HANG That Axe: 10 Essential Steps to Re-Handle your Axe Head
Head over to Whiskey River by using this link, whiskeyrivertrading.com/CRAFTSMANSHIP , and use promo code CRAFTSMANSHIP at checkout to get 10% off your entire order.
Today in the shop I show you how to hang an axe head on a Whiskey River Premium Vintage 30C handle. Ill walk through the 10 essential steps that make it easier than you think to prep the handle and the head, and then shape and fit the handle to the head in a way that will ensure that it fits snug for as long as possible.
Thanks again to Brandon Roost and the team at Whiskey River for sending over these awesome handles and wedges, and for all their support for the channel over the years. We all get better when we work together.
Check out our podcast, The Art of Craftsmanship, on all of your favorite podcasting platforms, where we talk about making things, shop tips, fun stories, and KZhead content creation.
Follow us on Instagram @theartofcraftsmanship and @theartofcameraguy to see what’s happening in the shop on a daily basis, join in with the live streams, and catch sneak peeks of our up coming videos.
If you would like to purchase AOC merchandise, you can find us on Tee Spring here...
the-art-of-craftsmanship-3.cr...
To those of you who feel like you got something special from our videos and want to know how you can support us further, check out our Patreon page here... / theartofcraftsmanship
Awesome video. One tip to give is that boiled linseed oil coated rags can spontaneously combust. So if you are using rags to apply linseed oil, burn them outside or make sure they are completely dry before tossing them in your trash or used rag bin. Linseed oil has been known to take out many houses/ garages. Know the products u use and keep safe
My name is CLM, and I'm an Axoholic. I could watch these all day, great vid!
Good to see a properly adjusted bandsaw, with the top guide/blade support sitting just above the depth of cut. So many people on KZhead have no idea how this increases their safety and lengthens the life of their blades. Nice job on the axe handle.
I was about to hang an axe head on a handle I made from a Soap Berry tree from arizona. Its a super hard wood that grows straight and perfect for wooden tool handles. I cut this one about 8 months ago. I thought, well, I know how to put on an axe head, but there could be some things I dont know. And......there were!! Thank you for sharing the know how with other folks, so that nobody has any axeidents.... Nicely done
Thanks for this step-by-step. I just got a handle from Whiskey River to fix an old axe and I've never done this before, so this was very helpful.
Very aesthetic and informative video! Thank you! I never knew about the shinto rasp, so I'm very glad I "saw" this.
Thanks Dustin. Every time I watch your videos I learn something. And I like the way you write everything down in a notebook. That’s what I used to do when I was traveling the world. No laptop. I still have all my notes. Cheers from the Netherlands 🇳🇱
Brilliant in-depth review. You make it look easy. Thanks for sharing your wisdom and experience. Happy Hangin’!
Excellent video by someone who acknowledges that the hole in the axe head is tapered and makes it clear which way is up. Seems that most other KZhead authors of axe head vids don’t know their subject very well, if at all. I look forward to seeing your other videos.
Cant wait to “get the hang of this” for myself one day.
Do it. It’s a very satisfying project.
I got a tip, “keep watching to learn more” 😂
I just bought a bunch of handles from Whiskey River, enough for free $hipping. My first attempt to re handle an axe, most will end up as gifts to my grandkids. Your presentation is excellent, a big help for me. Thanks
Never thought about rounding the forward edge of the wedge. Looks really nice! Thanks for the video!
This is great - I found an old half rusty hatchet head on the side of the road during a bike ride recently - I know nothing about them but brought it home - took the rust off and its a fairly old plumb victory head - guessing 1940's.......prob not worth anything but i decided to restore it and put it to use - great tutorial even a beginner can follow to get this cleaned up and hung on a new handle - thanks.....
It's therapeutic just to see you work your magic. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Thanks Unfi
Great tutorial. Hanging axe heads is such a fun pastime. aligning the edge to the handle is super difficult. Once it is off, it's a pain in the butt to get back on again! Thanks for this vid
That hammer you were tapping the wedge in with, that was sitting on the table saw looks like a coopers hoop driving tool! Very cool! Good job on the axe! Don’t be afraid to whack that thing when seating the wedge!
Great video guys , that’ll do .
Newly a genius video from the master, in a master class. Beautiful axe my friend. Congratulations.
Cheers brother!
Rewatching this one again for my build for the Chopper Challenge! So much info in here.. thanks!
Sweet! Brandon mentioned that you bought a WR handle and dropped my name! Always appreciated. Gotta love a community.
@@TheArtofCraftsmanship gotta support our community! ❤️
This is a great tutorial man, much appreciated. I don't use axes often enough to know the full system
absolutely great tutorial and brandon whiskey river trading is an awesome dude. good stuff, thank you.
Save Old That Axe :-) Reminds me of TWD Don't Dead Open Inside...
Thank You For Sharing Your Expertise ! You Sir Are The REAL Deal ! I Enjoy Your Content !
I just bought a few things from Whiskey River. It was an excellent experience. The little 16” hatchet handle I bought was very impressive for the price.
It’s a great company and resource for all “Axe Junkies”
After two weeks out of the shop this is just the video I needed to get back in the swing Great vid ❤
Cheers Marc!
Great video! I don't usually hang these during the summer since South Carolina is so hot, so I'm rusty right now. looking forward to putting these good tips into practice. I was lucky enough to get a few of these 30C handles, so can't wait to get to work.
Very nice! The walnut wedge looks great. Great, instructional video.
Wow dude that was amazing! You have some really great tips and info and wow what a beautiful axe that is!
Great video Dustin. I have watched it twice now and will probably watch it again. Thx so much. T😊
Thank you! Fun fact, your name is the original version of my name😁👊.
Amazing tips, added a few things to my own way of doing it thanks to this
Best axe hanging video I have seen. Attention to detail and speed were perfect. Thank you so much. I already ordered a 30c handle but will be ordering more with your promo code.
Thank you🙏
Excellent work, The one thing I have found is that using the Japanese pull saw will leave a thinner kerf than what is originally there, so after using the pull saw I go in with a conventional push saw, widens up the kerf nicely
Great job!!!
this is awesome. my son and I picked up some vintage axes and hatchets from a flea market recently and are preparing to reshape and hang them, and this is really helpful.
Happy to help Toby!
Thanks Smoking/Fire hardening of the handle; I'm sure you have a video on this?
Great work!!!!!!
Great video, thanks!
Thanks for watching.
Great video! I’ve had a few handles chip at the bottom, so the only thing I would add is chamfer the edge along the bottom where the hammer is hitting as well. Also, if you’ve never tried Snake Juice from Killinger Official it’s pretty amazing stuff. Leaves a darker finish and smells like campfires and happiness.
Beautiful!
Really great work
Excellent, thank you.
Awesome as always! Great work, my friend!
Thanks Byron.
Really awesome vid!!!!!
That cracked head was probably from hammering on something hard like a splitting wedge. Some folks never learn. I built the same belt grinder from scratch and love it.
Great video Dustin. I’m an axe guy and really enjoy someone doing things very similar to my process.
😁👍🏼
great tutorial. I have recently made a few handles from Black Locust. A nice straight grain and strong. It is not a commercially available wood, but I found some about a year ago and have been letting it dry and its now ready to use. Ive also been collecting axe heads. My most recent build was inspired by one of your videos. I made a really cool hatchet from my old Plumb rig axe, that I have owned for about 40 years and sank at least a bazillion nails with it. I enjoy your videos and have gathered several great tips from them.
How long do you let the wood dry? I've started a few ax handles, and they all crack or split. A friend said to soak it in water?
@@gam940 usually about 1.5 years as long as that time includes a couple of summers. Then I cut the blank on the bandsaw. I cut a lot of blanks for different things shortly after collecting the tree, as then the wood will dry quicker. Always cut oversize and longer so you can trim away any ends that split.
not all axe handles come so beautifully shaped. keen to see how you would correct that.
Great video - thanks! Question: I'm new to this hobby (obsession, apparently, in my case) and I'm wondering about oiling the handle once before putting on the head so the interior wood is conditioned?
Very cool I have pretty much failed at hanging stuff but getting better this should help a lot next time.
Don't let your past fails sidetrack you from trying to hang an ax. It's part of the process ""failing and then learning" buy cheap handles and practice I guess is my opinion. It's fun remember you can always get wood anywhere take care of the ax heads LOL. Good luck.
@@Donlewis4683 my thoughts practice makes better. have a great week.
Tight fit man!!! I did a single jack, didn't look half as good as yours!!, got a German axe at a estate sale for 8 dollars, had 13 nails, screws in it,alot of wood missing, my buddy said fill it up with wood filler, what do you think??
Wish I'd been able to watch this before the first time I hung an axe. I leave off sanding at about 100 grit for a more secure grip.
Great video what brand was the red rasp you used to shape the handle? Cheers
Thanks for making this video! Enjoyed watching it. Spotted the bevel gauge on your bench and will mention to Brandon that you need some WR logo scrapers to complement the gauge! @Whiskey River Question - Do you ever try to dry fit the wedge or do you find you've got it down pat on most heads? I find getting the right depth the first time can be a challenge, but haven't done many restorations.
Thanks brother. Good to meet you at maker camp.
Hey, some how I missed the rest of you comment. I don’t dry fit the wedges. I will typically decide wedge width and length depending on the type of wood, and do my best to prep the kerf to fit.
Loved the vid. Step 10. What type oil did you use?
Boiled linseed oil.
Thank you.
Nice job, any suggestions on how to cut a wedge slot without a bandsaw?😢👍
I have the same head on a 34” hickory ……nice weight and balance
Great video, I have an 30c on order from whiskey river. Any good tips for hanging a jersey head?? There’s no real good info online
My tip is to hang it the same a man a regular head. Don’t try to taper the sides sharply. Just a long gradual taper into the eye. The lugs spread out slightly more than the main body of the eye so it should taper just right.
The handle turned out well.
Your name says it all, you are truly a craftsman! Excellent job! I am an electrician by day but love to mess around with this stuff on my free time - love your shop setup, need to get a 2x72! Going thru your back catalog! Keep it up!
What type of oil is in that mason jar? Great video beautiful axe 🪓
you avoided having to throw that axe in the dustin ;)
Philadelphia checking in. How are you and the family Dustin? I hope well. Another awesome video. Well once again I was looking for your daughter LOL was she hiding? Or is she just too old for that anymore? Anyway that 3 lb plum ax hang was nice. I thought you were going to burn the handle to bring out the fine grain. Take care and I'll chat with you on the next video. 👍
Hi, I picked up a curved 32" Hoffman that ended up being the wrong size for a Collins Jersey i had. The eye section is 1"x 2 5/8. The eye of the axe head is more like 15/16" x 2 7/16. Is this more of a boy's axe head despite being 4lbs, or should I just be trimming the handle to fit?
Beauty
You should have mentioned to watch for eye and heel wear on old heads.
That’s a great point. Thanks for the addition.
I have yet to see in any "hanging" presentation that denotes, except for the obvious, which side of the axe head faces down the handle and which side faces up. Especially, where both sides of the blade are of the same length and curvature. Perhaps you could help out here. Thanks.
A lot of times if there's a name of the brand on there in Dustin's case it's a plum it'll say plum on it and if you read it upside down then the ax is upside down, if you get what I'm saying. Good luck
Hey Norman. What don said is true. “Typically” the stamp on the axe is on the left side, if the bit is facing away from you. There are a few brands that don’t follow that tradition, like Norlund, but it’s a good place to start. Even more “typically” an axe eye will be slightly larger at the top. Sometimes it’s just a 1/8 or 1/16, but again, that a good place to start when hanging. If the top and bottom of the eye are the same, and the head is symmetrical then you next step, is…hang it how ever you want😁😉. Thanks for the comment.
Wonderfully assembled video guys! I expected no less. Thanks for the support. Keep crushing it!
Thank you brother!
How to get the right size e axe handle for axe head
Handle length is about preference, but just make sure you buying the right head size for the eye of your axe.
Save Old That Axe?
Lol
poplar is a hardwood
Did you say that was a give away ? Lol
Id be pissed if i bought an axe head and some donut champfered the eye like that. Lord have mercy
I mean it's not horrible
Your video are almost about the videos I enjoy the most on KZhead... BUT the ones without your daughter "intervening" in the background are a bit less interesting :-)
Haha that's fair..... but she might be hidden somewhere.
Whiskey river axe handle looks like a dikc. Real talk, you"re going to have COPD if you don't start filtering out that dusty air.