head view I see you took the center of the tree, always difficult in putting in the wedge and not splitting the wood, nothing a little epoxy will not soak down into, especially some slow drying brand

Looks like a good result for your first attempt Has any ever tried making one using Osage orange or does anyone have any thoughts on how that type of wood would work for a ax handle

This is black locust which is the closest thing to Osage orange. It's hard.
Do you have Osage available there?

Given that Osage is a bit diffuse porous, I would tend to favor hickory or ironwood (hop hornbeam). Osage will make a serviceable handle, no doubt, but just wouldn't be my first choice.

Yes Osage is here in some aeras You need to look for it however . I was thinking of how the appearance would look for something you where planning to display I am not expert but I am not certain it would be e best type of wood for a handle for an ax And yes black locust might be a god choice and it could probably be finished in a really nice display

Stay tuned! I'll make one!

Very nice handle! It will be interesting to see the osage orange handle.

I will be looking for it I am always looking for new ideas on how people use their imagination to accomplish things As they say that are more than one way to skin a c !!? Whoops Maybe I should not say that here

I have been using BLO boiled linseed oil for years on handles or raw , raw taking a lot longer to dry.

found a guy who was doing his with a mix of BLO and pine tar the stuff you put on hoofs to seal them
it might not be exactly 50/50 but you work in pine tar with a stir stick till you have a nice mix store it in a metal can or glass jar
set it someplace warm like in the sun or near the wood stove when it is time to apply it gives the wood a nice color

the addition of Pine tar gives the wood better UV resistance keeps it from going grey and works well with the linseed oil

there are thinner pine tars available , than the hoof sealer , but hoof sealer seems the most available.

Very Nice

That is nice when make things work.


Mac

"Never Forget Which Way Is Up!"

sweet. I still have to make one for a axe head I found.

Got a slab of Osage orange cut. May be okay

I like no metal wedges , just the one main wood

hang it with a good 1/4 inch past the head , use a hack saw blade to measure that the slot is 2/3 through the head
cut it deeper if it isn't get the wood wedge to match the depth of the cut , wood glue the wedge when I drive it sand off the excess leaving about 3/16 -1/4" proud of the head soak that in BLO as it keeps the wood stable and from drying out and shrinking in the head


an ideal situation would be to make up a half dozen blanks and stand them in the corner next to the wood stove for a season , they will be all shrunk up by spring.

I'm going to abandon steel wedges too. I doubt Jim Bridger had steel wedge!

My axes won't be swung much. I prefer hydraulics.