Oh for gods sake ... why is my What's on in Girralong thread closed???? Bloody hell. So ... new thread ...
How do you get the bit of timber out of the head of an axe? DD broke the axe handle the other day. The bloke at Norco told me NOT to throw the head in the fire, which is how I've always done it. He said it takes the temper off the steel??? Anyway, I don't have a vice to get a good hold on the axe head ... & I can't manage to knock the bloody core bit of timber out of the head. How do you do it? Thanks mate. H
I found it https://forums.permaculturenews.org/showthread.php?17357-What-s-on-in-Girralong Axe head yep don't burn them buggers the temper , there should be a wedge driven into the end of the axe handle to spread the wood and secure the head (Might be very hard to see if it blends with the handle colour) (No vice )Tap the head into a block of wood carefully with a hammer until secure then dig around in the handle end with a old screwdriver and hammer , narrow wood chisel is lots better if you can get the wedge out that will help a lot . Is the handle swollen from moisture (dry it out and it will shrink a bit ) Just get stubborn , don't knock any skin off , Chip away , an experienced Fox skinner can manage anything . My Dad was great with handles he used to "Set" them to your body type , height , arm length ect a real tradesman I wished I had learnt more hmmmm. Hope this helps :y:
Yeah I can see the wedge alright. I've had a couple of goes at chiseling it out today, but no luck. Without a vice to jam the head in it's hopeless. I've tried to sort of position it in various hollows & cracks in the chopping block etc, but no luck. I guess I could try drying it out ... the night air is very moist of late, & I leave it in the wood shed, which is open on 3 sides. Do you reckon just throw it on the floor in front of the fire for the night???
Yep Put it by the fire you can get it pretty warm without hurting it thinking like 50 / 60 celcius get the wood section dried out , if you've burned it before it probably wont matter , your not likely to be entering the wood chop at the show with it you just need it to work .
There is nothing like a custom made hand tool : ) Luxury far beyond the comprehension of the modern throw away mentality. sigh.
Dad would spend hours scouring the shops for axe / hoe / sledge / shovel handles they had to be perfect grain he always had spares , sigh my tools mostly have awful inch pipe handles .
Yep sometimes these things our brain gets so focused on fixing it we cant think how , i put it aside and let my introvert brain catch up a bit then the solution is there .
Yeah it's been sharpened with a grinder too ... & the bloke at Norco said not to do that either : ( I never have it really sharp anyway ... I wouldn't have a hand if it was : / Same with machetes ... I can get a bit wild at times ... & there's a couple of stupid dogs who wouldn't have a head either : ) Dozer insists on putting bits of kindling up on the chopping block when I'm working (hoping I'll throw them) even though I've threatened to chop off his nose : ) He's also had a machete whack down the middle of his forehead from standing really close when I'm working. He's one of those dead-keen kelpies who wouldn't notice if his leg was chopped off : ) He's a sweet heart, but none too bright : )
I have the inch pipe happening on the block splitter. One of my ex's got sick of replacing the handle : ) I can be a bit wild with axes & block splitters The inch pipe fixed that : ) My old man also was fanatical about his hand tools. I miss the old days & the old ways. I was born way too late : (
Yeah I'm pretty good at it. Women usually are. I'm sure it comes from being stuck with problems & no-one around during the day, or even during the week lots of times, to help. Having to do stuff alone, & without the benefit of brute strength, gets you thinking outside the square : )
Yes I think our parents seen the best of it , mine went from a horse and cart to a fuel injected fairlane , and were blissfully unaware of a lot of the dreadfull things we get to know about courtesy of the web .
Yes. I think they did : ) I think they lived in the golden era : ) I think I would have liked it a lot better than what we have today : ) My parents were old when they had me. My mother is 86 & my father would have been ... um ... 98 if he were still alive. I think that's why I'm so old for my age (I'm 50). I was raised by old people : )
lol ... I'll have to take your word for it. I don't drink wine, except for champagne : ) But that's a very sweet sentiment anyway. Thank you : )
One more thought on the axe head drills are very brittle if you hit the side and the drill trys to flex it will snap don't put the damn thing into your leg push lightly and go slow and steady .
Silver is awesome : ) An exact anatomical accuracy is not really necessary amongst good friends I don't think. Just so long as it's accurate enough we would recognise you if we all ever get to go to the same permie conference is good enough : )