Axe Handle Protector

Intro: Axe Handle Protector

sometimes while splitting wood its inevitable you will have a handle strike and if you're my younger brother its usually a given! the first use of a new axe he missed and nicked the handle and decided to duct tape it to protect it. that lasted a few more swings and the tape was pealed off. my solution was a metal gard so I used scrap aluminum from an old street sign

STEP 1: Cut a Template

this is self explanatory, you just cut a template to fit

STEP 2: Trace It on Your Aluminum

I left a little extra on the sides of the aluminum just in case which turned out to help me later

STEP 3: Initial Bends

I started the first bends on a vise

STEP 4: Clamp It

then I clamped and hammered it to fit.

in the second picture you can see it didn't fold over to the center because the fold wasn't perfectly center when.I bent it
once it's folded over draw a line and cut the excess off and start working on the other side

STEP 5: Match Both Sides

once the other side is bent over cut the excess off to match up with the other side

STEP 6: Glue and Nail

mix up some jb weld or epoxy to take up some of the empty space and act as a buffer and to stop the aluminum from moving if struck that way it doesn't oblong the nails.

I used a kind of finishing nail, cut it a little less than a half inch long and predrilled the hole with a smaller bit then hammered them in then wiped the whole thing off with some gas on a rag then I wire brushed the aluminum to shine it up and I put an edge on the axe now you can miss that log all day without worrying about handle damage

STEP 7: All Done

Comments

[wellsya]

Good one! I did something similiar with old tin cans underlaid with car innertube; rough-as-guts but it worked a treat. Didn't look as neat as yours though.

[Kinkhoss]

that head looks like it's hung upside down

[kevin0420742]

Yes the head is upside down. The hook of the blade is always down, it makes it easy to hook a log laying on its side and flip it on end for splitting.

[drosenkranz]

who knows, it could be. it was a cheap axe bought at harbor freight or a similar cheap store

[pfred2]

I've done something similar to this myself. There is also a commercial product available to protect sledgehammer handles. It is a rubber piece that slips on the handle. Anymore I guess my aim has gotten better. Because most tools I have do not have anything to protect their handles, and I don't break them.

[Sk8ty]

This is a really good idea I have broken an axe handle by hitting it there

[MVZ_MODs]

I haven't used an axe in years but this is a very clever solution.