No More Broken Axe Handles 2 | Wranglerstar 

When pinning something like that, you should drill the hole in the handle a couple millimeters offset (in this case, offset toward the back of the handle) so that as you press the pin in, it pulls the collar tight to the handle.

love the finished product, I put heavy mechanics wire wrapped very tightly and tapped each wrap to the contours of the axe head as I went with a blunt cold chisel. I held each end in position with a very small nail with a head big enough to wrap the wire around before I drove it all the way home. the starting point gets buried under the wire leaving only the end opposite the head visible.

Great video Mr Wranglerstar! My dad used to do something similar for our old splitting mauls & axes when my brothers & I were old enough to cut wood in the bush with him. He used mechanics wire & double wrapped it real tight from about 6" out right tight to the head & back. I learned a tip from a man we used to call the axe handle king of Muskoka. He used 3 1/2 inch galvanized framing nails for rivets with a 3/16 hole on wooden handled implements, worked like a charm.

Just wanted you to know that you've inspired how I work on my wood projects lately. I'm making a few Christmas gifts out of resawn reclaimed timbers and taking my time to do it right. It feels good and the finished product is much more satisfying. Thanks!

Just got back from trouble shooting my snowblower. Time for some Wranglerstar therapy to get me through the night. Much healthier than drinking.

A heat gun and a piece of old black plastic water pipe work really well also.

We have a husqvarna rifle with the same symbol 6.5x55 caliber. Great video glad you finally got a husqvarna axe to review.

A few ideas: 1.For cutting the material to wrap handle: Use a piece of bristle paper; thin but ridged using the same scribe like you did. You wrap, trim, and fit it each time just as you did the metal until perfect, then you have a pattern w/out maring your handle. I've used this for making leather sheaths and similar projects as yours; metals, leather, polymers. 2. I think anyone doing a project like this understands that drilling or adding a fastener compromises the handle. A couple knife makers I know use some nearly indestructible epoxies that you can't even burn them off the blade. An prior commenter mentioned this and I would like to second that idea using a ridged polymer (Kevlar, nylon), or a heavy treated rawhide. Your vision, mission, or ministry... I'm not sure what you label your show as... Is an inspiration in all facets of life and appreciate what you and your family are doing.

I use some nice thick nylon string wrapped a couple of layers thick just below the head of my maul. Simple to apply, works a treat and is easy to replace when it gets damaged. I would think it would also absorb more of the power of a missed strike than sheet metal would.

I know you'll keep us posted on the result. I'm sure there are many ways to accomplish this task, but I like that you did it the way you decided. Sometimes you just have to dig in and work the problem otherwise the problem works you. Thanks for taking us along for the build, Cody.

Wranglerstar, PLEASE use some light gloves - those cut edges are very sharp. They also enable you to hold the part a bit more securely. As for getting old - this year I had cataracts removed from my very near-sighted eyeballs - took about 7-8 minutes per eye, and the inserted lenses enabled me to have perfect vision for the first time in my life. Wonderful! The surgeon was a target shooter like me, and made my right eye a bit more acute then the left - 20/15 in right, 20/20 in left, so I can see the "X" a lot sharper.UT - my aged eyes no longer flex as do younger ones, so I have "half-eye" reading glasses. One drawback for me is that my regular glasses also served as safety glasses, so now I have an added bit of equipment. As a gunsmith - the magnification of the reading glasses helps immensely. many thanks for all your so very informative videos.

hey wranglerstar I had no idea there were so many experts on a givin subject until I started reading comments on your videos. I commend you, I dont know how you do it. keep up the good work brother.

Nice idea with the collar. Just figured out how I'll be doing my axe. Make a template with a paper bag. Trace it on an old stainless steel sink. Cut the steel with a dremmel. Coat the handle area and steel with rubber cement. Let it dry out and become tacky. Wrap the steel around the handle. Permanent bond. Repeat rubber cementing steps with Leather over Steel. Thanks for another excellent video.

I've been doing this for years and can say it does work, (when compared to no protector at all). Mine have never been as pretty, but I put some inner tube material under the metal as a shock absorber. I fasten the metal on the back with small pan-head screws so no big hole through the hickory.

I think I would have opted to epoxy the guard onto the handle then wrap it with a bungee or other elastic until it set then file the excess. I'm afraid whatever you gained by the guard was lost with the rivet hole.

Very nice. Will be a fine splitter!! Can't wait for the demo vid.

I like it how it is, with out the radius. It complements nicely with the geometric and linear design of the head. Great job in my opinion!

Made one many years a go. But how I did it was first made an thick paper template. Then transferred it to metal sheet. After words. Tig weld the back side. heated up the metal and put it on the wooden handle. Just like you do it with wooden wheels. Interesting to se you made it this way. Always nice to se people doing things in a different way :)

One little point....Use masking tape to follow the curves under the head. The next pass half way and so on until you are just wrapping in a straight line.. Cut the tape with a utility knife and peal it off the handle in one big pc.. Stick it to the sheet steel and cut to the pattern made by the tape. I know I didn't explain very well but do the first step and you'll see where I was going..

Years ago my father welded a piece of angle to the head of the maul to serve the same purpose. He split wood for years with the same handle and I still have it today.

I have used discarded bicycle innertubes as a protection and even on semi cracked handle with success. Wrapping. Like the paracord technique, but it does not require soaking or drying - wrap it tight and get cutting.

I usually wrap the section you put a collar on in paracord, it is not a permanent solution by any means, but it has gotten the job done this far.

snap on. Every honesteaders hammer set. Good choice in tools

"I really don't mind getting old. There's a peace and contentment that comes with it that I've never experienced before." That's one of the best things I've ever heard.

Great idea and video. Thanks for posting. Just a tip for next time scribing. Don't rotate scribe as you follow the curve. Keep the scribe parallel to the axe handle. That is why you had gaps on either sides.

while I am not religious I really enjoy your videos. your way of life and living day to day is amazing and it is amazing seeing you guys come together as a family and work on projects together. keep making vids!!

I found that using Marine Silicone works on all types of projects and fills in the gaps and keeps the water out. Also it provides a "shock guard" for some items. Just put any kind of dish soap on your fingers and spread it where you want and easy clean up. Thanks for posting another great video.

thanks for the idea Wranglerstar. I took inspiration and simply overlapped the tin on the back and put two screws in it. Too bad i didn't figure this one out by myself. My splitting axe was at its fourth handle!!!

I have often thought of wrapping my maul handle. After watching your video I think I will try wrapping it with the old fashioned black rubber bungee cords near the head. Omitting the stock "s" hooks and using a heavy zip tie or wire to fasten it. Thanks for the inspiration :)

Thats really nice! I like that. I think I would probably make a 'template' out of paper which would allow me to make all of the radius' perfect. Then I would trace that template directly to the sheet metal. The stretching can be mitigated by forming it and then filing the excess. Then you have a truly custom and sturdy fit.

I have several JM2CW comments / suggestions (constructive criticism) for future use. 1) If you can't clamp it down to prevent things from moving, set the condition up as it will be used and drill it as a unit - don't drill on a broom stick and then go back to the axe handle as it's highly unlikely to get the entrance and exit holes to line up. That's why there was a bit of a gap between plate and axehead on the one side (the pin "found" the rear hole and tweaked the plate to align). 2) Make a small countersink (doesn't need to be excessive) and peen the material into the countersink recess to prevent the "rivet" from dislodging. 3) You didn't so much as need a bigger hammer just use the peen end of the hammer not the conventional head. 4) A lot of thought is needed about how the forces are going to be distributed from impact into metal plate carried thru plate and wood of axe handle and transfered into "rivet" and dispersed thru it all (maybe now the bolt will do the worst damage). 5) It will make it look nicer but probably better leaving the plate off so any damage isn't concealed. (the plate could get a little banged up looking but there might be a serious crack in the wood maybe now in 2 areas, the impact zone and thru the bolt hole that can't now be seen). Overall though nicely done. I'm currently working on a similar project to repair broken wooden pruning lopper handle using thinwall EMT as "side plate" and same techniques.

I made a leather collar for the exact same reason, my method was to wrap the area in plastic wrap a few times to build a durable cover. Then paper mache style put on duct tape to fortify it. I trimmed it around the axe head, and what shape I wanted it to have Then cut it off the hand the result was a very funky looking piece of leather that fit perfectly. I have a picture if you like.

really enjoy your videos.it has always been a rite of passage into manhood to make or repair working tools.....ax, maul.shovel etc...in many cultures...mine being Scottish and Norwegian...that said,lol.my profession is mechanic.when I'm trying to save a handle on a hammer we use wraps of copper wire I'm going to try that and your collar idea on a couple axes I'm fixing up. the old stuff is always better to fix then go buy a new cheap version. keep up the great videos and thanx

if you have a small shape to cut out like this the easiest way to do it is to take a zip cut 1/8th cutting blade and cut directly in to the line making several small strips then cutting it from the side taking out the small strips as you go. the strips falling away make space for your cutting blade to cut off the next strip. thats how we do it at my shop for one off projects like this. cheers and great channel.

That's interesting. Many years using something like that, but crafted from soft and fat material like track rubber(earlier) or sole polyurethane(last two years, lightweight and strength, thickness about 5mm). In theory they give best protection cause of longer breaking distance. Maby hikory much harder and steel better fit for this, I use tenacious birch handles and steel don't fit for them cause they may be damaged under the protection. With best best regards from Siberia! P.S And sorry for my rude english - I use it mainly for liscening and reading)

I like it looks like it will work good. Can't weight too see it in action. Another great video cody

Kydex or any thermo-form plastic works great as well. It's light and very durable especially the thicker stuff.

nice, when you were cutting the radius it might help to first cut some relief cuts in the sheet metal, can't wait to see how it works out

My grandfather did something very similar. He did a few things differently was the riveting was moved back so the rivet heads wasn't at the widest point. He used two rivets one was a quarter inch from the lowest part of the head the second was down in line with the first. He would mark the holes on the handle drill the holes a shade back. The shape was the same as yours.

for not being a sheet metal worker you did a great job!

Neat idea I'm going to try it on a Collins dual bit axe I have! I work with sheet metal daily so it should come out proper

That was good placement for the pin. The handle is like a beam in that it's primary loading is bending. The back of the handle is in compression when chopping, so the hole for the pin does not weaken it. It would be okay even in the center, but your placement looks spot-on best to me.

It looks very nice and functionality is most important in my book great video

Never thought of using sheet metal, I've done a whipping using light cordage, and one even with wire, the sheet looks awesome!

I like it. I have whipped handles using fine diameter electric fencing wire. That works OK, and requires just a tiny hole or two in the handle.

Nice work. Another option is rawhide. It's tough, super easy-to-use and good longevity.

This is a awesome channel. Its just interesting how you make things and ive learned alot. you remind me alot of my dad but on youtube. you both have a wealth of knowledge that youve learned over the years and you know to make/fix things thats so interesting to me.

When working with any kind of sheet metal, it is best to make a mandrel slightly smaller but the same profile as the finished object cut the metal to the size required but form it on the smaller mandrel. then when you fit it to the actual handle use the shot mallet to ease the profile out to the exact shape. BTW absolutely love watching the doings of your homestead god bless your house and every one under the roof. PS Get your self a Dremel tool mains powered type and all the attachments you will work wonders with it.

Great job! Another idea is to leave some extra material on the back side of the axe. Enough to over lap and then pop two brad tacks down through both layers. Just a thought. If your afraid of it still moving, then just stick a couple of tacks in the front as well. Also I use snips like those everyday, they can cut a very small radius if you're use to them. Wiss and Bennett make the best snips. Not taking anything from the job you done. Just some suggestions. As I said before, great job. You are a very crafty man and I like the fact that you get your son involves with some of your projects. Start them off while they are still young and they will carry on the skills for generations. Cheers and God bless.

You should give us a complete tour of the homestead please like this if you agree I'm very curious of what your property looks like

Good job as always Cody. I all ways enjoy watching vids like this I always learn something new .God bless.

I have a Husqvarna Hatchet, and found out about the logo being a gunsight when I was trying to find out who made it. I am pretty sure mine is one of the first run of Hultafors Axes that Husquvarna used just based on the design, but I can't be sure. They originally used Wetterlings seconds, then switched to Hultafors, and have gone through a few different designs since then.

I use steel-belted radial tire cut with a hacksaw and attached to the handle with heavy gauge fencing wire. It's not cosmetically pretty but it works a treat!

Aircraft mechanic sheet metal tip for 'ya Cody: When you make your cuts, not allow the tips to come together in the sheet metal. It will prevent the metal from distorting where they do. Nice job, and a neat idea. Gonna have to give this a try on my handled wood destroyers :-)

Cody i recently wrapped the top of my axe handle in sanre wire it offers great protection and comes in handy

Looks beautiful honestly

I use an old bicycle tire, cut about 4 to 6 inches and screw it on the handle. It actually takes out the vibration of the over strike.

I usually weld a piece of V metal profile 3mm thick, 3cm wide and about 10cm long in front of the handle, doesnt untamper the axe as the heat is local, works very well, no holes to weaken the handle. Tried putting bolt trough handle but didnt work as well, no need for bolt as the axe head stays on from wedge

I take a strip of rubber cut from an old car tire and put it lengthwise up the front of the top 2-3 inches of the handle, then duct tape it on. Not clean looking but it does the job. For a maul, the handle is round enough to get some flexible rubber hose of the right size and just cut a piece a couple inches long and run it up the handle and into place just below the head.

I like the collar idea, I will use it for sure.

You know your a perfectionist when you make one of these and it comes out super nice and the first words out of your mouth are.... " Its not perfect... but the next one will be better"... You have a disease :P

Nothing more fun than being left handed and trying to cut sheet metal in high school shop class. They never had left handed snips

Looks great. You might try out some offsets snips. they move the metal out of the way for you and help you cut a tighter radius.

That turned out really nice.

I've done something along the same lines. Heat up and flatten a piece of pipe or tubing of appropriate size and weld to the head. of coarse before putting on new handle! Only needs to be 2-3" long

Good job for a first time keep up the good work

when you're sliding the metal on and off to fit it, scratching the finish, I die a little inside. Can't be avoided and can be refinished, but still. Great video, I bought the Stihl Pro Forestry that comes with the overstrike already on it, love it.

its a little crazy that i have already watched all of the videos he puts at the end!

For cutting the sheet metal a nibbler might be what you want. Also they make aviation snips that have a right or left hand curve built into them.

looks good lots of work. what i have done over the years is just rap a bunch of tape around the base of the handle. good tape 3M super 33 or duck tape its not pretty but it works. tape get ripped up remove and put new tape on. i have saved lots of 4 pound hammer handles over the years

i know you hate plastic / rubber handled things, buy im teaching my roomate how to split wood and well lets just say he misses allot lol,.and im certanly not immune to missing aswell. after about 2 maul handles broke in a week, i did some reserch and came upon the wilton bash maul. its got 6 hardened steel rods encaseed in a hardish rubber handle, i was already somewhat familiar with their sledgehammers of the same design because a friend of mine who workes in a steel mill said they use them there and they are totally indistructable. they are pricey yes but man is it a beast! i got the 8lb one altho its actually around 14# with the handle (the rods add allot of weight). it did need to be reprofiled out of the box but it didnt take long with an angle grinder and flap disk and my roomate squirting water on it to cool it. no its not the most efficiant tool since allot of the weight is in the handle and not in the head.where it can do work, but man is it tough and it certanly goes through wood like no other maul ive owned. its been solidly overstruck multixple times, full weight right on the handle, and you cant even tell anything happened,.it has absolutely no damage whatsoever.

the technique you are trying to refer to using the compass is called scribing I use it all the time doing till work at the base of walls

I agree with making the radius and bringing the front down further.

a hole in the handle reduce its strength in the position where the stress is maximum. Additionally the pin will stress the wood in direction transversal to the grain = low strength of the wood. Bad idea!

Very nice sir. I think I´ll do the same. Except maybe i´ll leave in the back one side of tin longer so I can wrap it over and inside again to grab it with the rivet. Thanks for the videos very useful.

i am a very loyal viewer and i really like and appreciate your videos, however if i may mention something that i noticed about this video , i love the idea and i always thought that the wood handel needed such a support, what i think would be a good idea is if you applied some epoxy/any glue or what so ever under the metal sheet to better hold it in place in addition the back side ( where the two ends of the sheet are supposed to meet) that area is somewhat dangerous , i noticed that you slide your hand along the full shaft when u swing these two edges may cut your finger or even when the axe is hanging around in ur tools area another tool may bend that part out as the dont meet perfectly , nor is there anything to prevent them from hooking up into something

Cody, this is a great idea, and you do great work, as always. A couple problems, though: 1.) that thin sheet metal you're using will still dent and damage the wood underneath during a bad overstrike; or even during splitting, when the log doesn't split in a straight line with the axe/maul head, and you have some of the log impinge upon the handle area. 2.) I don't like the idea of drilling holes through the handle of a "strong impact" tool like an axe, maul, or sledge. A hookaroon or pickaroon, yes (these are mainly pulling tools). But not a tool that receives a strong impact on its head. Reason: even with hickory, the jarring impact, or the sudden "stop" after a strong hit, tends to put stress on the rivet or roll-pin, and this puts "parting stress" in the hole. In other words, the rivet or pin acts as a prybar to pull the wood fibers apart. It won't happen immediately, of course, but it will happen over time. Once you drill a hole in a handle and you separate the wood fibers like that, you can't "take it back" -- you can't undo the damage. I would've rather seen a buckle type of fastener that can be replaced. For these reasons, I personally am more fond of using a good polypropylene or nylon rope wrap that is durable; especially poly rope -- it take strong impacts without the fibers separating. A rope wrap is soft enough that it will absorb most of the impact, and only transfer "pressure" type of forces against the handle (pressure forces, not impact forces). And it's easily replaceable and won't damage the handle. I'm ex-Navy, so I have a plethora of wrapping and knotting techniques at my disposal. But I mainly use what's called a "spiral hitch" for the wrap technique around the handle under the head. You can find a good video on how to do a spiral hitch here on the 'Tube. One I recommend is this one: Spiral hitched paracord handle ("Spiral hitched paracord handle" by PaleSpruce). The nice thing about the spiral hitch is that each wrap around the handle interlocks with the previous, and also gives -- as its name implies -- a spiraling buttress that is easy to grip (especially with gloves). In determining whether to start the wrap from the head and work down the handle, or from about 4-to-6 inches on the handle behind the head and work to the head, I choose the latter. (I.e. start from the thinnest diameter of the handle, and work your way up to the thickest, so the increasing incline causes each wrap to squeeze against the previous wrap). If you use poly rope, you can seal and lock the ends of the rope into itself with a small flame (butane lighter). A spiral-hitched wrap is extremely durable, doesn't transfer the impact of an overstrike to the handle like denting sheet metal would (denting sheet metal transfers that injury right through to the wood -- you'll see), and is easily replaced in case repeated overstrikes (over time) cause the rope to finally fail. I can re-do a wrap in the field, in about 5 minutes from start of the wrap, to sealing and locking the two ends of the rope with a lighter. No kidding. Give it a try. PM me if you have any questions, or would like to see pics on what the final product looks like.

The collars I saws at the gransforsbruk site seem to be recessed into the handle wood ... which was my first thought watching you make it. Of course you're trying to retro-fit onto an existing handle. But, assuming the collar worked well for you, when you make handles in the future, you should design it so the collar is recessed level with the rest of the wood. in fact, I wonder whether having it go right into the axe hole might help. Mind you, I'm making this up without any expertise, so I may be spouting garbage.

That is a really nice job. A few months ago, I was wondering what I could do with my Scand Forest Axe. I had just put a big divot in it. I sanded it out and linseeded it. But I know I'm going to bugger it up again. :)

If you overlap the edges of the sheet metal a lil you can drill and pin the edges to hold them down

Cody you need a body work finish hammer .. they have a double head , square (flat faced) and round (slight curved face), for work like you did a ball peen has a round face there fore will leave marks that a flat faced body hammer is less likely to do.

I admit to getting nervous when I saw the size of the rivet ... but when you didn't use heat I relaxed a whole lot! Looks good :o)

at 3:07 u say u "dont mind getting older their is peace and contentment that comes with it". i just mentioned that same sentiment with someone at a BBQ.. pretty crazy.. anyway great vids cody!

Perhaps; Use a string for measuring diameter and mark where it overlaps=the exact length. Or better yet a taylors cloth tape measure in mm is accurate. Allow the usual 1/16 (to 1/8") extra and buff it down with emery for fine tuning a perfect fit. Buff all contours. Ive paid at times on projects like 1/16 too short! Know the feeling..nice work im learning lots from you. Thanks.

You should overlap that seam on the back (poll?) end of the maul and spot weld the seam shut or something. Seems like if you miss when hitting a wedge or something that seam will open up. Your my favorite person on RU-vid. Well... I take that back. After the thousands and thousands of girls on RU-vid.. Your my favorite.. After them. Haha. Keep the vids coming!

I USED 1/4" copper tubing, flattened it out and molded it around to fit. Seems good.

hey buddy i know you know your stuff and this is a dated video but just thought i would chime in with a little tip that might benefit some readers. when working with metal or better yet when hammering metal against an object like a vise, anvil or axe handle. metal will always travel towards the hammer. so if you ever find your self wondering why you cant get something flat or tight enough when hammering on an anvil, vise or around an axe handle its because the metal is actually moving away from the object and towards your hammer.

I used some heavy duty rubber padding, about .5cm in thickness warped in ducktape. Seems to do the same thing thou the tape do wear off quickly but then again, ducktape dirt cheap in my local store so I don't worry too much.

you can always heat up the end of the pin with a Hand torch and then flatten it with a hammer

Don't forget to make your relief cuts when cutting a radius. Makes it much easier.

I think one trick for this would be getting the rivet exactly center in the handle. The front of the handle will go through tensile stress and the back if the handle will go through compressive stress. So i think putting it front or back of center will cause a small amount of splitting. Just my thoughts.

I love your channel, very simple.

Wranglerstar, I think you had such awkward trouble with the file because you're using it like a rasp. Try lifting up on the backstroke to keep from snagging. (this also helps keep your file sharper for longer as backstroking on a non-crossed file dulls it very quickly.

The best place for the rivet would be dead center of the shaft. If you have to drill here it minimizes the tension and compression forces on the handle when you strike with the ax. since you have contoured the sheet metal maybe welding or brazing would be a decent option. To itself not the head just to be clear lol.

Suggestion that I am sure someone else already made.Make the collar extra long on one side and wrap it around and under the other so when you pin it there is no gap in the back. Since you have a pin through both pieces of metal on the one side It should hold firm

For the first one, I think it looks very nice. If it works, you can improve on that design for the next one. Great job and video.

I've never broken the handle on my hydraulic splitter...

you could spray it with truck bed liner, but what you made looks good.

Great idea and looks super neat

couldnt you of made it out of paper first then traced it to the sheet metal? maybe just a idea for the next one.