DIY wooden ax. Choosing wood for an axe. How to make a high-quality ax handle with your own hands: manufacturing rules

“It’s not a fur coat that warms a man, but an axe,” says folk wisdom. An indispensable assistant in the household, " right hand“for any carpenter – this is all about a very simple tool called an axe.

Whether it's an ax for the garden or for professional use, the demand for this tool will never go away.

A conscientious attitude towards operation, the ability to properly prepare a tool for work will not only help to avoid troubles, but will also serve as a guarantee of the successful completion of the planned work.

Experienced craftsmen know how to make an axe. Having understood the technology and studied practical recommendations, making an ax with your own hands is not difficult even for a non-professional.

Piercing attachment for an ax

When choosing a piercing metal part for a future ax, the quality of the material deserves special attention. Parts manufactured according to GOST are what you need.

You should avoid markings MRTU, OST or TU on the nozzle, because these designations allow for changes in technology during the pouring process of the part (the addition of third-party substances that affect the quality of the material is possible).

When a blade hits another, there should be no marks left on both. Curvature of the material, the presence of any kind of dents, and a curved blade axis are completely eliminated.

The importance of the handle

You can select the optimal length of the ax based on the height of the master and the force of the blow. Strength, in turn, directly depends on the length, so when working with a large ax, it will be easier to chop logs of firewood.

Before making a choice, you should decide on the desired result:

heavy version of the instrument ( total weight 1kg-1.4kg, handle length from 55 to 65 cm);
lightweight version (weight 0.8 kg-1 kg, with a length from 40 to 60 cm).

The quality of the wood from which the ax handle will be made is of great importance. Not every type of wood is suitable for manufacturing. Often, birch is used for these purposes (parts located near the roots or stem growths).

There are also handles made of oak, acacia, maple and other hardwoods. All selected workpieces require long-term drying.

After the wooden blank has dried well, the contours of the handle are drawn on it, according to a pre-made template. To avoid the hand slipping during operation and to increase the convenience of the ax, it is necessary to provide a thickening at the end of the handle.

A knife, chisel, or electric jigsaw will help you cut out the outline.

After trying on the ax head and not finding any signs of a loose fit of the parts, you can safely continue improving the ax handle. Glass will help you scrape the tool, and sandpaper will be useful for grinding.

Attaching the piercing attachment to the handle

Correctly following the nozzle instructions will lead to excellent results:

The eye of the piercing part must be adjusted to top part ax handles, excess wood can be easily removed with a knife.

Make a mark on the ax handle where the piercing part will end. To do this, you need to place the handle lying down to avoid inaccuracies. Divide the resulting segment in half and make a corresponding mark.

Holding the ax handle while standing, you need to make a cut to the second mark. This is done with a hacksaw and used for a wedge.

Plan a wooden wedge similar to a previously purchased metal one. The width is equal to the size of the eye, the thickness of the product is from 5 to 10 mm, and the length is equal to the depth of the cut.

Having placed the board on the table, you need to place the piercing part on it, located upside down. Next, you should put this part on the handle and slowly start tapping it on the board.

From time to time you need to change the method of tapping from the piercing part to tapping with an axe.

As soon as the piercing part enters the eye, you need to place the ax vertically and insert a wooden wedge. A hacksaw for metal will help you cut off everything necessary materials, which as a result of the nozzle will be on top.

At the end, oil is applied to the handle and the product is thoroughly dried. The correct execution can be compared with the photo of the ax for the dacha posted below.

Blade sharpening

To avoid hassles that arise during work, it is necessary to take a responsible approach to sharpening the blade. Standard indicators of compliance with GOST:

sharpening angle for construction work equal to 20-30°;
for carpentry 35°.

Compliance with the sharpening requirements is very important. The mismatch between the degrees leads to the fact that when cutting with an ax, the blade gets stuck in the wood.

During initial sharpening, minor damage, nicks and gouges are eliminated. Afterwards, secondary sharpening is carried out. The end of the process is the grinding process, carried out with a fine-grained stone.

A tool made with your own hands according to instructions is always the most best ax, which may be in the country.

Photos of the best ax options for a summer residence

Selection the right material for an ax handle is very important; it is impossible to make a reliable ax if the wrong wood for the ax handle is chosen.
For an ax you can only use hard wood deciduous trees.
The wood must be well dried: standard drying of lumber to 8-12% humidity is not enough; it is advisable to take wood dried in special chambers or keep the workpiece for a long time in a very dry place - on heating radiators or on a stove. Additional drying allows you to avoid loosening of the ax due to drying out due to loss of moisture in conditions with variable temperature and humidity - winter/summer, damp forest/flooded apartment.

Choosing the type of wood for making an ax

Ash

Ash, in our opinion, is one of the best materials for making an axe. Ash wood is quite affordable: well-dried ash lumber of the required quality is used for finishing and making furniture. In a large wood trading organization you can usually choose a block required size and quality.
The strength of ash is beyond praise. In terms of wood density, hardness and durability, it is close to oak, but at the same time it is quite elastic. Spear shafts and battle ax handles were usually made from ash. Currently, instrument handles and gymnastic bars are made from ash.

Ash wood is beautiful and can vary greatly in appearance. In one tree there is wood that differs in color and grain pattern. When making axes, we focus not on the beauty of the design, but on the arrangement of the fibers, which ensures greatest strength. We can only suggest choosing an ax with a darker or lighter ax handle from those available in stock.

American walnut

American walnut handle, untreated and polished, impregnated linseed oil.
American walnut has fairly hard, tough and durable wood. It polishes perfectly and after that acquires excellent appearance. We impregnate the axes of our axes with ordinary linseed oil and do not use stains; as a result, the axes retain their appearance for a long time and are pleasant to the touch.

Jatoba

Ax handles made of jatoba and ash

Jatoba wood has high impact strength and is well suited for the manufacture of sports equipment and tool handles, suitable for the manufacture of steam-bent parts and is often used in furniture production. The wood is very durable, hard, tough, and surpasses oak wood in strength. Jatoba is beautifully processed and has an unsurpassed appearance. Perhaps this is the most beautiful wood from which it makes sense to make ax handles.
Jatoba is excellent for making ax handles, especially if the ax requires not only functionality, but also high aesthetic qualities.

Hickory

Hickory is widely used for the handles of axes, hammers, picks and other tools in America and Canada. The wood is strong, elastic, and quite durable.

Oak and beech

They have a beautiful structure, are strong, durable, fairly easy to process, and affordable. Unfortunately, both breeds have disadvantages when making ax handles. Oak is too hard and dries out your hand when cutting. However, when we mounted a felling ax on a long (about a meter) oak ax handle, the recoil was no longer transmitted to the hand - the length of the ax absorbed the blow. Beech cuts perfectly, has beautiful surface, but very hygroscopic. To protect a beech ax from moisture, simply impregnating it with oil will not be enough.

Birch

The most common ax handles in Russia are birch, although it is difficult to call birch wood the best option. Perhaps, if you use split dies from the butt part of a silver birch, cut down and dried in a certain way, you can get an excellent product. But the availability of such material leaves much to be desired: even if it is possible to select a birch trunk of the required quality cut down in winter, and there is a place for drying with the required parameters, the drying time will still be more than a year. In addition, birch easily absorbs water and is spoiled by microorganisms, so in addition to thorough initial impregnation, further care during operation.
Making a high-quality ax handle from birch can only be recommended to those who value the process self-made and who is willing to spend significant time and effort on preparing wood.
The quality of mass-sold birch ax handles is extremely low; sold birch lumber is also not suitable as a material for ax handles.

Maple ax handles

Maple showed itself good material for making ax handles. In addition to sufficient strength and elasticity, maple has beautiful texture and polishes well. The ax handle, made of maple, has a wonderful appearance.

Acacia

In order from top to bottom in the photo: ax handle made of ash, acacia, American walnut. The ax is mounted on a polished American walnut handle impregnated with linseed oil.
Acacia has hard and durable wood; axes are often made from it in the southern regions.

Ax handle strength

The fracture strength of the ax is ensured by the arrangement of the fibers along the ax and the strength of the wood. Cross-layering is unacceptable, with the exception of blanks made from chopped dies of twisted wood, in which case significant strength can be achieved during manufacturing given the arrangement of the layers.

Service life of the ax

The durability of a properly made ax is determined by the resistance of the wood to impact and compression. The part of the ax located in the eye experiences very significant loads; over time, it can become wrinkled and the ax head becomes loose. The service life is determined by the type of wood (the harder the better), drying (a poorly dried ax handle will “get wet” very quickly), and the density of the attachment: precise fitting and tight attachment (by blows or pressing) significantly increase durability. Properly made axes can work under heavy loads for years without requiring repairs.
If a properly made and mounted ax handle becomes loose, it can be repaired. In the case of a direct attachment (when the ax is placed on top of the tapering end of the ax handle and then wedged), the ax should be set back and an additional wedge made of hardwood should be hammered in. It is also possible to use a flat or round metal wedge.
When the ax is mounted in reverse (the ax handle is passed through a cone-shaped eyelet from top to bottom), no loosening occurs, since during operation the loads are directed towards the expanding end of the ax handle and the ax is only fitted more tightly.

The main selection criteria hand tools quality and convenience are generally considered. How well it fits in your hand largely determines the flawlessness of the work done with its help. These requirements are most relevant for an ax, when using high performance labor and safety depend on the material of the ax and its correct attachment.

Considering that the dynamic load on an ax is quite high, and working with it is associated with an increased risk of injury, especially with inept handling or lack of experience, you need to know how to make an ax handle correctly and be able to mount it.

Types of axes

There are several types of axes, and each has its own purpose. Professionals distinguish this tool by the width of the butt, which can be wide, medium and narrow. However, some use it for universal works, others are for cutting wood, and some varieties are used for neat carpentry work.

Main types of axes:

cleavers;
for felling forests;
construction;
tourist.

Within each of these groups there are various options tools designed for narrow-profile or other special works.

A striking example of this is a fire ax. Its design is no different from others, but opposite the blade it has a pointed pickaxe. With its help, you can hook heavy objects, secure yourself on the roof, or break door locks.

Handle differences

Ax handle is the name of the handle for an axe. There are many varieties made from various materials. Plastic and metal items are not in widespread demand, and their practicality can be confidently questioned. The most common wooden components of the tool are capable of dampening inertial vibrations during operation.

Classification of axes by handle:

There are a number of other varieties, but they are classified as professional, intended for special work that requires specific skills.

For example, an ax with a straight short handle and a small sharp blade beveled at an angle is used for wood carving.

Handle attachment

To figure out how to properly attach an ax to an ax handle, you need to decide on the attachment method. There are several of them and they depend on professional skill, experience and material of the product. It will take a little time, some carpentry tools and wedges.

Methods for attaching an ax:

Welding. This method is suitable for axes with a metal handle.
Gluing. The ax butt and ax handle are glued together using epoxy glue in a special chamber.
Wedging - this method is most preferable for carrying out the procedure at home. The ax needs to be put on the handle and wedged.

The handle must be prepared in advance. The junction with the butt must be processed so that it tapers slightly, but at the same time ensures a tight fit. At the very end of the handle, a longitudinal cut is made for subsequent installation of the wedge.

Having firmly seated the butt, you may encounter the fact that part of the wooden handle will protrude beyond its limits. This is normal; the excess will need to be sawed off after finishing the work. After this, a metal wedge is hammered in.

Sometimes wooden wedges are used, but it should be borne in mind that their density should be significantly higher than that of the material from which the handle is made. Before hammering, they are lubricated with wood glue.

Driving multiple wedges

In order for all the component parts of the tool to be securely fixed, they resort to wedging using several elements. On seat the handles make lattice-shaped cuts for five wedges. The width of the gaps should be 1 mm, and the depth should not be more than two-thirds of the butt.

Contrary to the claims of many professionals, Using the same material for the handle and wedge will result in weak fixation of the tool parts. Need to be used more dense wood, beech, oak or hornbeam are perfect. Handles are made from ash, birch or maple.

After adjusting the size of the wedges, they are driven two-thirds into the cuts and covered with gauze or a rag soaked in epoxy resin or wood glue. Then the butt is put on so that it provides the tightest possible connection. All components are clogged, and the instrument is left to dry.

Sharpening and hardening of an ax

Like any other tool, an ax needs periodic care and maintenance. Over time, when performing everyday work, the blade becomes dull and productivity decreases. In this case, it should be sharpened.

To perform this procedure efficiently, you need to know how to sharpen an ax correctly. General principle practically no different from sharpening ordinary knives using grinding machine, but you need to adhere to the rule of forming a burr.

To avoid over-sharpening, steel must be as strong as possible, and for this it must be hardened. At home, the procedure is performed using gas burner and used motor oil. The blade is heated to red and immersed in processing, then completely cooled in water. The procedure is repeated several times.

Handle with your own hands

It is not always possible to use a factory-made ax handle. In this case, you can make an ax handle with your own hands according to the drawings. In this case, you need to start by choosing the type of wood. The most the best option For such an instrument, birch is considered, but maple or ash can be used.

When making a handle, you need to immediately adjust it to the dimensions of the butt of the existing blade. The main criterion should be the ease of working with the future tool. That's why special attention focus should be on conforming to the dimensions indicated in the drawings.

On a block of suitable dimensions that does not have knots or cracks, a sketch of the handle is made. Then the excess parts are sawed off and cut off with a knife. The place for planting under the butt must be trimmed and the entire product sanded to perfect condition.

The ax is considered an equally important device in household, during a simple hike or hunt, like a knife. It is not always possible to take it if people are going on a hike lightly, but for such a case there is different types this device. About how to create axes various types, you can find out below.

Battle ax

The military product is distinguished by the presence of a small butt and a small, simple blade. This is a fairly light standard hatchet with dimensions of up to 0.8 kg on a long handle (from 0.5 m and more). The product comes in different types.

In order to make this ax, you need to work with a standard carpenter's blade. The top piece will have to be cut to create a straight line. The edge from the bottom of the chopping head is removed with a hook, and the simple blade is rounded from the bottom.

Next, the surface of the device is cleaned to a shine and burned with a fire flame. The attachment of this product should be such that the edge at the bottom of the blade and the tip of the ax are connected by a certain line, which will help to avoid auxiliary loads on the handle.

The best material for creating an ax handle would be butt of a simple birch. On the ax handle, where the head loop will end, you need to make a hole obliquely, and then create a slot for the wedge near the created hole. Then the head must be placed on the ax handle, and a wedge coated with glue must be driven into the gap.

Wood product

A wooden hatchet cannot compare with the work of an iron one, but sometimes it is very necessary. Thanks to its light weight, it is easy to take on a hike to chop simple branches, and it can also be used as a weapon for training or at home.

How to create this product? The ax handle and head can be made either individually or as a whole structure. The material selected is strong, dry, and fiber-free. It is worth taking oak or maple.

To create a blade and an ax in a separate process, you will need 2 lumps, sawn in half, on which a template is placed. Then they are simply glued and connected completely. The blade of the device must be sharpened and burned with a flame or covered with a steel plate made in accordance with its bend.

Hunting ax

A hunting tool must have excellent handle balance to perform the correct shots. It is best to use an all-metal device, because it will reduce the likelihood that the ax handle will fall apart when cutting a carcass or when cutting the bones of an animal. If there is no chance to forge such a product, you can make it yourself from a blade and a wooden axe.

Before creating an ax designed for hunting or fishing trips, it is necessary to make a thin wedge-shaped blade. The blade is processed with a disc with a small abrasive; you should try to give it a round shape (but not like a semicircle) and not overdo it with sharpness.

Then you need to harden the iron. To create an ax handle, a special birch, rowan or elm is used. To find out the correct length of the ax, you need to take it by one end, and the particle with the attachment for the product should touch the ankle. When placing a blade on a part, its end must be wedged for better fixation. After this, an oblique cut is made and a wedge is placed.

It would be great if the wedge was made of the same material as the ax handle. It can be placed on glue, and if the inner part of the butt becomes loose, the problem will be quickly solved if you soak the device in some water. You should not use a metal wedge, as it will begin to rust and damage the wood.

For hunting birds and small game, the ax is designed to be light, weighing up to a thousand grams, and up to sixty centimeters long. To hunt a large animal, its length must be at least 65 centimeters and its weight must be a thousand grams. You also need to look at the height and weight of the person who is hunting.

Do-it-yourself ax handle

Drawings will first be required to create this product. This is a very important device that is not difficult to make. In order to make it, you will need:

Wood blank.
Knife.
Carpenter's tools.
Cutting device.
Pencil.
File.
Hammer.

The creation process itself will be performed in a certain order:

Create a template on paper. The ax of the finished device is placed on the cardboard and outlined with a simple pencil. They cut it out.
A block is made from dried wood. The particle of the workpiece on which the ax part will be placed must exceed the dimensions of the metal eye by two or three mm.
The contours of the template are transferred to a wooden blank. You should leave a margin of ten mm at the front, and ninety mm at the rear.
Cuts are made transversely along the top and bottom of the wooden block, the depth of which is a couple of mm short of the selected contours of the ax handle.
The fitting of a metal part is carried out using hammer blows. If everything is fine, they clean it.
The almost finished base is sharpened everywhere with a blade. They try to smooth out the corners and transitions with a file. At the end everything is polished sandpaper.
Using a small hammer, knife and chisel, the workpiece is finished until required form. Place a knife in place of the cut and slowly tap it with a hammer. That's it, the ax handle is done.

It's no secret that an ax is indispensable carpenter's tool. In addition, the ax is especially useful in the household: from chopping wood to home repairs.

This article examines issues related to the manufacture of a taiga-type axe, because finding such useful tool It’s quite difficult on the market, and it will cost a lot. The article provides additional useful information, which will tell you which ax is best to choose for certain needs.

What should a taiga ax be like?

Such an ax, thanks to its special parameters, which are radically different from the characteristics and sizes of “classical” axes, is an indispensable assistant when performing many tasks, such as:

Tree cutting. Be it carpentry work or simple blank firewood for the winter - taiga ax will help you complete the task quickly and efficiently;
Rough processing of logs – removal of branches, other similar work;
A tool as a way of “survival” - any catalog of axes will confirm the statement that the taiga ax is ideal for hunting, preparing bags and traps;
Creation of a hut and flooring, construction wooden house as soon as possible;
Preparation of firewood.

In cases where the work requires special precision, the best option is a forged ax with a long blade. Cutting down trees with such an ax is not very effective, but accuracy plays an important role.

Distinctive features of the taiga type ax

Most people do not see the difference between a taiga and an ordinary ax at all. So what are the differences between these two types of axes?

The length of the roundness of the blade means that the taiga ax is lighter in weight;
Long beard - additional protection from deformation and breaking. Typically absorbs up to 60% of impact force;
Special sharpening - allows you to use the ax as a standard cleaver, when choosing the right blow. In this case, the leading edge of the blade is twice as wide as the rear. The edge of a regular ax has the same thickness;
Special angle of inclination of the ax - reduces hand fatigue, increases the overall coefficient useful action while working.

Making a taiga ax head

It is worth purchasing an ordinary carpenter's ax, the head of which will weigh 1400-1500 grams.

From the front we cut off the protrusion of the blade flush with the butt. We form the roundness of the back of the blade - the grinder will help us with this. It is necessary to cut off all the metal so that there are no corners left.

We move on to the inside of the blade - carefully cut out a semicircle, which is necessary for a more comfortable grip. In addition, this manipulation can significantly reduce the weight of the head. To further reduce the weight and increase the maneuverability of the ax, it is necessary to cut down top corners butt.

Sharpening is done using an emery machine. For best results, install a large circle with medium grain. In addition, sharpening should be done on both sides.

Making an ax handle for a taiga ax

It is worth noting that choosing the right wood is the key to success in making a high-quality taiga ax. Ideal options will become maple and ash. Simpler options are birch and pine. The latter is perfectly polished and sharpened, but is extremely unreliable due to its fragility.

Below are the instructions:

Selection of lumps - without knots or defects. Processing and drying - the tree is cleared of bark and split in the middle. Wood should be dried at +25°, with a humidity level of 15%. Aging lasts two months.

Creating a mold - we will need a hatchet or a large knife to remove the main wood. In addition, do not forget about a chisel and a small hammer - these tools will be needed for smaller jobs.