An Ax to Grind: A Practical Ax Manual

Getting the Hang of It, continued

Hanging Procedure

First, check to see whether you really need a new handle. Often you can reuse the same handle and just replace a loose wedge.

Never insert iron, steel, screws, nails, or any other metal object down in the wooden wedge to tighten the handle, even though you see this being done on many factory-handled axes. Epoxy should not be used, either. This advice applies for the entire life of your ax. The metal wedges tend to split the grain on the hickory handle. I can't see any reason why you would want to do that to a properly hung ax.

A loose handle can be temporarily tightened either in the field or in the shop by soaking the head in a bucket of linseed oil. Never soak the handle in water, except for short-term, emergency field tightening. Water will tighten the handle to the head, but the water dries out rapidly, leaving the head looser than before you started. Tightening the handle by soaking it in linseed oil is also a temporary measure. The ax must be rewedged or hung again to keep it tight.

With oil and rags, there is a risk of spontaneous combustion. Be sure to dicard the oily rags or soak them in buckets of water to prevent any accidents.

Photo of tools needed for hanging an ax.
Figure 40--Tools needed for hanging an ax include
(clockwise, from top left): leather gloves, four-in-hand
rasp, wood rasp, keyhole rasp, steel drift for double-bit
ax, steel drift for single-bit ax, hickory drift made from
old handle, spokeshave, coping saw, and wooden mallet.

Photo of cutting off the old handle.
Figure 41--Cut off the old handle just below the ax
eye, close up against the head, with a coping saw.
Remove any steel wedges or screws that may be in
the top of the handle at this time.

Photo of drilling out the wooden wedge.
Figure 42--Drill out the wooden wedge and
part of the handle from the top side of the
ax eye. Power drills work, too.

Photo of using a wooden or steel drift or swedge.
Figure 43--Use a wooden or steel drift or swedge
to drive out the remainder of the handle. Notice
the drift in the center is shaped for a single-bit
ax, the one on the right is for a double-bit ax.

Photo of blocking up the ax head upside down.
Figure 44--Block up the ax head upside down. Drive
the drift down through the bottom of the ax eye toward
the top of the ax eye. The ax eye is tapered larger on
the top to facilitate wedging the handle tight. This
taper requires the old handle piece to be driven
out the top of the ax eye.