Axe restoration thread

[H-Ranch]

Do you know what type of hickory that is? Or what type is best for handles?

I was curious as well and I found the info below from USDA testing in 1935 on various wood species and properties. It's called an impact bending test and measures height in inches a 50 lb hammer has to be dropped to break a piece of wood. I'm not sure this is 100% of the "best handle" story but gives some info. Oddly (at least in my mind) white ash is similar to red oak. Hickory is all high, with the edge going to shagbark.

 

[LondonNeil]

Strength alone does not make a good handle. Over here we don't have hickory so hickory handles for tools are not common. UK hand tols normally have Ash handles....well down on that chart. its about absorbing the vibration I think.

 

[Multifaceted]

Strength alone does not make a good handle. Over here we don't have hickory so hickory handles for tools are not common. UK hand tols normally have Ash handles....well down on that chart. its about absorbing the vibration I think.

This is correct. Ideally you want a wood with a good balance of strength and elasticity. Ash and hickory both have that quality, so does red elm, beech, and both red and spotted gum in Australia. If I can ever get my hands on a Hytest Tassie, I'm gonna hang that on a piece of red gum.

 

[dancan]

Birch would be traditional stock for a Finnish ax .

 

[Multifaceted]

Birch would be traditional stock for a Finnish ax .

Oh, yeah - I know. I'm not going to use birch for this when I have hickory available to me. I'm all for tradition, but I plan on using the axe hard and don't want a birch handle to break on me when I spent the time making it from scratch.

Also, while this may look Finnish, it's actually Swedish (Hults Bruk). A real Finnish axe would be easier to make a handle for as they were drifted all the way from the top of the eye to the bottom of the collar, e.g. Billnäs or Kellokoski ; unlike Swedish collared axes which were forge welded and shaped over an anvil - they vary in size even from the same manufacturer.

 

[lead farmer]

Birch would be traditional stock for a Finnish ax .

I would love to find me a axe zackly like that....

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[dancan]

And here's another one



I like the wedges !

 

[dancan]

I would love to find me a axe zackly like that....

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

So would I lol

 

[TheStihlSlinger]

Finally hung a handle on the axe I started a month ago. Started with a fairly bulky factory handle that had nice grain and did a lot of slimming and shaping. Used red cedar for a wedge. Not as nice as a lot of the hanging’s I’ve seen on this thread but it’s my first attempt. I’ve already collected a half dozen or so heads so I should get lots of practice.

 

[TheStihlSlinger]

These followed me home today. No markings that I can see but someone has definitely put the larger hewing axe? in a vinegar bath or something. It is fairly pitted but I hope to bring it back to a usable state.

 

[Multifaceted]

View attachment 742470 View attachment 742471 Finally hung a handle on the axe I started a month ago. Started with a fairly bulky factory handle that had nice grain and did a lot of slimming and shaping. Used red cedar for a wedge. Not as nice as a lot of the hanging’s I’ve seen on this thread but it’s my first attempt. I’ve already collected a half dozen or so heads so I should get lots of practice.

You dun gud! Looks like a Maine Wedge, and if so appears that you've hung out on a slightly curved handle. D. Cook might argue, but a lot of Mainers would be proud. Go throw that into some wood stat!

 

[bfrazier]

I think there may well be a market for Osage Orange Axe handles. Collectors say they're top notch.

There's even a guy here in Oregon selling them. Sorry - I don't have his contact info right in front of me.

I like these - pretty high end I imagine.

 

[rarefish383]

Definitely pretty. When I was a kid we had quite a few of them. The farmers used them in the fence rows. Now all the farms are gone. I haven't seen one in years. I think the last one I saw was on the campus of St. Johns in Annapolis. That's where I took the ID section of the MD Tree Experts exam. The campus has some of the biggest examples of trees in the State. That was in 1999.

 

[rarefish383]

I never thought about it, I wonder how Mulberry would do as a handle?

 

[rarefish383]

Just did a search for Mulberry for ax handle. Found an interesting thread on "Growing an ax handle to an ax". Sounded like a bunch of hoohocky to me. The guy said this was the preferred method of attaching a handle 60,000 years ago. The cavemen/early Indians would make a stone ax, with notches napped in the sides, then twist two small trees around the notches, and wait 8-10 years for the trees to grow and fuse together. Seems I remember these people being somewhat nomadic, following herds of game. So, if I made my little trees grow around my ax head when I was 25 years old, then took off following a heard of Woolly Mammoth North for five years, then followed another heard back South for five years, I'd be heartbroken, when I found my tree ax gone. Then when I went over to lean against a big Beech tree to cry, I looked up and there was a big heart carved in the beech that said, " Joe, thanks for the new ax, Clarence". Then being 35 years old, and the eldest member of my tribe, I keeled over and died.

 

[bfrazier]

I never thought about it, I wonder how Mulberry would do as a handle?

Hey Joe - After you mentioned Mulberry I went back to look at the entire list from the 50 pound hammer tests, I don't see mulberry on it, but I thought I'd paste the list here anyways. I found the original list here. I did a search on Mulberry - have never seen a mulberry, did not even know they had fruit, so at least I learned something about Mulberrys. (Here).

And I'd like to see someone use a 50 pound hammer!

Sorted By Height In Inches Of Impact

120 (Wet) ------------- Osage Orange
106 (Wet) ------------- Beech, Blue (Hornbeam/Musclewood)
88 ----------------------- Hickory, Bigleaf Shagbark
77 ----------------------- Hickory, Mockernut
74 ----------------------- Hickory, Pignut
71 (AVG) 53 - 88 --- Hickory (Full Range)
67 ----------------------- Hickory, Shagbark
66 ----------------------- Hickory, Bitternut
59 ----------------------- Serviceberry
57 ----------------------- Locust, Black
56 ----------------------- Elm, Rock
55 ----------------------- Birch, Yellow
54 (Wet) --------------- Hickory, Nutmeg
53 ----------------------- Hickory, Water
53 ----------------------- Oak, Scarlet
49 ----------------------- Hophornbeam
49 ----------------------- Oak, Swamp Red
49 ----------------------- Oak, Swamp White
47 ----------------------- Birch, Sweet
47 ----------------------- Honeylocust
46 ----------------------- Oak, Post
45 ----------------------- Elm, Slippery
45 ----------------------- Oak, Pin
44 ----------------------- Dogwood
44 ----------------------- Oak, Water
44 ----------------------- Pecan
43 ----------------------- Apple
43 ----------------------- Ash, White
43 ----------------------- Hackberry
43 ----------------------- Oak, Red
42 ----------------------- Ash, Blue
42 (AVG) 34 - 55 --- Birch (Full Range)
42 (Wet) -------------- Black Mangrove
42 ----------------------- Oak, Willow
41 ----------------------- Beech
41 ----------------------- Gum, Blue
41 ----------------------- Oak, Black
41 ----------------------- Oak, Swamp Chestnut
40 ----------------------- Ash, Biltmore White
40 ----------------------- Birch, Alaska White
40 (Wet) --------------- Buttonwood
40 ----------------------- Laurel, Mountain
40 ----------------------- Maple, Black
40 ----------------------- Oak, Chestnut
40 (Wet) --------------- Pigeon-plum
40 (Wet) --------------- Witchhazel
39 ----------------------- Elm, American
39 ----------------------- Maple, Sugar
39 ----------------------- Oak, Laurel
38 (AVG) 16 - 53 --- Oak (Full Range)
38 ----------------------- Sourwood
37 ----------------------- Oak, Canyon Live
37 ----------------------- Oak, White
37 ----------------------- Persimmon
36 (AVG) 24 - 43 --- Ash (Full Range)
36 ----------------------- Sugarberry
36 ----------------------- Pine, Slash
35 ----------------------- Ash, Black
35 ----------------------- Birch, Gray
35 ----------------------- Magnolia, Cucumber
35 ----------------------- Pine, Jack
34 ----------------------- Birch, Paper
34 ----------------------- Dogwood, Pacific
34 ----------------------- Stopper, Red
34 ----------------------- Walnut, Black
34 ----------------------- Pine, Longleaf
33 ----------------------- Ash, Oregon
33 ----------------------- Elder, Blueberry
33 ----------------------- Holly
33 ----------------------- Oak, Live
33 ----------------------- Sassafras
33 ----------------------- Pine, Shortleaf
32 ----------------------- Ash, Green
32 ----------------------- Gum, Red
32 ----------------------- Mangrove
32 ----------------------- Maple, Red
32 (AVG) 25 - 40 ---- Maple (Full Range)
32 ----------------------- Hemlock, Mountain
32 ----------------------- Larch, Western
31 ----------------------- Cherry, Pin
31 ----------------------- Laurel, California
31 ----------------------- Willow, Western Black
31 ----------------------- Pine, Pitch
31 ----------------------- Yew, Pacific
30 ----------------------- Chinquapin, Golden
30 ----------------------- Douglas Fir (Coastal)
30 ----------------------- Pine, Loblolly
29 ----------------------- Cherry, Black
29 ----------------------- Magnolia, Evergreen
29 ----------------------- Oak, Bur
29 ----------------------- Oak, Oregon White
29 ----------------------- Cedar, Alaska
29 ----------------------- Pine, Mountain
28 ----------------------- Inkwood
28 ----------------------- Maple, Bigleaf
28 ----------------------- Cedar, Port Orford
28 ----------------------- Fir, Lowland White
28 ----------------------- Pine, Pond
27 ----------------------- Catalpa, Hardy
27 ----------------------- Magnolia, Mountain
27 ----------------------- Maple, Striped
27 ----------------------- Douglas Fir (Intermediate)
27 ----------------------- Pine, Jeffery
26 ----------------------- Bustic
26 ----------------------- Cascara
26 ----------------------- Oak, Southern Red
26 ----------------------- Sycamore
26 ----------------------- Douglas Fir (Mountain)
26 ----------------------- Hemlock, Western
26 (AVG) 17 - 36 --- Pine (Full Range)
25 (AVG) 9 - 41 ----- Gum (Full Range)
25 ----------------------- Maple, Silver
25 ----------------------- Pine, Norway
25 ----------------------- Spruce, Red
25 ----------------------- Spruce, Sitka
24 ----------------------- Ash, Pumpkin
24 ----------------------- Butternut
24 ----------------------- Mastic
24 ----------------------- Silverbell
24 ----------------------- Cypress, Southern
24 ----------------------- Fir, Silver
23 ----------------------- Gum, Tupelo
23 ----------------------- Madrono, Pacific
23 ----------------------- Oak, Rocky Mountain White
23 ----------------------- Fir, Noble
23 ----------------------- Fir, California Red
23 ----------------------- Pine, Western White
23 ----------------------- Spruce, Black
23 ----------------------- Tamarack
22 ----------------------- Aspen, Largetooth
22 ----------------------- Cottonwood, Northern Black
22 ----------------------- Gum, Black
22 ----------------------- Cedar, Eastern Red
22 (AVG) 15 - 25 ---- Spruce (Full Range)
21 ----------------------- Aspen
21 (AVG) 13 - 28 --- Fir (Full Range)
21 ----------------------- Walnut, Little
21 ----------------------- Hemlock, Eastern
20 ----------------------- Alder, Red
20 ----------------------- Cottonwood, Eastern
20 ----------------------- Poplar, Yellow
20 ----------------------- Willow, Black
20 ----------------------- Fir, Balsam
20 ----------------------- Pine, Lodgepole
20 ----------------------- Spruce, White
19 (AVG) 12 - 29 --- Cedar (Full Range)
19 ----------------------- Chestnut
19 ----------------------- Rhododendron, Great
19 ----------------------- Pine, Limber
19 ----------------------- Pine, Northern White
19 ----------------------- Pine, Sand
19 ----------------------- Redwood (Virgin)
18 ----------------------- Pine, Sugar
17 ----------------------- Cedar, Incense
17 ----------------------- Cedar, Southern Red
17 ----------------------- Cedar, Western Red
17 ----------------------- Fir, White
17 ----------------------- Pine, Ponderossa
16 ----------------------- Basswood
16 ----------------------- Buckeye, Yellow
16 ----------------------- Oak, California Black
16 ----------------------- Palmetto, Cabbage
16 ----------------------- Fir, Alpine
16 ----------------------- Redwood (Second Growth Dense)
15 (Wet) -------------- Poisonwood
15 ----------------------- Spruce, Engelmann
14 ----------------------- Ironwood, Black
14 ----------------------- Poplar, Balsam
13 ----------------------- Cedar, Southern White
13 ----------------------- Fir, Corkbark
12 ----------------------- Cedar, Northern White
12 ----------------------- Juniper, Alligator
12 ----------------------- Pinon
11 ----------------------- Redwood (Second Growth Open)
9 ----------------------- Gum, Limbo
7 ----------------------- Paradise Tree

 

[lead farmer]

Heres a couple a buddy sent me today...
Dont droll on your phone.....[emoji16]

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[TheStihlSlinger]

Very nice! They’re in mint shape !!

 

[lead farmer]

Any of you pros know what length handle for the cruiser ?

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[Multifaceted]

Any of you pros know what length handle for the cruiser ?

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

28" is the standard. Personally, I wouldn't go any shorter than 24"