new axe handle

[headshot]

as you may have read when i joined this site i bought myself a gransfor kubben hatchet,i have got on well with it but recently have found a problem with the length of it or should i say lack off.
i am repeatley bashing my knuckles while faceing of for a bowl etc and the lack of swing can make it tireing on the arm so with it being the wildlife head i thought i would put the original handle on.
i have found original handles for sale for £7.50..cheap as chips but thought i should try making one,i have fitted plenty of heads but never made a handle from scratch and when you think about it its an essential skill to have when you have no way of buying one.
i toyed with what wood to used and rememberd i had a bit of pitch pine sat in the shed,this seemed ideal to me as its stable,straight grained and immensley strong though tough to work with a knife.
it took me a couple of hours especially the head end just getting a nice tight fit,i left a quarter inch protruding which i batoned a knife cut into followed by a beech wedge.
i have also purposley canted the head slightly to the left hopefully making it a better hewing axe for a right hander (me).
if it doesent work out its no hardship to re-do it or even fit a shop bought one but up to now it feels great in the hand,well balanced in all the right places..i will give it a go tonight on a piece of ash..any comments positive or negative will be most welcome...atb kev

http://i798.photobucket.com/albums/yy264/headshot_05/562EE38C-951F-4B5C-A26A-737C0E3E3B31_zpsmbbpnfjw.jpg (http://s798.photobucket.com/user/headshot_05/media/562EE38C-951F-4B5C-A26A-737C0E3E3B31_zpsmbbpnfjw.jpg.html)
http://i798.photobucket.com/albums/yy264/headshot_05/BB7698FE-1657-4AC9-9F09-578CFEEB12D0_zpse4uncsp3.jpg (http://s798.photobucket.com/user/headshot_05/media/BB7698FE-1657-4AC9-9F09-578CFEEB12D0_zpse4uncsp3.jpg.html)

[FishyFolk]

Looks right :-)
If it also feels right, then it's probably right :-)

Well done :-)

[-Tim-]

Looks right :-)
If it also feels right, then it's probably right :-)

Well done :-)

Agreed

Well done

Cheers
Tim

[headshot]

so far so good then,cheers chaps,it feels right in the hand,offsetting the head is something i thought might work..just a bit of fine tuning so to speak,obviously you wouldent do it to a felling or splitting axe,a bit of feedback on that part of it would be great...atb kev

[ian c]

I like it, I still have a old axe head that needs a handle and at moment I have a piece of ash drying that I will use to make it.

[headshot]

i was going to use ash but to be honest i dident have anything suitable to handall i have in ash is old and knotty....atb kev

[headshot]

just gave it a go in the shed,works a treat,a lot easier to work than the shorter version,not knocking the kubben its just that it has its limitations...atb kev

[rawfish111]

T^

[rosseveritt]

:happy-clapping: T^ :)

[Paracordist]

Impressive

[blacksmith]

T^

[Midge_Fodder]

Grand job there, as long as it works for you then all is great.

[Fellows]

The wedge in the business end is particularly well done, i have handled 4 now and i ALWAYS make a hash of the finish up there

[Valantine]

If it looks right and fits your hand right - it must be right. Nice job :happy-clapping:

[Midge_Fodder]

If it's cutting the handle off above the head that's the problem, I use a Japanese fret saw. It's got a stiff brass back. It trims well without tearing the grain.

[headshot]

dont worry i made loads of mistakes and just kept changing the handle till i got to a standard i was happy with....and then swapped it for a sfa lol

[Midge_Fodder]

dont worry i made loads of mistakes and just kept changing the handle till i got to a standard i was happy with....and then swapped it for a sfa lol

I just kept restoring axes until I could get it right. Restoring teaches you so much, even now after restoring a fair few of them I still end up scratching my head at times. Plus with different axes, you then have to learn what handle style works for that head ect.

[bikebum1975]

Good lookin handle.