When do you decide to scrap a haft?

[made2cut]

I really hate to cut off a haft if I don't half to (sorry for the bad pun ). At what point do you decide to scrap a handle and cut it off? I've had really good luck in saving some and they turned out great. A couple of recent ones I thought would be rather easy to remove ended up being rock solid making me feel like I should have left them be. Obviously if the haft is not safe with large cracks that would be a no brainer.

This is a Kelly Black Raven that I knew was pretty tight but just too ugly up top so I decided to remove it. Would you have left it ugly and original (could have been a replacement at some point)? It had three metal wedges making the job a bear. The haft was also warped pretty good.

What is this thing in the bottom??? It has a "U" stamped in the center.

 

[screened porch]

I hang onto the old helve if at all possible- a new one will cost money and the old one is probably better.

With one like your picture, I would try to pry out the metal wedges and replace with one wooden wedge wide enough to fill the eye. If there are gaps I'll drive in shims and/or put a wooden wedge sideways. I'll put one straight across if the cracks line up, or sometimes just a narrow one across the long wedge to get a little more pressure out of that one.

On a dried-out looking helve I'll apply some 50/50 turpentine and boiled linseed oil, then straight BLO.

 

[hepclass]

On the bottom looks like a 22. cal shell case .

 

[cooperhill]

If its going to be a user, I replace it. There have been a few I've saved but they have to be in pretty good condition.

 

[made2cut]

I hang onto the old helve if at all possible- a new one will cost money and the old one is probably better.
With one like your picture, I would try to pry out the metal wedges and replace with one wooden wedge wide enough to fill the eye.

Believe me, there was no way these metal wedges were coming out without destroying the handle. One was a regular wedge but the other two on the sides were the homemade variety.

On the bottom looks like a 22. cal shell case .

That's what I thought it looked like too, but why?

 

[trailmaker]

I always try to save old handles if they aren't warped too badly. If it can't be re-fitted to the same head it will usually fit one of the tens of heads I have waiting to be hafted. Search Steve Tall's old posts; he did a great tutorial on removing and reusing old hafts.

 

[made2cut]

Found the post you were talking about I think - http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/875111-Remove-an-axe-head-and-reuse-the-handle
Good info that I can use in the future. I don't think it would have helped this old girl though.

 

[Crazyotter]

That's what I thought it looked like too, but why?

I've heard of people drilling a hole, filling it with oil, and capping it. Apparently it helps preserve the handle. Check and see if theres a hole drilled under that shell.

 

[omniviking]

drill a small hole 1/ 8 " to 3 / 16th" at an angel up from bottoms side of head in the center and aim for steel wedges and stop when you hit them. now take a punch a tad smaller the the hole and try to tap out the steel wedges. you ought to be drilling where the wooden wedge would go and not hurting to much. also sometimes you can tap on the top corners of steel wedges with a punch back and forth a they will slowly come loose ( tap in line with head of axe), just go slow and be kinda careful. that hanle looks like it could be used over and tightened up.

 

[trailmaker]

Found the post you were talking about I think - http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/875111-Remove-an-axe-head-and-reuse-the-handle
Good info that I can use in the future. I don't think it would have helped this old girl though.

Yes that's the one, thanks for digging it up. Sometimes an old handle may not be reusable for the head it was originally attached to but it can be fitted to an axe with a smaller eye.

 

[mtangent]

The surface of your handle is getting quite a few longitudinal splits. I've had handles that produce splinters at this stage, & that's enough for me to replace the handle. Depends a bit on the species; some you can sand & oil, some just never recover. But splinters are unacceptable to me.

 

[bearhunter]

It seems that most I come across are POS's, but I have saved a couple.
I'm kinda picky, so I have probably cut off a few that I shouldn't have.

 

[screened porch]

It seems that most I come across are POS's, but I have saved a couple.
I'm kinda picky, so I have probably cut off a few that I shouldn't have.

I'm sure I go too far in the other direction, saving ones I shouldn't. But since I'm not in the deep woods with only one axe, I can afford to wait for a crack or splinter before I put an axe aside for re-hanging.

 

[Operator1975]

I shoudl post a pic in my garage of all the cut off handles I have sitting in the corner - must be 50 of them. Make good beaters if you need them.

The decision to cut off or not is entirely up to you. There is no playbook or magic spell, it is all what you think. If it is a user axe, then yes as stated if you think the current handle isnt going to hold, then replace it. No sense getting injured. If the handle has a good crack in it, or has electrical tape on it, or something similar, I go ahead and cut it off. If it is a really old handle, and has some quality markings, imprints, grain structure, stains, or just looks damn cool, I leave it. I left one on an old Haw Hardware axe that I am pretty sure is petrified. It looks awesome. Not a user, but awesome.

So, at the end of the day, the choice is yours. I myself usually leave them alone.

Hope it helps.

Mike