How To Replace An Axe Handle

If you crack, split or break an axe handle, the safest thing to do is to replace the handle; don’t wrap it with tape or try to fix it with epoxy glue. Other solutions can be extremely unsafe and they just don’t work. Replacing an axe handle is a difficult process, but definitely can be done in an afternoon of hard work. Here’s how.

How to Replace an Axe Handle

Step 1 – Go to a hardware store and locate the section with replacement handles for tools. Select an ash or hickory handle that is preferably unfinished. Bring your old axe with you to the store to help you match up the correct size for a replacement. Also get a couple wood handle wedges and twice as many steel handle wedges.

Step 2 – Begin by taking off the old handle. Saw the broken handle off close to the head of the axe. Soak the axe head overnight in a bucket of water and then let it dry for a complete day. The water will swell the wood, but then when it dries it will be looser than before.

Step 3 – Clamp the axe head into the vise. If there are wedges at the top of the handle, knock them out with the hammer and cold chisel. Open the vise and turn the axe head upside down. Start with the largest diameter steel rod that will fit in the socket and begin tapping the handle out. A determined tapping should begin to break it up, but getting frustrated and driving the rod like a nail will not help. Work on different parts of the handle and not just one spot for the best results. If any handle bits remain jammed in the corners of the socket, use the smaller rod to punch them out. Ensure that the socket is completely clean before fixing the new handle.

Step 4 – Keeping the axe head upside down in the vise, check to see if the new handle fits. It is goes in easily, it is the wrong handle. It should be just a little too big for the axe to fit correctly and tightly. The handle should have a saw kerf in the end, cut across the longest axis. The wooden wedge that you bought should be a little shorter than this slot.

Step 5 – The sides of the axe socket are not parallel; towards the top the opening widens. Use the rasp to carefully trip the handle down until it matches the bottom of the axe head socket, taking special care to not trim it so far that it doesn’t fit solid. The more careful you are at this stage, the longer the axe will last. Once the top of the handle has the exact fit, shave the sides of the handle down to a parallel section long enough to go completely through the socket.

Step 6 – If you have excess handle above the top of the axe head, saw it off as close to the steel as possible. If the handle to the head is tight, the saw kerf will probably be closed. Line up the edge of the wooden wedge with the kerf and begin to tap it in with the hammer, being sure to use light taps so as not to break the wedge. If you drive it as deep as possible and the wedge is still sticking out, cutting the remaining portion off.

Step 7 – Place the steel wedge in the center of the handle head and pound it into the handle like a nail. It will split the wooden wedge in half and expand the handle in the other direction. Finish it off by driving it in with the cold chisel or punch at the end so the head of the wedge is just below the top of the handle.