Axe Handling
There are many very good instructive videos online demonstrating how to handle (also called hafting) your axe. The starting point is choosing your axe handle length and style.
The length of the handle depends on the weight and style of axe head. Smaller Hudson Bay and Boy’s axe styles which have axe heads weighing around 2 lbs. usually have a 24" - 28” handle. Larger felling and splitting axes weighing in at 3-5 lbs. can have 30” - 36” handles. Double Bit axes can also have 30" - 36” handles. The length of the handle really depends on axe head weight, size and personal preference.
There are two basic styles of axe handles: straight or curved. The ends of the handles often have either a scroll or swell knob or a “fawn foot” pattern.
A deep dive into all things "handle" can be found in our blog posts:
Here is the process that we go through when hafting our axes:
Here's another video that provides a little historical perspective: