Has anybody made a new handle for a hewing axe?

[EatenByLimestone]

I picked up a few handle-less hewing axe heads at an auction this weekend. Does anybody have any advice on putting the bend into it?

Matt

 

[Sisu]

You will have to steam the handle (over a pot of water with a cloth cover) and slowly bend the wood. Once the bend is satisfactory, place it in a mold to hold the shape. After a day or two, take it out and the bend will remain.

 

[Battenkiller]

I'm in the same situation. I just couldn't resist a big, beautiful piece of laminated steel at a used tool place a few years ago. Made by Plumb back in its heyday. Never been used, looks like. No handle, nor evidence one was ever attached. The shop owner said you bought them that way back in the day, then put your own style handle on. It could be a big bend or shallow, and the head was reversible for left or right handed cutting.

I've got a steam bending setup and some nice hickory, but I don't know which side a righty usually puts the handle on. In other words, does the blade face left or right when the flat side is against the wood? Facing left seems correct, but I've never hewn a beam out of a log.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

The unbeveled side rides against the log. The handle would bend out from the log so your knuckles do not hit the log.

Matt

 

[Adios Pantalones]

IIRC, use dry heat on dry wood, and steam on wet wood. I have bent a lot of wood for bows- I would take a 2x4 and nail a small block of wood to it. Now you can put your handle blank across that small block of wood so that the ends stick out. Leave the blank long on the head end for leverage, cut it off later. Apply a ratchet strap or rope on one side, and a little tension on the other. Apply heat. Ratchet some. Apply more heat. Ratchet. Overshoot the bend that you want a little, as it will spring back a touch. Let it cool a good amount of time- hours.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Dry heat- I used a heat gun. Be very quick with bending.

Make sure the wood is pretty dry when you put the head on. If it's green, it will shrink and the head won't fit when the wood cures. We used to keep axes and sledges in a bucket of water to make the heads fit more tightly as a kid. Huh...

 

[EatenByLimestone]

So if I can find a good handle (grain direction and sap wood) that feels comfortable in my hand I could bend it with a heat gun. I've never heard of using heat to bend wood.

 

[Battenkiller]

The unbeveled side rides against the log. The handle would bend out from the log so your knuckles do not hit the log.

Matt

No, I know that the flat side must rest against the wood and the reason for the bend is to provide hand clearance. What I am asking is which way does the edge face when hewing?

At least on my axe head, the handle can be mounted so the head faces in one of two directions - left or right - as shown in this photo. In either case, the bend will place the handle itself above the head. Which way do right-handers want the edge to face when hewing, left or right?

 

[zzr7ky]

Hi -

My broad axe is set up so the handle rises up as the handle proceeds down from the head with the head faced right, like the picture on the right. I make them from Hickory or Ash. Pick the right peice and you won't need to bend. You can bandsaw close to final dimentions, then make octogon by whatever means, and then finsih up.

If greanish, leave the wedge untrimmed until it is truely dry, then drive fully and trim. Don't let head near water unless you want to be making another handle. It's a temporary expedient that ensures the wood fibers are crushed and the handle will fail in the future. If they freeze then can break eyes once in a while.

ATB,
Mike

 

[Georgiadave]

Try Tennesee Handle. I think they have what you need.

 

[Battenkiller]

Contrary to logic, steam heat is actually dehydrating to the wood. A hour or so in the steamer is just right for an inch of green wood. Leave it in there for two hours and it will become dry and brittle when cool. All boat builders know of the horrors of a steam box full of carefully selected rib wood fracturing one after the other after being "cooked" by too long a time in the steamer. Starting with dry wood just makes matters worse.

I'd use green wood if you can get it (no problem if you buck your own) and steam it. You can build an impromptu steamer out of a length of PVC pipe and a tea kettle. Cover any openings with damp rags. Rule of thumb is one hour of steam for each inch of thickness. Wet wood bends much better than dry wood no matter how you do it, and kiln-dry wood always bends a lot harder (or not at all) compared to air-dried wood.

Dry heat will be faster if you can deliver enough heat to the wood. I have my doubts that a heat gun will put out enough heat to get a thick piece of tool handle ash or hickory to the correct temp for bending, but I tend to doubt a lot of things that can be done until I try it myself. A sure bet is to build a big charcoal fire (real charcoal, not those pansy briquettes) in your grill and use that. Radiant heat is better than hot air for heat transfer into the wood. I did some volunteer work on a reproduction of a Dutch sailing ship. They used big fires to bend 1 1/2" x 12" wide fresh-sawn white oak planking to the tight twists and curves at the bottom of the hull. They could have used a big salamander heater, but a huge bed of coals works best.

Steam-bent wood should be left in the form for a couple days to dry out. Dry wood bent with dry heat will be stable as soon as it is completely cool.

 

[Battenkiller]

- My broad axe is set up so the handle rises up as the handle proceeds down from the head with the head faced right, like the picture on the right.

Pick the right peice and you won't need to bend. You can bandsaw close to final dimentions, then make octogon by whatever means, and then finsih up.

Thanks, Mike. That's what I've seen more than the other way.

Good point about finding the right piece with a bend already in it. I once saved several dozen ash crooks for a line of hand adzes I was planning on making and marketing to the Windsor chair making set. Getting all the handles was easy, just raid the firewood pile. Getting enough skill to hand-forge an adze... well, that was another matter. :lol:

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I just went to check out handles at a local spot that has a good selection at hand. I was a bit surprised at what I found. Most of the hewing axes I see have a relatively short handle. My axe has an eye that accepts a 1x3" tennon, or one for a full sized axe. The only length I have seen sold with that is a 36" long one. The shorter ones have smaller eye tennons. I could cut down a straight handle, but I like the swell of the fawns foot a bit better. It looks like I'll be making my own handle.

With the heat, do you think this might be a good winter project where I put the handle in a form and set it near the stove?

Matt

 

[zzr7ky]

On the rare ocassion that I'm in a hurry in the sumer, chair rungs and the like will dry pretty well in the trunk or passenger compartment of a vehicle.