Wetterlings replacement helve

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Jan 15, 2011
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Hi all -

I have a Wetterlings 19" "bushcraft" Axe SAW20H; I damaged the neck some and I was wondering where I could get a replacement helve/handle.

Did some Googling and such, but haven't any luck. Also emailed Wetterlings, but haven't heard back from them.

Or if you could suggest good alternatives, that would also be appreciated. Thanks.
 
I have not been able to find anything. You may want to try a Gransfors Bruks Small Forest Axe replacement handle.
 
Guess the good answer would be to drop an e-mail to Wetterlings directly...


And come back with their answer as I'm also wondering :cool:
 
I am looking for a 32H handle. I filled out the contact us on the Wetterling website. Let us know if anyone finds any info or hears back from Wetterling. Now I know "Friends don't let drunk friends use expensive axes" unless you want to track down a hard to find handle.
 
Couldn`t you just buy any suitable helve in a hardware store.
I bought a new helve for my Hunters axe (was 19 inch) as I wanted a longer axe.

Tor
 
I have not tried anything from this company but it looks like it is one of the few sources of quallity handles on the Internet.

http://househandle.com/products.html#house

ITEM 1419
Description: House Axe
Length: 19"
Grade AA: 4.85 Each
Eye Size: 13/16 x 2 7/16 (2 1/2 lbs.)
UPC: 737184114192

You might contact them and see if it will work.

I have also seen mention of this place in England as a source for GB handles, and was told that they will ship to the US. It was suggested that if you ordered, you use air mail, as surface took several months

http://www.proadventure.co.uk/acatalog/Gransfors_Bruks_Axes_Spare_Handles_and_Sheaths.html
 
Still haven't heard back from Wetterlings. I just sent out an email to the online retailer, so we'll see where that goes.

I've been looking at getting a Gransfors small forest axe handle replacement, but the online retailers I've found that carry it are European based. They do ship to the U.S. but for the shipping price I could just get another axe.

I'll keep looking around, maybe I'll run into a quality handle of around the right length.
 
I've heard of good things from house handle. I also picked up some good grained handles on Ebay.
 
Joezilla said:
I've heard of good things from house handle. I also picked up some good grained handles on Ebay.
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I have ordered a number of handles from househandle. Quality is hit or miss. Prices are reasonable and most handles are within an acceptable range for users. Certainly not up to Gransfors or Wetterlings quality. Some handles are very straight and the grain is properly oriented. Others, not so much and have received some made from heart wood.
 
jurisprudence said:
I have ordered a number of handles from househandle. Quality is hit or miss. Prices are reasonable and most handles are within an acceptable range for users. Certainly not up to Gransfors or Wetterlings quality. Some handles are very straight and the grain is properly oriented. Others, not so much and have received some made from heart wood.
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Actually, I've read an article (I think by the forestry service?) at some some point that debunked the sapwood/heartwood issue - the difference was a lot more prevalent in old growth and is when the prejudice started. With today's handles being made from secondary growth, the different in density/elasticity between hickory sapwood/heartwood is virtually nill. Really, it's the grain orientation that's truly important...
 
killa_concept said:
Actually, I've read an article (I think by the forestry service?) at some some point that debunked the sapwood/heartwood issue - the difference was a lot more prevalent in old growth and is when the prejudice started. With today's handles being made from secondary growth, the different in density/elasticity between hickory sapwood/heartwood is virtually nill. Really, it's the grain orientation that's truly important...
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That's very interesting. Thanks for the info.
 
rg598 said:
That's very interesting. Thanks for the info.
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As I hate making claims without being able to cite them, I just spent 20 minutes digging around to find the article. Still haven't found the exact one I'm looking for, but this one also makes some note of it:
http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fpltn/fpltn-189-1936.pdf

United States Forest Service said:
". . .nor is the sapwood of hickory intrinsically stronger than the heartwood, as is sometimes claimed in connection with handle stock."
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**EDIT** Aha! Found it! Source: http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/usda/amwood/241hicko.pdf

U.S Department of Agriculture Forest Service said:
"Over the years a prejudice has developed against the heartwood of hickory. Red hickory (heartwood) is often placed in a lower grade than white hickory (sapwood) simply because of its color. Tests by the Forest Products Laboratory have shown conclusively that red, white, and mixed red-and-white hickory have the same strength characteristics, regardless of color. The negative attitude toward red hickory developed during the days of virgin hickory stands. Under virgin-stand conditions the heartwood was often less dense and not as strong as the sapwood. In the second-growth stands of today this density difference does not exist, and specifications and utilization practices should be adjusted to take this fact into account."
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killa_concept said:
**EDIT** Aha! Found it! Source: http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/usda/amwood/241hicko.pdf
Click to expand...

Interesting. My comments/biases are based on personal experience. I have fitted dozens of handles and 4 from heartwood. When shaping the handle to fit the head, reshaping the profile of the handle, cutting it, or inserting a wedge, heartwood is more brittle and less spongy than sapwood. For example, shaping a handle to fit an axe head from hickory sapwood, it is difficult to cut. The same force applied to heartwood results in chucks removed.

Whether they are the same in overall strength or not, I do not know. Never tested them, but I would be surprised if performance was equal.
 
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