Axe length.

[JohnL]

Hi all.
I have just been having a mess around with my dads old axe, which is about 34" handle & very blunt.
The handle is rather cracked up & dangerous looking, so I have removed it.
I don't have an axe at the moment, so I thought I could rehandle it & use it for my bushcraft axe. But I don't really want something 34" long. So my question is, if I reahandle this on a shorter handle, say, 20 - 24" will the head be too big. It measures 7.5" long by 4.5" wide.(at widest points)
I geusse it will be a bit heavy but could work ok?
Is birch wood ok for a handle?
Thanks.
John.

[Draven]

Chances are it'd be too heavy. It should have a number stamped on it (the weight), I'm sure it would help if you could post it, as the axe's profile will greatly vary the weight., irrespective of length and width.

A better bet would probably be to pick up an axe from a hardware store and redo the bevels (British Red did a great walkthrough of regrinding and polish axe bevels), so the head weight is on the optimum handle length.

As for handle material, I'm not sure if birch is ok, but Hickory is tried and tested and very easily available, so I'd just opt for that; just be sure to select one with a good straight grain.

Peace

[JohnL]

here are some photos of it showing the profile. I would rather do something with it rather than get a new one and throw it away
,

[robin wood]

now that looks a good axe for splitting firewood or if you sharpen it well for felling and snedding but its really designed fro bigish stuff not for the smaller scale stuff that most folk consider bushcraft. I think it would be unbalanced with a short handle, put a handle on it similar to the one you took off and it will be well balanced. Birch is not the best but is OK, make sure to keep it dry or it will rot quickly. Ash is the best if you can get it.

[JohnL]

spent all morning carving a new handle, bit of a mammoth task with my puko which only has 8cm blade...
As a result it is still a bit chunky, but the head is on very tightly, so it should be ok to use.


First ever attempt at an axe handle and pretty pleased overall.
I have a horrible feeling it is made of softwood though , so it probably wont last long.
Oh well, its all good practice, & it will look very nice on my bedroom wall.

[Draven]

Hope that you wedged it rather than relying on a friction fit

Hate to be discouraging, but if you're going to be using it you should definitely make sure the handle is up to par - including using a good, strong wood. If you don't, flying axe heads do kill...

Peace

[JohnL]

Yes I put a wooden wedge & the the metal wedge arcoss. It looks & feels pretty substantial.
If I am in any doubt about it I shall of course not use it.

[Draven]

Yes I put a wooden wedge & the the metal wedge arcoss. It looks & feels pretty substantial.
If I am in any doubt about it I shall of course not use it.

Cool, I hope I didn't come off patronising, I just hate the thought of someone using an unsafe tool, particularly a heavy, sharp one