Drawings for replacing an ax handle with your own hands

I purchased an inexpensive cleaver at a local flea market, the handle was awkward and the head was loose on it, so I decided to replace the handle. In the process of making the pen, a lot of manual labor had to be applied, but the result was worth it. In this article I will tell you what to make an ax handle from.

Making a storage case

When you have made a taiga or other ax from an old one with your own hands, sew a bag for it. It is safe to transport and store tools in it. Make a case from durable material, taking into account the size of the ax. There are three simple options:

You can easily make a case for an ax with your own hands from a bag or an old briefcase. Draw contours with allowances on the material. Then sew the leather with a gypsy needle, to make it easier for you to make stitches, use an awl.
Make your own ax bag from old leather. Craftsmen advise making the case from thick leather. Draw the head on the inside with a pencil, and then cut out two identical parts and sew them together.

Wood harvesting begins in autumn

Dry in a dark place. Before use, wood must be stored for about one year, or better yet, five.

It is not advisable to use felled wood as it will dry out over time and will not stay in the eye.

How to sharpen an ax handle with your own hands?

My grandfather taught me to make an ax handle using an ax and a knife from a birch log - no more tools were required. First we work with an axe.

We take a log and give it a more or less rectangular shape. We narrow the front part (where the ax will be mounted) from the bottom - in the shape of a triangular hole in the axe. Then, retreating 15-20 centimeters, we cut the back side, making a notch for the handle (in the diagram this cut is designated R280. From the opposite end we also cut a rest for the hand.

We have a rough ax handle ready, and now we take a knife and bring the shape to perfection.

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Well, here’s a video of how this can be done in a more equipped workshop.

A wooden handle for an ax (axe handle) is a responsible product, and therefore a lot is taken into account during its manufacture - the material (type and moisture content of wood), the direction of the fibers, the type of ax (carpenter's, carpenter's or cleaver). The safety and ergonomics of the finished ax depend on the correct manufacture.

For carpenter's and joiner's axes, the ax handle is made depending on the weight of the piece of iron. For axes weighing up to a kilogram, the handle length is 40-60 centimeters, for one and a half kilograms and above - 55-65 centimeters.

The most suitable wood for ax handles is birch, oak, ash, and maple. Any wood for an ax handle must be dried for at least a year in natural conditions (not dryers) in the shade of well-ventilated rooms.

We don’t have oak, ash or maple; they won’t talk about the quality of axes made from them. But I made dozens of axes out of birch, and that’s what I’ll talk about. By the way, those who worked with ax handles made of different types of wood claim that only birch “does not dry out” the worker’s hand due to the viscosity of the fibers.

Harvesting birch for the handles of axes, hammers, knives and other hand tools is carried out in winter, or at least in early spring before the sap begins to flow.

The root (butt) part of the tree is used. A birch block is split into blocks. It is split and not sawed lengthwise, in order to see the natural direction of the fibers, and in accordance with this, further make blanks.

Bars with a cross section of approximately 70-80 mm are cut out of the blocks. by 120-150 mm. and put it away to dry. During the drying process, the birch will shrink across the fibers and the workpiece will become smaller. Dry the workpieces for at least two years in a ventilated area without exposure to sunlight (usually an attic)

We fugue the well-dried workpiece on one side and check for cracks. If everything is in order, we deduce the total thickness of the two layers to be 45 millimeters.

Place the workpiece on the surface and orient the template relative to the fibers

Ax templates, their dimensions - length, thickness, cross-section at the main points, also differ in the purpose of the axes themselves -

On the end part of the workpiece, we outline the shape of the ax eye with a pencil along its inner part, aligning it with the exit of the fastening part according to the template.

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Now it performs rough processing of the workpiece according to the template. This can be done with another ax and a wide chisel; I simply cut it out along the contour with a jigsaw. And there are fewer chips, there is no load on the tree from impacts, and it looks more cultured.

We round the corners of the handle, in the upper part of it in a semicircle, and towards the bottom a little into a cone. It is this “inverted drop” shape that is most comfortable for the hand. Now let's put the piece of iron on the ax handle.

The attachment of the ax is made “in tension”; the ax is pre-sawed under the wedge (wedges) to a depth of two-thirds of the width of the eye with a through drill at the end of the hole, along the cut.

Wedge, I personally make it for a birch ax from resinous pine boards. Holds up great. One wedge is enough if the birch handle is very well dried and does not dry out anymore.

Having planted the ax, twirl it in your hands, using a large file to remove those places where the ax handle does not lie comfortably in the palm of your hand. Don’t worry that you will deviate from the “standards” and “templates” if you are making the ax for yourself. Let it be at least three times unsightly, but if it fits perfectly in your hand, then you will be less tired and your productivity will increase, and the mood from working with an ax, which is an extension of your hand, will be good.

After the ax handle is ready and mounted. Treat it with linseed oil, preheating it. I only soak carpenter's axes in hot water. Carpentry is almost always indoors. I simply wipe the handles of the cleavers several times with light transformer oil.

Well, of course, every carpenter and joiner, over time, develops for himself the most optimal shape of the ax, with the desired placement of the center of gravity, length and thickness of the handle. There are a lot of options, as well as artists. However, GOST did not bypass this most necessary tool -

Types of axes

There are several types of axes, and each has its own purpose. Professionals distinguish this tool by the width of the butt, which can be wide, medium and narrow. At the same time, some use it for universal work, others for cutting wood, and some varieties are used for neat carpentry work.

Main types of axes:

cleavers;
for felling forests;
construction;
tourist.

Within each of these groups, there are various tool options designed for narrow-profile or other special work.

A striking example of this is a fire axe. Its design is no different from others, but opposite the blade it has a pointed pickaxe. With its help, you can hook heavy objects, secure yourself on the roof, or break door locks.

Tools and materials

Before starting work, you need to prepare parts and equipment for making an ax at home or in an industrial environment. The main materials are wood for the handle and the chopping head. In addition to these, you may need:

antiseptics that will protect the ax handle from rotting;
twine with a diameter of 5-8 mm;
medium and fine grit sandpaper;
cutting and polishing wheels for an angle grinder;
abrasive materials.

The surface of the handle can be varnished. It will protect the material from water ingress and swelling.

To make a wooden ax with your own hands, you will need hand or mechanical plumbing and carpentry tools. You should prepare:

Grinder with abrasive wheels. It is shaped like a metal hatchet head.
Jigsaw with wood saw.
Sanding machine or grinder.
Set of files, rasps.
Manual milling machine.

Service life of the ax

The durability of a homemade model is affected by:

Strong loads at the top of the device can bend it. The product becomes loose and the metal chopper slips from the handle. The service life depends on:

A more precise hammer fit promotes long service life. If a gap is detected in the shapes of the handle and the metal part, it is corrected by driving a special wedge. If properly manufactured, the device can last for several decades.

How to protect against rotting

Wooden handle over time:

Only regular impregnation will prevent these processes. Cover with the oil solution several times until completely absorbed. You can also rub it with beeswax after making it and leave it to dry for several days.

A little about sizes and shapes

Each master made an ax with his own hands, focusing on his height and specific application. It is no secret that a tool designed for chopping wood will be somewhat different from a similar product intended for cutting down trees. In this case, a small carpenter's hatchet for small carpentry work will be the exact opposite of the two categories listed above.

Despite this, a professional ax with a wooden handle always consists of three main parts:

working part made of metal with a sharpened front part;
ax handle - a handle made of wood;
wedge - a spacer element that connects parts of a structure together.

When making it yourself, special attention is paid to the metal part, otherwise the tool simply will not cope with its main function. Here, not only the shape and material are taken into account, but also the aspect ratio and sharpening angle.

Modern axes are usually made from medium-alloy tool steel, which has been heat-treated and hardened.

The blade shape is selected depending on the application. For example, products designed for arborists are often used for cutting down tree trunks and removing large limbs. This kind of work requires a great depth of penetration, so the shape of the ax should be wedge-shaped. Cleavers that are used for chopping wood have a similar shape, but have thicker “cheeks” and a sharper sharpening angle.

The length and size of the ax directly depend on the impact loads. If significant impact force is required, the handle is made longer to provide a larger swing. Here the dimensions are 700-900 mm. The length of the handles of log axes (carpentry tools) usually does not exceed 500 mm; a good cleaver is attached to a shaft of about 800 mm.

The shape of the ax should provide a comfortable grip, so the middle part is always made curved, the seat and shank have thickenings. The blade angle usually varies between 70-90 degrees.

Despite this, a professional ax with a wooden handle always consists of three main parts:

working part made of metal with a sharpened front part;
ax handle - a handle made of wood;
wedge - a spacer element that connects parts of a structure together.

Modern axes are usually made from medium-alloy tool steel, which has been heat-treated and hardened.

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The shape of the ax should provide a comfortable grip, so the middle part is always made curved, the seat and shank have thickenings. The blade angle usually varies between 70-90 degrees.