Axe handles

[NickC]

I need to make a new axe handle for an old axe. I was going use Ash (which I delieve is the traditional Uk wood for this job)and use the old handle as a template. Can anybody offer any advise/pitfalls? Also if I remember from a woodlore course they talked about a "london finish" - can anybody tell me how to do this or have you an alternative?

Cheers

Nick

 

[Fallow Way]

The London finish....

You will need,

boiled linseed oil
turps (substitute)
cabinet scraper
wire wool


the process

rub in water to the handle, this will raise the end of the fibres
then scrape the handle to as smooth a finish as you can
do this 4 or 5 times, each times becoming lighter and lighter with the scraping


once you are happy with this, mix a small amount of terps into the boiled linseed oil (this helps it be absorbed into the wood) and brush this onto the handle, not too much, just enough to coat.

Then take the wire wool and work the finish in, wiping with a cloth afterwards to remove any excess. Now sit and rub the handle with your hands, working the finish in. Do a coat every night for about a week and that should do.

 

[arctic hobo]

My advice is use Hickory not Ash. If you want to stick to the UK way that's fine and I understand, but if you mis-hit and the shaft hit the tree/limb/whatever then ash is very brittle... could have very painful results. Hickory is what most tools like that use (axes, hammers etc.) :wave:

 

[alick]

I'd agree that hickory is a good recommendation - notoriously tough stuff and a handle material of choice, but I would never describe ash as "brittle". In fact it is famed for it's ability to bend without snapping and it's strength. The only car I know that uses wood as a structural component is the morgan sports car and these rely on ash for the frame no less.

Hickory is actually more brittle than ash, not the reverse, but being closer grained and harder than ash it suffers less crushing and surface damage from misuse. This makes is a better choice for e.g pickaxe handles which get a lot of abuse. Ash tends to be used for e.g premium quality hammers in my experience. Here its extra flexibility makes it nicer to use and it's more likely to be bought by a skilled craftsman who will make fewer mistakes.

At the extreme, one of the least brittle woods around is yew. Yew self bows are extremely expensive and it's a bit scary to discover just how easily the surface dents if you let them fall over or bang them into things.

If you do stick with the ash, finish it well. If left rough, its more open grain can occasionally throw rather large splinters.

Cheers

Oh and sorry - to answer the question, I'd just oil the handle once made and finished. The ever useful danish oil would be fine. If you varnish it like most shop bought hammers it's more likely to raise blisters in use. You just need a few coats to protect from the damp rubbed down between applications. Be specially generous on the ends as that's where moisture will most easily enter and leave the handle.

 

[Rob]

The London finish....

You will need,

boiled linseed oil
turps (substitute)
cabinet scraper
wire wool


the process

rub in water to the handle, this will raise the end of the fibres
then scrape the handle to as smooth a finish as you can
do this 4 or 5 times, each times becoming lighter and lighter with the scraping

I have used hot water to do this.

 

[arctic hobo]

I'd agree that hickory is a good recommendation - notoriously tough stuff and a handle material of choice, but I would never describe ash as "brittle". In fact it is famed for it's ability to bend without snapping and it's strength. The only car I know that uses wood as a structural component is the morgan sports car and these rely on ash for the frame no less.

Argh, must have been mixed up sorry :shock:

 

[NickC]

Cheers everybody - will try the london finish. Now I just need to find the right bit of Ash.

Nick

 

[bambodoggy]

In fact it is famed for it's ability to bend without snapping and it's strength. The only car I know that uses wood as a structural component is the morgan sports car and these rely on ash for the frame no less.

Don't forget the morris miner traveller.....the first ever "Tudor" Estate car! lol :rolmao: :rolmao: