I use a chopper 1, modified and im happy with it and it works well for me. Broke the original handle after five years. Got a handle from the farm store and broke it several days into second season. Got another handle at the farm store and did the same adjust to fit and broke it second day. I was not reaching in and striking the wood under the head non of that. Just broke from impact.
Ive known for years i have to make my own handle. I dont like handles on lots of stuff find it all too small. Maybe one Douglas hammer is almost right. These farm store handles appear to be beech. Then where is it from?
Here is the failure and last years one was the same. I am striking hard and its large ash some 24" -30" so it is getting some good impact still there is some issue im not getting.
If you look on the right there is a center section that is almost a different colour, I look and think is that rot or just how it went as it as failing. The left one that is where it was at the bottom of the axe head, its upside down so it was butted to the right side. This broke at the bottom of the head. handle i on the right and the left is what was in the axe head what you see the bottom so right on the right one if flipped like a hinge. I had about four hours on this. Could they have finished the wood before it was dry and it caused some internal rot? The shim in the top of the head when this broke was just the same as when I did it, the whole axe inside the head was tight.
Im sure i need to make one in Hickory or a few other choices. If you have replaced a handle on a chopper one you know they are a bit different than other axe heads and claim you can only use their handle. I make the handle fit with the shim and it fits tight and is glued in. Any thoughts appreciated.
and the hole on the left some of what you see is disrupted as had drilled out the wood from the top down so left side can be a bit misleading, just the drill came through where hollowed out there
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