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- Dec 27, 2015
- Messages
- 281
I found a chunk or Teflon on the beach that I'm going to experiment with as a wedge material, might have to whittle some barbs in it to keep it from backing out but it won't rust, rot, crack etc.
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Why Not Metal Wedge?
- Thread starter dongotto
- Start date
Apparently Council Tools uses a plastic wedge, instead of wood, on their FSS-spec line. If it's durable and resists compression, and you can put a gentle taper into it, I don't see why it wouldn't work. Teflon may be way slipperier than you want and therefore perpetually seek to back out but a couple of pre-drilled fine finishing nails ought to hold it. No harm in experimenting though, since such a hang is not irreversible.
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- Mar 10, 2011
- Messages
- 2,648
5100-9D
November, 1999
Superceding
5100-9C
May, 1993
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
FOREST SERVICE
SPECIFICATION
AXES: SINGLE BIT AND DOUBLE BIT
3.2.3 Head to handle joint. The tool head shall be joined to the handle using both a plastic wedge and an
epoxy adhesive to ensure a head to handle joint meeting the requirements of table I and test requirements of
4.5.2.3.
Bob
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2014
- Messages
- 558
I am not sure who suggested this, but I have started doing it. It seems a very smart idea.
When you drive the wedge into the kerf, make sure to leave it 1/4" shy of bottoming out. Cut off the wedge flush to the haft. Leave the axe for 24 hours, then come back and take a thin metal bar (I have a piece of brass that is about 6 inches long, by 1 inch wide and about 3/16" thick.) Using the bar, drive the wedge in another 1/8" or so that the wedge is a little recessed from the sides of the kerf. Then, when you invert that head into BLO to swell it inside the eye, the sides of the kerf will sell over the sides of the wedge. 24 hours in BLO should secure the haft in the eye of the axe and the wedge in the kerf.
That being said, I have done a couple of Swedish heads that had large eyes. In spite of using the widest helve I could find, I wasn't satisfied that the head wouldn't eventually loosen, so I used a round wedge. I also restored one axe whose poll had been pounded so much that the eye was slightly bowed out on one side. I used a round wedge on that one. Otherwise, I just prefer the look of clean wood with no metal wedge. I think its one of those aficionado pretenses, like lighting cigars with wooden matches and rolling the end in the flame before you put it in your mouth.
When you drive the wedge into the kerf, make sure to leave it 1/4" shy of bottoming out. Cut off the wedge flush to the haft. Leave the axe for 24 hours, then come back and take a thin metal bar (I have a piece of brass that is about 6 inches long, by 1 inch wide and about 3/16" thick.) Using the bar, drive the wedge in another 1/8" or so that the wedge is a little recessed from the sides of the kerf. Then, when you invert that head into BLO to swell it inside the eye, the sides of the kerf will sell over the sides of the wedge. 24 hours in BLO should secure the haft in the eye of the axe and the wedge in the kerf.
That being said, I have done a couple of Swedish heads that had large eyes. In spite of using the widest helve I could find, I wasn't satisfied that the head wouldn't eventually loosen, so I used a round wedge. I also restored one axe whose poll had been pounded so much that the eye was slightly bowed out on one side. I used a round wedge on that one. Otherwise, I just prefer the look of clean wood with no metal wedge. I think its one of those aficionado pretenses, like lighting cigars with wooden matches and rolling the end in the flame before you put it in your mouth.
Forest Service obviously has no intention of servicing or maintaining hangs! Whatever happens to one of these it's automatically new handle time, or even more likely; time for a new axe.
I haven't haven't had that problem but then again I don't use commercial wedges; the ones I make are more acute in angle. It's quite common to see the top of a wedge occupy 1/4 to 1/3 of the eye which makes me suspicious about how snug a fit the handle was before the wedge went in. There must come a point where smacking in a thick taper wedge feels like differentially squeezing a bar of soap. Below is a Pulaski I rehung 5 years ago; somewhat extreme but the handle was a honeymoon fit and didn't need much help.
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- Nov 7, 2016
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- 796
I had one back out. I made the wedge too thin and uniform (took the taper out of it) when preparing it. I also had left the handle proud and misjudged where I thought the wedge would bottom out. I sunk the wedge and it definitely went a little too easy in hind sight. I also immediately ran out and split with it and did some limbing. That said it only backed out a quarter inch or so. I pounded it back in and 10 minutes later it was backing out again. So I rehung it. Mistakes were made on my part. Part of the learning process. The issues were clearly because of my work not because of the lack of parts.
It has not happened since
