axe handle replacement

[Granite Statah]

my apologies to you pros out there, this is probably a very elementary question....
how do you measure the "eye" of the axe head, and how accurate does this measurement need to be?
I have a "boys axe", 28" handle, that I'm using to train my 10 and 12 year old boys to chop with. With schools closed and no sports we've suddenly got a LOT of extra time. The old axe I have only lasted a couple of whacks before cracking. Luckily the 12 year can manage my maul, so he's off and chopping, but the weight and handle length is just a little much for his bro. I went to my local Runnings and picked up a new handle, thinking that all 28" handles are alike. Not so much. The one I bought was a 3/4" x 2-3/16" eye....it's at least a full 1/4" too big in the "long" dimension.

When I look on line now I see these eye dimensions: 2-1/8", 2-1/4", 2-1/16", 2-3/16". Who knew!

So again, where should I measure (I'm guessing just end to end of the opening), and how accurate do I need to be? I have a set of verniers I could use, but all of these look like fractional tape measure dimensions to me. I don't mind whittling off some extra material, but 1/4" seemed like maybe too much.
thanks in advance!

 

[Sean McGillicuddy]

Belt sander .... would help ..Good luck ..

 

[kennyp2339]

Bring axe head with you to the store.

 

[Montanalocal]

Go to Buckin’ Billy Ray Smith on Youtube and view some of his axe hanging vids. Here are a few.

One thing I am not sure is mentioned in these vids is which side of the axe head goes on the handle first. By carefully measuring, you can see that one side of the axe head hole is wider than the other. Some people might think that the wider side of the axe head goes on the handle first, but that is not so, you need to put the narrower side on the handle first and progressively carve the handle down so that the handle goes out the other side by at least a half inch.

The reason this is so is that the wider side needs to be to the outside end of the handle so that there is room for the wedge to expand the outer end of the handle so as to tighten the handle onto the axe.


This goes into the step-by-step process of fitting the handle to the individual axe head.

watch

This, while long, has a good section on fitting the wedge.

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This has a good section on cutting and extending the kerf to fit the installation.

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[salecker]

I remember being taught how to hang an ax or hammer or sledge when i was about 12
An old guy that was living at our lodge and working there had a bench built where he would sharpen stuff and hang heads on handles.
I am so glad that he took the time to show me what he knew.I have never had a head come loose on anything i have hung thanks to his teachings and taking the time to teach a kid who was probably cramping his style.Learned how to put a wicked edge on a knife,plus learned what a cutting edge is supposed to do.Having that knowledge has made sharpening anything a lot easyer like chainsaws, drills,ect.
Thank you Jeff Scherate.

 

[Granite Statah]

Go to Buckin’ Billy Ray Smith on Youtube and view some of his axe hanging vids. Here are a few.

One thing I am not sure is mentioned in these vids is which side of the axe head goes on the handle first. By carefully measuring, you can see that one side of the axe head hole is wider than the other. Some people might think that the wider side of the axe head goes on the handle first, but that is not so, you need to put the narrower side on the handle first and progressively carve the handle down so that the handle goes out the other side by at least a half inch.

The reason this is so is that the wider side needs to be to the outside end of the handle so that there is room for the wedge to expand the outer end of the handle so as to tighten the handle onto the axe.

Thank you so much for introducing me to Buckin' Billy Ray. Wow. He's a little overwhelming at first, and quite eccentric, but I hung in there and watched the vids you attached here. Glad I did. What a craftsman!
If he mentioned the wider/narrower orientation I missed it, so thanks for clarifying that. Due to the shape of this axe head I was pretty sure that's how it went, but the "narrow down" didn't make much sense to me. Now it does. The one pro tip I'll definitely keep from Billy is using Watco oil on the handle. I kept thinking he was saying "wodka", as in vodka, but in one of his vids he actually talks about it a little more. Maybe it was with Sven.....
Anyway, this axe will be for my boys, and I wanted to make sure it was assembled correctly so that no one got hurt. Now I'm pretty sure I'll be able to get it done. Thanks again!

 

[Granite Statah]

Finished it this week. The head is nothing special but it's been with us for 20+ years, so figured might as well keep it going.
I'm still learning how to sharpen, but I got it to a point way better than I started. And more importantly, two very happy boys.
It's probably not quite to Buckin Billy's standards, but I followed his techniques as best I could and I'm pretty pleased with the results.
The Watco oil was a nice touch, the handle looks like a piece of furniture.