Tail wagging the dog

P

PhilipWimberly

Gold Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2023
Messages
46
I have a "handle-first" project and wonder if anyone knows how to grow more wood on a handle tongue...
I bought a small bundle of old handles. Steel wool showed me one clunker, 3 very satisfying and functional tools...and one absolute movie star. I haven't been at this "hobby" long -- (when do I have to start calling it a neurosis?)-- but this is the most beautiful natural handle I've ever seen. Even the kerf is (confusingly) near perfect.
(cue creepy horror movie violins)
...but only 2 inches of tongue material on 32 inches of hickory.

The handle is whippy enough that a smaller house/boys axe could be sensible, but not a hatchet. I haven't been able to find a head for it. At this point, I'd resort to gimmicky parlor tricks to hang a head on this thing. Does anyone know any?
 
Thanks, Goose. Because it's reasonable to guess that Hudson's are forged with smaller eyes generally?
 
PhilipWimberly said:
I have a "handle-first" project
Click to expand...
I think pictures would be useful to help folks visualize what your handle might be used for.

PhilipWimberly said:
...but only 2 inches of tongue material on 32 inches of hickory.
Click to expand...

FWIW, based on your description, the only thing I have experience with that your handle might be suited for "as is" is a "bush hook". Here is mine on a standard 36 inch axe handle:

P9cKhtN.jpg


As best as I can tell 36 inch handles are what would normally be supplied with these. This is one exception I found:

NZ6lY6S.jpg





Bob
 
rjdankert said:
I think pictures would be useful to help folks visualize what your handle might be used for.



FWIW, based on your description, the only thing I have experience with that your handle might be suited for "as is" is a "bush hook". Here is mine on a standard 36 inch axe handle:

P9cKhtN.jpg


As best as I can tell 36 inch handles are what would normally be supplied with these. This is one exception I found:

NZ6lY6S.jpg





Bob
Click to expand...
Thank you, Bob. I'll try to get a picture added, but I can actually see the confusion I've caused. What I mean is that the tongue is only 2 inches wide -- meaning that an axe eye with an inside measurement larger (longer) than 2 inches won't be able to be hung tightly.
The handle is 32" -- not 36" -- but too long for a hatchet. I can't find an axe head with an eye as small as 2 inches.
(Barely related: I suspect, since the kerf cut is so clean, what happened long ago is that someone accidentally removed too much material, but couldn't bear to throw it away because it is such a beautiful, well-grained handle.)
Now I wonder if I can either (a) find a good head with such a small eye or (b) if someone tricky has come up with some sleight-of-hand hanging tricks that would at least allow me to build a wall-hanger, if not a hard user.
 
Thank you, Bob. I'll try to get a picture added, but I can actually see the confusion I've caused. What I mean is that the tongue is only 2 inches wide -- meaning that an axe eye with an inside measurement larger (longer) than 2 inches won't be able to be hung tightly.
The handle is 32" -- not 36" -- but too long for a hatchet. I can't find an axe head with an eye as small as 2 inches.
(Barely related: I suspect, since the kerf cut is so clean, what happened long ago is that someone accidentally removed too much material, but couldn't bear to throw it away because it is such a beautiful, well-grained handle.)
Now I wonder if I can either (a) find a good head with such a small eye or (b) if someone tricky has come up with some sleight-of-hand hanging tricks that would at least allow me to build a wall-hanger, if not a hard user.
 
LittleAugieMo said:
Hows about contacting a custom axe/hatchet maker and having a piece made for your handle???
Click to expand...
Probably better than some Hollywood hang I can't use, I guess. But an awful lot of $$$....I've never seen anyone offer custom-made axes for less that $600 or so.
 
PhilipWimberly said:
Probably better than some Hollywood hang I can't use, I guess. But an awful lot of $$$....I've never seen anyone offer custom-made axes for less that $600 or so.
Click to expand...
Could you upload your pictures, please. Try to make easier for us to help you.
 
Last edited:
PhilipWimberly said:
Thank you, Bob. I'll try to get a picture added, but I can actually see the confusion I've caused. What I mean is that the tongue is only 2 inches wide -- meaning that an axe eye with an inside measurement larger (longer) than 2 inches won't be able to be hung tightly.
The handle is 32" -- not 36" -- but too long for a hatchet. I can't find an axe head with an eye as small as 2 inches.
(Barely related: I suspect, since the kerf cut is so clean, what happened long ago is that someone accidentally removed too much material, but couldn't bear to throw it away because it is such a beautiful, well-grained handle.)
Now I wonder if I can either (a) find a good head with such a small eye or (b) if someone tricky has come up with some sleight-of-hand hanging tricks that would at least allow me to build a wall-hanger, if not a hard user.
Click to expand...
Oh, eye see now.


Bob
 
If there’s wood there, lower the head into the handle. If you look at the brush axe pic for example, look at all the wood below the head that’s just along for the ride.
 
IMG_1509.jpg
The ruler is covering the widest point of the handle's shoulder. There is 2" or less of tongue material/width for the eye of the axe. Thanks very much for the attempts to help. Let me know if another picture would be more helpful.
Phil
 
No sleight of hand needed here, it should be pretty straightforward to glue a piece of material to the front of the eye. I've done this a few times in the past in a similar effort to save a nice haft.

I use a hand plane first to establish flat surfaces on the handle and a scrap of hickory, then glue up and clamp. Takes just a few minutes and if you prep the parts well for jointing makes for a very strong bond.
 
PhilipWimberly said:
View attachment 2453436
The ruler is covering the widest point of the handle's shoulder. There is 2" or less of tongue material/width for the eye of the axe. Thanks very much for the attempts to help. Let me know if another picture would be more helpful.
Phil
Click to expand...
Heads might sit differently depending if it is straght handle or curved. Can you post the pic of whole handle

There were full size heads with boys size eyes,
Boy's size axe on 32 inch handle might be interesting option, too
Just try using hand made very thick wedge for starters. might end up with T-shaped wedge
Gluing some wood to make whole thing thicker is other option
 
Last edited:
Don't know if this is allowed,if not mods please delete w/my apologies. I have one of this guys hatchets&he has made a few handles for me...both hatchet&axe. Heath Creek Forge..Colton Kisso. He is a younger maker and does a good job!
 
Maybe it will give you some perspective. I was lucky to grab Inlaid Wedge Legitimus from fleybay. It is full size head with full size eye. I needed to try how full size head on 27 inch haft would chop and swing. My buddy gave me boy's handle that he mangled when drilling out permabond. It was just temporary hang before I would find 32 inch handle that deserved that head. As you can see it was not correct hang (gaps by the shoulder and left the tongue proud for easier prospective removal). It was sitting on the shoulder, overized wedge filled the gaps and kept everything tight. It did a lot of underhand chopping and it hasn't loosen a bit.

Try to find Boy's head and play with it, Nothing to loose.


The wedge goes all the way from the front of the eye to the poll I just smashed proud chunk of it by the poll












 
Last edited:
crbnSteeladdict said:
Maybe it will give you some perspective. I was lucky to grab Inlaid Wedge Legitimus from fleybay. It is full size head with full size eye. I needed to try how full size head on 27 inch haft would chop and swing. My buddy gave me boy's handle that he mangled when drilling out permabond. It was just temporary hang before I would find 32 inch handle that deserved that head. As you can see it was not correct hang (gaps by the shoulder and left the tongue proud for easier prospective removal), but it was sitting on the shoulder and overized wedge filled the gaps and kept everything tight. It did a lot of underhand chopping and it hasn't loosen a bit.

Try to find Boy's head and play with it, Nothing to loose.


The wedge goes all the way from the front of the eye to the poll I just smashed proud chunk of it by the poll











Click to expand...
Wow. THAT is really freaking helpful. Strange how much a picture helps. I felt like I understood the idea and didn't like it. But this could actually turn out very nice, especially if I pick a really nice wedge. I'm having trouble understanding the gap at the bottom, though. My mind is drawing a picture that says it would have been flush before you drove in the wedge. But I'm also guessing that this may be hard to understand without handling that head on that handle myself...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top