How To Replace A Sledgehammer Or Maul Handle (5 Tips) 

Great tips. This is absolutely the best way to mount a sledge 100% As someone who worked for years in a stone quarry and has mounted hammers sometimes multiple times a day, I can tell you this method is the longest lasting and tightest way to do it. Hammering the bottom of the handle into the head will definitely create micro fractures in the grain that will most definitely split with hard use. Two tips I can add are: - always inspect the grain of the handle before you purchase it. Often times you can see spots where it will likely split or is already splitting. Look for very tight long grains that run the full length of the handle. - if you put the hammers through heavy abuse, wrap tape TIGHTLY just below the head and at the base of the handle. This helps to absorb shock and helps prevent delamination of the wood grain. Of all the hammers I used while splitting stone, the ones taped like this lasted the longest. Thanks again for posting the correct way to do this very old skill!

I mounted an 8 lb head to a new handle with your method and couldn't be happier with the result. I have a 10 lb head, picked up at a recycling depot and the new handle has been bought. Looking forward to a repeat experience. :-)

Very helpful. Saved an ancient sledge this way.

Good job . Straight and to the point

Very clear and easy to understand. Well presented

Great video, straight to the point.

It's never gonna come off for decades. Great video.

Very clearly explained. Thanks!

great info, easy steps, thanks brother

Excellent video and technique.

Great video. I'm ready to get started on the project. Thanks!

Good stuff Sir. Cheers!

Nice video. Just for the guys asking about removal. If you have time you can place the broken head on or close to a heat source like a coal furnace or oil burner. I do this for a couple days and it helps dry out the broken handle making it a little easier to knock out.

Great tip. Thank you.

Very helpful! TYVM

Has anyone tried using glycol anti freeze , after all the work is done putting the hammer head to the handle , soak head in antifreeze, Preston, or something like that . The wood will swell with the antifreeze solution . Old logger's trick . Great video makes simple, anyone can do it. Repair don't throw away.

Great tip easy installation

Video starts at 1:30

great job , buddy, about to try it (-:

Do you have any videos for putting handles on shovels?

Great Great info

thank you well done

Thank you for info great info..wondering when you order a handle from hardware store if it comes with wedge and steel wedge you put on top of sledgehammer head ..we have a lockdown here in canada and we just order by calling store...thank you

One thing to remember is to make sure that the wood grIn goes with the hammer heads length and not across the hammer head.

wow, that's great, this tutorial is awesome. What if I want to change the handle with metal shaft/pipe, do you have video on this?

We have 2 black Hathorn trees. We have been told the branches make wonderful tool handles. Have you ever made a handle from scratch?

restoring tools. seed it properly. as tight as possible. just barely starts to go into the end of the head here, and that is actually fitting really, really nice. pound this down. if it's too tight, use a rasp and start removing some material. be very careful that you don't remove too much, because you always want a tight fit. just a few light passes on here will do the trick. insert the handle into the head itself as HARD as you can, then turn it down and stike this part. start the handle insertion into the head. that works perfect for me. you want that. that shows how tight it is. that's exactly what you're looking for. lubricate it as you're pounding it down. it wasn't a mega-tight fit, it is tight enough and that's gonna serve its purpose really, really well. you want that thing to be insanely tight in there, and that's what we've achieved. you want a fine-toothed saw blade here, and we've got one of our Japanese saws, and we're gonna cut that off just a little bit at the top of the head. moisturize that wood. check out our tool store. LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, LEAVE COMETS IN THE COMET SECTION BELOW!

I know with Axes, there's a top and bottom to the head because the eye is tapered. is this true with sledgehammers?

I was interested to see the slot in the end of the handle. How did that come about - did you saw it in yourself? My new handle has none, so I suppose I'll have to saw a slot in to it. Any advice on this? To me, that's potentially the most important part of the job.

Great video - really helped me to do this - though after oiling the wooden wedge, it pops out as soon as it gets really tight, am I missing something? thanks

Interesting video, I got a 20 Pound Sledge Hammer that has a broken handle & I was hoping to see how to remove it from the head, it's got a ring of steel in the center of the top of the handle instead of a straight wedge I I was hoping to see how that's supposed to be removed.

Restorage the love

Just epoxied a fiberglass handle to an old 14lb head. Good to go.

Can I use the same handle?

I bought a sledgehammer handler but it has no place for the wooden wedge. Could I just use a metal wedge or should I saw into the handle and also buy a wooden wedge?

Did my 10 pounder yesterday. :-)

I tap it in to get a good start. Then i take a mallet and hit the handle. I don't think it makes a difference how it's done if your handle is the correct size for the eye of the head.

Where's the handle varnish prep video?

So if breaks the handle is no good?

I would however disagree with the amount of curled wood when seating the head. You stated that we want to see some curling. In my opinion the head should seat as far as possible without any curling wood.

If only it was as simple as all that. I tried to do this today and I wound up with the handle sitting at a weird angle in the head. It's not straight at all. Now I need to cut it off and start over from the beginning.

In the real world most likely you can't find a handle the fits.This is good if you find one that 100% your shape/size

Isn't the head upside down?

Man!, I am respectful n all. But when things are running hot and you got to make that piece of metal stick to the wood; cut a piece off, grab any shrap metal you can find, and make it snug. I have been so so frustrated I even tried wrapping wire around it. 😂🤣🤣. Ja, ja, ja... sorry 😁

the head is on the wrong way the writing should be on the bottom I think

I think that head was upside down. I've never seen a sledge where you'd want the weight or makers mark facing up.

Fiberglass and epoxy.

That dosent work at all