handle pattern

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phantomknives

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Mar 31, 2016
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I'm looking to get into handle making, anybody have the ideal pattern? something like an original turn of the century collins or something along those lines. Prefferably something that can be printed full-scale
 
Factory heads were rarely fitted with truly ideal handles--they were close enough, but not perfect. Ideal handles usually require a more sizeable piece of wood than manufacturers are willing to commit to for economic reasons. Ideal handles are individually shaped with the right degree of offset in the neck for the particular axe head to bring the main length of the handle along a single axle.
 
i was looking for something to go off of, i know old handles are much better than new handles, 's why i asked for an old one. Or even a pattern somebody here made and was willing to share. I am starting completely from scratch, so i dont know anything but handle length, i dont know how to make a good palm-swell nor the right "fatness" of the handle.
i do not know the subtelties of handlemaking, plain and simple, i know barely anything, all i know is what the internet can teach me. i know a few techniques but that doesnt do much good when you dont know what you're making
 
I know COTs has a detailed pattern for a full sized single bit. Can't seem to find it but had fun going back through his projects thread looking for it. I'd start by reading through it if you haven't already.

Personally I'd say get a hunk of wood and some tools and just go for it.
 
well, i'm gonna prototype with a 2x4 cause they're cheap and i dont plan on using the prototypes, i have the tools, Im just looking for a starting point.
i figure i'll take a cheap harbor freight axe i have outside and stick that on there to get the swing right. And when the design's to my liking its gonna be hickory and on my kelly perfect
 
Old specifications for railroad axe handles (drawings with dimensions) were previously posted by cityofthesouth and Square_peg:

cityofthesouth said:
This is a copy of the Penn Rail Road specifications for a handle that I redrew to make it easier to read. The original of this is floating around the forum/internet and I am not sure how old it is, but it's pretty old. At any rate it gives you some concrete dimensions to work from and modify to your tastes.

PRR_32axehandle by city_ofthe_south, on Flickr
Click to expand...
 
/\ That's the one!

I don't see anything wrong with using a 2/4 for prototypes. The thickness is shy of the 8/4 that most hardwoods are sold in so you won't end up with as nice of a swell at the end as your final handles but that's no big deal.

I'm wrapping up my first larger handle, I used some pear that I picked up off the side of the road. I figured if I screw it up at least it was free otherwise it might even be usable. It was easy to work when it was green but now that it's drying out its a bit more effort. Hopefully I will be hanging a head on it soon.
 
Hacked said:
/\ That's the one!

I don't see anything wrong with using a 2/4 for prototypes. The thickness is shy of the 8/4 that most hardwoods are sold in so you won't end up with as nice of a swell at the end as your final handles but that's no big deal. . . .
Click to expand...
Since you are making a prototype, why not glue some extra wood on to the sides of the 2x4 where the swell will be?

Bob
 
Good work Steve. The basic geometry is simple phantomknives - I like for the tongue of the handle to be within generally the same line as the swell. When you look at the pattern above (I just re-drew it from an old pattern - it's not mine) you can see what I mean. No matter how curvy the handle is, the swell and tongue are basically in line. I like the swell to be over 1-1/2 inches wide on mine. Beyond that, I think it's all up to you. In order to do a fawn's foot I leave a chunk of wood on the swell until I hang the head. There is probably a smarter way to do this but this is me we're dealing with so it's gotta be pretty simple.

council_HB_finalfit by city_ofthe_south, on Flickr

In the pic this handle has been completely fit, the only thing left to do is drive the wedges, but the fawn's foot is still a big chunk so that I have something to strike while hanging the head. Also, you can see that my swell is slightly ahead of the tongue so this results in a slightly closed hang. The result of winging it.
 
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Any of you know how to get a pine wedge out of a hatchet? i carved down an axe handle cause i didnt want to go looking for a hatchet the day before a camp out so i used a shim and an old handle i had laying around, anyway, it squished, i need it out, any ideas? Oh and by the way its a tiny wedge
 
phantomknives said:
Any of you know how to get a pine wedge out of a hatchet? i carved down an axe handle cause i didnt want to go looking for a hatchet the day before a camp out so i used a shim and an old handle i had laying around, anyway, it squished, i need it out, any ideas? Oh and by the way its a tiny wedge
Click to expand...

I use a small drill bit and drill holes in the wedge, then use an old ice pick or similar tool to pry out the pieces.
 
I drill two 3/16" holes on opposite ends of the wedge, thread a drywall screw in and lever the wedge out with trim bars, never fails! Works with a metal wedge, too.
 
phantomknives said:
I'm looking to get into handle making, anybody have the ideal pattern? something like an original turn of the century collins or something along those lines. Prefferably something that can be printed full-scale
Click to expand...

What length? I happen to own a turn of the century Collins legitimus that has the nicest handle I've ever come across. I'm going to use it for my own patterns. It's a 28" fawns foot, but I don't know if that's what you're after.
 
thanks bridger but no thanks, I just cut up a 2x6 to make that pennsylvania pattern, maybe later though, i have a cousin that makes a round trip from texas to my grandmas house, which isnt a sunday drive, maybe a sunday through monday drive but does a 28" ax sound like too much for a 9 year old? maybe a 3 pound head on it.
when i said the wedge in my hatchet was a tiny wedge, i meant about 1/10"
 
Full-size drawings/printable patterns for axe handles aren't something I've heard of. That doesn't mean anything though.


How do you see going about getting the pattern on the wood? Free hand sketch?

Carve, sand, saw, rasp? Where will your material removal start? Does it even matter? Tongue, shoulders, throat, belly, back, grip, swell? Or maybe a combo of those or even end to end? Do all those in a cyclic order to maintain thickness for rounding? Take everything in flat planes then round it off? Thin it out first then start shaping? Eyeball it or break out the calipers? What head do you want to hang?

That does seem like a long drive taking a 9yr old with an axe - 28" or less might be a good start but I guess it depends on how big your vehicle is.

Kids get fidgety on long drives.
 
ok, im not overloaded but close, and i have a place that can print 3 foot stuff, its just really expansive, i understand what you said. And my cousin is visiting, no way in the foreseeable future will i drive from virginia to texas
 
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