Thread: Axe handles

Haven't used Wandoo but the best axe handles I have used have had interlocked grain, which seems to make them shock resistant. Try splitting a piece with an axe and you will get a good idea how shock resistant it is.
Tony

Tried it once. Too stiff for my liking and tiring. Prefer spotted gum.

Is Peppermint any good?

Originally Posted by rustynail

Tried it once. Too stiff for my liking and tiring. Prefer spotted gum.

Okay then, so Wandoo did work?
I milled and turned some today, looked stunning
Willy

Depends how you interpret "work." Yes, the head stayed on and the timber didn't snap, but the performance was no better than a length of steel pipe. There was no spring in the handle whatsoever. Every strike went right through to your back teeth. The more spring the handle has the better. A springy axe can be worked all day if you have the stamina to swing it. A stiff axe will have even the best of 'em looking for a blow in short time.

Watching this post with interest.
A mate wants to make axe handles also.
I have a 300mm diameter log we are going to process & use.
We will see what happens.
Col

Good evening
Well I thought I would have a crack at making the handles anyway. I realise wandoo isn't the best timber for them, but it is hard, heavy and dense. It normally lacks any shock absorbing qualities, but this is curly as well, as you should be able to see from the photos.

I intend doing 2 axe handles, a couple of block splitters, plus I cut some wandoo for mallets, and fish bats as well. They are near the fire to assist with the drying process. I will give them 3-6 months dependent upon weather and conditions. Can't wait to have a crack. I intend turning all of them except the axe handles which will be shaped with an arbortec.

Cheers
Sincerely
Willy
Jarrahland

And in the foreground is some lace sheoak drying, nice

Any reason you wouldn't carve the handles green then refine?

Originally Posted by Pac man

Any reason you wouldn't carve the handles green then refine?

Yes, I could, but it may only save a couple of minutes. I left them oversize in case I need to remove material as a consequence of cracks etc and warping
Cheers
Willy
Jarrahland

Nothing wrong with a green axe handle. Just means you have to keep driving the wedge. Gives you as much spring as the timber will ever have. We often replaced handles when they became too dry.

Originally Posted by BlackbuttWA

Watching this post with interest.
A mate wants to make axe handles also.
I have a 300mm diameter log we are going to process & use.
We will see what happens.
Col

Apologies, I should have said that the timber is green (it was pushed over last year ) Tuart or Eucalyptus gomphocephala.
We have now ripped it down the centre & took out the pith, the guy is going to leave it to dry for a while before he does anything to it.
Col

Willy

I'm with Rustnail on using a timber such as Spotted Gum, but I appreciate you are trying to utilise what is available. I worked with a guy who had been employed at a sawmill in the Warialda region of NSW. I remember him telling me they left their axe handles (for use at the mill) in a bath of oil for a year or so before they used them. He explained that this was so they were "whippy." I don't know what type of oil they used and I presume they let them dry a little so the axes did not fly out of their hands during use.

Regards
Paul

My old dad was a farmer in the Benalla district in the 1920's >. They used to mill timber for post & rail fences and buildings. Included a lot of broadaxe work. All his handles were well oiled with linseed oil. Also the long tail on the axe handles was cut off square about half its length and a hole (about 10mm diam) was drilled in this square section and the axe stood on its head with the hole filled with linseed oil. The oil was topped up until no more would be absorbed into the wood. I still have one of these axes of his that I use daily and he has been dead over 30 years.

Ken