Too wet to go out in the woods, just loaded the last stick of my 2013/2014 wood into the stove last night. Too cold to start tearing open the next round of windows that need rebuilding on this old house. Yeah, I'm bored.Joful referred to himself as ' a semi intelligent engineer, hence he is easily amused.
Too wet to go out in the woods, just loaded the last stick of my 2013/2014 wood into the stove last night. Too cold to start tearing open the next round of windows that need rebuilding on this old house. Yeah, I'm bored.
I did get to re-handle an old axe this evening.[/quote]
Sounds like a simple task to most, stick in handle and drive in wedge, haha. It take a lot of time and skill to fit it properly and "knowing" you I am sure it is a thing of beauty.
My lawn is still about 50% covered in snow. The 50% that's exposed is too wet to even walk on. Flooding everywhere.Now, if this thread was posted a month or two earlier, I would have accused the OP of being a bit "shack happy"! But since the thaw is started in the lower states, well.....
I learned to re-handle hammers and axes from my grandpa, about 30 years ago, but now I'm debating my technique. After fitting the handle (test, look for rub, draw knife or rasp as needed, re-fit, look for rub... repeat), I would always mark a cut line flush with the top of the head, remove the head, cut the handle, re-install the head, cut the wood wedge to match the length of the eye, pound that in, and then install two serrated metal wedges either perpendicular or at an angle to the wooden wedge. Always worked pretty well, as I suspect it has for more than 200 years.Sounds like a simple task to most, stick in handle and drive in wedge, haha. It take a lot of time and skill to fit it properly...
usually the head opening (on mine) is flared to allow spreading insideI have always left the handle a little "proud" and installed a wooden wedge only. After it is cured then sand to slightly "proud". Theory behind this is when sticking out and driving in the wedge it allows the wood to mushroom on top of the head, has someplace to move to being it is not contained in the head.
Has worked for me.
Well, it was worse, but irrelevant. It would take me a lot more than 8 cords of wood to heat this joint 100% with wood, but I figure that's about as much as I can (sanely) process and load per average year. Last year I ran out of wood in the first week of March, having one stove running all year, and the second stove coming online in January. This year I had both stoves running from late October, but realized as early as Christmas that I was running out of wood very fast. I went back down to one stove, and still ran out in February.5.5 to 8 seems like a huge increase. I knew it was a rough winter, but was it really 45% worse?
This date wouldn't be precisely 40 weeks after New Years Eve or St. Patty's Day, would it?Another one. Birthday time. Mine, my wife's and her mother's all on the same day. In addition, I know of 4 other people born on that same date.
I learned to re-handle hammers and axes from my grandpa, about 30 years ago, but now I'm debating my technique. After fitting the handle (test, look for rub, draw knife or rasp as needed, re-fit, look for rub... repeat), I would always mark a cut line flush with the top of the head, remove the head, cut the handle, re-install the head, cut the wood wedge to match the length of the eye, pound that in, and then install two serrated metal wedges either perpendicular or at an angle to the wooden wedge. Always worked pretty well, as I suspect it has for more than 200 years.
However, I recently saw a few instructionals on guys promoting the idea of leaving the handle protrude 1/8" - 1/4" up past the head, for better holding. So, I gave this a try, and also decided to smear some Titebond II wood glue on the wood wedge before pounding it in, as it helps lube the wood and will also help keep it when the glue cures. All good. However, when I pounded in the metal serrated wedges perpendicular to the wooden wedge, they caused some splitting of this protruding 3/16" stub of handle above the head. Not a big deal (doesn't affect the important parts of the handle), but it makes me wonder if these steel serrated keeper wedges are even necessary, particularly if gluing the wooden wedge. I saw one gub'ment published article stating they are not in the preferred plan.
When I used to cut the handle flush to the top of the head, I never even noticed this / was always happy using the steel wedges to keep the wood one in place.
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