Epic Fail: I Learned A Valuable Lesson...i Think. 

The fact you made an Axe Handle, is a Win. Most folks have trouble opening a Box. You did a great Job! Mistakes, can only be made when doing a thing, learning by them is the gift.

The important thing is that you said you enjoyed throughout this project, so all is good. I think those 30 minutes I "wasted" were well spent... You're the man!

BEAUTIFUL JOB my Pal George. I would be proud to have that axe you worked over. Hey , it cut wood... That's always a good sign. Be proud George, you worked hard on that great old axe.

I used to make cigar box guitars and one of the last ones I made. Probably the prettiest one I’ve ever made. I spent so much time only to string it up and realize there was a fisher in the neck and the neck split on me along the grain in the wood. It’s just the nature of working with natural materials. I love this video. It was very encouraging. You model patients and endurance very well. Thank you!🙏💪

My Father, always said "a lesson learned, is a lesson earned" i believe this is a very wise statement... 2CG, failure is something we all have, its how you deal with that builds your character!!! GREAT JOB!!! 🗡🙏🔥👍

For the beginning ripping the wood to size, I highly recommend a pull saw, like a Shark saw - they cut on the Pull stroke, and are available in different tooth sizes. You can speed it up that way, versus a normal handsaw. 👍🏻👍🏻 Nice video again, inspiring to see people saving & restoring old tools.

I give you all the credit in the world for making your own axe handle I don't consider it a fail just part of the process of learning how to. And like you said it will have a wonderful hatchet handle😊 I have been restoring air rifles and pistols for decades and I'm learning new and better ways all the time and have learned a lot about knife restoration from you in a relatively short period of time I appreciate all you bring us and enjoy every video/learning experience 😊❤

Thank you for posting this video. And for your perseverance.

Don't give up George. There are many of us with worst skill/luck than you. You are an inspiration. Glue and wire wrap it and see what happens. Bugger on.

Thank you George. I appreciate you sharing when things don't turn out so well so I can also learn. I found out the hard way even factory axe and pick handles may have flaws. Take care.

Respect for posting, we have all had those moments and most of us try to hide those experiences. This lets everyone have an opportunity to see that it happens to the best of us. Also quite surprised i didn't hear any censor bleeps 😂

I would not have even tried to make a handle. I would have bought one. Kudos for making one and finishing it. The next handle will work.

It was a beautiful handle. Grain also needs to go up & down down length of handle, not sideways. You could drill holes down length from spine to belly & put in dowels & glue them in. Might fix the old one same way, if head end is long enough to cut the bad off. Definitely disappointing but it was a good looking handle. Send some of that rain my way. I bet we haven't gotten 4/10 of an inch in last 3 months or more. If it stops raining go on a walkabout or fishing & reboot. Take care & have a great day.

Great video, thank you 😊 tremendous amount of work, showing what can be done with just hand tools.

Good first attempt George; An important point with axe handles is you not only need straight grain but the growth rings have be in line (parallel) with the axe head for maximum strength. Good luck with attempt #2.

I think you can study and research all you want before a project, but things like these will happen, and one learns with experience. Thanks for sharing this project, George.

I just finished a SHAPLEIGH HARDWARE D-E diamond edge ax , I understand how you feel. Making a hardwood handle from scratch with hand tools is a huge deal ! You did an amazing job ! Well done George !

Kudos to ya for even trying to make that handle. Sucks that it split! Keep on truckin’! Take care.

My wife and I watched this during lunch. She asked why you did not just buy a new handle from the start. I told her that sometimes people like to create. Make from scratch. I'm sure you felt great those first few swings. I would have. Tha ks for sharing.

Awesome work, loved the video. To take something that is nothing and turn it into a beautiful something is amazing. And stuff.... well happens, but that does not take away from what you made and how much we enjoyed the video; It only provides more experience...

George my man ! I really felt for you when that shaft split. Ive been there several times too, one bit of grain can destroy weeks of work. BUT, we learn hard lessons the best my dad said, and i reckon hes right. The dignity with which you dealt with it is a credit to you mate, and an inspiration to me to keep trying. Love your vids, my kids and i watch them together ( after ive watched them on coz im a keener) and my son Byron has started trying out your techniques on his own projects. Hes 10, which makes you a role model and inspirational figure to young 'uns 😂😂😂 Keep up the good work 2CG, i know youll be back. 🤘👑

The only way we succeed is through growth. You now know what to do different on the next handle. You succeeded in making a axe handle.

I love the old Kelly "Perfect " axes, I own several double bit, and a few single bit pole axes. I love the way they ring when you use them.

Beautiful looking axe handle, George. A lot of hard labor, effort and time put into a restore. Sorry you had a failure. Sadly, I saw it from the beginning. The wood grain was exactly opposite of what you should have used. Next time, cut the wood out so the grain runs verttically, not horizontally. An easy way to check it is to look at the end grain. Cut it out so the end grain runs the same direction as the axe head. Chalk it up to a lesson learned and keep on keepin' on! You're doin' great with the restores, George! Don't let a setback get to ya.

George, the grain run out is the main reason it broke, but also, you want the grain running in line with the axe not across. So think about hitting something with a book (the pages being the grain of the wood) it's a lot sturdier to hit something with the spine of the book as opposed to hitting the face of the book on something. So basically, you want the grain running down the front and back of the handle, not the sides. Hope this helps.

always learn from every project

A cedar roofing shingle or a shim for doors and windows would work for a axe head wedge as they are tapered the only issue is are they to soft? If they make the window and door shims out of oak or ash that would work great If you epoxy the split than wrap it with a heavy twine above and over the split and past the split , the way we learn is by doing and sometimes being unsuccessful but you did a beautiful job

Yup, might still make a hatchet handle👍And the fact that you show failures as well as successes, makes you 100% real, buddy. Cheers!

Hi George! We watch a channel called Old Iron - Axe and Tool. He is all about vintage axes and tools and how to refurbish and make axe handles, etc. He is very knowledgeable. We love learning with you! Thanks for sharing 💖

Tractor supply- new handle, hickory - cheap!

Oh George I think Walnut was the wrong choice most axe handles are Ash or Hickory still you made an Axe handle which not many people have but really buy a handle for that Axe spend your time on something else, sorry all that hard work was wasted and again brave of you to show how not everything works out, better luck with next project your friends will be watching and cheering you on. 😁

I’m always amazed at your level of skill and patience in your projects. If that were my axe handle, I would open up that crack, glue/epoxy it and then leather wrap the handle from the head to just passed where the split occurred. I believe that would solve the problem and make the handle usable as is. Just a thought, good luck!

NICE egg & Spam shirt! 👍👍

Nice work carving that Handle👍 there are only a few woods that are suitable for Axe handle. Hickory being the proven choice. Walnut is beautiful for gun stock and furniture but not very strong-it splits and fractures easily. Stay safe my friend

Thanks for sharing this video.

Thanks for the video, live and learn.

It was a great job George; i was impressed with your stay to it attitude. I was thinking maybe a cane somehow. Something will come to you. Rog

Hey George s..t happens. You did a great job making the handle and should be proud how of it turned out, except for the break, of course. The head looks good too.

You're a good man, George.

I feel for you, buddy...Such a beautiful wood and hard by it's nature...but that grain rules the response to stress...I know glued joints tend to be stronger than the wood around it, but grain would still be an issue for future use...like the idea of salvaging the lower handle for an axe...look forward to that project...thanks for the vid....Jim

A cedar roofing shingle or a shim for doors and windows would work for a axe head wedge as they are tapered the only issue is are they to soft? If they make the window and door shims out of oak or ash that would work great If you epoxy the split than wrap it with a heavy twine above and over the split and past the split

A cedar roofing shingle or a shim for doors and windows would work for a axe head wedge as they are tapered the only issue is are they to soft? If they make the window and door shims out of oak or ash that would work great That’s a beautiful job George walnut is awfully pretty wood

Great job, but make the next one with the grain rurned 90 degrees. It needs to be up-and-down the same orientation as the axe head.👍

Hickory George. Nothing but hickory. And with the grain running as vertical as you can get it.

Looks great nice work turned out beutifull

you can glue the handle. the head is easily cleaned up with a bench top wirewheel. walnut is not good for axe handles.

Southern Hickory, George.

Hickory makes the best handles for the axe

Sorry you had all that hard work ruined ,but at least you have learned from the journey. You need to fail in order to learn , nothing is a failure ,failure is not trying at all ,God bless you 🙏. Lee

Hello George! It's a shame about all the work and time you put into it. Bye choosing the wood, I was worried that it wouldn't work out well and when I saw the wood grain after oiling it, I was sure that the axe handle would break. But not quite so quickly. The choice of wood type (tough, elastic, long-fibered - Hickory, Oak, Ash, Robinia) is incredibly important. And then it also depends on how the wood grain, i.e. the annual rings, are positioned in relation to the load axis of the tool and how dense the annual rings are. Many, fine, thin annual rings per inch indicate that the wood has grown slowly and this type of wood is therefore always more stable than a few wide annual rings.

Heal well soon!

You can glue it togheter, if done proper it won't break again on the glued part. :)

That’s what is known around West Virginia as a broad head single bit axe.

Great job making the handle, sorry it broke but what I love about your projects is you don't use power tools

After you soaked the ax, the color showed the difference in the temper of the edge and the rest of the ax.

Hi George, sorry I haven't been texting ya, but I had my knee surgery on Tuesday, and it hurts so bad. But you did a great Job on the Axe.

Sorry you had such bad luck with that handle. I was trying to straighten a bent punch on an old Western camp knife yesterday and snapped it off everything I've touched lately turns to poop.

That wooden axe handle would make a lovely handle for a MORA blade? Or something from RAGWEED FORGE. Its good solid wood, dont just toss it out or burn it.

Better to try and fail then to have never tried at all!

Well it looked beautiful its a shame about the crack happening. When you were talking about the grain did you mean you should of made it vertical as in inline with the cutting edge?

George : I noticed when you had finished the profile of the handle #1 You should have reversed the grane #2 It was to thin in the spot where it cracked. I could see the handle was to thin Well Better luck next time. GOOD TRY THOUGH !

One more comment: thanks for turning a painful outcome into a learning lesson. *The branch you were chopping through, it’s strongest in it’s horizontal axis, the axe blade is compressing the wood, if your wood is in a vertical alignment the axe head can fracture it easier and split two pieces apart.

Hickory is king for axe handles next is ash then white oak. Ive made a lot of axe handles walnit being very pretty not the best for handles makes good wedges though. Also i believe thats either a Michigan or dayton pattern axe head

Still a good video. Thank you.

i’ve made many axe and hatchet handles. i tested a lot of different woods including Black Walnut. Walnut is a no go. it has no structural strength for striking tool handles. i wished i’d caught this before you did all that work

👍

What happened to the live last night?

You did made an axe 🪓!!! You can't grow your knowledge if you dont make mistakes and learn from them. No matter how long it took you did it and learned from it!! Very good video to learn from.