Hard on axe handles

[SamT1]

I swore off wood handles years ago, but this old “great divider” head made me rehandle it. Awesome head for the big stuff.
Anyway I spent an hour fitting it perfectly. Used it taking care not to hit the handle on wood and limit dragging it through.
Made it until the last big piece on 7 cords. It was really hard wood that 90% of needed split. It was the kinda wood I had to put all I had on it to split some big stuff.
Double bit axe handle, USA hickory.


Is the head too heavy? Handle junk? Bad luck? Past the limitations of the wood? I get 15-20 cords out of the Lowe’s truper winged axe with plastic handle before the epoxy gets loose, but I treat them like I’m being paid to ruin them.
I have bee kinda lusting for a really nice 4# splitting axe. But not sure I want to spend $200 and put a handle on every week.

 

[Marley5]

I've broken my share of wood handles.

All my heavy hitters are fiberglass.....malls, axes, sledgehammers and such.
Wood adds character but less durable.

 

[Mustang71]

I have tested a few wood handles and ended up with a fiskars x27 and a home depot 10lb sledge with the fiberglass handle for driving wedges. I split by hand and the fiskars has been great so far. Not only is the handle good but the head splits real nice and easy. They cost like 50 dollars on a good day. 4.5 lbs and pretty sharp.

 

[SamT1]

I have tested a few wood handles and ended up with a fiskars x27 and a home depot 10lb sledge with the fiberglass handle for driving wedges. I split by hand and the fiskars has been great so far. Not only is the handle good but the head splits real nice and easy. They cost like 50 dollars on a good day. 4.5 lbs and pretty sharp.

I’ve read a lot of awesome reviews on the fiskars

 

[Del_]

From the thread title I thought Hardon was a new brand name in ax handles.

It would be a good one.

 

[Multifaceted]

There are a few things that might be the issue, but first allow me to preface the following:

• I am a vintage axe restorer, axe driver, collector, hobbyist and lover of all things old regarding timber felling and logging
• I am a polite purist and have a disdain for polymer, fiberglass or other plastic handles

Now that's out of the way, I should ask... How was the grain orientation and run-out on the handle?

A double bit handle for a single bit axe is a poor choice, you might have gotten the fit good enough, but that's anecdotal. The axe you appear to be using seems similar to a Chopper 1 but with the hinged wings missing, and we're not to know how the bit was ground; for all we know it could be as blunt as a splitting wedge which basically makes your "axe" into a wedge-shaped club. Barely effective for splitting hardwood.

Additionally, was the break caused from a strike on the steel, or were there blows to the handle from repeated over-strikes?

For a wooden handle to work well there there are a number of factors that need to be considered. The grain orientation, the grain run-out, the thickness of the handle (or excess in many cases), and then the selection of wood species. Firstly, the grain orientation. The grain should run run straight along both the bottom of the handle as it should should run parallel to the wedge slot (kerf) on the eye. This will allow for the maximum impact retention for most hardwood species. Run-out is the amount the grain will turn or twist from the bottom of the handle up to the eye. If the bottom of the handle is straight, but it is greater than 45 degrees at the eye, then you do not necessarily have a strong haft to withstand repeated blows. Lastly, the wood selection. In the United States, Hickory is king, with Ash being a close second. Hickory possesses both the hardness and elasticity for shock absorption for striking tool handles; ash a little less so, but still a great selection nonetheless.

Here are some visual aides:

A great resource for proper axe maintenance are the 'Axe to Grind' literature and videos, here are links:

(PDF Warning)http://www.bchmt.org/documents/education/AnAxetoGrind.pdf


A very excellent book to read on traditional axe use is the Ax Book by Dudley Cook:
https://www.amazon.com/Ax-Book-Lore-Science-Woodcutter/dp/0911469168

With a little know-how and some love, care, and learned skill a wooden haft on your axe will last you many seasons, perhaps longer.

 

[turnkey4099]

I’ve read a lot of awesome reviews on the fiskars

I've had mine since the 1st year the X27 came out. Used hard and not put away for bad weather. It has eaten lots of cords. I've never even sharpened it and it still goes through a round like butter.

 

[farmer steve]

There are a few things that might be the issue, but first allow me to preface the following:

• I am a vintage axe restorer, axe driver, collector, hobbyist and lover of all things old regarding timber felling and logging
• I am a polite purist and have a disdain for polymer, fiberglass or other plastic handles

Now that's out of the way, I should ask... How was the grain orientation and run-out on the handle?

A double bit handle for a single bit axe is a poor choice, you might have gotten the fit good enough, but that's anecdotal. The axe you appear to be using seems similar to a Chopper 1 but with the hinged wings missing, and we're not to know how the bit was ground; for all we know it could be as blunt as a splitting wedge which basically makes your "axe" into a wedge-shaped club. Barely effective for splitting hardwood.

Additionally, was the break caused from a strike on the steel, or were there blows to the handle from repeated over-strikes?

For a wooden handle to work well there there are a number of factors that need to be considered. The grain orientation, the grain run-out, the thickness of the handle (or excess in many cases), and then the selection of wood species. Firstly, the grain orientation. The grain should run run straight along both the bottom of the handle as it should should run parallel to the wedge slot (kerf) on the eye. This will allow for the maximum impact retention for most hardwood species. Run-out is the amount the grain will turn or twist from the bottom of the handle up to the eye. If the bottom of the handle is straight, but it is greater than 45 degrees at the eye, then you do not necessarily have a strong haft to withstand repeated blows. Lastly, the wood selection. In the United States, Hickory is king, with Ash being a close second. Hickory possesses both the hardness and elasticity for shock absorption for striking tool handles; ash a little less so, but still a great selection nonetheless.

Here are some visual aides:

A great resource for proper axe maintenance are the 'Axe to Grind' literature and videos, here are links:

(PDF Warning)http://www.bchmt.org/documents/education/AnAxetoGrind.pdf


A very excellent book to read on traditional axe use is the Ax Book by Dudley Cook:
https://www.amazon.com/Ax-Book-Lore-Science-Woodcutter/dp/0911469168

With a little know-how and some love, care, and learned skill a wooden haft on your axe will last you many seasons, perhaps longer.

Somehow i knew you would show up. Hows the leg?

 

[square1]

I have tested a few wood handles and ended up with a fiskars x27 and a home depot 10lb sledge with the fiberglass handle for driving wedges. I split by hand and the fiskars has been great so far. Not only is the handle good but the head splits real nice and easy. They cost like 50 dollars on a good day. 4.5 lbs and pretty sharp.

I've had mine since the 1st year the X27 came out. Used hard and not put away for bad weather. It has eaten lots of cords. I've never even sharpened it and it still goes through a round like butter.

Yep

 

[Multifaceted]

Somehow i knew you would show up. Hows the leg?

Yep, but missed a few points in the original post that already answered my questions, so now my reply looks kind of silly.... but the references I linked are timeless nonetheless.

Knee is doing great, still gonna be a while before I can get back to the fun stuff, but I'm walking around and up the stairs well enough on my own. I'm hopeful that in another month I'll be swinging axes again, just very carefully and in controlled situations.... no trekking through the bush to fell trees.

 

[SamT1]

There are a few things that might be the issue, but first allow me to preface the following:

• I am a vintage axe restorer, axe driver, collector, hobbyist and lover of all things old regarding timber felling and logging
• I am a polite purist and have a disdain for polymer, fiberglass or other plastic handles

Now that's out of the way, I should ask... How was the grain orientation and run-out on the handle?

A double bit handle for a single bit axe is a poor choice, you might have gotten the fit good enough, but that's anecdotal. The axe you appear to be using seems similar to a Chopper 1 but with the hinged wings missing, and we're not to know how the bit was ground; for all we know it could be as blunt as a splitting wedge which basically makes your "axe" into a wedge-shaped club. Barely effective for splitting hardwood.

Additionally, was the break caused from a strike on the steel, or were there blows to the handle from repeated over-strikes?

For a wooden handle to work well there there are a number of factors that need to be considered. The grain orientation, the grain run-out, the thickness of the handle (or excess in many cases), and then the selection of wood species. Firstly, the grain orientation. The grain should run run straight along both the bottom of the handle as it should should run parallel to the wedge slot (kerf) on the eye. This will allow for the maximum impact retention for most hardwood species. Run-out is the amount the grain will turn or twist from the bottom of the handle up to the eye. If the bottom of the handle is straight, but it is greater than 45 degrees at the eye, then you do not necessarily have a strong haft to withstand repeated blows. Lastly, the wood selection. In the United States, Hickory is king, with Ash being a close second. Hickory possesses both the hardness and elasticity for shock absorption for striking tool handles; ash a little less so, but still a great selection nonetheless.

Here are some visual aides:

A great resource for proper axe maintenance are the 'Axe to Grind' literature and videos, here are links:

(PDF Warning)http://www.bchmt.org/documents/education/AnAxetoGrind.pdf


A very excellent book to read on traditional axe use is the Ax Book by Dudley Cook:
https://www.amazon.com/Ax-Book-Lore-Science-Woodcutter/dp/0911469168

With a little know-how and some love, care, and learned skill a wooden haft on your axe will last you many seasons, perhaps longer.

I’ll check out the grain of the handle. Yea it’s like a chopper one, but more of a blunt ramp like a maul just not as heavy or thick. The head is 2 sided though and shaped to take a double bit handle, though it took a lot of fitting. It is sharp, but it had a pretty blunt shape In general. You can’t trim green branches with it like you can an axe or splitting axe. It actually works really nice on the hard stuff. I don’t believe I’d Bennifit from the little springloaded spreaders. I don’t want it throwing wood everywhere. Usually in mesquite it either splits through or bounces off the top. I’ve stuck an axe so hard I had to use a hammer to remove it several times.

No over strikes on this one. The handle was starting to get a little rash on it from dragging through jagged splits and stuff though. I don’t think I can prevent that though without slowing down so much it’s not worth it.
But I can definetly put the heat on it. The shape may be poor for the hardness of the wood and keeping a handle alive. I was having to give it all I had to split some knotty pieces 20” around some with Y’s in them. Wood was 1-2 year dead trees, pretty much the hardest splitting mesquite can get

 

[rarefish383]

I read multifaceted's reply because I know him and respect his opinion on all things ax related. He also hung one of my favorite Plumb doubles for me on a beautiful octagonal handle. Skipped most of the rest. I have a Fiskars and like it, but it sits in a corner by its self. I also collect axes, and love to split straight grained Oak with a wood handle ax. I haven't broken a wooden handle in many years. My secret is to hit the same spot every time. If the ax gets stuck, I don't throw my 230 pounds on it to unstick it, I don't drive it through like a wedge with another ax, or knock it out with another ax. If I get an ax stuck, I take another ax and go straight across from the first and try to split from the other side. That usually loosens the first ax. Some times I have to go back and forth several times. If that doesn't loosen the first, or second ax, I get a piece of wood about the size of a baseball bat and tap the first ax out while pushing down on the handle, again not with all 230 pounds. Right now I'm using an old Plumb 3.25 pound Jersey on a thin 36" handle. The handle is thin enough that when you swing it you can feel it flex and whip. I think all new wood handles are way too thick and you lose that whip effect.

So, to your specific questions:
Is the head too big or heavy? No, I like a 3.5-4 pound head on a thin handle and have no problem breaking them.
Handle junk? Can't tell, but from the pic the grain looks OK.
Bad luck? Don't think so. From the straight break at the eye, it looks like an over strike. If I'm wrong on the overstrike, sorry. My nephew went through several of my axes one summer "helping" me. He broke all of them with over strikes and they all looked like that. On an over strike all of the broken wood looks bright shiny clean, it's an explosive fracture. On a "wear" break, form repeated stress, the crack would be streaked with dirt from repeated openeing and closing of the crack.

I too lust after 4 pound single bits, I think that is the perfect weight to split with when in an all day marathon. I have several of them. When I was 16 and strong I loved my 8 pound maul. Now I'm over 60 and love my 4 pounders. I found that with a 4 pound and snapping your wrists, like driving a baseball, you can generate as much force as a maul.

This is just my take on wood handle axes. I also grew up in a fourth generation tree care business. So, I lived with axes and saws from day one. Your expierences may vary. I like "An ax to grind" too. Maybe because it's old school enough for me to understand.

 

[rarefish383]

Oops, I just went back and reread that it was not an over strike. That's what happens when I type before I drink coffee. The other thing that made it look like an over strike was the handle doesn't look all chewed up from not hitting the same spot. I've seen handles that were chewed half way through and still split.

 

[4seasons]

For a wooden handle to work well there there are a number of factors that need to be considered. The grain orientation, the grain run-out, the thickness of the handle (or excess in many cases), and then the selection of wood species. Firstly, the grain orientation. The grain should run run straight along both the bottom of the handle as it should should run parallel to the wedge slot (kerf) on the eye. This will allow for the maximum impact retention for most hardwood species. Run-out is the amount the grain will turn or twist from the bottom of the handle up to the eye. If the bottom of the handle is straight, but it is greater than 45 degrees at the eye, then you do not necessarily have a strong haft to withstand repeated blows. Lastly, the wood selection. In the United States, Hickory is king, with Ash being a close second. Hickory possesses both the hardness and elasticity for shock absorption for striking tool handles; ash a little less so, but still a great selection nonetheless.

Here are some visual aides:

With a little know-how and some love, care, and learned skill a wooden haft on your axe will last you many seasons, perhaps longer.

This is some great information above.
I have broken many axe and maul handles both commercial wood and fiberglass. Also broke a few home made handles as I learned the tricks.
The easiest thing is to buy a X27. Not very expensive, and pretty much indestructible.
I have also welded metal handling in mauls. First was 3/4 black pipe which worked great for the first cord but I eventually turned it into a U shape. So I went up in size to 1" solid rod. Very strong but not only was it heavy, but all the vibration went right through my hands.
Next I used 1" pipe with a 1 /1/2 piece of pipe welded on the head and down the handle about a foot. Same problem as the solid rod, heavy and vibration.
So I went back to wood. I prefer hickory but Ash is dieing off in my area so it is much easier to get. I held over one of my metal handle tricks and welded a 1 1/2" pipe about 8" long under the head. I also wrap a piece of old intertube between the wood and pipe to eat up vibration and to keep the metal from digging into the wood on overstrikes. I shape the handle to fit my hand and the only time I have broken one was when the weld broke on an overstrike and cut into the wood.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[Mustang71]

I did the welded handle thing and it didnt break but the axe head was still a pile of crap. I have read a lot of the posts these guys have been posting for the last couple years about axes and they know there stuff. It's a cool hobby but also one I do not have the skill or time for so I got the fiskars. It seems like the perfect axe for the guy who doesn't know much about axes. Lol That's also y I wont buy a wooden handle axe anymore because something you get from lowes is not fine tuned to perform it's best and last a long time. Break the fiskars they send you a new one.

 

[SamT1]

Here’s some better daylight pics. I’ve only used it for 3 evenings of work. 7 cords.
You’ll notice some nicks in the cutting edge. I found the head under the porch at the lake cabin. I dressed it up on a bench grinder and then have been filing it after every cord ish to try to get the edge nice.

 

[muddstopper]

when I went to work for the railroad back in 1976, we used to drive a lot of spiles by hand. Not so much by the time I retired couple years ago. We replaced hammer handles by the box full. I broke my share. I remember one guy that was about 6'6" tall. Handles wouldnt last him more than a few spikes. I guess he had to bend to far to make a good strike. The supervisor decided to try some of the new fiberglass handled hammers and he handed a new one to the big guy and said,"Lets see You break this handle". The big guy took the handle and swung it across the rail a couple of licks and it splintered into and then handed it back to the boss. The supervisor just stood there with his mouth open and couldnt say a thing. Wood handled hammers where still the norm when I left.

 

[SamT1]

when I went to work for the railroad back in 1976, we used to drive a lot of spiles by hand. Not so much by the time I retired couple years ago. We replaced hammer handles by the box full. I broke my share. I remember one guy that was about 6'6" tall. Handles wouldnt last him more than a few spikes. I guess he had to bend to far to make a good strike. The supervisor decided to try some of the new fiberglass handled hammers and he handed a new one to the big guy and said,"Lets see You break this handle". The big guy took the handle and swung it across the rail a couple of licks and it splintered into and then handed it back to the boss. The supervisor just stood there with his mouth open and couldnt say a thing. Wood handled hammers where still the norm when I left.

That may be part of my problem. I’m 6’3 and 330#.
This handle has been vibrating some too since new if anyone knows why that may be.

 

[Multifaceted]

Thanks for the other pictures of the wood, though I can't really discern the grain orientation from the side. Is any way you can take a few shots from the bottom of the handle and the top of the eye?

For example, here is the grain orientation and run-out on my prized 4.5 pound German splitting axe:

I would consider the above orientation and run-out to be superb. That axe, though not old (perhaps I've had and used it for a little over two years) — it has split probably close to if not more than 10-12 cords of oak, hickory, black locust, cherry, and maple. Not nearly as hard as Mesquite, I think the hardest wood around here is Black Locust (which is a very hard and dense wood) - Mesquite is roughly 38% harder than that, so you might have been really putting that tool through its paces.

Judging by the way your handle broke, I suspect that it was due to bad grain orientation, perhaps started by some of the splintering from pass-through, but some more photos can confirm. I did not know that it accepted a double bit handle, interesting! Another thing I was thinking, perhaps that lack of the hinged wings, which are designed to fling the split open after the initial strike.

As to your size, I don't think it would have that much to do with it. You're considerably a larger man than myself, but at 6'1" and 210 lb I also don't consider myself to be small either. I find that efficient splitting has more to do with the arc of the swing and snap of the wrist, not so much the raw brute force. (Velocity > Power )

 

[SamT1]

What axe is that? I’m looking into better quality ones. I use that same style from Lowe’s as of now. I’m only getting 15 Ish cords before the head gets loose on them though. Then usually I buy another and gift it to someone who just needs to split one here and there since those cheap heads get knicked up bad. Loose corners and stuff.

I’ll get those pics in a bit. I left the wood rig at dads house yesterday’s since it’s closer to the pasture and I don’t wanna burn excess diesel.
Yea I had to sand it a bunch to get the double bit handle to fit. It was really rigid wood too. Most of what I split can be done laying on the ground if your good with the splitter. But this stuff I broke the axe on I was having to use velocity and force.
Maybe a handle guard would help with pass through marking.