This is weird...

[ironpony]

did some checking NADA.............

 

[Ashful]

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.

 

[ironpony]

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.

 

[yooperdave]

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.....

 

[Ashful]

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.....

My lawn is still about 50% covered in snow. The 50% that's exposed is too wet to even walk on. Flooding everywhere.

If it were a month or two earlier, I'd be out in the woods cutting on firmly frozen ground.

 

[Ashful]

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...

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.

 

[razerface]

i would think it only split the wood because it was above the steel,,,uncontained. It probably does the same job down lower. I also use the steel wedges. I cut my handles off flush because i think it looks better. I have even cut them a hair short, then poured different stuff (over the years) on top to seal the end and look nice.

(only on thursdays that fall on the 5th day of the week)

 

[ironpony]

I 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.

 

[razerface]

I 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.

usually the head opening (on mine) is flared to allow spreading inside

 

[Ashful]

Time to rename this thread: "This is weird... handling an axe."

 

[begreen]

Better to call the thread cabin fever part 3.

 

[Ashful]

Got a call from a neighbor looking to sell some rounds. I told him I'd take 3 - 6 cords, depending on what he has, if he can cut to 20" lengths. I might be getting busy, sooner than I thought.

More importantly, seeing as my previously figured budget of 5.5 cords per year was WAY low, I might be able to stack this new stuff for 2015/2016, and pull some of the wood I had already split and stacked for that season forward for next year. New budget = 8 cords per year.

 

[razerface]

New budget = 8 cords per year.

even with your planned improvements and taking into account the hard winter?

 

[bmblank]

5.5 to 8 seems like a huge increase. I knew it was a rough winter, but was it really 45% worse?

 

[Ashful]

5.5 to 8 seems like a huge increase. I knew it was a rough winter, but was it really 45% worse?

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.

So, in reality, I could probably burn 12 - 15 cords per year, trying to heat this place. I just don't see myself as having the energy to do that. I'll try 8 cords the next year or three, and see how I manage keeping up with that. I've always felled, limbed, bucked, split, stacked all my own wood. This year I'm looking at buying some rounds or logs, to offset the extra time.

 

[Lake Girl]

Joful - you got to get out of the house and drive that train more

As to birthdate oddities - when working on the family history, my Mom's way of remembering the date of death of her paternal grandparents was easy - my birthday and hers, approximately two weeks apart in the same year - remembering the year was a different story! They were long gone before my Mom's time; her father was 18, second oldest with the baby being 2. Hard times but they hung in there. Found their Irish origins but the older records are gone - wrong faith at the wrong time. The house still stands and when I last checked still had Breens residing there in County Clare

Then there is my middle boy - His Gram told him he had to be born the next day because he would then have the same birthday as her Mom. Since he's a good boy, he listened to his Gram

Checked my kids - only one born on the same day of the week as me....

 

[Backwoods Savage]

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.

 

[Ashful]

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.

This date wouldn't be precisely 40 weeks after New Years Eve or St. Patty's Day, would it?

 

[Backwoods Savage]

No, but does point to a winter conception.

 

[Ehouse]

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.

All us Gandydancers hung our mauls as you mentioned above leaving a little sticking out, as per Ironpony's reasoning below. we used one large steel wedge at 45 slant to the wood wedge and countersunk it with the head of a spike. This kept it from working loose.