Lets use those axes for what they were ment for.

[Square_peg]

https://postimg.cc/gallery/gi2d9bps/
Letting my son use his axes to cut some firewood. It’s a plumb boys scout and a Kelly flint cruiser

That's great. Can't wait till my grandkids are old enough to teach them about axes.

 

[Yankee Josh]

I think i mentioned these trials and experiments in other threads but it seemed appropriate to post an update here. For those who remember or may be interested! I'm trying out green ash for haft material. There doesn't seem to be any data or anecdotes about it so I thought I'd try it. I've been chopping intermittently with both of these Snow & Neallys. This one for about a month.

And this one for a couple months.

They have about the same amount of vibration as white ash. But, and this i wasn't expecting, they are stiffer. It thought green ash would be softer, because it shapes a little easier, but it definitely feels more stiff.
I used both for about an hour today chopping on a felled, half frozen popple and so far they are holding their own.

This experiment bums me out...

I noticed after 15 or 20 swings that chopping with one bit it had a greater tendency to bounce out. Upon closer inspection when i stressed the joint i found this...

If i hadn't noticed I would've split this haft all the way up! To fix it I'll have to devise a rivet about an inch above the joint. I was hoping this might be a feasible way to shorten a 36" haft but it turns out not to be in practice. There's a whole lot more stress throughout the whole length of the haft than I had thought. Anyhow I've got some other glued joints that I'm trying out. I'll post an update on those when I use them some more. It's fun trying unorthodox things as long as it's not unsafe.

Thanks guys! (And gals too I think).

 

[Square_peg]

“One good test is worth a thousand expert opinions.”

― Wernher Von Braun

 

[phantomknives]

“One good test is worth a thousand expert opinions.”

― Wernher Von Braun

well yeah especially when you're going to THE MOON MR. BRAUN

 

[rjdankert]

Out this morning processing firewood.

Left my country manor at dawn in my firewood vehicle, a Hummer equipped with a custom rack in the back for my Best Made Co axes. I have one of each head pattern and handle design. I am sure that all would agree that it just would not do to be caught without the proper head/handle combination for the setting. It was a perfect day for my Camps de Luca custom suit tailored for me in Paris while on a recent trip to restock my wine cellar. For footwear I chose my Black Cavalry Calf, Lanark III Derby or Blutcher style with a blind seam facing. A pattern that dates back to the very origins of this footwear icon. I had the shoes made for me at Crockett & Jones on another recent trip to London, England whilst visiting the Queen. Of course I specified their cleated rubber soles for the shoes, and if I may say, they are a joy on any terrain.

On this occasion the obvious axe choice was the American Felling Axe with the Fortitude handle.




Bob
PS my man foolishly laid out jeans and a plaid flannel shirt for me this morning and got the old pickup out with an old Kelly Perfect tossed in the bed for me. Silly fellow. You just can't get good help these days, you know?

 

[Kevin Houtzager]

X

 

[Yankee Josh]

What you need to do is avoid sharp edges. In this case its where the 2 lines meet. There will be surface tension there, which will always take the path of least resistance. In this case you can see that the crack started because you sawed the length a bit further then you had to, and didn't round of the edges. Thats what started it all. I have seen this a million times in Motorsports, where parts just sheared of and accidents happened. The reason always being: not enough attention to detail in the prepping stage.

Yeah this was uncharted territory for me and I was kind of winging it. First time trying it so I really didn't have a clear plan. Just an idea. While you are correct, my jointery was pretty bad, I'm confident that done the same way again perfectly it would still split up the haft like that. It needs a rivet, or something like that, above the half lap. Next time I'll capture the top in a 22.5° angle and fashion a rivet. I may even disassemble this one and add both. I'm pretty sure if I tried using a 1/2" stick for a handle it would probably break then too. After all that's about all that's left in that half lap.

 

[jake pogg]

Josh,i'm not sure how you'd fix this joint now,but for future reference maybe this will help.
This failure was inevitable,it is caused by the "hard spot",a stress-concentrating point(that inside 90 deg. corner).
Wooden members can't join like that,not for continuity of longitudinal loading.
There's a number of scarfs that avoid that,simplest i can think of is a swallow-tail.That is pretty much a simple V,and i'd point the tip Away from the axe-head).
Number of other configurations exist.The idea is to not have a joint line that is perpendicular to axis of stress,but as slanted as possible.
Also i'm not sure what you used for glue.Resorcinol of some type would be ok(like powder form Weldwood),i'd also experiment with polyurethane ones,they're "gap-filling" type glues vs the former,as well as more elastic.
These are all just loose suggestions,i'm sure you'll find a way to resolve it all.
Best of luck,great job on them handles.

 

[garry3]

I prefer the bottom one just because it is easy and strong enough. Not my pictures just lifted from the net.

 

[Yankee Josh]

Thank you for the ideas. Folks said it would fail. And it's not that I didn't believe them I just wanted to try anyway. That same joint(the one you pictured) came up in the thread where I mentioned I was going to try this. I am really surprised at the amount of stress that far down. I pictured the brunt of the force being up higher.
On that joint I used titebond 2 but I normally use a polyurethane glue. Namely gorilla glue. I used T2 to try to hide my highly imperfect jointery. Lol. I used hand tools and lack practice with them.
Do you think a rivet or two, recessed, snugged down very tightly would also accomplish the same end? The same way they did on shovel handles.
Of course that rivet is 90° to the direction of stress. I feel like rivets would hold. I do like the look of that joint you showed. Looks like it would hold up better than probably any other and I will try that at some point! I really want to find a feasible way to shorten 36" hafts.

 

[garry3]

Thank you for the ideas. Folks said it would fail. And it's not that I didn't believe them I just wanted to try anyway. That same joint(the one you pictured) came up in the thread where I mentioned I was going to try this. I am really surprised at the amount of stress that far down. I pictured the brunt of the force being up higher.
On that joint I used titebond 2 but I normally use a polyurethane glue. Namely gorilla glue. I used T2 to try to hide my highly imperfect jointery. Lol. I used hand tools and lack practice with them.
Do you think a rivet or two, recessed, snugged down very tightly would also accomplish the same end? The same way they did on shovel handles. View attachment 1102949
Of course that rivet is 90° to the direction of stress. I feel like rivets would hold. I do like the look of that joint you showed. Looks like it would hold up better than probably any other and I will try that at some point! I really want to find a feasible way to shorten 36" hafts.

Perhaps a dowel drilled at the end of the split to prevent it from going on up the haft? I don't know, never tried it.

 

[Yankee Josh]

Perhaps a dowel drilled at the end of the split to prevent it from going on up the haft? I don't know, never tried it.

A glued dowel may do it but I think it needs compression to prevent splitting or cracking further. I'll put one at 1"above the joint and then another at 2". Now i just have to find some sturdy hand fastenable rivets.

 

[jake pogg]

Now i just have to find some sturdy hand fastenable rivets.

I don't know much about riveting wood...I believe it's done with roves(washers that are Real tight to shank of rivet),or at least in boatbuilding it is...
A section of a common nail makes a decent rivet,nails are the softest,most cold-maleable steel around.
To form a head you'll need to leave 1 1/2 x dia on each end.
By using a smallish dia. ballpeen you'll mangle the surrounding area least.
If you wanted to get fancy you can make a quick&dirty riveting tool by indenting a piece of mild steel with a ball bearing of about correct size...

But i do think that what Garry3 suggests above is a better idea.Dowel driven into a properly sized hole+ coated with polyurethane will prevent split from running on.

 

[Kevin Houtzager]

X

 

[Old Axeman]

Or, you could just go back to using/making a solid one piece haft the way it has always worked best.

 

[Yankee Josh]

Or, you could just go back to using/making a solid one piece haft the way it has always worked best.

I do that 99.9999% of the time! I just like trying new things and seeing what'll work and what won't. I do appreciate everyone's tips and advice. Ultimately, of course, I'll do as I damn well might'a. Haha.
The other reason I used that particular haft for this experiment was due to it having a very thin eye. Whatever I choose to try I'll post what I find here.
It is quite cool to have a place to hash this stuff over with like minded folks. Have a nice evening all!

 

[Square_peg]

Out this morning processing firewood.

Left my country manor at dawn in my firewood vehicle, a Hummer equipped with a custom rack in the back for my Best Made Co axes. I have one of each head pattern and handle design. I am sure that all would agree that it just would not do to be caught without the proper head/handle combination for the setting. It was a perfect day for my Camps de Luca custom suit tailored for me in Paris while on a recent trip to restock my wine cellar. For footwear I chose my Black Cavalry Calf, Lanark III Derby or Blutcher style with a blind seam facing. A pattern that dates back to the very origins of this footwear icon. I had the shoes made for me at Crockett & Jones on another recent trip to London, England whilst visiting the Queen. Of course I specified their cleated rubber soles for the shoes, and if I may say, they are a joy on any terrain.

On this occasion the obvious axe choice was the American Felling Axe with the Fortitude handle.




Bob
PS my man foolishly laid out jeans and a plaid flannel shirt for me this morning and got the old pickup out with an old Kelly Perfect tossed in the bed for me. Silly fellow. You just can't get good help these days, you know?

Thanks for the great April Fools Day post, Bob. I got a good chuckle out of that.

 

[Ernest DuBois]

I do that 99.9999% of the time! I just like trying new things and seeing what'll work and what won't. I do appreciate everyone's tips and advice. Ultimately, of course, I'll do as I damn well might'a. Haha.
The other reason I used that particular haft for this experiment was due to it having a very thin eye. Whatever I choose to try I'll post what I find here.
It is quite cool to have a place to hash this stuff over with like minded folks. Have a nice evening all!

If for no other reason than to satisfy your curiosity, it's enough though an unfortunate posting under this topic heading when one devoted to, oh I don't know, Handle Fixes, or something might have prompted a more pointed review of the matter.

 

[Yankee Josh]

If for no other reason than to satisfy your curiosity, it's enough though an unfortunate posting under this topic heading when one devoted to, oh I don't know, Handle Fixes, or something might have prompted a more pointed review of the matter.

Well honestly I wasn't looking for advice this time. I meant to post an update for those "who remember or may be interested". The day I did that "fix" to that axe handle I appropriately posted in "what did you rehang today". But I had results from all three experiments through using them which is why I posted here. Sorry for the thread derailment, wasn't my intention.

 

[Malus]

Did it chip? Cold axes are prone to chipping and some knots can be almost glass hard.

I think that day was above freezing and the tree was quite wet, so I escaped without a chip. I've thinned that one out so much now that I really try to avoid hitting any knots.

The snow started to melt here, uncovering lots of blow downs on trails that were in need of chopping. I thought spring was coming, and then today we had 25cm (10") of wet snow fall on us.