started making and fitting a ash axe shaft.
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Great stuff! For me the most difficult thing is to align the edge with the shaft evenly, I never get that right
Don't reduce the shaft much before loosely fitting the head. Then shave down the shaft to align with the head.
Nice Job, I like making my own helve's, done quite a few over the years, very its rewarding.
This keeps getting said by some people, but to be honest, I've never had a problem with the grain going across the head... some times the wood you have just seems to be that way and for a hand axe cant really see a problem with it, now doubt some will say there is... I've got an old Hultsfor Buks 4lb that I re-helve'd a while back, and it has cross grain, used it a fair bit, with no trouble.... thats was a piece of wood that I found just right size wise..
This keeps getting said by some people, but to be honest, I've never had a problem with the grain going across the head... some times the wood you have just seems to be that way
and for a hand axe cant really see a problem with it, now doubt some will say there is... I've got an old Hultsfor Buks 4lb that I re-helve'd a while back, and it has cross grain, used it a fair bit, with no trouble.... thats was a piece of wood that I found just right size wise..I agree, its been made up into some sort of holy grail rule, "grain-must-run-vertical..."
Since about 1990 I must have made and used 100's of different tool handles, for hand axes, adzes, hammers, log splitting axes, sledge hammers etc all sorts, and I have nearly always used ash, split radially out of biggish clean logs with wedges and froe. I have never had a handle break except once when, without thinking I stupidly used a kent axe as a froe and smashed the head off because its not designe to take those twisting stresses.
Sweet job, I love bringing old axes back to working tools. As for the grain orientation of ash, I refer to this thread - http://www.bodgers.org.uk/bb/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=628&start=15 well worth reading. I think most of the brain washing about grain orientation in axe handles comes from American literature which usually refers to hickory and not ash, a quick look on ebay at the old kent pattern axes with handles intact show plenty with cross grain orientation. I use axes every day all with my own handles most from ash, haven't had one break yet, I think its more about good technique with your tool than how the grain runs. IMHO
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