What did you rehang today?

The little one at the top has its own thread - hung it a while ago but it ended up in this pic. But everything else is projects over the weekend.

I had put this handle on the Gambles (the larger axe) but was never happy about the job I did. It was a boys handle but this is a full size axe. The handle was almost big enough for a regular eye and I thought I knew what I was doing. Anyway, I also wanted to see just how tight my hangs are and it needed to be closed up anyway, so I removed the handle. It was plenty tight, given how difficult it was to get out, but it's much better now. That old piece of axe handle in the pic makes life sooooo much easier when removing handles. But even with it, I swatted it 3 times after drilling out the wedge without it budging. I thought to myself, OK, rehanging this was a mistake. But on the 4th blow it began to move.

gambles_keenkutter_rehang1 by city_ofthe_south, on Flickr

gambles_keenkutter_rehang2 by city_ofthe_south, on Flickr

Just a little piece of hedge up at the front to fill in where my wedge wasn't big enough. You can see little humps from the drill holes where the new wedge squished into them.
gambles_rehang_wedge by city_ofthe_south, on Flickr

largehammer_wedge by city_ofthe_south, on Flickr

Couple for a friend. I thinned out that straight handle a bunch more after the pic, just too chunky.
jersey_andhatchet by city_ofthe_south, on Flickr


hatchet_wedge by city_ofthe_south, on Flickr
 
cityofthesouth Nice work! Just once I have to say this on here; you're definitely getting the hang of this!
 
Thanks 300six. I guess like all things, even if you get good instruction and the process is seemingly straight forward, it takes a few tries to start to pick up the little details ... or in my case, a half dozen tries. :)

ETA: This is a great thread, we need to keep it alive! I've got 3 handles that I've worked down to my liking leaning in a corner, waiting for heads. :)
 
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A few I finished up in the last couple months, top to bottom unstamped true temper tomahawk head this one had ridges in the eye on a 19" octagonal house axe handle I've taken it camping a few times and man its handy big enough to be useable but nice and light, red jersey head guessing 4lbs., rehung it on the original haft nice and thin with the fawns foot still there, made in sweden hatchet just re-wedged in on the original handle and hit it with some tung oil, True Temper Flint Edge jersey pattern on a decent older haft in picked up separately, Plumb boy scout hatchet original handle, and last but not least (I think the prettiest of the bunch) a nice Sandvik on another old N.O.S. hafts that I fire blackened for some extra character.

 
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Joe L. Bachs said:
A few I finished up in the last couple months, top to bottom unstamped true temper tomahawk head this one had ridges in the eye on a 19" octagonal house axe handle I've taken it camping a few times and man its handy big enough to be useable but nice and light, red jersey head guessing 4lbs., rehung it on the original haft nice and thin with the fawns foot still there, made in sweden hatchet just re-wedged in on the original handle and hit it with some tung oil, True Temper Flint Edge jersey pattern on a decent older haft in picked up separately, Plumb boy scout hatchet original handle, and last but not least (I think the prettiest of the bunch) a nice Sandvik on another old N.O.S. hafts that I fire blackened for some extra character.

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What's the handle length on the jerseys? They just look like they have nice proportions in that pic.
 
The picture there is a little deceptive as far as those 2 go, the jerseys are both about the same size/weight... 4 lbs.-ish, the Red head has a 35 1/4" haft and the TT Flint Edge is on a 32" haft.
 
Love the haft on that red jersey. Good on you for saving it. I bet it feels great in the hand.
 
Yea the handle on that red jersey is near perfect although its has a bit of a side sway from being leaned on a wall for many years. At this point I have so many nice ax heads that I'll buy axes for the haft if its' an old unique one, especially if it's obviously hand carved. I'll pay more at a flea market or garage sale for a nice thin N.O.S. (new old stock) haft than a garden variety vintage head.
 
I haven't touched the bits but that's all it's gonna get for tonight. I was gifted this one but in its condition I was thinking just throw a handle on it and call it good. But you know, pretty soon it was a full on project. I took a ton of material out of the handle and lowered the shoulder as far down as I could in an effort to remove a little length - it's now about 34 and a half inches. Annoyingly I didn't take much time choosing my handle, I just grabbed one of the 3 available from the hardware store. It's a Link handle and the run out isn't real encouraging. I did learn however that the broken glass technique old timers used to smooth their handles is really great for removing lacquer. It saves gumming up sanding belts and is actually pretty fast.

It's pretty wood at least but you can see how the grain takes a real strong twist from top to bottom.
wardsmasterquality_doublebit by city_ofthe_south, on Flickr


wardsmasterquality_wedge by city_ofthe_south, on Flickr

Siblings. Apparently there was a Montgomery Wards in town before I was born so it makes sense to find them. Both were found locally.
wardsmasterquality_siblings by city_ofthe_south, on Flickr

This shows how the grain runs across the handle pretty well. I'm not a big double bit guy so it's never going to be an issue for me. Might not be an issue at all.
wardsmasterquality_runout by city_ofthe_south, on Flickr

I can only guess that this kind of damage is from attempts to remove head from handle - very annoying. This thing would be in great shape if it weren't for this.
wardsmasterquality_damage by city_ofthe_south, on Flickr
 
cityofthesouth said:
I did learn however that the broken glass technique old timers used to smooth their handles is really great for removing lacquer. It saves gumming up sanding belts and is actually pretty fast.
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cabinet scrapers work even better. do a search for cabinet scrapers, they can be made for nothing with minimal supplies. this is how i thin down and shape handles now. i will use the spokeshave soon for really thick specimens.

also, i have found that using 50g or 60g sandpaper by hand works better for removing the finish on a handle than any power method i have tried.. i can get them fresh in just a couple minutes with the right sandpaper. i have never found a belt of any sort a favorable method for a handle.
 
A wee SA Wetterlings hatchet found at the flea...

Starting point:
10272388775_00a69857c4_b.jpg


Finished:
15200784581_be76232548_b.jpg


15203447842_0c8c3f0bba_b.jpg
 
Hopefully will get that one rehung this weekend -- I've cleaned it and resharpened it already, just need to get the handle right!
 
True Temper Kelly Perfect Jersey on the original haft. The haft was really dried out so I gave it multiple soaks in boiled linseed oil, and had to repair a crack near the shoulder with some Titebond glue. We will see if it holds up but it feels solid at this point, and the haft was so attractive and comfortable I felt it worth a try. Insanely hard bit - my files really skated around on it.

15330419602_4bbc0ff21f_b_d.jpg


15144193027_4a6df0c372_b_d.jpg


15143966099_f18a2cb884_b_d.jpg
 
sashae said:
True Temper Kelly Perfect Jersey on the original haft. The haft was really dried out so I gave it multiple soaks in boiled linseed oil, and had to repair a crack near the shoulder with some Titebond glue. We will see if it holds up but it feels solid at this point, and the haft was so attractive and comfortable I felt it worth a try. Insanely hard bit - my files really skated around on it.
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That stick does have a nice shape to it, and it is one good lookin axe overall. Also, I'd say that monster wedge you've got stuffed in there will hold that handle together whether it likes it or not! Is it a little shorter? Doesn't quite look 36 inches but you know, pics are hard to go by sometimes. Good work.
 
Yeah, it's a 32" handle, which I tend to prefer (and irritatingly seem to be basically unavailable at local hardware stores -- everything is either 28" or 36") which is part of why I was so eager to save it. The only spare 32" I have right now is baseball-bat sized, and I'm planning on cutting that down for a Collins Legitimus Connecticut 3.5lber I've got ready to go...
 
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