Carving An Axe Handle With Only Hand Tools

[@olalindberg833]

Great looking handle. Nice piece of wood to start with too. But I have a few tips I’d like to share, being a somewhat experienced woodworker myself: If you turn the chisel the right way around you’ll find it works a lot better. The way you hold it, it digs into the wood. Tighter releasecuts with the handsaw reduces the risk of tearout. Not that you seemed to have any issues with that on this occasion, probably because the grain in the woodpiece was so straight, but it’s good practice to put them tighter. And I second the recommendation in one of the other comments about getting a drawknife. But I usually prefer a spokeshave myself. And after that I use rasps extensively, just like you do. Last, but not least, it’s good to be aware of the hazards of thick axehandles. If the handle doesn’t flex enough, the shock of the blow will be directed up into the arms and cause problems in the elbows. Historically, handles have been a lot slimmer that what we see today. And in those times, people worked a lot more and harder with their axes than what we do today. Steven Edholm(Skillcult) and Ben Scott talks about these things on their channels. Ben said at one point that most historical handles have a crossection of about 36x20mm(1 7/8” x 3/4”) and it makes a lot of difference working with that. You can easily develop muscle inflammation such as tennis elbow if you work with a handle that doesn’t flex properly. Thanks for a nice video, hope you’ll find my comments useful.

[@hansenironworksmfg.7012]

Great information, thanks. I've since thinned out the handle on a 2x72 grinder. Much easier than my big ol rasp.

[@AndyH-13]

Looks better than a bought one and the oil really brings out the grain.

[@robthompson8285]

Bro, you should get a draw knife. They work great 👍

[@MASI_forging]

Outstanding work 👏👏

[@hansenironworksmfg.7012]

Thank you

[@kcoker9189]

So satisfying 😍

[@BombproofCraftsman]

Good job man! And not just on the handle, your video & editing skills are something to aspire to. Maybe one day I will get there 😂

[@hansenironworksmfg.7012]

Thanks, I appreciate it👍

[@Frontline-K9]

Nice job. Looks good. What axe head is it?

[@hansenironworksmfg.7012]

@Frontline-K9 Thanks! I'm not sure who manufactured it, the only markings are USA. It's not a nice antique Kelly Works unfortunately.

[@saminda803]

❤🎉