How to Fix A Loose Axe Head - Not what you might expect!

Like what you see? Want more? Visit us at..
www.coalcrackerbushcraft.com
/ danwowak
/ coalcrackerbushcraft
and as always....
Stay in the Woods,
Dan

[@PonderingDolphin]

Perfect timing, just was complaining about my axe head being loose trying to cut some wood last night ! Thanks as always , another great video !

[@Theeggfly]

I use a similar technique to reseat the axe head. What I do is lightly hold the handle and drop it so the bottom of the handle strikes another piece of wood. Gravity and the weight of the axe head will drive the handle deeper. From there I drive the wedge deeper or insert a new one. My grandfather would soak his handles in oil for a few days. He claimed it caused the wood fibers to swell but would not evaporate like water.

[@bmphil3400]

Yes.....soak in linseed oil instead of water.

[@Mapmywellness]

In all your videos you have an excellent way of explaining procedures and processes. Great communicator!

[@acca8602]

This was incredibly helpful; thank you! Just inherited some of my grandpa's tools and your video was perfect for figuring out how to fix up his axe a bit.

[@garywood702]

Right on the mark with the advice Dan! This is how it's done and those that glue your wedges in place this precisely why you don't do that. I've had heads loosen up because of wedge shrinkage and removed the wedge in the field with a multi tool, whittled a new wedge in the field and reset the head with the new wedge. It was good for several years and began to loosen again. Since I knew the replacement wedge was not bottomed out in the kerf I took a piece of steel flat stock and hammered the wedge even deeper into the kerf and it has remained tight to this day and we are going on years again. And if it loosens again, I'll just remove the current wedge, make a new one and reset. Typically the cut in the handle for a wedge is done to two thirds the depth of the head. If yours isn't then it should be and before setting the handle deepen that cut. Keeping in mind that some of the handle should stand proud of the eye once seated as it is in Dan's axe. If you make your wedge just a smidge shy of bottoming out in the cut you will have left yourself some slight adjustment to tighten things up in the future if need be. Getting the handle wet, not keeping it properly oiled with BLO or BLO/mineral spirits mixture, extremely dry climates, extremely humid climates, storing the axe near a heat source are just a few things will contribute to a loosening head over time if dealing with a wood handle. It's unavoidable. As a last resort, flat steel stepped wedges can be hammered in alongside the wooden wedge and the wedge cut. If you do this, place the wedges so they are parallel to the wood wedge and the cut in the handle instead of perpendicular. I prefer to keep steel wedges out of my handles though and have found that wooden wedges, if done right, is all that is needed. As always, great content Dan! Love your channel!

[@visnuexe]

Nice bit of knowledge to use in keeping the axe in perfect shape! The head gets loose with lots of use, usually while building something. It's nice to know one can set it right without a full workbench and vice if you catch it in time!

[@johnwyman5939]

Good idea for taking care of the good old axe !! Nicely done !! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🪓🔪👍👍

[@earlshaner4441]

Good afternoon from Syracuse NY USA brother and everyone else and thank you for sharing your adventures and wood lore

[@hdrider2071]

Another trick if it is a little loose is soak it in linseed oil. Works great if the axe is just dried out. Doesn't evaporate and reshrink as quick as water soak.

[@brandonshrum6568]

Great video, simple yet highly effective thanks Dan

[@daemonharper3928]

Great vid and tip as usual.....I leave the axe, head side down in a tub of B.L.O for a day or two to swell and tighten but if it doesn't work - your method is next on the list.

[@ravenssageofbushcraftsurvi599]

loved your video and explanation of punk wood,mine was always to far gone. As im homeless living primitive really important. ty god bless brother

[@blackwillowbushcraft5632]

Great technique and so much better then soaking it for sure. Another awesome video as always brother 💪👍

[@MickAlderson]

Another factor to the old time advice about soaking the axe head might be that moisture drawn into the wood fibers would cause some slight surface rusting inside the eye. I've never removed an axe head that didn't show some rust inside. Rust expands about ten times the space of the original iron and also roughens the surface, so might have helped tighten a slightly loose connection, plus adding to the friction between iron and wood. It wouldn't likely be enough for a really loose head, but I once fixed an axe whose head would slip in use about a quarter inch by soaking it, and two decades later it is still tight. I also add a metal wedge or two in addition to the wooden wedge.

[@mushercdn]

A coin works well for that.

[@cillaloves2fish688]

@Von Teutoburg Wow! Thank you for sharing this Von! Very good information!

[@southernlonghorn4507]

@Von Teutoburg Great info buddy. Yep, been driving additional wedges and sometimes nails to tighten axe heads for decades.

[@thoomm]

​@Von Teutoburg this reads amazing,n would love to be able to see a picture of the shimmed maul you describe to understand it better and be able to replicate it here, just hanged my old axe for the first time one or two nights ago; thanks for the tips they are very good!

[@peternorthe1912]

My old-timer used to soak all his wood handled tools in anti-freeze. Doesn’t cause rust, doesn’t evaporate and tools are good to go in spring after being in a freezing shed all winter. Only time they needed replacing was from breakage due to misuse.

[@wolfmangosan539]

Yeah just another amazing video in a long line of killer how-to bushcraft Well done thank you

[@HomesteadJay]

Great tips indeed! Doesnt hurt after this repair to hit it with some boiled linseed oil. I also love the circular metal wedges for the top. I know they are overkill but I love the look of the metal ring imbedded in the top of the axe handle! Keep up the great content!

[@eaglebreath5]

Nice job explaining how the axe head moves slower. The fancy science word is called inertia. The heavier an object is the harder it is to get moving. So the axe head will resist the forced movement greater than the wooden handle. Newton would be proud.

[@gogetteroutdoors5451]

What an awesome simple video dude thanks from the Canadian rockies.

[@quinntheeskimooutdoors6234]

Thanks Dan. I was standing the ax up and hitting the bottom of the handle on the ground. The head drops Dow the handle. I will use your way now to see how it goes. Thanks for showing us and take care.

[@johngallagher3732]

Your way does the same thing.

[@matthewlebrato456]

I really appreciate your stuff knowledge and the way you explain the steps to achieve the task and Goal of whats at hand i learn lot from you every time?? i like binge watching your videos i live in northern Michigan and the wood and nature and all is super beautiful i love being out init as much as i can Michigan has it all when it comes to natural beauty and resource!!!!!!!

[@evanf1443]

As a temporary fix my family would always just drive a nail or similar wedge into the top of the axe handle to wedge the head on tighter.

[@farstrider79]

Yeah, I grew up on a farm with a bunch of suspect wood handled hammers, axes, and tobacco knives with various nails and screws driven into them.

[@TheKimjoh560]

I've done this alot. If you use the right nail i wouldnt even call it a temporary fix. I like short and thick galvanized roofing nails. 3-4 in a row generally does the trick

[@jeremyhicks6367]

Thanks Dan!

[@ogi22]

Love your stuff! That's how my grandpa showed me how to tighten the axe head on a handle. As for the exact science, you have just demonstrated Netwons laws of motion in practice. Especially the first which i will quote in original translation: LAW I. Every object perseveres in its state of rest, or of uniform motion in a right line, unless it is compelled to change that state by forces impressed thereon. It's inertia - ability of the body (in this case an axe head) to resist changing it's state of motion. When you whack the handle, there is some time before friction of the handle will start to push the axe and make it move. In this time, handle moves a bit deeper into the eye. So, there was some physics 101 with bushcraft lesson :D

[@rogueraven7603]

Good video but there’s a reason everybody did the bucket of water trick and those reasons are still valid today. My Grandfather used that trick and he built several sheds and barns out of scrap lumber so he was pretty resourceful.

[@edsomers7814]

Thanks I have 2 axes with loose heads.ya just gave me a solution.much appreciated😊☮️

[@officialWWM]

Seriously dude, you are saving the world!

[@super15071]

Love that echo in those woods

[@ladyofthemasque]

Dan is talking about Conservation of Momentum. The heavy axehead is at rest and wants to stay at rest. If it's on the handle with any bit of looseness, the handle will be driven down into the eye to the point where it seats a little better and catches just enough to overcome the inertia of the metal. It's an indirect force, which is actually what yo uwant. This tightening will happen in small increments, which means it is a gentler way to seat the axehead. If you tried whacking the axehead, it's hard to strike around the top of the wedge evenly, and you could "rock" it, angling the metal around the wood and causing deformation. That would lead to a higher chance of loosening in the future. Even if you did strike both ends equally somehow, you would still be applying direct force, which means you could apply TOO much force, and again cause problems later on. It isn't jamming the axehead tightly onto the main part of the shaft that holds it in place. It is reaching a point of equilibrium between the thickness of the main handle and the thickness of the wedged bit at the top that locks the axehead into place. You want to apply *enough* pressure without applying *too much* pressure. Using the indirect means of seating the axehead by hitting the butt of the handle helps you give the right amount of force to the problem...and this way, it doesn't run the risk of stressing and cracking the metal.

[@dantoth1386]

My father in law was a faller on the west coast of BC and they would always soak their axes in antifreeze, the wood would swell but being antifreeze they would never dry out, hope that helps.

[@hogue3666]

That's about the coolest noise EVER. Thanks, Dan!

[@jdsmith-bl2yl]

Always great info Dan!

[@cillaloves2fish688]

Thx Dan Love ur videos!!

[@mickestahl6178]

Nice ax :-) I a couple of these (Hults Bruk axes) in my house but most of my axes are Gränsfors Bruk. Good quality axes that you can have for many years if you just take care of them..

[@blueswan2175]

great advice/process

[@bigjoe4705]

I work in the oil patch and we use 10lb brine water or “really really salty water” the brine swells the wood up quite a bit! Clean the metal surfaces afterwards!

[@poker8193]

Works with old wood chairs that started to squeak too. I remember helping my grand dad take rocking chairs to the creek and they would be fine for months

[@mattshaffer5935]

That wedge and the shape of the axe handle provide pressure front to back and side to side, I got sixteen switches on my ‘65.

[@jeromeknasinski3862]

Good explanation

[@kentwewzow1694]

Thankyou. Just what i needed to hear👍

[@kingsoutdoors4379]

I just soak mine in more oil 👍💯 if it ever shrinks ,which I have never had happen in 40 years. If it gets to sloppy I'll reset it 😊. Great video

[@OverlandOne]

Great info, thanks.

[@billyaitken7461]

Great ‘out in the field’ hack 🤔👏👏👏‼️

[@KettleCamping]

Great video!! Thanks!👍

[@dougbach7105]

Thank You! Well Done, took me to school brother.

[@pootle8139]

Inertia is your friend here. The head has more mass, so it takes more energy to move it. Therefore the handle moves downwards slightly more than the head with each hit.

[@bruceallen6016]

I'm going to have to try this. Thanks. 🙂

[@i_am_a_freespirit]

Love it 😍 thank you for the Video!

[@jmorrow6913]

My grandfather's shingle hatchet was stored head down, with a hole in the end of the handle filled with raw linseed oil. The handle never dried out, blade well honed. It was always ready for a roof repair

[@danielkutcher5704]

Interesting! 🤔👍

[@flynnstone3580]

I'm really big on soaking my head in cider. Then I take it out in the morning to have cup of coffee, then back in cider.

[@matthewlebrato456]

Hi Dan, What's your go to method for cleaning pine sap off of your axe and knife blades

[@USMCarter]

Never even knew it’d be that easy. Who knew 😅 Any video on doing a full change of handle?

[@allenking4192]

Great to know

[@robertlangley258]

A couple things Junior, we didn’t coat the top of o7r handles with linseed oil in the first place so this wasn’t a problem. You got half ass information about soaking the axe head in water over night. The next day all the axehead wood would indeed swell a little which 1.) would allow us to drive the handle up into the axe head a little exposing more of the center slit (not the kind your thinking of son) then (2.) we would make a pecan or hickory wedge out of dry wood and drive this into the slit as far as we could spreading the slit which wedged the axehead on tight. You could use the axe right away all day. I don’t think I ever had to do this more that 2 or 3 times my whole young life on up into my fifties. I think I bought two axes in those 40 some odd years and chopped enough wood to heat a football stadium a hundred times over. As Paul Harvey used to say: Now you know the rest of the story.

[@danielkutcher5704]

Why not? I have a very old wooden step ladder that gets reall rickety in dry weather. Leaving it out in the rain or hosing it off tightens it right up when the wood swells.

[@mikeriley8546]

cool video

[@jamesyarbrough4777]

i do the same thing except i soak it in oil over night afterward and then add a metal step wedge in the morning. seems to hold well

[@matthewlebrato456]

are you going to be doing any refresher Videos on different shelters??

[@matthewlebrato456]

hay Dan when Or are you going to be doing any more Q&A ??

[@bushcraftsurvivalpre1mx141]

Buen video me gusto tu hacha 👍 saludos ...

[@Vares65]

Heh, how funny. I got the notification for this video, read the title and thought "I expect that the answer is 'throw it in a bucket of water' "

[@markburrell2778]

Prestone antifreeze is the best thing to use. Preserves the wood and inhibits rust.

[@mawilkinson1957]

I was wondering if anybody would bring this up. I remember my grandfather's method was antifreeze instead of water. Just make sure no animals can get to it. Dogs will drink it and it will kill them.

[@FT4Freedom]

Dipropylene glycol mixed with water. 80/20 dpg/water. Dpg is a hygroscopic alcohol and holds water in the wood. Lasts a long time. A good fit in the head is important to maximize the swelling tension.

[@mattbiek]

Turpintine and lindseed oil. Check the wedge

[@alexbeedie6940]

I have started soaking loose heads in a bucket of linseed oil i leave them for a minimum of a month but usually longer then I take them out wipe off excess oil and leave them for a week for the oil to set and that seems to work. I try and soak all my axes now before they go loose.

[@thomasgronek6469]

hold the axe or sledge head up, and pound the bottom of the handle on solid ground, tree stump,. etc.

[@terryqueen3233]

Well then I am so glad that you are teaching these new bushcrafters how to deal with their ax but I believe you skipped a step and forgot to really show how to make the wedge and to me that's pretty critical also so maybe a video on making wedges? Thanks for the video Dan you've done such a good job for these new bushcrafters. I learned how to do an ax head by myself trial and error. So again thanks for the video and have a great day. Keep ye powder dry

[@pennsyltuckyreb9800]

I'm not new to axes but am new to axe repair and handle replacement, especially in the field. For now, I just carry a small axe wedge kit with some metal wedges with my gear as well. This was a great video, though.

[@ctrip34]

What type of wood does the wedge need to be?

[@rockroll9761]

Thanks

[@rdwakefield]

many a times did I soak my drywall axe / hammer /hatchet for work...worked every time and when you are poor as I was being a drywall hanger...every way to cut cost put food on the table.

[@matthewlebrato456]

Hay Dan in you Q&A episode # 15 you had got a Question about Collaborating With Shawn Corporal s Conner is it still a Possibility? and Have you heard FRom Him?

[@elizabethchionchio8337]

Another trick you may be aware of rather than soaking in water is to soak it in antifreeze. This is a longer term fix as antifreeze doesn't evaporate.However you must be very careful when doing it that no dog can get at it and drink the antifreeze which would kill the dog.

[@bibahan]

Axcellent!!!!

[@SilasScott-wi5ut]

Old timers using the tool daily would be my thought as to why soaking was their go to fix , as i type this you said it

[@tonystoakley5816]

My 15 years old daughter is addict to your channel

[@MiscMitz]

👍

[@mikedebell2242]

The inertia of the head allows it to "stay" as the lighter wood is forced by the drive.

[@bari2883]

Well how do I make the wedge? My axe I love it’s so handy but it’s vintage and I’m not sure if it had a wedge. It’s very thin at the top of the handle

[@rawbacon]

Lowe's sells a wood wedge with 2 smaller steel wedges for 98 cents. I just cut my own on the band saw.

[@attiliobarcados8178]

so when the chain saw is loose, dop in water ?

[@steventorres5768]

Good tips! however, I feel like a city slicker now for just driving a couple nails into the top of my axe and covering it with JB Weld... 😳

[@i_am_a_freespirit]

So what are you going to do when the wood dries again because it shrank? Keep doing it?

[@pennsyltuckyreb9800]

If you do it right the first time, and make sure to keep the handle well oiled and properly stored when not in use, it should hold very well for some more YEARS to come, depending on how much and how hard you use your axes. That said, eventually you're just going to have to replace the entire handle and rehang it new. But that's all just necessary skills to practice and learn for an avid outdoorsman.

[@Rusted_Link]

I dripped boiled lint seed oil on mine until it swelled up like a tick!! Won't dry out as fast also.

[@stantilton2191]

Soak the hafted axe head in anti-freeze. The glycerin will soak the wood and won't dry out. Assuming the handle is in good condition.

[@502deth]

i soak them, and yes, it is vry short term if you soak them in water. soak them in oil and it will swell the wood just the same only not dry out in a few days.

[@EyesWideOpen1969]

My grandfather showed me something similar. But instead of hitting the handle with a piece of flat wood he would simply drop/slide the axe handle through his hand and impact a solid flat surface then drive the wedge in.

[@asmith7876]

Exactly! Drop the axe (carefully) on the end of the handle, head up top and it drives it right down, no separate maul required.

[@budwilliams6590]

Soak the axe head and top of the handle in linseed oil for a few days and add a barrel wedge.

[@timothyrothrock4173]

Yepper

[@BeBopBrando]

Stick it in a pool of boiled linseed oil and it will swell and won’t dry out.

[@Thefringefitnessproject]

All those noises we thought in the woods was Bigfoot… nope just a dude tightening up his axe head…

[@rcfokker1630]

Grandad showed me that one, 60 years ago. I figure that a good oil is better, tho.

[@Bowhunter1300]

I like your videos, but I’m pretty sure the old timers back in the day probably knew this stuff, even without the internet.

[@PAExploration]

My grandfather soaked his in oil; it seemed to stay in the wood longer than water

[@crawwwfishh3284]

My pa pa use to lay his in water when it got lose. It would tighten up.

[@dommyboysmith]

Antifreeze will do this as well, and it won't freeze or evaporate nearly as easily as water. (Fairly safe to do with some common sense precautions)

[@freddyoutdoors]

Ace tips

[@Bangalangs]

My grandpa used to slam the butts of his axes or hatchets on loose clean dirt if the head was going onto a new handle.

[@timhayes45]

This will transfer over to my 2lb sledge.

[@shanhutchison7332]

👍💯🔥

[@woltews]

I have maybe 7 axes - 0 of them have a wooden wedge, most have a round metal wedge one has a Fiberglas halft s and 2 have steel flat wedges (my axes are tools not toys so they are not $125 collectors peaces nor are they made for historical reenactors- the only one where there is no gap at all between the halft and the head is the fibreglass one )

[@markashlock9017]

A fix as easy as soaking in water, but much longer lasting, is soaking in ethylene glycol (anti freeze) as it evaporates much slower than water. Your method is preferable if you have the time and skill set.

[@adriaandoelman2577]

as if you can soak a handle in an instant..

[@mrmicro22]

Not every ax is an heirloom or a precision instrument. The glycol is a great fix for the garage sale 3rd backup emergency ax.