Sooner or later, a wooden ax handle has to be replaced, since the metal head of an ax is stronger than a wooden handle, both mechanically and in withstanding external adverse factors.
Removing the old ax
To facilitate the process of removing the old ax head, it is better to cut it off almost immediately behind the back edge of the ax head. In order not to bother with wooden wedges, it is necessary to drill through the rest of the ax handle with a drill and, thereby, loosen its fit. Now all that remains is to knock out the piece of wood by hitting it with a hammer from the front side.
It is useful to consider the quality of the old tool attachment from the knocked-out part. The remaining trace shows that it was carried out according to all the rules. The fastening of the new wooden part of the ax must be done in exactly the same way.
Because due to the moisture contained in the wooden element, the mounting hole of the head may have traces of oxidation, which should be removed with rolled medium-grit sandpaper.
Attaching a new ax
Now you can start fitting a new ax handle with ready-made grooves for spacer wedges. We insert the handle into the inlet hole at first only with the help of hand strength approximately 1/4 of the insertion length.
Then, holding the ax handle in a canopy with the head below, we hit its upper end with a mallet as many times as it takes for the lower end of the handle to come out of the mounting hole in the head by about 10-15 mm. Moreover, during the attachment process, it is necessary to ensure that the ax head does not skew to one side or the other in the longitudinal and less often in the transverse direction.
Now you need to make sure that the ax head is in its proper place. To do this, draw a line on the tree with a pencil along the exit edge of the insertion, and again vigorously hit the free end of the handle with a mallet several times.
If after additional blows the head remains in the same place, then the attachment can be considered complete. Otherwise, the process must be continued until the heads stop moving along the ax handle.
The wedge should be made from the same type of wood as the handle. Its width should be equal to the longitudinal size of the hole, have a uniform taper and thickness: at the end 3-5 mm, at the base - about 1/3 of the transverse size of the handle.
Before installation, generously lubricate the end and groove of the ax handle, as well as the wedge on all sides, with melted linseed oil until the wood stops absorbing it.
To prevent the wedge from cracking and, moreover, from splitting, we hammer it into the groove intended for it with measured blows of a mallet, using a suitable piece of wooden block with smooth parallel edges as a guide. Moreover, during impacts, the beam must completely cover the area of the upper end of the wedge.
As soon as the wedge stops entering the groove, we can assume that it has taken its rightful place. Excessive zeal in this case is not recommended, as it can lead to breakage of the wedge.
We clamp the handle in a carpenter's vice and use a hand saw with fine teeth to cut off the excess ax handle protruding from the outlet hole of the ax head along with part of the wedge. Moreover, the cut must be made 5-7 mm away from the edge of the hole in the head. This belt will loosen over time and, along with the wedge, will keep the ax head from sliding off the handle.
We drive a factory or homemade metal wedge diagonally closer to the center of the exit section of the ax handle, first with a hammer, and then through a metal extension so that it is flush with the end of the handle. Surely, the new ax handle will reliably serve no less time than the previous one.
