Hey all, new member here. I was looking online for a cause to an issue I've been having with hanging axes/tool heads on new handles, and I came across the Axe thread here. Since there seems to be a good amount of folks who mess with this stuff , I have some questions for ya'll.
So far I have rehung:
Keen Kutter : Lowe's handle
Collins Bonded (jersey style): Tennessee Hickory Products Handle
Unmarked Machinists Hammer: Tennessee Hickory Products handle
Kelly Wood slasher Works Progress Administration (WPA) two bit axe: Tennessee Hickory Products Handle
ANCO youth axe (maybe a hatchet originally) : Tennessee Hickory Products youth handle
So the issue I've had twice (ANCO and Hammer) is that my handle splits after fitting. It doesn't just do a little split up top when installing the metal wedge, it splits a good few inched below the head. On the hammer, it split when installing the metal wedge while I was also fighting how the head kept rising off the shaft.
On the ANCO, everything was nice and snug, but while putting in the metal wedge it turned sideways and slipped in such a way that it went in the same way as the wood wedge, pushing one side deeper while breaking the wedge in half. I filled the top with wood glue in good garbage fashion. I installed another wedge which caused the split, so I decided to go outside and get my moneys worth from the handle by splitting and chopping odds and ends. The head did start to rise off again but I banged it back down. Still not proper.
So I may sound like a dummy here but it's a learning experience, so here's some questions.
What are likely causes of splitting?
What causes a snug-feeling head to start rising up and off when installing the metal wedge?
When can you tell the wood wedge is in far enough? I often hit them until they split, which I don't like. What causes that?
Any general tips or tricks would be greatly appreciated. I'd love to hear other people's processes for this and especially about failures. Looking at my Axes just now I do see a little timeline of improvement from Keen Kutter to Collins to W.P.A., but still want to make sure the mistakes don't continue. In the photo from left to right are Collins, Keen Kutter, ANCO.
Thanks everyone!
So far I have rehung:
Keen Kutter : Lowe's handle
Collins Bonded (jersey style): Tennessee Hickory Products Handle
Unmarked Machinists Hammer: Tennessee Hickory Products handle
Kelly Wood slasher Works Progress Administration (WPA) two bit axe: Tennessee Hickory Products Handle
ANCO youth axe (maybe a hatchet originally) : Tennessee Hickory Products youth handle
So the issue I've had twice (ANCO and Hammer) is that my handle splits after fitting. It doesn't just do a little split up top when installing the metal wedge, it splits a good few inched below the head. On the hammer, it split when installing the metal wedge while I was also fighting how the head kept rising off the shaft.
On the ANCO, everything was nice and snug, but while putting in the metal wedge it turned sideways and slipped in such a way that it went in the same way as the wood wedge, pushing one side deeper while breaking the wedge in half. I filled the top with wood glue in good garbage fashion. I installed another wedge which caused the split, so I decided to go outside and get my moneys worth from the handle by splitting and chopping odds and ends. The head did start to rise off again but I banged it back down. Still not proper.
So I may sound like a dummy here but it's a learning experience, so here's some questions.
What are likely causes of splitting?
What causes a snug-feeling head to start rising up and off when installing the metal wedge?
When can you tell the wood wedge is in far enough? I often hit them until they split, which I don't like. What causes that?
Any general tips or tricks would be greatly appreciated. I'd love to hear other people's processes for this and especially about failures. Looking at my Axes just now I do see a little timeline of improvement from Keen Kutter to Collins to W.P.A., but still want to make sure the mistakes don't continue. In the photo from left to right are Collins, Keen Kutter, ANCO.
Thanks everyone!
