How do you fix an axe head to the handle and replace the handle of an axe?

If you want to make a Viking ax yourself, you have to fix the ax head on the wooden handle, also called shaft. It can also happen that a Viking ax needs maintenance and that the handle needs to be replaced.

What do you need to secure an ax head?

• screwdriver
• saw
• chisel
• wood glue
• hammer
• sandpaper

First place the ax blade on the shaft. Then see how far it goes, the intention is that the ax head can go all the way around it and protrude a few centimeters above it. In case it can't get around it immediately, you can sand the handle. You can use sandpaper for this, you could also use a sander. Please note that you already have experience with the use of a sander, because if too much is removed from the shaft, it will become unusable. If the ax head can go all the way around it, make sure you position it correctly, leaving it a few inches above it. To ensure that the shaft stays extra good, put a wedge in it.

Then take the wooden wedge and put wood glue on it. Place the wooden wedge in the shaft, press it with a hammer so that it is firmly in place. Let it dry for about fifteen minutes. Then take a saw and cut off the remainder of the wedge. Make sure to leave an inch for post-processing. Once you've done this, you can edit the top part of the wooden wedge with sandpaper to your own style. Then you can attach the steel wedge. You do this by hitting the wedge into the shaft with a hammer. Then when the wedge is in it, tap it a little deeper with a screwdriver. This way the ax will last longer.

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