I could blame it on a mishit. I have swung this axe about a dozen times with effort. But I was knocking saplings off a stump, and this occured after 2-3 solid hits into the base of a group of them. All blade contact, sideways swinging (so wasn't even full force).

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/gallery/data/1619/IMG_20120804_180813.jpg
 
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so handles are doughty or have a touch of dry rot in them, When I was young we just got a new splitting maul. walk up to a chunk of firewood about a foot across and hit it the first time, the head stuck in the block and the handle when to the ground. Dad went back to the store rather P O'ed and asked them to fix it please, they got rather mouthy back. Dad just said if it doesn't leave with a new handle it will be coming back next ti,e through the big window next to the door. This may not work at your store. and we had also just bought a few thousand dollars of chainsaws at that time from the store.
 
The grain was perpendicular (poor, as most people consider it), but it doesnt look like a break along the grain, like delamination (the general concern with that grain orientation). I would chock that up to poorish quality wood perhaps. its hard to know without knowing anything about the tree is came from. There are a lot of possibilities. The wood might have been stored in a bad enviroment for a long time before, or after, turning the handle out. Thats the reason I make most all of my own handles.
 
This happened to my brother recently; a new handle broke on the first swing. Stories like this are my excuse for being cheap and always trying to use the old handle.
I'm going to push the envelope and try to use the handle pictured: wrap it with some of that epoxy-impregnated fiberglass tape to cover the splinters, and chop around corners using the warp.
http://db.tt/RW6hje5h
(It's a recently acquired $2 plumb.)
 
Square_peg said:
Looks like a bad handle with grain run-out. Just be happy that no one was hurt.
Click to expand...

Oh I definitely am glad there wasn't anything funky. It was a solid hit, axe head stayed in the wood, handle and me went a little past it, ha! Like I said it wasn't full force swings, so just startled me. It was just me in the area (maybe a dog nearby, but who's counting).
 
I'm with Peggy on this one. Looks like grain run out. Through running grain is more important than grain orientation, IMO.

Irongun324 said:
Just bad luck with grain (i didn't know to check it before I got it) or is it bad to bury an axe hard like that? Seems like that shouldn't be a problem.
Click to expand...

You should be able to bury an axe with a good, swift swing. That being said, every swing should be made with the anticipation that something may break. You never know when it might happen, so mind your safety rules every time. Sounds like you were being safe, but it's a good reminder to us all.
 
M3mphis said:
I'm with Peggy on this one. Looks like grain run out. Through running grain is more important than grain orientation, IMO.
Click to expand...

Usually grain runout results in a break along the grain in a delamination like long crack. This one happened the opposite the direction the grain was going, which is kind of odd. Could have been a twisted piece that they turned straight. I usually try to work with whatever curve the piece has and try to gently persuade it, shall we say, to fit my needs.
 
I would imagine, without any background on the quality process, this was just a bad piece of wood. Ultimately, I'm glad it broke when it did, the head was safely lodged in wood.

I already picked up a replacement (yes another box store product). I got a very good grain orientation this time, and am hoping for the best. I already have a regular use axe (Total Control Elite - rocks!) but this could be a dangerous hobby for me.
 
Update on this axe: Remembered that we have a local hardware store that's been in business since 1928, so I went and checked them out. Their handles felt and looked a lot more reliable, albeit still appeared to be turned (were some slight score marks going perpendicular to the handle lengthwise, see up close picture). Bought one with the best grain I could find and hung it today.*** After all this, I'm starting to NOT like the ridges inside the eye, just seems to make hanging a bit more annoying. I'm kinda hoping to find a double bit lately (hit up the local big flea market yesterday and only saw a $6 half hatchet/hammer that didn't seem special with original sticker still showing on handle) - a Perfect like recently posted in these forums would be amazing.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/gallery/data/1619/P1050419.JPG
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/gallery/data/1619/P1050418.JPG

***I went through great effort to make sure my last setup wouldn't lose the axe head. It takes a good bit of effort to successfully clear out an axe head that has been epoxied in.
 
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