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HAMMER HANDLES


Sukellos

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I finally decided to dedicate this morning to tightening up several loose hammer handles.

A long time ago I gave up on the use of steel wedges as they always work loose, but not loose enough that you can pull them out without first removing the handle from the hammer. I have been using only wooden wedges which I coat in woodworker's glue before driving into the cut or split in the handle. When the handle works loose, as all wooden handles eventually will, I simply drive a chisel into the top of the handle and drive in another glued wedge. Some of my handles look, from the top, like they're made out of glu-lam. That still was unsatisfactory.

In an effort to find a way to tighten up a handle without having to knock it out of the hammer head, this morning I tried drilling a 5/16" (8mm) hole about one inch (25mm) into the top of the handle. Remember, I don't have any steel wedges in my hammer handles to interfere with drilling. Then I tapered a 1" (25mm) length of 3/8" (9.5mm) hardwood dowel, coated it with woodworker's glue and drove it into the hole. The handle expanded out in all directions and made a good tight fit. Will it last? Ask me at the end of summer. Here in the Sonora Desert (Arizona) that will be in late October or early Novemberwink.gif

I have one hammer that I have had for 30 years now that the handle has never loosened. I bought it in a hardware store in Central America. I think it was made in China. It is a simple square-faced (both peens) 3 pounder and appears to be forged rather than cast. The eye is tapered rather than "waisted" so as to slip the handle through from the top, no wedges. The harder you hammer, the tighter the handle wedges. I keep it smooth and use is to remove hammer marks etc. when finishing blades and the like.

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I think that sounds like a good idea, hope it works out for you!

Personally, the way I do it is that I use a wooden wedge first, and then add a circular metal wedge afterwards. I've tried to explain it in the pictures below. Don't know if you use these kinds of wedges or what they are called in English.. They work much in the same way as your wooden wedge in that they expand the handle out in all directions. So far this has worked out great for me, but then again I haven't worked as a blacksmith for more than 5 years.

In my experience, another important thing about hammer handles is that the grain of the wood in the handle should be in the same direction as the working action of the hammer. This way, the handle flexes in the same direction as the hammer moves when it hits, and makes the hammer less likely to "bounce around" when you are forging. The handle also becomes more resistant to breaking this way.

Just my two cents. Any remarks or other opinions are greatly appreciated!


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Sukellos and Bendik,

Thanks for the ideas. I have been thinking about this over the winter. I find the low humidity in Indiana to loosen the handles the worse here, I would like to figure out a way to tighten handles on top tools without wedging them at all. My intention is to be able to remove the handle so I can dress the faces without the handle getting in the way. But I want the handle secure while I work and not just slide off the handle. I have been toying with using a machine screw inserted at a crossing of cuts in the handle. Using the screw as a wedge in 4 directions but removable.

Any suggestions from forum?

Thanks

Brian

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Where do you get the circular metal wedges?




Blacksmith depot has similar wedges for the outrageous price of 50 cents http://www.blacksmithsdepot.com/Templates/cart_templates/cart-detail.php?theLocation=/Resources/Products/Hammers/Round_Safety_Wedge&PHPSESSID=222b636c74fe83c7d3f9cd5ebf44e1de
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Where do you get the circular metal wedges?

My family is from Sandefjord.


Some hardware suppliers here in Norway sell them, but I usually make them myself in a lathe, because that way it's easier for me to adjust the size to match the hammer/handle in question. Not very price effective, but I'm not running a business yet anyway. Also, the ones you buy don't have as many "notches" or barbs to make them stay in the wood.

I've actually never been to Sandefjord, but I think it's a nice place. A lot of Norwegians have migrated to the U.S.A over the years, especially before we found oil in the 1960's and became filthy rich :P Before that Norway was a very poor country of fishermen and farmers.
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OK the *basic* root cause of the problem is that wood absorbs moisture and expands and loses moisture and contracts---what does all your wedging do to stop this cycle?

I would suggest handling your hammers well and then soaking the heads in something to prevent the wood from "cycling" in the eye section.

I use linseed oil myself, I have a loaf pan I can line up a number of hammers in and when they show signs of linseed oil wicking up past the edge of the hammer head I wipe down the head and then use the oily rag to wipe the rest of the hammer too.

I had to reset *all* (over 100) of my handled tools when I moved from 86% humidity OH to 8% humidity NM.

DANGER LINSEED OIL SOAKED RAGS CAN SELF IGNITE IF LEFT ABOUT. WHEN DONE WITH ONE: BURN IT IN THE FORGE, IMMERSE IN WATER OR LET DRY IN FLAT IN AN OPEN AREA WITH NO COMBUSTIBLES!

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To Wedge or not to wedge. That is a question?

Good morning all

I hang out a little further north than Mister Powers, but still in a high desert. After reading, on this form, about Mr. Hofi's hammers and the fact that he does not use wedges but exclusively uses glue on his hammers I began using a hybrid method. I taper the lower portion of the contact area of the handle to match the lower hammer head taper and then straight to the end, really the only option from there. Then I glue using E6000 (Hofi has something special he uses) the handle in the hammer and finish with a glued wooden wedge to spread the top of the handle into the contact area. With a top hammer eye taper I couldn't bring myself to just use glue. Hammers that come with a handle I use until the head loosens enough to remove the head and then reset the handle as above. I have done this for several years and (knock on wood) have not experienced a loose handle. I do wonder if Mr Hofi's hammer eyes are straight? -grant

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I soak my hammers in antifreeze I think Tom Clark first told me this, you do not want to leave them in there very long about 30 min to 1 hr it begins to wick up the handle if you leave it too long. It works well does not dry out fast, also be sure to keep it away from dogs they will try to drink the antifreeze very bad for them

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Some hardware suppliers here in Norway sell them, but I usually make them myself in a lathe, because that way it's easier for me to adjust the size to match the hammer/handle in question. Not very price effective, but I'm not running a business yet anyway. Also, the ones you buy don't have as many "notches" or barbs to make them stay in the wood.

I've actually never been to Sandefjord, but I think it's a nice place. A lot of Norwegians have migrated to the U.S.A over the years, especially before we found oil in the 1960's and became filthy rich :P Before that Norway was a very poor country of fishermen and farmers.


I thought of turning them myself, but $.50 seems cheap compared to that.

My father was the first male in his family who did not go whaling. He went in the Merchant Marines and landed here.
Most of my uncles and cousins in Norway are metal workers, either foundry or shipyard or artist/smiths.
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I think that sounds like a good idea, hope it works out for you!

Personally, the way I do it is that I use a wooden wedge first, and then add a circular metal wedge afterwards. I've tried to explain it in the pictures below. Don't know if you use these kinds of wedges or what they are called in English.. They work much in the same way as your wooden wedge in that they expand the handle out in all directions. So far this has worked out great for me, but then again I haven't worked as a blacksmith for more than 5 years.

In my experience, another important thing about hammer handles is that the grain of the wood in the handle should be in the same direction as the working action of the hammer. This way, the handle flexes in the same direction as the hammer moves when it hits, and makes the hammer less likely to "bounce around" when you are forging. The handle also becomes more resistant to breaking this way.

Just my two cents. Any remarks or other opinions are greatly appreciated!


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I have to disagree with the grain direction you prefer. With the grain oriented as you suggest the primary splitting plain of the wood is along the short axis of the handle. Which puts more splitting stress on the handle when you strike with the hammer than if you orient the grain 90 degrees to the long axis of the hammer.

In my experience any bounce is mostly poor hammer technique. If any comes from a lateral flex in the handle it would likely be due to the grain oriented at some other angle.

ron
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I'm suspecting that maybe my lack of skills in describing things, especially in English, has caused a misunderstanding. What I meant about the grain direction is that I prefer it as shown in the crude picture below on the left. Hope you understand it. If you still disagree you have every right to of course, I'm just trying to avoid being misunderstood.

What I meant about "bouncy" hammer handles is shown in the picture on the right. Of course hammer technique and the set up of the hammer face is most important when it comes to avoiding bounce, but in my (somewhat limited) experience I feel that hammer handles with the grain at such angles makes the hammer less stable to work with.

And ThomasPowers, great tip about soaking the heads in linseed oil, I'll try that right away. Makes perfect sense when you say it. Thanks!

Once again just my two cents.

post-789-1263549023953_thumb.jpgpost-789-1263549030075_thumb.jpg

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So much info on such a simple, yet vital, issue! I've used the round steel wedges and they work. Again the problem is that, when the handle does loosen, as it invevitably will, any metal wedge is such a pain to remove. My hope with the round wooden peg is that, when the time comes for a fix, I can just drill it out and do it again.

I too am a firm believer in linseed oil. My grandfather, a professional country blacksmith, always had some on hand to treat his tool handles.

On the topic of hammer handles. I went into my local HOME DEPOT to buy a couple for some hammers I need to re-handle and guess what? They didn't have any! Not that they were out of stock. They simply do not sell replacement hammer handles. The world is just getting too wierd for this ol' cowboy!

By the way, don't worry about your English, young man. It's fine! My Norwegian is practically non-existent. My grandfather spoke some that he learned from a Norwegian co-worker.



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We leave the handle well oversize, grease the end of the handle and push the handle into the head with an 80 ton horizontal press, no wedges no drying probs even in the aussie summer.

Phil


Dang! It just so happens that my 80 ton horizontal press is at the dry cleaners this week. sad.gif
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On the topic of hammer handles. I went into my local HOME DEPOT to buy a couple for some hammers I need to re-handle and guess what? They didn't have any! Not that they were out of stock. They simply do not sell replacement hammer handles. The world is just getting too weird for this ol' cowboy!

For us USA types in a pinch, I have found a fairly good selection at the larger Ace Hardware Stores -grant
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I'm suspecting that maybe my lack of skills in describing things, especially in English, has caused a misunderstanding. What I meant about the grain direction is that I prefer it as shown in the crude picture below on the left. Hope you understand it. If you still disagree you have every right to of course, I'm just trying to avoid being misunderstood.

What I meant about "bouncy" hammer handles is shown in the picture on the right. Of course hammer technique and the set up of the hammer face is most important when it comes to avoiding bounce, but in my (somewhat limited) experience I feel that hammer handles with the grain at such angles makes the hammer less stable to work with.

And ThomasPowers, great tip about soaking the heads in linseed oil, I'll try that right away. Makes perfect sense when you say it. Thanks!

Once again just my two cents.

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Yes I understood you. And I agree that what you show on the right is a bad way for grain to be oriented. If I had the computer skills I would draw what I mean.
If you take the picture on the left you show the grain 90 degrees to what I prefer. If you've worked wood enough you may notice how the wood tends to split, which is generally at right angles to the growth rings. I prefer the natural splitting plane to be in the long axis of the handle.

ron
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Ron,

How wood splits really depends upon what wood you`re talking about and if the grain interlocks or not.Regular hard maple splits pretty easily just as you say but curly or birds eye are a completely different matter.They`re all hard maple but work and split completely different.
Up here in Maine most of the hammer handles are made of ash.The basket makers pound that same ash to make it separate along the growth rings for basket splints.Ash handles would be better off oriented as Bendik said.
We also make handles out of hornbeam(ironwood up here)and those handles may be better oriented as you suggest.
Wood covers alot of ground(just as metal does)maybe too much ground to paint with just one brush.
Never heard of any complaints about the handles on the Hofi hammers.I wonder how he orients the grain.

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Ron,

How wood splits really depends upon what wood you`re talking about and if the grain interlocks or not.Regular hard maple splits pretty easily just as you say but curly or birds eye are a completely different matter.They`re all hard maple but work and split completely different.
Up here in Maine most of the hammer handles are made of ash.The basket makers pound that same ash to make it separate along the growth rings for basket splints.Ash handles would be better off oriented as Bendik said.
We also make handles out of hornbeam(ironwood up here)and those handles may be better oriented as you suggest.
Wood covers alot of ground(just as metal does)maybe too much ground to paint with just one brush.
Never heard of any complaints about the handles on the Hofi hammers.I wonder how he orients the grain.


I am speaking from my experience in carpentry and woodwork as well as lots of firewood splitting. As a carpenter I've worked with spruce/pine/fir (SPF two by material), cedar, redwood, alder, red oak, white oak, hard maple, poplar. In my woodworking I've used black walnut, mulberry, apricot, hickory, pecan, apple, soft maple, grapevine big enough to resaw, multiple species that were given to me that I never bothered to positively ID. Some of these I've dried myself. In addition to some of those I've split cottonwood and elm for fire wood. There are probably several I've forgotten to mention. Through all of that, the only one that didn't show a strong preference for splitting perpendicular to the growth rings was the elm. And elm has so much interlocking grain, it doesn't want to split in any direction. And I've looked at the checking that develops as ash dries, it also shows a preference to split perpendicular the growth rings.
I stand by my statement.

I think either a thread or blueprint or link somewhere showed Mr. Hofi demonstrating how he does his handles and if memory serves, he doesn't make any special effort to orient his handles.

Ron
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I see you`re also an accomplished woodworker as am I.I also harvest,saw and dry local wood.
I put my thoughts out here not to be contradictory but as food for thought.

It`s my opinion that more important than grain orientation(and it is a factor)is the suitability and stability of the wood.
As you said elm is tough to split because of interlocking grain.Even if it hadn`t been wiped out by disease here in the US and we could still find it would it be a good choice for a hammer handle?
As far as splitting goes,the splitting you`re talking about in firewood is caused by the stress of drying and shrinkage.The outer wood(especially end grain)is trying to shrink down around a still undry core.Improper kiln drying can produce the same type effect and cause internal honeycombing.
It`s my opinion that wood under external stress in a direction other than to the end grain separates with the growth rings,as it does when trying to be bent or when a living tree is stressed beyond it`s limits by wind and forms wind shakes.
Correct me if I`m wrong but the stresses we place on a hammer handle are more like trying to bend it along it`s length rather than split it thru end grain.Try laying a log down on it`s side and beating on the outer diameter to get an idea of what I`m trying to say.

I brought up Mr Hofi because I felt his approach was a good illustration of if you pick appropriate and stable wood and fix the head to the handle in a reliable and time proven manner then grain orientation,as long as it runs the length of the handle(why riven is better than sawn) becomes relatively unimportant.

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Bob, have you ever seen a handle lathe? I realize from reading your post that you likely make handles by hand, but I have an interest in an old fashioned handle lathe. Many years ago on a different forum Frosty gave me a link to one, but my computer or ISP at the time couldn't connect to it. Many of my tools are handled at this time, and I have buckets of handles, but my son is just coming of age and I want to set him up as well as possible, if his interest takes off. Thanks.

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Bob, have you ever seen a handle lathe? I realize from reading your post that you likely make handles by hand, but I have an interest in an old fashioned handle lathe. Many years ago on a different forum Frosty gave me a link to one, but my computer or ISP at the time couldn't connect to it. Many of my tools are handled at this time, and I have buckets of handles, but my son is just coming of age and I want to set him up as well as possible, if his interest takes off. Thanks.


You can turn handles on any wood lathe. If you want an oval shape you just use three different centers. It is also possible to turn round on one end and oval at the other end (you simply use the three center system on one end and a single center on the other end). I have to tell you, though, that if you have a shaving horse and drawknife and a 10" surform half-round file (use it mostly drawfiling) you can turn out at least a dozen handles in a pleasant afternoon. You'll produce enough shavings to start dozens of forge fires too. Unless you are very skilled at the lathe you'll have a tough time producing them as swiftly that way. I can do either but I prefer to use the shaving horse. I like both the process and the product from the horse better than lathe turned handles. BTW I just got off the horse a few minutes ago, I'm making bars for a dog-exclusion gate. Here is a link to one tutorial on the three center oval turning system.
http://syzygypens.com/blog/2009/07/27/turn-a-wooden-mallet-with-an-oval-handle/
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Thanks for the reply Bigfoot. I can see why a shaving horse and drawknife would be faster. That is why I want a handle lathe, a dozen handles an hour instead of an afternoon. I am willing to build it myself, but I can't remember how the mechanism for the oval shape worked. Thanks anyway.

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What you are looking for is similar to a gunstock duplicator. The tool moves in and out as a stylus traces the pattern. The cutter is also rotating, and milling the wood off. It would be fairly simple to make. You could use a router, or a shaft mounted cutter.


Personally I mount handles with the grain orientated in the direction of travel, as in the picture on the left. Baseball bats are orientated with the grain, to keep them from delaminating under a hard hit. I don't glue the wedges, so I can drive them in deeper if the handle loosens up. Keeping the head at a constant moisture level is what is needed, so linseed oil is a good way to go. It gets down to 1% humidity at times here, so wood has a hard time surviving without some help.

Does anyone use synthetic handles like fiberglass?

HD probably stopped selling handles because the handles are more than the hammers now in some cases. Same with shovels.

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