Why Can't I Find A Good Axe Handle?
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- Опубликовано: 9 янв 2013
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Been at the hardware store today here in germany, and browsed around the axe handles. I was really surprised of how good those things were, nice straight grain, perfect orientation, i was really sad that i did not have an old axe to hang. and not too expensive too, around 10 € mostly
It saddens me that quality means so little to the vast majority. I say the same thing about the lack of quality in everything nowadays and people look at me like I don't know what I am talking about. Most people don't want to pay more for quality, but I will. Either that or buy and restore antique tools! Most of my tools are older than I am and still work good.
so true
Very useful information. I will always be watching for these things when I buy handles. I recently bought a pair of 6' unshaped, unvarnished dowels from a place I found online and was from Tennessee. I bought them for a broad fork I had made by a local welder. When I drilled the holes to mount into the broad fork head, I kept in mind the grain orientation as I had learned from one of your previous videos.
Thank you Cody for all your teachings,
Mike
Since you been doing the axe vids I been finding old axe heads at my great grandfathers work shop and putting them back in order. Thank You so much!
Bless your heart Cody. Im really trying to follow along but I dont think I'll ever have your talent. Thanks for sharing with us.
I recently bought an old Norlund hatchet from a flea market, but it was abused and needs to be cleaned up and re-hung. Now I'm looking for more info on getting a custom handle made. I'm really enjoying your videos. You really know what you are talking about and I'm learning a lot. Thanks!
I very much enjoy your videos and your way of presentation.
Keep it up. Thank you for sharing!
Really appreciate the axe-related videos - very informative and helpful! Thanks a ton!
Well said Cody! I'm looking for two axe handles now and anything online seems to be garbage.
Thank you Cody. I knew hickory was the best but did not know about the defects that undermine the quality of the product. Great information.
It is nice to know I am not the only one that insists on having essential tools of essential quality. Ty for posting.
I live in Melbourne Australia, regardless of where most of us live, we are often surrounded by timber - our local parks are full of Spotted Gumtree's, I'll often walk out a fallen limb, cut it down with a bandsaw then work it with a spokeshave and carving hatchet - once I'm happy with the shape I pop it into a linseed oil bath to soak then it hangs up to dry.
I worked in a hardware store for many years (locksmith). We sold axe handles. I asked the 'rep' about the polyurethane coating. He told me that it protected the product while in storage and while being shipped. It also resisted soiling while on display. We had lots of customers with dirty hands! Anyway - I always mentioned that it would be a good idea to sand off the poly before using.
I ran into the same problem when I needed to replace a handle for a hatchet. I found a source on ebay for hickory handles in various sizes, but you're at the mercy of hoping they send you a good one. At the end of the day it was much better than anything around here vs making one myself. Good info as always
Thank you again! Yes. "cheap and alot" becomes expensive and a lot of problems in the long run, on serveral accounts!
He speaks the truth, most American made items with the exception of very few manufacturers are well, trash. I worked in manufacturing, and there are very few manufacturers that "recruit" skilled tradesmen. Not only that, but they sell items with the intent that the buyer will need to buy the same item as a replacement in the future. I worked in the defense manufacturing industry and began with absolutely no knowledge of aerospace manufacturing, while I was guided by a team of engineers, the large majority of our products ended up being scrapped due to the strict quality control of the buyer; which led the company to lay many "unskilled" workers off. The manufacturers will respond to consumer demands, but as it stands many consumers are willing to accept sub-standard products.
Thankyou for sharing your wisdom & life with us you are a great inspiration God Bless your family
Thank you for the lesson. I knew a few, but not most of those pointers. I live in TN surrounded by hickory. Maybe I will learn to make my own sometime!
I had a good Tennessee hickory axe handle on by double bit axe and I used it for years. It eventually busted out though and I have never been able to find a good enough wood handle again. I went to fiberglass and will never go back. It's just a superior material. It lacks the classic look and feel of a wooden handle, but for a tool that gets used, it's better and I think it absorbs more impact than wood handles.
Link Handles has a high quality line of handles, but they're sold in dozen lots, and you have to open an account with them. Househandles are your best bet. You can request lacquer free & select grain. Most hobby axe restoring guys I know use them.
Thanks for that info Cody.
good video brother. my friend gave me an old beat up axe about a year ago. this video helped me a lot. i am now working to get it restored. before i knew any better i bought a crappy varnished axe handle at a swap meet. i am now very mad at myself, even though is was cheap.
Sounds like it might be in someones best interest to buy a nice big slab of quality hickory and then be able to fashion their own handles of various styles. That would be pretty cool to forge your own unique axe head and also a custom handle. What an heirloom that would be. Thanks for your videos Cody.
Look at the old shop! Wow. What a change.
I agree with you regarding grain orientation on the birch handles but you seem to be confusing the pith and heartwood parts of a tree's trunk. Hickory does tend to have some dark grain steaks on it which I think you are also confusing as the pith.
Regarding Hickory heartwood vs. sapwood, from what I've read, the Forestry Products Laboratory has conclusively shown that there is no difference in strength between them or a combination of the two. www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/usda/amwood/241hicko.pdf
A good review of what to look for in a handle. I've been really dissappointed in quaility as well. My wife is from Germany and she complains a lot about our lack of quaility, starting with the 110 volt electrial outlets compared to there 220V.
Good points. I ordered a hatchet handle off the Internet and the only thing right about the product I received was that it was hickory. The grain was 45 degrees from the line of striking, the kerf was off to one side and crooked in two directions! It was varnished of course. I went to my local hardware store (where I should have started looking of course) and found an acceptable one but when I got it home I was shocked to find it was the exact same make as the firewood I'd just received off the Internet.
Great video as always brother!
Thank you, very informative
well, at our hardware store you get a handle between 4 and 7 bucks, most have a good grain orientation but you still should have a look on them, I usually make the wedge myself and also add a steel or brass wedge across the woodn wedge to secure it
over here the handles are usually unfinished so you can use what you think is best wich would be ballistol in my oppinion.
I didn't have a broken handle in 2 years now and only handles I had to mount where when we found an other axe in our yard.
only handle wich has a crack for half a year now is the one from our spade, the blade of the spade broke two times in the meanwhile thou....
That axe on the table is so pretty....I like it!
Great information. Since watching your videos on axes and handles, I have looked in every hardware store I've been into and looked at their handles. All they stock is junk, and I think almost everyone I've looked at has varnish on it. The quality is almost laughable as you look through the stacks. I suppose some people just walk up and grab the first one on the rack??
Nice review on axe handle!
Well i think the cheap thing does play into it but I also think that the days has something to do with it too most people live in cities and areas where they don't need axe and then they just need a cheepy for a couple uses so i think that has something to do with it as well. Its just not like it used to be where every house hold would have an axe for fire wood and such and this lack of demand may also have something to do with it.
If it's a Tennessee hickory I probably cut some of them trees. I know we sell logs to a mill in Crump that makes all types of handles out of hickory. There's so much hickory around here and I hate it. It's hard to cut even with a sharp chain.
Every now and then my inner 14 year old boy comes out and I have to laugh. When you "spread the cheeks" I lost it. Great video as always keep up the good work!
whats the difference between, linseed oil coat, wax, and varnish? When should each be used and on what tools and type of wood?
So from what your saying don't by an axe handle online. I can't seem to find a good Axe handle around me. of course I live in Texas and not in the woodland area. I am hoping to be moving north soon to Alaska, and have been working on building up my wood tools before I move. I guess I will search your videos for how to make a handle. I think I saw one. buy the way thanks for sharing your knowledge and time
I removed the finish from my stiletto framing hammer,sanded it with 100 grit,added boiled linseed oil but found the grip to smooth and slippery,felt it had better grip with the finish it came with.
I've been researching "curved vs straight axe handles" before I purchase a new felling axe. You touched briefly on the subject, stating that curved is proprietary in felling axes. Would you mind expounding on that thought a little. I recently read that single bit felling axes were at one time strictly straight handled. The school of thought being " The biggest problem in hitting a mark with an axe is twisting of the wrist holding the back of the handle. If you had a straight handle then the axis of rotation runs right through the handle. Any slight twist of the wrist is amplified though by the distance between this axis of rotation and the edge. If you have a curved handle though then the axis of rotation will be the axis of this bent part." I value your opinion on the matter and I think it would make an awesome video! :) I do understand though that at the end of the day it's all about preference.
Next time you are in Portland go to Winks Hardwear (inner se) and ask to check out the handles in the basement. Also you can go to Woodcrafters in SE to get some good wood for a handle.
I like the you talked about quality, because it's true.
awesome
Thanks for the videos. I've been using them to build my tools from a building fire. Anyway I've put boiled linseed oil on my axe handles and 2 of the axe handles had layers of wood that wouldn't darken the same as the rest of the handle. I hypothesize the handle has core wood in it. Do you have any thoughts as to why part of the wood would darken and part would not?
Given the difficulty of finding good handles, what about wraps to protect the handle right below the axe head? Perhaps a good way to keep the good handles we do find or make?
I no longer waste time trying to buy decent axe or other tool handles. I split straight English ash logs to get blanks. I have had very good results using the butt ends of the log where the base of the tree flares out. It gives a wider natural flare for the axe eye. Very useful. Everyone says oh you must use vertically aligned grain, but I have never found any real disadvantage to horizontal grain. Also thicker curved ash branches can be split and shaped, my largest carving axe is done that way
Thank you for the info. I just inspected my new beaver tooth 24 inch and it’s not as nice as I assumed it was. A knot on the back side of the shoulder. Grain running from approximately 8 o’clock to 2 o’clock with what looks like machine scratches in a 11 o’clock to 5 o’clock direction. I guess I’ll have to find a vintage head & just use hang it on the wall. Knot on the backside shoulder. Would that knot make it stronger in that place?
today cody i finish my hatchet and boys axe so now i can use them and the lord brought me to you to learn about axes i got a hickory handle and some lin seed oil and finish them completly
The other day I went to my local Menards looking for a handle for an axe I was restoring, and was very diss appointed at the quality of handles, either the grain was running the wrong way or they were chipped one even had holes where bugs had eaten the wood
I don't know I usually make my own handles for hatchets and axes out of scratch like red oak from Lowes or to be cheap and save money I always go in the backyard or the woods
I value quality and search out new old stock vintage or antique when possible, lightly used and well kept also acceptable. You get what you pay for 90% of the time.
Nice saw guard ;)
Have you ever heard or used dogwood for an axe handle? Dogwood was used in golf clubs for years.
You may point to nafta and cafta, if you aren't familiar look it up. It changed much in the quality of our consumables and pricing. You are correct it is a societal driven problem. If you want it done right do it yourself or ask Cody to help!!
In Australia we use Victorian Ash, Jarrah and spotted Gum - maybe someone could ship you over some quality timber from down under!
House Handle Company (www.househandle.com/) sells exceptional replacement hickory handles for just about every wood handled tool available. I ordered 4 axe handles (32"), as I am going to teach my boys how to replace the handles on some old axes. I ordered the handles with an AA grade which means they are hand picked. I requested that the handles come raw or with no lacquer or wax, so I can apply the boiled linseed oil without having to strip them. I also requested in the special comments section that the grain come parallel to the direction of the axe head. The AA grade with the raw finish is an additional $2.50 and is well worth it! Each one of the handles has clear hickory grain (no knots), with the grain running parallel to the head. Two of them are just about perfect with the grain almost exactly straight and parallel. The wedges are already cut to match the width of the handle head. Now I just need to find the time in our busy schedules to get the work done. Thanks for this post, it was very helpful even though it is from 2013.
Just handles a double bit with a Tennessee Hickory handle...too thick for my taste but otherwise it was fine. Link handles have been coming thinner and Killinger makes a nice thin line of handles.
well said, know lets get back to making things
"All we want is cheap and a lot"- That sounds like many people heading to the fast food restaurants for lunch.
i bought a council tool velvicut replacement handle from Omaha knife and it is very good. it was about $30. The velvicut handles are nicer, check them out.
I want an Osage orange handle...looks like im going to have to make it myself
Is walnut a good choice?
Can you do a video on hickory vs. Fiberglass axe handles and how to fit an old axe head to a modern style handle? My old axe head given to me by my great grandfather is awesome but i cannot find a modern handle to fit it. The handle insert portion is much smaller. Thanks!!
I have a question about oils. Is there a benefit to using BLO over something like Tung Oil?
What a ringing endorsement! This brand is the best you can get, but they are pretty crumby....lol!
I have some handles made from iron oak ( Hophornbeam ) . It's hard to work with but it's makes a great handle...........
The big problem I have found with axe handles, when lucky enough to find them, is that the people at the hardware stores tell me "it's cheaper to buy a new axe then a handle." NOT when that axe head is $100+
I had such a horrible experience with Tennessee hickory. It was the very first order i ordered six different handles and they only sent me 5, when i emailed them about the issue they never replied. Handles were decent but nothing special..
Good video. I disagree with the heartwood issue. There are no issues with heartwood as long as the grain is straight. Sometime heartwood could show up hear the center of the log and you would get a poor grain. If the grain is good, heartwood if fine.
I make my own handles from rowan, witch i perfer infront of hickory (probably an unpopular opinion). svell wood from birch is also acceptable.
I ve beeen going yo my local hardware stores looking for an axe handle most have the grain almost sideways. I'm gonna check out the online sites. Do I need to order 10 and return 9 i don't use?
Hey you should try some Australian hard wood for your handle bit of Spotted Gum
Can you fix a handle that has shrunken and does not fit tight into the tool head?
What kind of head lamp is that?
I've had good luck with a company called "House Handle Company". You can specify wax or no finish, and their top grade handles seldom have any defects.
you know timber framing. its exactly the same. you want the right wood in the right grain orientation. handle manufacturers don't give a rats ass, and make as many as they can cut out if a piece of a log.
here in Europe its not very different with replacement handles. the grain orientation is often 180% flipped from what you want. there are more suitable woods than just hickory, but the problems are the same here. the tops of the handles usually aren't cut over here, there's no standard(i know of DIN) but even that differs a lot. if you don't have the time to season your wood you will have to pick one from the store. husqvarna, and some other brands make only reasonable to good handles with the right grain orientation, but at diy stores and such you pretty much have to pick the best.
we seem to know a lot more about good wedges, and you can get them off the shelf, but you still have to make the finial dimensions, just like it is with the handles.
finishing them yourself is nice if you know how, otherwise you'll have to buy a new axe.
please don't advertise the Europeans as good, maybe better at most. luckily there are not a lot of persons who know how to pick the right ones, so they just take the one on the front of the hanger.
greeting from the netherlands.
A little knowledge to pass on... The "heart" you refer to is correctly named the Pith of the tree, which in most cases is not located exactly in the center, but merely the origin of growth of the tree. Then there is Heartwood, and the Sapwood.... Older the tree, more heartwood ( in most cases), and more valuable all around than the outer sapwood of the log..
Ah, you found the same source as I did on ebay : ) Take care
What kind of elm makes a good handle? I have what the old farmers in OK call china elm.I dont know the difference, It cracks considerably when cures(dries). It burns in a greasy/smokey fashion. Any info will be appreciated.
I went to 4 different hardware stores. Checked out ~30 handles. Only 2 had proper grain orientation, and of those 2, 0 had a centered cut. As in, the top slit where the wedge would go, was already pre-cut and off center. So ultimately, 0/30 handles were useable in my humble opinion. Horrible craftsmanship everywhere I look. I went home genuinely upset and depressed, wondering where our love for tradition and quality has gone. This was in Canada. Canadian Tire, Peavey, Rona, and Home Hardware. I'm not comfortable buying a handle online, when I can not select the grain orientation myself. There also is no available seasoned wood for sale in my area. I have no choice but to cut my own lumber and season it myself.
Check out Baileysonline they sell replacement hickory handles from Wetterlings. I would have to assume that if it's from Wetterlings it should be quality.
What about Gransfors Bruks for example do they sell handles? Would they be any good? I wonder if any of these specialty firms would sell these separately. Because you right, here in Australia like everywhere else I suppose you must shop around for quality and know what your looking for. I would much rather pay more for the best than buy crap.
I have a Crkt t hawk.... broke the handle! Want to have something custom..... exotic wood? Gaboon ebony? I have some kali sticks of a similar hardness. Looking for input for a weapon/survival tool.... 17 inches to 19 inches..... would a hard wood work in an axe handle?
Ever checked out East Coast Lumberjack? He makes handles from ash and hickory, and makes them from scratch. Has a website and RUclips channel describing his process.
Bummer. I just bought a handle that's really dark. I thought it'd be better because it was heavier. I have no precious experience of hickory.
Is oak good for tool handles? I have a peavie with a broken handle and an oak tree that's coming down soon.
+Tin Man Use it, the worst thing that can happen is that it may be a little bit occward.
***** Sorry, I speak spanish not english
My wife is from England, been here about 7 years now and she says the same thing, there is no quality here. The chocolate is rubbish and customer service is just about non existant. Thanks for the info Cody. Stay sharp Guy.
If your ever in Europe - or the UK, your more than welcome to visit me, im not far from Glasgow, Scotland.
I Want a varnished handle....keeps my grubby finger prints from messing it up while I work on it. Then when I'm done hafting I simply remove the varnish and oil it.
I always make my own handles even though my axes come with handles.
Cody, just a thought did you check with any Amish?
Hey Cody, check out Warren from Marked Guardian's recent videos, he comes to both Gresham and Portland open carrying AR15s with his fellow patriot, pretty incredible.
House Handle company has a handpicked, unfinished, and octagonal option on their handles.
Council tool sent a perfectly horizontal grain boys axe. Makes a pretty design on the shoulder... and they have an up yours attitude about it.
The ads are false claims about quality; i challenged council on all claims made but they brush it off.
One star out of 5.
End of conversation.
The problem with poor "handles" these days is exactly what you pointed out. Companies really don't care about quality, only money. Our country has fallen way behind in the times of quality. With the economy the way it is, most can't afford high dollar items that, are still poor quality. What many don't know is, even though it may say "made in america", it's not. Still imported in.
U SAID IT NO QUALITY OR REPECT OR PRIDE LEFT IN AMERICA AND YOUR RIGHT AND ITS GONNA BE OUR DOWNFALL GREAT VIDEO
Hi there, I ordered a good hickory handle online for a 2 1/4 pound axe head. I got a 28" 'boy's handle' and the grain is pretty good. BUT, the end that goes through the eye of the head is slightly too small. It's nearly the right size but when I slip the head on but it's not snug and it's got a 1/4" gap between the wood and the head at the top of the 'oval'. Do I need to find another handle or head? How can I fix this issue?
shove a big fat wedge in it
you know what you're setting up here right? you're setting up a series of videos alluding to your only last option... you need to fashion your own! it would appear you have the tools to do so, and as per that "where to buy axes" video you put up recently, and there was that young guy who hand-makes all his axes/chisels/knives... you should make one like his there! i'm positive you could do it, and it'd be a great little project! not to mention how proud you'll be afterwards! =]
Sadly I agree, especially about our buildings. Last two homes I lived in were 30 to 40 years old. The build quality is awful, shortcuts everywhere, bad design and poor quality of material.
I think for a lot of Americans, they don't need an item that will last 50 or more years. If someone needs a pulley puller for their lawn mower, they will need it once every few years. There for they don't need a commercial grade tool. Something that is disposable and cheep will get the job done.