Can I upgrade a fiberglass handled axe

T

TARFU'D

Joined
Mar 10, 2013
Messages
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In my haste to get an ax in a hurry, I bought one at a big box store.....well after using it on the woodpile and camping, found I like the way it works and splits firewood, but the handle is starting to get to me....having used wooden handled tools all my life, it just seems wrong to have the fiberglass handle......what are the chances of upgrading this to a wooden handle, I have pretty good wood working skills and could carve and fit one, but how do I get the plastic abomination out of the ax? or just leave as is and find another one that needs some TLC? Thanks for the input----Bill Oh yeah I forgot, I did put a piece of sheet metal and used cable ties and electricians tape to protect the handle if you're wondering what that black mess on the handle is...:-)

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I don't see why not. As long as the eye is dimensioned close to that in a wood handled axe you should be able to drill/chisel/beat out the fiberglass and fit a wooden haft. What's the brand name? Does the manufacturer offer the same head on a wood handle?

EDIT: Apparently they do make a wood handled version...

http://www.shopjfi.com/industrial-s...-tools/3-5lb-ludell-axe-hardwood-handle.html#

I can't tell from the photo whether or not it's the same head but likely so... unless they've gone to an different subcontractor.
 
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The stuff they put up in the head and neck of those handles is incredibly solid and hard to get out, mechanically IME - maybe you could rot it out with harsh chemicals ...I'd just save the time and effort and shop for a nice head and put a better handle on it, brother.

HTH.

vec
 
Cut the handle off and drill what remains full of holes. Swiss cheese it! Then knock out whatever is left with a punch or a piece of dowel or a blunt stick or whatever you have. Eye dimensions are the same on those axes as on any other axe. Re-handling any axe requires a little bit of custom fitting. You can whittle it, sand it, rasp it or whatever. It's pretty easy. You'll have no trouble.

The key is DRILL BABY DRILL! You want to remove absolutely as much material as possible with the drill bits before you go to knock out what remains.

Here's a Plumb PermaBond axe I drilled out back in January. Drill. Drill. Drill!

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After using a power drill and a vice, that drill press looks like a piece of cake.
The eye dimensions on the graintex double bit I tore up were not quite standard though, it was a little wide. Used a big wedge and it's solid enough though.
Here's what the ugly beast looked like. Probably the ugliest axe I own, should have left it on the handle, actually.
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Thank you gentleman....will start looking for an old head...and some lumber before I take this one apart...hate to not have an axe while working on one....by the way this is a Ludell and an internet search cannot tell me who actually made it....just a NJ company address...either way still a good axe....thanks again...Bill
 
what the brother isn't showing you drilled out is a fiberglass handle - that's a wood handle on the drill press. - i'm all about economics and efficiency - again, the fiberglass handles usually have something really tough filling the inside of the handle, it's like Bond-O, and probably related, chemically - so if you have a masonry bit, i'd say to go for it, but all you are going to do is ruin some good wood bits on it otherwise IMHO.

up to you, brother.

HTH.

vec
 
The one I drilled out had a harder substance, but it was more like an epoxy, the wood bits had no problem.
 
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