Council Axe Handle Project

[@irishsteel6160]

"If you are not making a mess, you aren't getting anything done" - awesome quote and words I apparently live by! great video

[@irishsteel6160]

and thanks for keeping it real!

[@Bushradical]

Thanks Irishsteel. It was a fun project even if it was a flop, LOL!

[@jordancypihot496]

thats what she said

[@billincolumbia]

"It's as good as any other way that isn't that good."

[@1nitesite]

I watch a lot of axe videos. But rarely comment. This vid of yours was just great. A little humor cleverly hidden beneath good old candor and excellent selection of wording and I am very impressed with your vid. Really enjoyed watching this.

[@Bushradical]

Thanks David. I have a LOT of axe videos on this channel. I hope you enjoy them too.

[@richardcranium6554]

Man Glitter. One of my favorite things. Cedar and pine... man bling that smells good. Love it. Looks like you had fun with this. Success.

[@Bushradical]

.....I wouldn't call it a success, LOL. It was more like a pour attempt.

[@richardcranium6554]

@@Bushradical dave, anything I do that leaves me with the same amount of digits as when i started... is a success. Sometimes we must set our goals low to achieve success. Hahaha!

[@bobk.1428]

Looks like time well spent to me. Out in the shop, working with your hands, making something you’ll use for years. Yep, time well spent

[@doriskrieger849]

I'll bet Brooke will love it too!!

[@pacificbushcraftandfirecra6358]

Hey man, whatever works right? A belt sander with aggressive grit paper really removes material pretty fast and efficiently. Another, but spendy, option is one of those spindle sanders fit up with aggressive grit wheels. One of these would really give you control on how much material your removing. Great vid as always...TFS! (you should leave the key for B)

[@Bushradical]

I'll probably leave her the key, LOL.

[@joesneon]

Thanks buddy, saved me from buying one!!! I use a 1/30 inch table top sander, with 60 grit look out the wood is flyin off!!!!

[@Bushradical]

I think this one was old stock. Everybody tells me they have much better handles now.

[@ardysmith9987]

Hey I usually draw a center line on the handle first,top and bottom just using my finger an a lead pencil ✏️ from end to end then draw a line from bottom edge to 1/3 of the way up . Sand it out with a angle grinder with 36 grit flapper wheel stopping about 8" inches from the swell ,then change flapper wheel to a 80 grit to smooth it an shape it . Finish with some hand sanding 120 grit an scrapper work as needed . I'am done in about 25 to 30 minutes,one more thing is until I use it for a little while I really don't know if it's right so I bring my scrapper an some sand paper out when use it to buck a few pieces of wood in my opinion the best way to tell how good your axe is responding to your handle work ,you feel the flex an whip action in the handle when done right it like connecting up with a baseball an a bat flawlessly ,no shock . My two grandfathers showed me how to hang an axe an shape it to you but the would have never used a power tool on an axe ,one other thing they both agreed on is never drill a hole in the handle use a chocker to hang your axe by its handle. I used hickory tannin to coat my handles an pig fat to oil the head . Good luck with your new axe it takes time to fit it to you but well worth the time .

[@Bushradical]

Thanks. Sounds like a good process

[@Pingwin-MC]

Tungsten carbide grinding wheel for an angle grinder or a belt sander with a coarse wood sanding paper.

[@Bushradical]

Right on!

[@darrellchitwood9167]

I use aggressive rasps, spoke shaves but no easy way. Once the head is on crooked you just cut it off and start over, there is no fixing that. I make custom carved axe handles. Some wood fights you all the way.

[@KillingerUSA]

also a trick I do to get my handles thinner is to octagon them. very comfortable and perfect in the hand. Also done with a rasp.

[@Bushradical]

I like octagon handles, totally agree.

[@KillingerUSA]

Bushradical I'll have a video up in the next couple of days on how I do it.

[@chuckhiccox8086]

I may have gotten the tung oil at Home Depot or Lowes . I remember it being a bit pricey . Tung oil is an oil extracted from a nut from China the finish has a bit higher sheen but when mixed with the pine tar and turps it has a dark sheen that makes the wood look aged . I did a old canoe paddle for heck of it and it made it look like a well kept relic . Man , your wife got a great sense of humor ( big game Whitman's Sampler , sweet shot, right though the piece with the cherry in the center. Clean kill. Btw Happy New Year to you and yours .☮️

[@Bushradical]

Dont encourage her. Happy new year!

[@michaelkoon8371]

I noticed you used a knife to shave the handle down in my family the older guys used a peace of glass to shave there handles down

[@KillingerUSA]

I can profile a handle in about 30 mins with a rasp. my favorite rasp now is a shinto rasp. best 20 bucks ever spent! The remaining time spent on my handles is purely preference on how smooth I want it. You just can't beet an aggressive rasp!

[@Bushradical]

I'll look into that rasp. I have two of my own...one is an old Ferriers rasp and the other is junk Chinese pot metal.....I could use a good one for sure.

[@KillingerUSA]

Bushradical they are sweet. I have old ones that are awesome too but it's hard to find good old ones, that's why I bought the shinto. I talked about it in my video called axe vlog 1 I think? not to many videos back.

[@kenfrazier616]

good info have one jist like it

[@KevinsDisobedience]

The best combo I’ve found is a 40 grit flap disc on an angle grinder, Shinto rasp, knife, sand paper. I’ve got a video on my method. I think it’s called Oschenkopf: The Tune Up or something like that. In any case, after much experimenting with belt sanders and whatnot. This is the fastest.

[@Bushradical]

Right on. Its so hard to find a good handle

[@KevinsDisobedience]

Council Velvicut makes a nice one, and Killinger and Bushcraft Sisyphus from KZbin makes really nice ones but you’ll pay for it and they’re hard to come by.

[@MrSIXGUNZ]

Awesome tips as usual!!! Blessings 🙏

[@Bushradical]

Thanks!

[@Blackopsmechanic338]

No matter the outcome, we all learned a little more to put in our toolbox. Peace

[@doriskrieger849]

Awwwe...I love the handle!!!

[@Bushradical]

Its better but still not great.

[@Tinkering902]

I'm surprised Council is making these cheap slab handles. My boys axe is awesome, best modern handle I've seen.

[@Bushradical]

I have a friend who sells Council axes and the ones he has in his shop are 100% better than mine.....I think its an Old Stock model

[@Tinkering902]

@@Bushradical They have really upped their game in recent years. Rooster from Axe Junkies is working with them now isn't he?

[@Bushradical]

Ben From Ben's Backwoods lives up the road from me and he has some of the new "Sport Utility models and they are pretty awesome.

[@ChrisWilkesSurvival]

Sand that baby up and let us see how it looks. Has to be better than when you started. And, by the way, where is a good place to buy handles that aren't clunky?

[@harryanderson2683]

shoeing rasp works pretty well, the diamond side of the rasp, doing stuff like that is more a labor of love, than a time thing. you know it takes how long it takes. ( Indian time )... Harry....

[@Bushradical]

yup , you have to want to do it for sure

[@stephensgate1]

No judging here. That's the thing with those hardware store Axes. Just keep it as a beater axe, if it's lost or stolen, no big deal. I think the head is worth getting a edge on it though. I personally love Council Tool Axes, but, I wish they'd get out of the cheap axe market........to me, it only hurts the brand name. Just my opinion. Thanks for sharing David. -Stephen, Ohio

[@Bushradical]

Yeah, I'm with ya'. I like there axes, but there are other companies out there making axes in the $40 market. If they would turn out a pro tool with a hand fitted/chosen handle that didn't need work for $80 I'd be a bigger fan. But hey, a good axe company here in the USA , thats something to be happy about.

[@bronzesnake7004]

Wonder if you could have taken off bulk fast with a band saw? Jack - Canada

[@Bushradical]

Probably......But I don't have a good fence...so I might butcher it

[@georgerussell8452]

An old fashioned draw knife would work a lot better. the dtaw Knife is a fantastic tool ,with a ton of optional ways to be used.

[@Bushradical]

I'll check that out. My experience with draw knifing handles is you have to be soooooo careful about grain transitions. I've gouged handles up pretty bad. I like a good scrapper. The router thing was just an idea I had, that I needed to try. You see it didn't really work that well. LOL

[@chuckhiccox8086]

If I had I dollar for every pig I put lipstick on I'd be a multimillionaire twice over ! I just watch your axe handle video with the tree different applications 👍👍I've been a sub for a guy in Scandinavia who makes Puukko knives , he does some incredible builds .( The Thetopicla ) check it out .anyway he has a concoction of 70% tung oil, 20% turpentine and 10% pine tar . This stuff is awesome , I've been putting it on my framing hammer handles , rakes ,shovels and other tools of mass destruction . Great stuff ,and a little goes a long way, the smell is a combination of logging camp and saw mill 🌲🌲. Give it a try and let use know what you think.

[@Bushradical]

Where do you get tong oil?..... I've never used it.

[@Rooster0529]

I learned a valuable lesson. A new handle cost $12-13. Just sayin’.

[@JimmyMeatwhistle]

why do you have a scarf on?

[@Bushradical]

Its cold..LOL. I have an unheated garage.

[@robertgraves3215]

That was hilarious . Pretty sure those are like 59.99 now because of the shortage of crappy covid lumber. I just got a Council Hudson Bay that was 25.00 four years ago for 69.99. The head is awesome and it's hung ok (uh, so far) but nooo, the grain is horizontal. The handle, though, is nice and thin and straight. The axe does rock. For a backup handle , I got a "premium" House Handle dot com brand Boy's Axe handle, 26.47 to my door . I got the octagonal, which is interesting. It's workable, the grain is vertical. The shaft is a wee bit warped, so I clamped it to a table with a Quick Grip. I am on the alert list with KillingerOfficial.com for a better Boy's axe handle, I think he gets them from the Amish. They are probably worth the extra 20.00 versus, yeah I hear ya, 5 hours of your LIFE. Don't ask me how much time I spent learning about the current axe handle crisis. I do wanna try crafting one out of an ash sapling , ignoring the knots, of course.

[@petemcpherson2259]

ya tried, you did get results.

[@Bushradical]

Thanks PM. It didn't work as well as I thought it would but hey, it did work.

[@briannicholson5917]

It sure looked better.

[@Bushradical]

Thanks

[@MUDNUT460]

My council boys axe was hung the exact same way.

[@Bushradical]

I don't think they do a great job of hanging their heads.

[@bobashmore6442]

Use the axe as it is now to give Brooke's old camera a hearty send off (don't forget to film it, though you might have to arm wrestle her to see who gets to post that video), then rehang the axe head. You said it's not hung right so you know you'll end up doing it eventually anyway, best just to get it out of the way now. The upside is you'll get two more videos out of that (well, depending on who wins the arm wrestling match).

[@Bushradical]

Wow, lots to cover on this one....first, I shouldn't smash her camera in case there are any salable parts that might still work, like the lense etc. ( but it would be a great video!) second, I don't know If I will rehang the axe yet, its off a bit, but It might not be too bad in use. Honestly I need to finish the handle and then give it a try. Third, ....I like the way you think! , I could get a couple vids out of those things ....and last..........I'd smoke Brooke in arm wrestling LOL. Thanks for the comment Bob!

[@MTwoodsrunner]

heck ive seen worse!....nothing ventured and all that stuff..."a clean shop is a slow shop" my old boss once said, rest his messy soul...i think other than the poor hang from the factory...its much better than it was...atb...woods

[@Bushradical]

Its a pretty good axe, and for $28 its great, it just needs a bit more work and it'll be fine.

[@danwilder7945]

My axe is still wrapped up in the shipping plastic. I have a band saw and air tools at the hanger. I'm still mulling this over. I think you will have an axe "moment" with the answer. If not two or three shop hours is not bad for an axe you may split with for a decade. Or great karma builder giving it to a neighbor that needs a good splitter. Cheap is not good and Good is not cheap. Your dancing in the gray area with this one.

[@Bushradical]

Totally. I think its a plenty good axe and for the money hard to beat, unless you take an old american head and hang it yourself its hard to get a better axe for less.......Be careful with the bandsaw...I've tried to dial handles in before with a bandsaw and made a royal mess, LOL.

[@linklesstennessee2078]

You'll just have to keep at until you get it pretty close to what you want

[@Bushradical]

I'll do better next time, lol.

[@BAAMRanch]

More confident than I am dude

[@Bushradical]

I gave it a shot, LOL.

[@gregarioussolitudinist5695]

Looks like that must have been a Chinese Council Axe with an American flag sticker on it. Maybe use the grinder on the whole profile. The Wheelwright shapes spokes for wooden wheels like that. Quick....or maybe it is because he speeds up the videos. Try that to save time.

[@regalbowman3143]

Your the Red Green of power tools

[@Bushradical]

To be 100% serious....Steve Smith ( Red Green) is a personal hero of mine...He really wanted to succeed in life without ever having to conform. He made a cultural icon out of the common "corner cutting" jerry riging local. He's one of the most inspiring people I've ever met. He created his own legacy using the most ordinary topics and characters......I take that as the highest compliment. As for the Axe handle....I thought it might work.....It didn't work as well as I had hoped, LOL!

[@Salieri47]

I'm not sure what to make of this...maybe you regret starting the project?

[@jordancypihot496]

the handle is not from council its either a halead from council on some random handle or a complete fake

[@elemental4rce]

that's an awful handle you got on that axe, my council axes i've had have all had much nicer handles than that. There's literally no palm swell on yours. Very odd..

[@Bushradical]

Ive been told its "old stock"

[@ericcrawford1132]

Council tools ax is not wheat they use to be

[@Bushradical]

I buy a lot of stuff at flea markets and Ive seen countless OLDER council axe heads....I personally think the heads are getting better. The old ones were super thick through the eye area, the newer ones seem to be a bit more refined. As for the handles...I don't really know. But I will say , Ive yet so see one thats hung straight from the factory.

[@Bushradical]

To be fair , they are made in the USA and the steel does seem rather good. and they aren't $200 like the imports everyone loves.

[@oldtimer4567]

Council Tool's VELCICUT line of axes are still top quality, but they're quite pricey also.