Instruction:
Having the right tools is a must when cutting wood or felling trees. While the ax head is undoubtedly important, the handle plays an equally important role in ensuring efficiency, durability, and overall performance. But who makes the best ax handle? In this comprehensive guide, we’ll delve into the craft world of ax handle making, exploring the key players, their manufacturing techniques, and the factors that contribute to superior quality. So, let’s embark on this journey and discover the artists behind creating the best ax handle.
1. Art of Ax Handle Making :
Ax handle making is a time-honored craft that requires proper skill, precision, and an understanding of many wood properties. The best ax handle manufacturers combine traditional methods with today’s modern innovations to create handles that are not only functional but also aesthetically pleasing. These artists carefully select the wood, shape it properly, and use it to ensure long durability and strength.
2. Hickory: The right choice of wood:
When it comes to ax handles, hickory wood is currently the preferred choice of many ax handle makers. Known for this wood’s strength, shock resistance, and flexibility, hickory possesses ideal and precise characteristics for ax handles. An ax handle maker preserves high-quality hickory, often from sustainable forests, and ensures a proper ethically responsible approach to their craft.
3. Gränsfors Bruk: Portraits of the right quality:
One name that often tops the list of the ax handle makers is Granfors Brook. Typically this Swedish company has been producing exceptional axes and handles since 1902. With their meticulous attention to detail and commitment to using only the finest materials they have earned a reputation for making ax handles around the world. Gränsfors Bruk combines traditional methods with modern technology to create handles that are not only durable but designed for optimal performance. Typically nowadays Gränsfors Bruk ax handle are made from premium hickory wood, carefully selected for its strength and durability. The company’s artisans shape each handle by hand, ensuring a perfect fit for the ax head and a comfortable grip for the user. Again, Gränsfors Bruk employs a unique process of drying and oiling the handles to increase their strength and longevity.
4. Council Tool: Inheritance of Right Excellence:
Council Tool, an American company founded in 1886, is another prominent player in the ax handle industry today. With over 100 years of experience, Council has been perfecting the art of tool handle manufacturing. Today their handles are known for their exceptional strength, balance, and durability. Typically Council Tool uses American hickory wood, carefully selecting each piece to ensure uniformity and exact quality. Their commitment to craftsmanship has made them a trusted name among professional contributors and outdoor enthusiasts alike.
Council Tool ax handles undergo a rigorous process of shaping, sanding, and finishing to ensure a smooth and comfortable grip. The company employs various treatments and finishes to increase the durability and longevity of its handles.
5. Helco Work: German Precision:
Helco Werk, a German company founded in 1844, is today renowned for its precision and attention to detail. Their ax handles are made using the finest German hickory, known for its exceptional strength and durability. Generally, current Helco works combine traditional handwork with modern machinery to produce handles that are not only strong but also aesthetically pleasing. The company’s commitment to quality has earned them a loyal following among ax enthusiasts worldwide.
6. Other Ax Handle Manufacturers:
Although Gränsfors Bruk, Council Tool, and Helko Werk are often assumed to be industry leaders, there are a few other notable ax handle manufacturers worth mentioning. Wetterlings, Hultafors, Snow & Nealley, and Husqvarna are companies that have established themselves as trusted producers of high-quality ax handle. This manufacturer ensures a variety of options for each of their customers and they come up with a unique approach to handling the making. Wetterlings, a Swedish company, is generally known for its hand-forged ax handles made from premium hickory wood. Hultafors, also currently from Sweden, accurately combines traditional craftsmanship with modern technology to create handles that are both functional and exquisitely pleasing.
Conclusion:
Craftsmanship generally reigns supreme in the world of ax handles. Gränsfors Bruk, Council Tool, Helko Werk, and several other well-known manufacturers have dedicated themselves to the art of making quality handles. Today, by combining traditional techniques, modern innovations, and the use of premium materials like hickory wood, these artisans have elevated ax handle making into an art form. Whether you’re a professional logger or an outdoor enthusiast, investing in a well-crafted ax handle from one of these manufacturers will undoubtedly enhance your shopping experience many times over and ensure years of reliable use. So, the next time you reach for an axe, be sure to remember that the handle is just as important as the head and choose one from the masters who make the best ax handle.