Make a wedge-style handle - PEP BB tool.sand.handle

Here's my tool handle repair.

Found this tool head, no idea what it is, maybee used to pick-up logs ? Did a rapid wedge style handle for it.

The tool used for moving logs around is a pickaroon. That one might be a pickaroon, although they usually look a little different.

Raphael, I'd be cautious about using fresh, green wood for a handle like this. The wood will shrink over time and the head will come loose.

This morning I cleaned up an old axe that has been kicking around, waiting for a handle. I ground back the poll, gave it a quick sharpen and wondered about finally hanging it. After work I picked out some ash, split it and selected my billet (1/4 of a small log).

I removed the pith and the bark, leaving a wedge-shaped piece of ash with roughly straight grain. I then traced the eye of my axe, which was only slightly oval, and got to work with my drawknife and spoke shaves. The initial shaping was done with a small axe.

I wanted a straight, oval-shaped handle as I feel it suited the style of the axe (which, I believe, is an old French pattern). I tried to match the diameter to that of the outside of the eye, tapering evenly to fit the head. This took about an hour to get right and made a huge amount of shavings. I'll be using those as mulch on the paths near my veggies.

I then made a wedge using a piece of cherry. Making the wedge was a bit fiddly and I ended up using a hacksaw held at an angle. A bandsaw or belt sander would make this task much easier. I seated the axe head with several firm taps, gently inserted the wedge and then upturned it, placing the wedge firmly against a chopping block and striking the bottom of the handle until it was in place. I think the kerf may have split slightly but it is not obvious - time and use will tell.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo of the axe head before hanging it. I was sure I would have one somewhere but, as I'm writing this post, I have searched my photos and cannot find one - I have photos of almost every other axe I own! One of the WIP photos shows the head being test fitted and it none of the handle can be seen protruding from the top of the eye. I hope this is sufficient evidence.

I'm pretty pleased with the outcome. It looks the part and the grain direction is reasonably good - about as good as I could get it, given the small size of the billet. Next time I'll use a longer wedge as it would have been nice for it to close up the eye completely, from a purely aesthetic perspective.

I could, although I risk damaging the handle if the kerf has begun to split. I would really rather not risk wasting a few hours work just to take a photograph!

My feeling is that it is obviously a fresh hang on a hand made handle. The grain direction, which I've shown in a few shots, always matches and in the WIP shots there is no axe head on the end.

If it's not sufficient to qualify, I guess I'll have to wait until I make another handle.

Luke Mitchell wrote:If it's not sufficient to qualify, I guess I'll have to wait until I make another handle.

Your handle is an excellent example! I appreciate your write-up too. I have had a habit of missing photos in my BB submissions so I know how frustrating it can be, especially when you can't reasonably go back and take the extra photo required. I have taken to writing down the requirements on a notepad or copying to my smartphone and keeping it with me while I do the BB work, saves me the hassle of remembering what shots I need and don't.

I have about 20 antique tools missing handles, so if you ever find yourself in my neck of the woods give me a shout and we can have a handle BB party.

I look forward to seeing your future work.

I decided to attempt re-wedging the axe head as an exercise. I also wanted to investigate the possible split in the handle.

To remove the old wedge and handle, I gripped the axe head in my vise using two pieces of ply to protect the steel (the jaws on my vise are hardened and will leave a mark). I then tapped out the old wedge using a punch and a slight, upward strike. Another good reason not to use glue when wedging joints and handles!

Once removed, I investigated the kerf. It's interesting to see how it had been widened by the wedge. There was a split, as I suspected, so I drilled a small hole at the bottom of the split to prevent it from running any further.

I made a new wedge, this time from a piece of an old hammer handle (likely hickory or ash). This wedge is a little longer and also wider, to better secure the head.

I tapped in the new wedge and filed it flush. I re-sanded, lightly, and soaked the wedge in tung oil.

I'm hoping this means my previous BB submission will now qualify?

In the past couple days one of my projects has been restoring an old raising hammer I bought years ago at a flea market for $5.  It was in awful condition which is why I got it so cheap.  I did a lot of restoration work on the hammer head for another BB submission, but one of the other problems with this hammer was a cracked handle.  Thus it presented an opportunity to learn to make and install a wedge style handle, something I've never actually done before.

I decided to truly do this from scratch, using wood from an ash tree I cut down some time back for firewood (and because the ash borers had killed it).  My initial attempt failed quickly.  I thought I had a good piece of wood with clear straight grain, but as I started working it I discovered there was a small knot.  By the time I worked that out I felt like the remaining wood might have worked but would have resulted in a handle too thin, esp. considering this is a hefty hammer head intended for hard, heavy hammering.  I hope to actually put it to use at some point too so I need a solid handle!  So back to the wood pile where I found what was an even better log with straight grain going in the directions I wanted.

I had restored and sharpened an old draw knife in a previous BB specifically so I could use it on this project.  I've never used a draw knife before.  It was pretty cool!  I've now got a big pile of shavings that will be nice for starting fires in the RMH!  Anyway, I used the draw knife to do most of the work on this handle, moving to a pocket knife for the final fiddly bits when really trimming down the end to fit on the hammer head.

As I said I plan to actually use this hammer at some point and I don't particularly like developing blisters so after the basic shaping with the draw knife I smoothed things out a bit more with a coarse file, then went at it with sand papers, taking things down to a smooth 240 grit.

For the wedge I decided to do some basic blacksmithing.  While I am a metalsmith by trade I've done very little actual blacksmithing work so this was good for me.  I understand the basics, but have minimal experience forging hot steel.  My anvil is currently buried under stuff so I decided to be a bit lazy and haul out my swage block which was easier to access and had a large enough flat space to forge on for this little project.  I grabbed a rod of scrap 5/8" hex stock and forged down a taper.  I don't really have the blacksmithing tools needed to cut my tapered wedge off the rod so I resorted to a hacksaw, simple and efficient.  

I left the handle a bit long so some could stick out the top of the hammer.  Once the wedge was in place this overhang swelled out as hoped to give an extra secure hold.

Finally, I finished the handle with some boiled linseed oil.

I have to admit I'm quite happy with this project and the new skills I learned in the process of doing it.  I look forward to using this hammer at some point, adding to the long history it already has.

What a great story. Thanks for sharing that with us. What type of hammer is this and what is its specific use?

Bill Anderson wrote:What a great story. Thanks for sharing that with us. What type of hammer is this and what is its specific use?

Thanks Bill.  I will admit I could be wrong on just what the hammer was originally intended for.  Initially I thought it was a sinking hammer due to the long head.  A sinking hammer would be used to make metal bowls/vessels by hammering on sheet metal down into a depression.  With that action you would be stretching the metal as you sink it down into the form.  To get a deep bowl you would need a correspondingly long hammer head to reach down into it as the piece develops.  

As I said, this was my initial thought, but the curve on the head confused me a bit.  It just seemed like too much for a sinking hammer.  Some people like a bit of curve but not that much.  It was when I was learning the subtleties of another hammer shape designed for what I tend to refer to as a Japanese style of raising that the light bulb went on in my head what the curve was for.  I went out to the studio, grabbed that hammer and set up as though I was going to raise in that fashion.  Bingo!  The curve of the hammer meant it would hit squarely rather than an angled glancing blow.

Let me back up and say raising is a similar technique to sinking in that it too is used to form metal bowls/vessels.  However, it differs in that you are working on the exterior of the piece, hammering over metal forming stakes.  With the raising process you can actually be making the metal thicker rather than thinner as you "raise" the sides up and compress them inward.

There are many different approaches to this general technique.  For this little write up I'll divide it into two styles.  ( There are many variations on each I'm sure.)  The way I do it things form a line with me, the metal I'm forming, and then the stake I'm working over.  In the Japanese style (common in many other cultures too) the line up would go me, then the stake, and finally the metal you are hammering on.  Each approach has advantages and disadvantages.  Fascinating to me at least, is how the seemingly simple "technology" of the hammer needs to shift form to optimize each approach.

I just ran out to the studio and tried taking a couple quick shots to illustrate, using the camera timer.  They aren't ideal but can hopefully show enough so you get it.

This hammer also has a squared, flatish, back side.  From my understanding squared hammer faces on a metalsmith forming hammer generally mean it was designed for "boxing" or getting into the corners of squared box like vessels or platters.  On this particular hammer that side was clearly used a LOT, but was badly nicked and scarred, not to mention broken on the one corner.  That leads me to think whoever used this frequently in the past was doing something else with it.  I don't know what.  Maybe hammering nails!!  (...all metalsmiths in the room gasp and shudder in horror at such abuse of a forming hammer...)

I suppose I should also note that the cross peen face on the curved side is that shape designed to move the metal more in lines perpendicular to the face, or up and down, with little movement in the side to side directions.  For contrast a curved ball end, like on the "back" end of a ball peen hammer will move the metal more or less equally in all directions.  With raising you want to directionally move that metal up and down in order to raise the sides upward.  With sinking generally a round face is used because you want to stretch the metal outward in all directions.

Finally, I'll note for those interested there is a BB both for sinking a bowl and another one for raising a bowl.  I've done the raising one which I more fully documented here on my personal website, but for some reason I haven't yet done the sinking BB.  Probably because raising vessels is my full-time job and sinking bowls just isn't something I do much.  Still I should do that one soon.