what gives, my AX broke...

[par0thead151]

i was splitting some rounds today and the damn thing shattered.
is this normal for something one season old?
will the manufacturer cover it under warranty?

 

[BrowningBAR]

i was splitting some rounds today and the damn thing shattered.
is this normal for something one season old?
will the manufacturer cover it under warranty?

For the trouble you would go through to contact the manufacturer you could just buy another handle to put the axe on.

 

[par0thead151]

i was splitting some rounds today and the damn thing shattered.
is this normal for something one season old?
will the manufacturer cover it under warranty?

For the trouble you would go through to contact the manufacturer you could just buy another handle to put the axe on.

how hard is that to do?
last time i tried that with a hammer it came off mid swing. not exactly safe.
then again i didnt research how to do it.
researching it, and doing it might take more time than having the MFG fix it...

 

[BrowningBAR]

last time i tried that with a hammer it came off mid swing. not exactly safe.

I always figured that would happen to me as well.

 

[KTLM]

Try one with a fiberglass handle. Some of them are almost impossible to break. I have doubts that the wood handle is covered.

 

[BrowningBAR]

Try one with a fiberglass handle. Some of them are almost impossible to break. I have doubts that the wood handle is covered.

Um... I broke a fiberglass handle.

 

[kgrant]

I've used the epoxy in fiberglass handles on a few different tools and have been happy with the results.

 

[LLigetfa]

It looks like the grain did not run straight on that handle. When I shop for a new axe handle, I study the grain closely to make sure it runs the length of the handle and matches the curve (I don't go for straight handles).

 

[OhioBurner©]

Hard to tell on my screen but the grain looks pretty straight on the handle to me...

 

[LLigetfa]

Hard to tell on my screen but the grain looks pretty straight on the handle to me...

We would need another view from the top to be 100% certain, but from the break, it looks like the grain doesn't run the length of the handle. One needs to look at the grain in 3D, not just 2D.

 

[Thistle]

Whenever I buy a new handle (which isnt very often) I sight down the length of it as well.Looking for any bow & warp in addition to grain run out.I dont just grab the first one on the rack.Though in the past several months I did pick up cheap two 4 1/2lb single bit heads & 1 5lb doublebit head for my collection at local flea market & on ebay.

In the past when I had more free time I'd split out a blank from straight grain all white sapwood Hickory & make one with drawknife,spokeshave & cabinet scraper.Normally takes 1 1/2 to 2 hrs max if things go well.

 

[LLigetfa]

Back in my younger days I used to rehabilitate old axes that I found or that other people wanted to throw away. I thought of carving my own handle but never did. In the later years good handles became increasingly harder to find. I think it is almost a lost craft these days.

 

[OhioBurner©]

Hard to tell on my screen but the grain looks pretty straight on the handle to me...

We would need another view from the top to be 100% certain, but from the break, it looks like the grain doesn't run the length of the handle. One needs to look at the grain in 3D, not just 2D.

Good point, like the grain could go from front to back, hard to see in a side to side picture.

 

[par0thead151]

Back in my younger days I used to rehabilitate old axes that I found or that other people wanted to throw away. I thought of carving my own handle but never did. In the later years good handles became increasingly harder to find. I think it is almost a lost craft these days.

im sure all the handles are now made in china, so im not surprised they dont last.

 

[OhioBurner©]

im sure all the handles are now made in china, so im not surprised they dont last.

Whats sad is the hickory is probably shipped from the US to China, then back to the US! Rediculous.

 

[Thistle]

im sure all the handles are now made in china, so im not surprised they dont last.

Whats sad is the hickory is probably shipped from the US to China, then back to the US! Rediculous.

It will usually say if its Made In USA or not somewhere on the handle.Among the brands to look for is Seymour Manufacturing Co/Sesquatchie Handle Works.Still made in Tennessee. Used to be a bunch of handle plants down in Arkansas & Tennessee,now just a few remain.

One thing to look out for now on the cheaper single-bit handles,even ones made of Hickory is they're sometimes made of plain sawed 1 1/4" & 1 1/2" flat lumber,with edges shaped on a router.Not as easy to use as the better 'worked oval' ones made on power repeating lathes we've been accustomed to for about a century now.Those cheaper ones tend to 'twist' in the hand,hard to get use to that.Double-bit & sledge handles still seem to be OK,just have to look them over to find a good one.

 

[nate379]

Ax??? That is a splitting maul. If you can cut down a tree with that big thing you are more of a man that I am!

 

[DanCorcoran]

Get a Fiskars. They're not made in China and they're guaranteed for life.

 

[bboulier]

Tough break. Glad you didn't hurt yourself when it split.