Making an axe handle

[Nice65]

I'm on my second coffee and still rough

Me too.

[Dr_Pepper]

Hi,

thanks for the tips in this thread, which I found when googling 'how to make an axe handle'!.

My scout group has loads of old axe heads and the handles are totally uneconomic to buy given the relatively cheap price of metal/fibreglass handled axes. So I thought I'd give it a go.

I don't have bandsaws etc like most of the people in the youtube vids and I'm pretty sure I don't have the skills to do it with a knife and axe, so my main weapons were chisel and spoke shaves. Anyway the result came out ok and I made two like this:


I'm not too sure what the original handle on these would have been, but the eye was small so I made them as hatchets with about 18 inch shaft. However, I also have two 5 1/2lb felling axe heads and I want to make handles for them too, about 36-38 inches I reckon.

HOWEVER, i don't have any Hickory or Ash, what I do have is access to loads of good quality (straight long grained) Maple. I judged that will be just fine for the smaller axes but I wonder if you guys think that will be pushing it a bit for using Maple for the felling axes? Anyone have any experience? Otherwise the heads might just get thrown and replaced by nasty fibreglass axes sadly.

Cheers
Richard.

[Dr_Pepper]

No-one? Oh well, I made it anyway. It looks good but I'm just a bit worried about how long it might last.