Axe handle info

S

SuburbanBarbarian

Joined
Aug 12, 2018
Messages
164
So I was looking at some axes recently and remembered that hardware store ones screw you in handle quality and realized I only know on general terms how the grain should look. Other than it should run the length of the handle and no knots I'm kinda at a loss. Any recommendations for YT watching etc... I don't want to make one from scratch at this time, just get an axe with a decent handle or a good replacement handle at ACE.
 
It's a subject of some debate and there are reasons for individual axes and handles to deviate from the norm.

That said, for most applications of buying a curved hardware store handle for a standard axe you would like the grain running parallel to the axe. But more important than grain orientation is just that the grain has no or little runout. You'd like to see every grain in the eye also present in the swell. At a minimum about 75% of the eye grains should be present in the swell. A handle with few continous grains is likely to split.

If you're lucky the runout handle will break clean in two. If you're unlucky the split will open up inside your palm just enough to allow a little flesh in before closing and giving you the blood blister from hell. Don't ask me how I know this.
 
Pretty much everything Square_peg said.

Just look for the best piece of wood you can find, go with the fattest one you can find so you've got enough material to thin it down into a proper shape.

That's really the only way to get a good handle these days without making it from scratch because they just don't make them like they used to.
The shape especially is just not right.
 
Square-peg states it very well.

I gave up looking in the local hardware store or the big box store for replacement handles many years ago. To my chagrin, the quality wasn't there. As I progressed in my knowledge, I also learned to consider the length of the handle and balance re the weight of the head. Finally, the curvature of the handle. Example. Some people think having a straight short handle is the way to go - until they might find in field usage, the leverage is lacking and the shock of the blow is felt.

So, eventually, based upon doing a quality job, you will purchase from a hickory specialist. Don't hesitate to make the call and take a snapshot to email the first time you order. Those people are specialists.
 
House handle and Tennessee hickory are probably the most utilized by people here. I personally hate to buy a haft I can't pick out in person, but that's become a near impossibility around here.

It's gotten to the point where vintage handles are worth their weight in gold. I know Square Peg looked into having some nice ones made, but the manufacturer was incapable or unwilling to meet his specs. I'd love to start turning them out myself, but finding a steady supply of good hickory is problematic, and a proper copy lathe is an expensive piece of equipment.
 
People tend to treat wood like it'll explode if it's not 100% perfect. That's not the case. I had some nice custom handles made for some Italian axes I carry, and to balance those particular heads in the hand, the handles need to be shaped a lot like adze handles. Because of that strong curve, having vertical continuous grain through the neck is extra important compared to on most handles. When the handles arrived, some were off-spec and had horizontal or sloping grain that led to bad runout, but the base quality of the wood was high, and I decided to test the worst one to the point of failure just to see what it could take. Mounting a sledge hammer head to the handle and making deliberate overstrikes into the edge of a log face, it took me 42 deliberate overstrikes before breaking the handle. I probably could have gotten years of service out of it if used as intended. In terms of chasing the ideal, though, it's certainly better to have a handle closer to perfect when selecting one in person since the price for a "good" vs "bad" one are the same.
 
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