Good place to buy axe handles?

[njc110381]

Hi guys. I'm hoping some of you may have done the homework for me on this - I've been chasing around on Google for an hour and have found a million and one handle suppliers, but they're mainly Silverline or Faithful, neither of which are great!

I found another company that seems to sell quality stuff, but they want £11 postage on an already expensive handle. When there are people sending the Silverline ones for £3, I feel they're pushing their luck a bit?! I'm happy to pay a premium for a good handle, but I'm not so willing to be robbed over the postage!

Can anyone recommend a place that offers quality and reasonable postage? Most places seem to be sending stuff out for around a fiver. I realise I'm fussing over £6, but it's the principle of it....

 

[Janne]

Quality hardware stores should have them?
Or - make your own!

 

[WealdenWoodsman]

I can vouch for the quality of Smedburgs handles, 'Woodsmith Experience' is where I got mine from. They really are some of the best on the market at the moment.

http://www.woodsmithexperience.co.uk/shop/product/smedbergs-hickory-axe-handles/

Out of blatant curiosity, what is the axe you are looking to hang?

 

[Brandon-C]

Depends on what type of axe/length you need, Heinnie's sells hultafors shafts in 15" and 20" I've personally used the 15" to rehandle a brades axe.
There's also proadventure which sells quite a few Granfors handles. I believe the company you mention is woodsmithexperience, I ordered a felling shaft from them and yes very high shipping but I was ordering other stuff too so it worked out.

 

[Broch]

Most decent farmers merchants and sometimes builders merchants stock hickory axe handles. Near me they are half the price being quoted by Woodsmith. Obviously, you need to inspect them yourself for grain etc.
Cheers,
Broch

 

[njc110381]

I'm restoring a Brades felling axe. About 2 1/2lb and needs a 30" handle.

That is indeed the company I was looking to shop with. I just won't pay that for shipping though. I'm all for companies making a profit but it will take the shop lad five minutes to wrap it up in something that would be trade waste if they didn't send it on to me. I run a business myself and there's a fine line between a fair profit and taking someone for a ride. Sadly I feel that £11 to do something that costs them less than half that is the latter, especially when they are already making a fair profit on the item I'm buying.

 

[Janne]

Agree. 11 punds sounds like borderline extortion to me.

 

[WealdenWoodsman]

I'm restoring a Brades felling axe. About 2 1/2lb and needs a 30" handle.

That is indeed the company I was looking to shop with. I just won't pay that for shipping though. I'm all for companies making a profit but it will take the shop lad five minutes to wrap it up in something that would be trade waste if they didn't send it on to me. I run a business myself and there's a fine line between a fair profit and taking someone for a ride. Sadly I feel that £11 to do something that costs them less than half that is the latter, especially when they are already making a fair profit on the item I'm buying.

Completely agree, they are very expensive in regards to shipping. When I have used them in the past I have bulked out the order to make it more economical. Love the old Brades axes, is it a Kent Pattern or a wedge?

 

[njc110381]

Welsh pattern, a 347 but lighter than anything listed in any of their catalogues - that I've seen anyway. I'll post up a photo once the handle is on.

I've got a couple of little Elwell heads to do too so maybe I will bulk up the order a bit. Part of me says I'd be getting a better handle so it's worth it, but the whole thing just niggles me!

 

[Macaroon]

To be fair, there's often a steep premium from the carriers when you ship long thin packages; I don't know why this is, but I've had the problem in the past.

 

[mrcharly]

To be fair, there's often a steep premium from the carriers when you ship long thin packages; I don't know why this is, but I've had the problem in the past.

This will be the problem. It will be cheaper to ship a 20kg box the size of a small computer than ship a 30" axe handle.

 

[njc110381]

I did wonder about the length being an issue initially. But if that's the case, how do other sellers post their handles at less than half the price?

 

[scruff]

If you can find (Richard) Carter's handles online, eBay or the likes, they are usually of good quality and have some real estate on them to work into a good shape and profile.

I have the benefit of the Factory being only a few miles away from me, and I have gone over and cherry picked mine in the past.

They are almost always acceptable to fine grain orientation, so it's an easy job.

I probably get more outta the smell of the hickory being turned than anything else if I'm honest though!

 

[njc110381]

I've looked at those too. For my eye size I'd have to order a 36" handle. I'm hoping for a 28-30". Considering Bulldog at the moment as they do a 28" and it's not often their tools break!

 

[Stew]

I did wonder about the length being an issue initially. But if that's the case, how do other sellers post their handles at less than half the price?

A loss leader....

 

[scruff]

What's your eye size?

You could always go straight and use a pick handle.....


.....get the spokeshave out!!!

 

[njc110381]

I made a handle for my walling hammer recently and it went ok. I had lots of decent seasoned ash in the wood shed so split it from a log and went from there. It was a little time consuming though. At the moment work is quite busy so that's unlikely to happen. But it is something I'm keeping in mind and when I split a log with a really nice grain I put some of it to one side to dry better.

I searched for sellers of the Smedberg handles and found other sources. £7.95 postage in another place and I'm ordering a few from there for all my axe heads that I have lying around. Who would have thought that £3.05 would make the difference on a £50 spend? I guess that's the price some companies pay for being greedy. Anything under a tenner and I probably would have just accepted it....