How to unhaft an axe.

[Laurentius]

I have decided to put a new handle on my little hatchet, not because it needs one, but because I want to. I want to fit something a little bit longer and crafted to fit my hand and make anyone else uncomfortable

Thing is the head is on very tight, exactly how does one remove the head from an axe?

 

[British Red]

Saw the helve off flush and then drill out enough the helve within the eye to push the waste wood out. A pillar drill and clamp is helpful

 

[Joe tahkahikew]

Or simply put it in the fire. No electric. No drills. Just nature.

 

[mountainm]

Or simply put it in the fire. No electric. No drills. Just nature.

If you do that you must keep the cutting edge cool to avoid ruining the temper.

 

[whats wrong with you all]

Or simply put it in the fire. No electric. No drills. Just nature.

Yeah, and ruin the axe while you're at it.

Trying to burn a handle off can ruin the temper.

Best stick with drilling out the wood.

 

[falcon]

Saw the helve off flush and then drill out enough the helve within the eye to push the waste wood out. A pillar drill and clamp is helpful

I support this approach....with enough holes in the central area you can the use something like an old chisel or screwdriver to split out the remaining wood. It's worked for me

 

[Laurentius]

Or simply put it in the fire. No electric. No drills. Just nature.

No way. I heated the tang of a Bill hook to red hot in order to burn it into a handle once, and considered that was not the best thing to do afterwards as the heat may have spread to the blade enough to damage the temper.

 

[Blundstoned Love]

Forgive me because this will sound rude.

Getting the handle off an axe is very simple - saw it and drill out - as people have said (and quite rightly don't burn it out).

Making and fitting a new handle is not easy and requires quite a bit of skill and nous - well to do a half-decent job it does.

If you don't know how to do the first of these things, how do you hope to achieve the second?

I know we all have to learn, and the best way to learn is to do it - or try to, but I am slightly concerned you have not yet thought this through.

Like I said - this probably sounds rude, and I'm sorry.

 

[Laurentius]

I am confident that I can make a handle can't be harder than making the handle for a walking stick. In any case I will not attempt removing the head until I have all but made the handle as I need the hatchet to do that, it will make it's own handle. Of course it is only a car boot hatchet, not a precious gransfors bruks, so if I get it wrong I just have another go, I guess the most difficult part is ensuring that the new handle is as tight a fit as the old one.

In the meantime I have a fork which also needs a new handle, but it is off to the hardware for that one, I might see if they 'ave any o's while I am at it.

 

[santaman2000]

Yeah, and ruin the axe while you're at it.

Trying to burn a handle off can ruin the temper.

Best stick with drilling out the wood.

I've heard this; but dozens of old loggers and farmers I've known have never had a problem with it. Nor have I. However, drilling is easier to be perfectly honest.

 

[British Red]

I guess the most difficult part is ensuring that the new handle is as tight a fit as the old one.

In the meantime I have a fork which also needs a new handle, but it is off to the hardware for that one, I might see if they 'ave any o's while I am at it.

Forkandles?

Fitting an axe helve is easy if you are patient. If you haven't got one, buy a decent wood rasp - by far the easiest way of doing the job. You will see them in many of my pictorials.

 

[Laurentius]

I have a rasp and a spokeshave.

 

[British Red]

All it takes then is time and patience - shout if I can help / guide.

 

[bambodoggy]

Saw the helve off flush and then drill out enough the helve within the eye to push the waste wood out. A pillar drill and clamp is helpful

Yep, this is exactly how I do it and then as Falcon says use a blunt chisel or bolster to knock through the remaining wood. Takes about 10 minutes.

Good luck

 

[mrcharly]

If you are making the handle from scratch, don't do most of the shaping until it is on the head. That way you can make final adjustments to the shape of the handle, to ensure it lines up with the axe head.

 

[Laurentius]

Well I have had a go at it today and I have to say it was the devil of a job getting the head off because there was so much metal in there in the way of nails, wedge, and a fencing staple.

I can see now where the difficulty lies, not so much in shaping the handle as in ensuring the blade is not crooked. I am going to soak the head in mollasses now, before I fix it in place.

 

[Joe tahkahikew]

But if you're out in the forest or bush and far from home when your axe handle breaks you won't have drill with you.

You don't have to drop it into the fire and make it red hot. Just hot enough to burn out the wood. No problems with having to re- temper either if you do this.

I have had to do this sometimes when out on hunting trips. Its a common method we use.

 

[santaman2000]

But if you're out in the forest or bush and far from home when your axe handle breaks you won't have drill with you.

You don't have to drop it into the fire and make it red hot. Just hot enough to burn out the wood. No problems with having to re- temper either if you do this.

I have had to do this sometimes when out on hunting trips. Its a common method we use.

It's common over most of the continent here TBH. As I said earlier, I've never had a problem with the temper, not have any of the loggers or farmers I've known.

For those who worry about such things, the normal way to avoid it is to simply push the edge inti the ground up to the handle and build the fire over that.

 

[Haggis]

You could cut the helve off flush with the head, soak the head and the bit of remnant helve in water until the grains swell; this crushes the wood fibers in the axes eye. Once it has swelled as much as it will, set the head in a warm sunny place. With average luck, the crushed bit of helve in the eye will simply fall out.

 

[demographic]

The way I've done it was to cut it off flush, drill it through the hole a few times then use a parallel punch to punch the bits out.

Doddle and doesn't knacker a chisel in the process.