Wooden Axe Handle Grain Orientation

[The Grendels]

I've noticed a lot of people are obsessed about the grain direction on their wooden axe handles. What are people's feelings on the subject?

People are going to have their preferences, but as long as it's not a bad run-out grain, I've never been very particular about whether it was a straight, diagonal, or a cross grained axe handle. I take note of the handle grain, but I've used axes with a runout grain because it were what was available and it was perfectly fine and didn't break. You were mindful of it, but it was still an axe.

I can only imagine if as a kid I told my dad I couldn't split wood because the axe he gave me had a cross grain how well that would have gone over.

 

[rjdankert]

https://www.bladeforums.com/search/1491166/?q=grain&t=post&c[child_nodes]=1&c[nodes][0]=768&c[title_only]=1&o=relevance

Bob

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Long story short, runout is the real thing to look for. My general rule of thumb is for there to be at least one end-to-end ring, regardless of specific orientation. Is there a statistical benefit to vertical orientation? Only if there's no slope to the grain so it runs continuously, and sheer wood quality is generally more influential than that factor is in terms of durability. Many a handle with horrible runout but made of strong, dense hickory survives many years of hard use. Would I deliberately buy a dense handle with bad runout? No. But if I was handed an axe with such a handle I'd use it gladly.

 

[catspa]

I’m pretty picky about grain orientation in the hafts I carve. I haven’t bought any commercial handles in quite a while, because I haven’t run across any with good grain.

On the other hand, I rehung a 3.5# splitting axe with a perpendicular grain commercial handle about 3 years ago, and have used it heavily since with no problems at all, until recently trading it off to a friend.

So maybe it doesn’t matter as much as I think it does. I still maintain my strong preference.

Parker

 

[quinton]

I maintain a strong preference as well for perfect, horizontal grain in riven and straight full sized handles.

I'll post this old video again of perfectly horizontal grain orientation in a 13/16" thick DB handle I had just finished.

 

[Square_peg]

A haft is stronger if the grain runs parallel to the poll/bit axis. A haft is weaker but more flexible if the grain runs perpendicular to that axis. But very good hickory is strong enough to be acceptable with the grain perpendicular. Runout is more likely to be an issue with the grain perpendicular.

In a curved haft you're better off playing it safe and keeping the grain parallel to the poll/bit axis. With a straight haft that has no runout you may prefer the added flex of perpendicular grain.

 

[Old Axeman]

S. P. - I could not have said it any better ! On the subject of species, for me it is American hickory for any thing over 20" in length. But, shorter then 20" I do experiment with different species. Lately I have had good success with a Hawaiian wood- Ohia

 

[garry3]

A haft is stronger if the grain runs parallel to the poll/bit axis. A haft is weaker but more flexible if the grain runs perpendicular to that axis. But very good hickory is strong enough to be acceptable with the grain perpendicular. Runout is more likely to be an issue with the grain perpendicular.

In a curved haft you're better off playing it safe and keeping the grain parallel to the poll/bit axis. With a straight haft that has no runout you may prefer the added flex of perpendicular grain.

Not so sure perpendicular isn't better for a riggin axe, lots of handles break while using the the nail notch.
Hickory only for me with such hard use handles, ash isn't up to it.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

In long handles for normal axes I find that ash is sufficient but is far less forgiving of overstrikes than hickory is, and is pickier about orientation because of the tendency to fracture along porous rings. Beech is more forgiving in crushing/holding together with poorer orientation but transmits much more shock to the hand than ash or hickory do.

 

[Square_peg]

Not so sure perpendicular isn't better for a riggin axe, lots of handles break while using the the nail notch.
Hickory only for me with such hard use handles, ash isn't up to it.

Yes, there are exceptions if you're putting some kind of eccentric load on a haft. Another example is pulaskis. With their very narrow eyes, 5/8" instead 3/4", the haft can easily snap just below the eye if you pry sideways even a little bit. On pulaskis I want a 45* grain with no runout.

 

[T D Handle]

I've noticed a lot of people are obsessed about the grain direction on their wooden axe handles. What are people's feelings on the subject?

People are going to have their preferences, but as long as it's not a bad run-out grain, I've never been very particular about whether it was a straight, diagonal, or a cross grained axe handle. I take note of the handle grain, but I've used axes with a runout grain because it were what was available and it was perfectly fine and didn't break. You were mindful of it, but it was still an axe.

I can only imagine if as a kid I told my dad I couldn't split wood because the axe he gave me had a cross grain how well that would have gone over.

My son had a stitch just under his eye from a handle with bad runout that broke while he was splitting...