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Fitting an axe with a handle |
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Using
an old fashioned wood wedge, supported with a steel wedge, is
a safe alternative; you can see if and how the handle is fixed
in the axe-eye. If the axe head is loose, you can soak the axe
for a few hours in a bucket of water. The wood and the wedge
will swell and the handle will be tight for a while. It functions,
but we recommend fitting the axe with a new handle, or at least,
a new wooden wedge. A loose head is always dangerous, for people
and axes! It is important to use handles of high quality. The
handle, as well as the wooden wedge, has to be dry. If not, they
will dry later and you will have a loose head. Another reason
for a loose head is the incorrect use of the axe head as a hammer
or a sledge. The poll of an axe is not designed for heavy pounding. An axe used for pounding or used as a wedge will be deformed or broken and the head will loosen from the handle.  1. Saw
off the old handle close to the axe head. (Never burn an old
handle from an axe. It will cause the bit to lose its temper.)
2. Drill out the wedge and as much of the wood in the axe head as possible. 3. Punch the rest of the handle backward. Punch from the handle side. |
 4. Clean
inside the eye of the axe. 5. Pound the handle into the head. Let the end of the handle pass an inch on the other side of the head. 6. Test the alignment and the hang. The line of bit must normally lie in the center of the handle knob. (Not for a Broad Axe or a Carpenter’s Axe). On a Forest and a Felling Axe the middle of the bit and the handle knob must both touch when laid, with the bit down, on a flat surface. (The alignment can vary depending on the shape of the handle, the handle knob and the model of the axe – for example a Carpenter’s Axe or a Carving Axe.) 7. Put some glue in the wedge slit and on the wooden wedge. Drive in the wedge. 8. Saw off the excess of the handle and the wedge a little from the head. 9. Fix the wooden wedge with a steel wedge, diagonal to the wooden wedge.  steel wedge |
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