The right handle for a poll-less axe.

Great looking haft,that!
Hey,an interesting deal:This type of axe has a few,curiously wide-ranging,analogs...Here's a Turkish one....(the link is to a RF-based retailer,but the axes themselves are very traditional to parts of Turkey)....:http://supertopor.ru/handmadeaxe

I've seen a photo of a Scandinavian version as well,but cannot remember the brand now...VERY similar shape blade,in any case,though not necessarily compression-fitted...

Anyway,great job,and thanks again for bringing up this uncommon type...
 
Tested the wedge job and it seems to be holding tight.

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FortyTwoBlades said:
Tested the wedge job and it seems to be holding tight.

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It's shapely FortyTwoBlades!

When you make a handle from wood blanks, what are a guy's options for the swells since they are thin that direction?

Only asking as I get stumped each time on how to keep nice curves into the swell but run out of options without much to work with. Always seems a shame to remove any of the extra material at the expense of being comfortable to use.

That axe head does look beefier than its sibling for sure.
 
Actually the blank was pretty darn thick, at 1-5/8", so there's plenty of material for a thick knob on it. I still have a lot of slimming work to do on the actual main length and neck to get them down to dimension. Or did you mean the width? It was about 3-1/4" wide.
 
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Beating the handle on a stump to see if any damage results. Nope. Look how nice and flexy it is! :D Remember, too, that this handle has significant end grain checking, and it's not even as good of a fit as I would have liked since it was mostly a rough proof of concept more than a carefully crafted example.

[video=youtube;JTryfIyv6Y0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTryfIyv6Y0&feature=youtu.be[/video]
 
Ahh Benjamin. You are a silly. You will do anything to avoid the inevitable conclusion. Split buck and fell something other than small soft pine and do a comparison run with an axe you claim this is "just as good as." I am on to you.:) stop simulating and do.
 
I don't have anything beyond that at my disposal at the moment, dude. You want to truck in some larger harder logs, and I'll cut 'em. "Onto me"...sure... :rolleyes:
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
I don't have anything beyond that at my disposal at the moment, dude. You want to truck in some larger harder logs, and I'll cut 'em. "Onto me"...sure... :rolleyes:
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So you are publicly acknowledging that what you did in that video proves next to nothing. The true test of the handle and head you are claiming are "as good as" axes balanced with a poll, is actual work. Actual felling bucking and splitting. The three things you seem to be avoiding doing in an actual comparison at all costs. Ok Benjamin, that seems a tad shady.
 
Not in the slightest--you're quite obviously putting words in my mouth. I'm using the targets currently available to me to demonstrate that the handle balances dead horizontal, and holds up to repeated shock. Pretty sure those are directly tied to performance factors...How that could possibly be construed as shady is absolutely beyond me. On the ignore list you go.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Not in the slightest--you're quite obviously putting words in my mouth. I'm using the targets currently available to me to demonstrate that the handle balances dead horizontal, and holds up to repeated shock. Pretty sure those are directly tied to performance factors...How that could possibly be construed as shady is absolutely beyond me. On the ignore list you go.
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I would ignore me if I was making the claims you are as well. I will call you out at every turn if I think you are incorrect. You have made claims that do not seem to hold up.
 
Woodcraft said:
So you are publicly acknowledging that what you did in that video proves next to nothing. The true test of the handle and head you are claiming are "as good as" axes balanced with a poll, is actual work. Actual felling bucking and splitting. The three things you seem to be avoiding doing in an actual comparison at all costs. Ok Benjamin, that seems a tad shady.
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You sure do like cuttin' people down.
 
Here is a hardware store axe being slammed into frozen oak with reckless abandon. It balances almost dead center on the pendulum hang and is bit heavy on the horizontal. Because it is so bit heavy it has some noticeable performance issues. The handle is less than ideal. The grain is less than ideal. And yet I had no failure splitting this frozen twisted oak. Should I go buck some or fell a maple? Are you getting my point Benjamin? This by itself proves nothing. As a comparison or over time I could make a claim. I doubt the head and handle you just hit into that stump could last doing what this hardware store axe could. I doubt it could perform as well as this hardware store axe could.I think you know that Benjamin. And that is why you are avoiding comparison. Costs about $25 to see if you are right or wrong.


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Why are you avoiding actual work and comparison? The differnce between soft small pine and hitting a stump and actually splitting oak and bucking something harder than small pine is huge.
 
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Just so folks are aware, once I have some larger and harder targets available to me I do intend to do further testing and proof, not that the haters are ever going to change their minds. The goal posts will just keep moving. I'm fine with that, because the willfully ignorant aren't who I'm providing this info for. Anyone who wants to improve the performance of their axes can easily apply these same concepts to optimize the handle of any axe head, whether it has a poll or not. The closer the center of gravity is to the center of the eye, the less offset will be needed to achieve a dead horizontal balance in open hands.

And if Woodcraft ends up posting anymore, know that I'm not viewing it. He's on my ignore list. :)
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Just so folks are aware, once I have some larger and harder targets available to me I do intend to do further testing and proof, not that the haters are ever going to change their minds. The goal posts will just keep moving. I'm fine with that, because the willfully ignorant aren't who I'm providing this info for. Anyone who wants to improve the performance of their axes can easily apply these same concepts to optimize the handle of any axe head, whether it has a poll or not. The closer the center of gravity is to the center of the eye, the less offset will be needed to achieve a dead horizontal balance in open hands.

And if Woodcraft ends up posting anymore, know that I'm not viewing it. He's on my ignore list. :)
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I however will ignore no critique of my work. I will ignore no challenge to my claims. I geuss that is the difference between you and I. Nor will I Ignore you because I dont agree with the opinion you promote. Publicly declaring you are ignoring someone is childish and defeats the point of ignoring them. Have a good day Benjamin. I hope you come around and actually test the axe and compare it to what you claim it is as good as. Otherwise all you have done is really pointless in my opinion.
 
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