The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-17
AXE HANDLE rs,
ana the Handles Iscd In AIDES. Picks. sledros.
uatcheir. nud Hammers.

Many manufacturing establishments produc.
ing articles Of wood Rrc. for yrcntcr cconomy OF
production, located within c"sy rcnch of the
forests from which they draw their material,
and often when the natural supplies have been
exhausted tho factories arc moved into prox.
unity with fresh forests. This has been the
case. for instance, with the factories produc.
ing axe, adzc, 'ivk, siedgc. Ratchet. and ham.
mcr handles. There are such factories in
other parts OF the country, but tho four or fvc
largest aro now all located in Kentucky and
Tennessee. One OF these wus originally in
Connecticut. II moved thence to Maryland
and thence to kentucky, whore 1t now il,
For the handles Of such implements as shov-
els, rakcs, aud forks, ash will 10, hut for tools
like axes and hammers with which blows are
struck, tho handles must be of wood that is
tough and elastic. The best woods for these
uses are hickory and oak; A very great Inaiori.
T. Of the > handles r, used In these he's tools are Of
vision OF the earth in which hickory Is found.
There is good hickory in Canada, but they do
import many from the United States.
There are Maine lumbcrincn who prefer an
IN HaE Maine lain '% are whitfield iI"d' out ~ by hand n''t Oak taxes axes
up less moisture than hickory. and is not so cold
to the touch in winter. A good ouk handle is
something certainly worth having.
stored away and kept too long they are liab BILE
to be attacked by a worm chat makes powder
$1,000 So ssN 1880 ~ $50 'N'H ha''N hAS
worms do not attack Is the heart: but this IL
tho part least desirable in n handle. Tho injury
thus done could be covered by painting the
handles, but that would cost too much.
Formerly the hickory trees used in making
these handles were chopped down; nov they are
sawed down, SO as not to waste any of the wood
in chips. The tree ~ then cut into lengths md
properly seasoned. The logs are then split into
the pieces from which the handles are to DO
made. These pieces are called bolts. The
bolts are sawed approximately to the shape Of
the handle to be finally made. and in this shape
they are handle blocks. The handle block is
turned to the shape of the handle in an irrcgu.
lar lathe, and it is then finished and polished.
1t might be supposed that an axe handle was
just an axe handle; but besides the familiar
axe SO commonly used there are various other
kinds; Ice axes, for example, AMI ice axes them
selves arc further divided into various styles.
There are various kinds of hatchets; fathers
hatchets. hunters h~atchets. and SO on. OF
Ratchet handles alone there are many sizes and
STYLES. For these various tools, axe, adZe. pick,
sledgc, hatchct and hammer, there arc made,
taking them altogether, handles in hundreds of
different sizes and styles, to suit not only diff.
ferent tools. but different markets. The cnta-
logue of one big concern engaged exclusively
in the manufacture of such handles, and Of
hickory only, is a book of several hundred pages,
with hundreds of illustrations. and printed in
English, German, and Spanish.
a great many American handles of this kind
are exported, and they go pretty much every
where all over tho world.