Tomahawk/Axe/Hatchet haft grain direction???

A

atomicjoe23

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Mar 1, 2011
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I know there was a thread on here that addressed which direction the grain of a haft should run, but I can't seem to find it. . .it had pictures illustrating the "correct" and "incorrect" orientation of grain direction and an explanation as well. . .

. . .would anyone happen to remember this thread or be able to help me out here.

Thanks!
 
I dont know the thread. But with an axe being an impact tool the grain is best end to end in the eye versus side to side. Side to side is more prone to breakage due to the direction the force is being applied. Hope this helps.

Chris
 
The proper handle in the day was selected from a smaller tree nearly the size of the needed stock. The grain was concentric, and the core ran through from butt to eye. Spoke shaved to shape, there was very little core grain exposed. Over the years it has been noted those handles have survived to a much larger degree than commercial ones sawed up out of second growth production.

Grain should run from end to end, better yet if you can discern that the same layer is present all the way butt to eye. If it wanders off and you get end grain showing near the eye, it's much more likely to split under impact. If anything, that is the reason the synthetic handles are held in such good repute as a replacement - mass produced gunstock turned handles from large cross grain pieces can't take the beating. They are so commonly used, now, because they are cheap junk.

Don't buy them from the hardware store or just grab a piece out of scrap. Imagine how you would prefer the grain to run if it was carbon fiber or fiberglass layer - circular around a core, and running from end to end. Guess what - that is exactly how wood grows! Go find a sapling in an appropriate species and use it - the result will be a handle that lasts. The only caveat to the process - you need to be about one handle ahead so that a properly dried one is ready to go.
 
Chris Montgomery said:
I dont know the thread. But with an axe being an impact tool the grain is best end to end in the eye versus side to side. Side to side is more prone to breakage due to the direction the force is being applied. Hope this helps.

Chris
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Chris is correct. The best haft grain orientation is with the growth rings parallel with the longitudinal, or chopping/hammering/pounding direction of the tool. Since trees grow in a circular pattern, this can be difficult to find. If you hand select the handles you can do a pretty good job, but be prepared to be disappointed by hardware store handles. Occasionally you can find a good one if you have several stores you can check. Online purchasing can be hit or miss too, but top grade handles tend to have pretty good grain orientation.

On the other hand, I've had very good luck with far less than perfect grain orientation. If you don't over-strike with your tool, almost any grain orientation will yield good results. I usually watch more for flaws In the wood like knots, checks or anything that looks like it could weaken the wood. It's definitely an inexact science.

For collectors, make,it look good. For users, make it strong. Great question. Good luck, and post pictures when you rehang something you like.

Brent.
 
Thanks for all the responses guys. . .that was the information I was looking for. I found a couple of Forest Service publications as well. . .here is the link to it:

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment...lications/fs_publications/99232823/page10.cfm

Tirod3, it would be great if I could find saplings as you suggest, but living in the Pacific Northwest hardwoods of any size or species are difficult to come by let alone a species that would make a good handle. . .there is Madrona which is very hard, but it isn't all that common and I don't even know if that would make a good handle or not.

Thanks again guys!
 
atomicjoe23 said:
....... but living in the Pacific Northwest hardwoods of any size or species are difficult to come by let alone a species that would make a good handle. . .
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I suspect that our Oregon Bigleaf Maple would do in a pinch. And Black Locust has been introduced to the area and is abundant in some places. Garry Oak is good if you can find a straight piece that doesn't warp too badly as it dries.
 
Well, those purists that did it hundreds of years ago had the time and knew their trees. I read an interesting story in school many years ago. It described which part of a farm wagon needed to be shaped, and exactly what kind of wood was preferred for the job. All told there were 45-50 species. Even taking some embellishment on the writer's part, it showed what kind of depth our forefathers had in selecting wood.

It was mentioned in another thread on decorative handles what might be ok, and what wouldn't work at all. A couple of suggestions were spot on, the wood would be OK or fail exactly as described. I burn wood for winter heat - therefore I cut down trees, and split it. Cherry is extremely easy to work with, but I wouldn't call it durable. No doubt our pioneer ancestors used a lot of it making early furniture, it was just strong enough, looked good when finished, but even more importantly, was easily resawn, shaped, and worked.

On the other hand, I've tried hickory and hedge. Exactly the opposite. Some hedge I've had to cut in half with a chain saw because the 27 ton splitter wouldn't. It could handle the smaller pieces, tho. This year I am burning oak from a 50" tree that I cut early this spring. That will be a lot of work, but it's not very difficult on the saw or splitter when it's still a bit green. Dry is something completely different.

If you are going to experiment with ax handles, cut and let dry a number of different species. Shape some green, let the others cure out. You'll gain a lot of knowledge about the ease or difficulty of it, and you will also have a backup supply of what you need. Strangely enough, ax handles do grow on trees.
 
tirod3 said:
Well, those purists that did it hundreds of years ago had the time and knew their trees. I read an interesting story in school many years ago. It described which part of a farm wagon needed to be shaped, and exactly what kind of wood was preferred for the job. All told there were 45-50 species. Even taking some embellishment on the writer's part, it showed what kind of depth our forefathers had in selecting wood.

It was mentioned in another thread on decorative handles what might be ok, and what wouldn't work at all. A couple of suggestions were spot on, the wood would be OK or fail exactly as described. I burn wood for winter heat - therefore I cut down trees, and split it. Cherry is extremely easy to work with, but I wouldn't call it durable. No doubt our pioneer ancestors used a lot of it making early furniture, it was just strong enough, looked good when finished, but even more importantly, was easily resawn, shaped, and worked.

On the other hand, I've tried hickory and hedge. Exactly the opposite. Some hedge I've had to cut in half with a chain saw because the 27 ton splitter wouldn't. It could handle the smaller pieces, tho. This year I am burning oak from a 50" tree that I cut early this spring. That will be a lot of work, but it's not very difficult on the saw or splitter when it's still a bit green. Dry is something completely different.

If you are going to experiment with ax handles, cut and let dry a number of different species. Shape some green, let the others cure out. You'll gain a lot of knowledge about the ease or difficulty of it, and you will also have a backup supply of what you need. Strangely enough, ax handles do grow on trees.
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None of this is rocket science but does require patience and understanding and if you take the time to inspect all the tool handles you've ever broken (I've been using wooden handled tools for quite a few decades now) to see why they broke, you can make sense of much of the advice on here. Whenever a shipment of axe, dbl bit and sledge handles came in to my local hardware store, years ago, I'd poke through the bins right off to select that one-in-hundred handle that had perfect grain and good grain orientation. I haven't broken very many over the past 20 years.
Way back the British navy sent specialized surveyors all up and down the St Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers to brand (with ordnance circle and arrow) white pine trees that had a specific bend or curl in them that was condusive to their structural building of warships. A branded tree carried the death penalty if you were caught cutting it down and the marks were visible for many decades!
The comment on black cherry is spot-on however it has long been favoured for canoe paddles and is superb material for flex and light weight providing the maker is careful in choosing his blanks. A hatchet has a short enough handle that cherry and some of the other pretty woods would not compromise the use.
 
To me handles are a very personal thing. An inch or two in length in either direction makes a real difference. You'll want to experiment. Handles of old were mostly simple straight and I suspect that it was machine-made items that introduced exaggerated curves and shapes to the mainstream. When you're spending $5 at the store and have a choice between something straight, like you could whittle yourself, and one that has curves like a beautiful woman, all things considered you likely come home with the pretty one. On top of that these handles often would not be as durable so the handle maker could expect to see you again sometime soon!
 
I hit 4 hardware and feed stores this morning and came home with no handles. Other days, I find a couple of really nice ones. Selection here is mostly Seymour Industries/Link Handle. If I had the tools and time to thin them out a lot, my score would be a little better.

I have had and used a few that were made form saplings, Gum, Hickory and Dogwood. There used to be a country store nearby that sold hand carved handles form a local man. Once he passed away, I realized just how crappy some store bought handles can be.

Bill
 
lmalterna said:
I hit 4 hardware and feed stores this morning and came home with no handles. Other days, I find a couple of really nice ones. Selection here is mostly Seymour Industries/Link Handle. If I had the tools and time to thin them out a lot, my score would be a little better.

I have had and used a few that were made form saplings, Gum, Hickory and Dogwood. There used to be a country store nearby that sold hand carved handles form a local man. Once he passed away, I realized just how crappy some store bought handles can be.

Bill
Click to expand...
You are catching on to the vagaries of what some folks took for granted (many fewer of them knowledgeable about this kind of thing nowadays) 1/2 century ago. A lo-bid manufacturer can't afford to discard 90% of his stock in order to appease that one-off nutcase that knows how to appraise wood. Beauty of going through the new arrival bins is that no one is offended, and you get exactly what you want.
 
Thinks of a baseball bat and how the label has the wide open grain and the side you strike the ball with has narrow grain line. It's the same with traditional cedar arrows. The side against the bow has the narrow reeds to keep it from breaking during the archers paradox when it bends as it leaves the bow.
 
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