Replace a Sledgehammer, Ax, or Maul Handle (page 2 of 2)

Step by Step Photos and Instructions

Click Image to enlarge.
1. Cut off the old handle just above the tool head. Open the jaws of a vise wider than the remaining wooden handle plug and rest the ends of the tool head on the vise jaws. Drill 1/4-in. holes in the wooden handle plug until it looks like Swiss cheese (drill around the metal wedge in the center of the plug).

2. Knock out the wooden handle plug from the top of the tool head with a hammer and the biggest bolt you can find in your shop or garage. It takes a couple of good whacks with a hammer to get the plug started (so take a big swing), but once you get it going it’ll push right out.

3. Clean the inside of the eyehole with sandpaper or a copper fitting brush. The scuffed surface helps the epoxy bond. Insert the handle core into the tool eyehole until the top is flush (Photo 4). Seal the gap between the handle and head with the supplied caulking cord sealer to keep the epoxy from leaking out.

4. Mix up the epoxy packet for at least two minutes until the color is completely uniform. Cut a corner off the bag and pour the epoxy around the top of the new handle. If epoxy leaks out around the caulking cord sealer, press the sealer into the seam until the leaking stops.

From The Family Handyman - January 2002

 

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• Sharpening Mower Blades, Axes and Shovels
• A bench grinder, file and cone-shaped blade balancer are the key tools for creating a sharp edge and well-balanced blade. Plus, how to file and hone an axe using a sharpening stone, and even how to sharpen a shovel.
• 
• Painless Tree Stump Removal
• Use potassium nitrate stump remover to decompose old stumps
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• Sledge Hammer
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