Before Christmas, I purchased a exceptionally good condition Kelly True Temper cruiser axe head on eBay. While it seems very unlikely, the bits of the axe do not look as if they have ever been sharpened. As you can tell in the image below, the axe was soaked in vinegar but there must have just been some light surface rust which required it as there are no pits in the metal.
I purchased a 28" white hickory handle from Beaver Tooth Handle Co. The handle is produced rather well but with pretty good grain orientation. The cut in the top for the wedge is just a little off center but it should not be an issue with the functionality of the axe.
There was a considerable amount of wood removal required to fit the handle to the head. I spent a little time over two evenings working on it to get it perfect. I trimmed it just enough to seat the head and have about 3/16" of the handle stick above the top of the head. This should leave plenty of handle to drop the head down and refit it if I ever have issues with the head getting loose.
I soaked the wedge in boiled linseed oil and then worked it into place. I made marks on it to see how far I was able to seat it and so that I would know when it was no longer moving. I was able to put it about 1 1/8" into the head which is quite good. You can see it was even starting to curl which is another sight of a very tight fit.
I cut off the excess wedge and left about 3/16" of the handle out the top. I think the swell of the wood out the top of the head helps a little with head retention. I'm undecided on the use of a metal wedge. At this point, I'm going to leave it out. If it begins to get loose, I'll add one.
This is the final product after several coats of boiled linseed oil. Additionally, I worked on the head with some fine steel wood and WD-40 to get the carbon residue off from the previous owner's vinegar bath. The axe is now complete and ready for use!
Put the axe to use shortly thereafter by downing a dead tree which is about 9" in diameter.
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