Straight or Curved Axe Handle

[AmateurSawer]

Did the search and came up empty.

For those who use an axe to chop,which type do you prefer? Also ,what weight and type of axe head?

Mods.,if this should be in another place,please move.

Just interested.I have a Daton pattern 4lb and a Dayton 5lb miners'.Plus an old Plumb all with a straight handle. I wonder if I should add a curved handle or a Jersey pattern. Maybe a Jersey with a curved handle.

Also have several old double bits and a Pulaski.

Wonder if I'm getting AAD? Haven't really gotten CAD,yet. Only five. MS 362,MS250,026,028 and an old McCulloch 1-53.

 

[rarefish383]

Never thought about it, and it's too cold to go out in the garage and compare. I have 15-16 down in my junk room. All of the doubles are straight, and all of the singles are curved. Each ax with different length and weight is made for a different purpose, and using axes all my life, I tend to reach for the one that works best for the chore at hand. So, they all feel comfortable when using them. I like a 4 pound on a 28" for splitting straight grained Oak. Most anything else I use the Huskee 22 ton.

 

[dancan]

Joe , I don't think that was a question , it sounded more like "I need one of each !" to me .
Like how would we know , we need one of each lol

 

[Multifaceted]

I use a wide variety to chop with, but it really depends on what I'm chopping. For most chores I can get by just well with a 2.5 lb head on a 28" curved handle. There are advantages to both straight and curved handles, though the mechanical advantage a curved offers is most often useful above all.

Check this out:

 

[SamT1]

For a heavy axe (4+) I like the long straight handle. For a light one curved.

 

[CR888]

Its kinda lime asking a chef what size knife is best. Handle design is shaped for good reason, its about balancing a weight that's not uniform in shape. What I like & is often rare on re-hung bits is the right/correct handle matched well to the bit. Done well the tool becomes seamless to use, choose your handle based on pleasing the eye and it can almost ruin the tool. All handle shapes have there place, well most of them. Even after deciding handle type/shape thickness & length play there role too. Just my few cents.

 

[DSW]

I think I've always gravitated towards curved. That being said I've split a mountain of wood over the years with a straight handle and last year I chopped a cord primarily with a straight handle.

I'd say try a few different setups and see what you like.

Axe acquiring is superior to chainsaw acquiring. They're cheaper, they always run, and you can stash them in the corner and play dumb when your wife asks where the grocery money went.

 

[EchoRomeoCharlie]

If it's an actual chopping/felling axe, I like very thin and curved.

For banging wedges I prefer a medium thickness straight as I'm going to be using it both ways.

For splitting axe, I prefer straight also, but fairly thick.

 

[rarefish383]

Joe , I don't think that was a question , it sounded more like "I need one of each !" to me .
Like how would we know , we need one of each lol

Dan, over on my Savage site, under my signature, is "I'm not greedy, I just want one of each", and I don't mean one straight and one curved. I mean one of every length, pattern, make, and I still don't think I'm greedy.

 

[CR888]

play dumb when your wife asks where the grocery money went.

That's funny & true.

 

[svk]

For chopping I like a long curved handle. I think my big chopping axe has what is called a fawns foot handle.

For wedge banging I prefer a shorter straight handle.

 

[U&A]

As long as the handle allows for control of the direction the axe head faces im not to picky.

I HATE handles that are perfectly round or close to it.

Needs an oval shape to it.


Sent while firmly grasping my redline lubed RAM [emoji231]

 

[Multifaceted]

Join us over in the Axe Restoration and Axe Cordwood Challenge threads. I, myself, enjoy using axes and do quite a bit of chopping wood and processing firewood by hand using solely an axe. This year I cut over a cord of wood stacked and split without any saw. That includes felling, limbing, bucking, and splitting. Only an axe, no saws allowed. There is a lost science and art to using the tool that is gaining a resurgence in interest if you're among the few who care. Hope to see you soon!