Where to purchase axe handles

M

MBAIGENT

Joined
Dec 7, 2015
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29
Being new to the re handling of axes I am still finding it hard to find any nice handles, id love to make my own but I can't get hickory that easily being in the UK nor are there many suppliers of handles. Can someone from uk point me in right direction? I've seen some on Amazon from Seymour but they are from the US and they are either waxed or varnished which I'm not a fan of and I have currently used faithful tools handles but I have had some with the wrong grain orientation and I'd like a 28inch handle which they do not do.

Thanks very much,

Matt
 
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If you have access to a jigsaw (or bandsaw) to rough out a blank you can always invest in a wood rasp and set of files to make something out of a lumber yard or specialty wood store piece of Elm, Ash, Maple, Beech or Oak. This will cost you many hours of work to do. Or you could visit the House Handle site (USA) or some one of the Swedish axemaker sites to order a ready made handle. Chances are if you have a UK-made axe head it will require rasp and file fitting of whatever handle, anyway.
If this is your first time don't fret or sweat, if the piece of hardwood is straight grain and knot-free and your fitting is good the resulting hang will probably outlive you.
 
I have rasps, files and spokeshaves which is what I have been using and I can get a jigsaw. I would love to make my own but finding the wood is a bit harder. Also, being new to the axe handle game, you see everywhere that they use hickory and that hickory is the only option. The oak I can get is very knotty unfortunately, I can get some nice pine or redwood but wouldn't know how they'd handle the shock loads. I did look on the house handle site but got totally lost, didn't seem the easiest site to navigate, plus their shipping to UK is probably more expensive than the handle!
 
Specialty stores for wood are found in most urban centers. Renovators, furniture and instrument makers and hobbyists etc frequent these places. Hickory won't be a common stock item (since very few folks use it) but some of the other hardwoods will be.
Hickory as a handle material of choice became industry dominant 100 years ago based on durability, availability and low cost; there must be lots of easy access straight stand knot-free large trees in the eastern US. Trying to compete in this market via harvesting and processing white oaks, rock elms, hop hornbeams, osage oranges or black locust trees is/was never going to happen; totally uncompetitive due to considerably more time/effort required, and much lower yields. For you birch, maple, beech, ash or oak will readily do the job providing you can find a nice straight-grained piece of 1 1/2 x 3 x 36" furniture grade lumber. European sourced material is more likely to be air-dried (kiln-dried is weakened via steam rupturing) as well.
 
I just placed an order today from HH for 6 handles -

SB boys
SB 30 inch
SB 32 inch
DB 30 inch
Hatchet 16 inch scout
Hatchet 16 icnh broad

All handpicked, no lacquer. I requested they be of the best quality, as this will determine how and if I use them to order for my going forward for the axe shop coming, which as of right now will be somewhere around 200 handles.

So I guess we will see how HH does.

Merry Christmas!
 
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