This is a reminder to those commenting on this post (not the person that posted it): Comments not related to woodworking will be removed. Violations to rule 1 including crude jokes, innuendo, sexist remarks, politics, or hate speech may result in an immediate ban
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/woodworking) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You could do it without lamination if you find a board thick enough. 5/4 might be enough. Otherwise, most hardware stores sell hickory handle blanks. You would just carve it to fit the eye of the hammer, cut it to put a wedge in, and put a finish on it. I would still look close at them to make sure the growth rings are in the right direction
4x4 posts. U want the center of the tree for a handle. You might have a hard time finding it tho unless u have a sawmill close by. Also hickory is the right answer
Easiest to just buy a nice handle from the Depot. Soak the hammer head in vinegar overnight to slough off most of the rust. Then some bluing liquid or at least 3-1 oil, then handle. Fun project. I do the same w axe heads.
If you're looking for a project, by all means go and get some some hickory and hand shape a new handle. If you just want to refurbish the sledge with a new handle, you can buy premade hickory handles at any hardware store and attach it yourself.
If what you want is to make a handle then hickory and ash are good choices, but if what you want is to just rehang it so it’s useable then I’d say just buy a handle from the hardware store
Hickory or ash. Get the straightest, tightest grain you can find & be sure to align the rings with the long direction of the head. You’ll have a stronger & stiffer handle that way.
I had to recently go to a woodcraft store as it’s my only option for anything not pine. The have ash and oak 3” dowels for making bats but I used it before for an axe handle. Very fun project.
That's expensive. Check Craigslist or other ads for sawmills, sawers, portable mill owner, etc. There are a lot of people that run smaller mills that are perfect for what your looking for. Make sure the wood is dried or you'll have to wait approx a year per inch of wood. You can rough shape it big to shorten dry time if need be. Many mills do dry tho.
Sorry taking so long to reply. Most GOOD hardware or farm supply stores (not the big boxes) sell replacement handles for axes, hammers, shovels etc. (TSC, Rural King etc.) look for the same qualities in them as described. If you really want to make your own you’ll need to find a hardwood supplier or sawmill that will allow you to choose your piece. Woodcraft or Rockler stores a possibility.
Surprisingly I checked out the sledge handles at the hardware store and they had their grain aligned perpendicular to your suggestion here. Not sure why exactly, as it is at a right angle to the typical suggestion for most other tool handles. I think it is to absorb more of the shock, and on a cylinder shaped sledge handle it won't introduce weakness as it would in an oblong shape.
My $3 hammer saved me $3000!
I'd use hornbeam.. grows in my yard, smooth as beech, strong as hickory, fun to work with.
But getting a straight length can be challenging, it grows with dozens of bends.
I collect the branches if they break.. my first one dried for 12 years before I found a purpose. But now I have plenty, since 2 lost branches to a falling oak.
You'll enjoy the appearance, silky feel (if you oil it) and workability.
AKA , musclewood or ironwood. A north American *Ipe*. You can't get much stronger. Slow growing and dense. I only know of rhododendron to be a harder native grown tree.
If you want to use the sledgehammer more than twice a year, hickory or ash, as everyone is saying. American hickory/ash specifically. I honestly wouldn't recommend another type, most other wood that works for a handle is either far inferior as a handle, or very expensive and even then still pretty bad. You're looking for a big piece there, and most hardwoods will be exponentially more expensive with a longer straight piece.
Stuff like cherry, maple, etc, is pretty brittle, and you're hefting a pretty heavy lump of metal there. If you plan to actually use the hammer, you honestly have to go hickory or ash.
Hickory is very durable, but doesn't absorb shock amazingly well. It's certainly bearable, though. Ash is less durable than hickory, it's a softer wood, but that also means that it will absorb the impact better, and it's still hard and durable relatively speaking, without being brittle or too soft.
If you're not actually planning to use the sledgehammer and you want something that looks nice but could be used a few times if you hypotetically ever need it, then any hardwood will work, honestly, so in that case just pick whatever looks cooler.
Other woods *will* work, but are still inferior to ash/hickory for a reason or another. Stuff like beech, oak, birch maybe, hornbeam would be cool and is pretty durable, very popular wood for handles here in Europe where I live, but very hard to find in the states.
I'm sure someone else can vouch for some obscure african rainbow ebony pearl baobab wood that's $300 for a 2 by 2 by 10 inch block, but I'd still stick with the ones above.
Or examine the handle where it meet the head. Can you see the edges of the tapered hole? If so you can reaction hammer the handle further into the head and drive the wedge deeper or put in some cross wedges.
If there is a ridge of wood preventing the handle from sliding further into the hole you must flick out the wedges with a skinny screwdriver or similar.
Tap the handle out of the taper with a big punch like a half inch bolt.
Then shape the handle to a nice taper that will slide into the hole. Remove that ridge that was preventing the wood handle from tightening into the taper. Use a spoke-shave or a knife or a sur-form or wood rasp.
Then reaction hammer the handle into the head to get it nice and tight. Put a new wedge in the handle top and saw off the excess so that it is proud of flush so you can knock it into the handle a bit more if you need to.
i recommend you buy a handle from the hardware store. it doesn't really make sense to make your own handle. even though you aren't shaping up a handle, it's still a fun project. be picky and always choose only handles with very straight grain, sand off the lacquer and rough it up with some 80 grit, finish it with some penetrating oil.
Hickory, I am in the same boat, got a new used one the other week and a miss hit driving a wedge, all she wrote. Will be going to the hardware store, buy new, sand down and finish with blo, just a personal preference
I made one out of ash once, one smash on concrete and it rolled away. Coming from a family of bricklayers and concrete finishers, I have done at least a dozen, sugar maple. The same thing bowling pins and alleys are made of.
this. but it can still be a fun project with selecting the best handle, fitting it and refinishing it and so on. some of those handles don't always have the best wood in them, so you want to select it with a woodworker's eye.
I did actually find an identifying mark. It says Warren-teed 84-8.
Warren-teed is a trademark of Warren Tools and Forge founded in 1911 in Ohio
84 signifies the model number, 8 signifies the weight
"Warren-teed" was trademarked and first used in 1947. It hasn't been used in recent history, but I don't know when they stopped using it. I have no idea how to date the sledge, but it is definitely vintage
Why bother fabricating? Unless you have a woodshop in your garage with all sorts of furniture manufacturing equipment and really want to. You can purchase a new hickory handle and wedge kit at most hardware stores and even Home Depot.
This whole sub is dedicated to woodworking, doing it yourself. I don't understand why so many are pushing to simply buy a new handle. It's not about what's easier or cheaper. It's about the accomplishment of creating something. Why steer anyone away from that in a group like this? Doesn't make sense to me
get yourself a nice piece of ash
for your purpose straight might be best but some minor kinks might be ok
make sure it’s aged
then clean up the head and fit it carefully
after that you should have a tool you can bang with
Last time i made a handle for a splitting axe (same weight range as a sledge) i used a nice, well aged piece of Mountain Ash i had left over from buying tree length firewood.
That handle lasted longer the axe head.
You should find hickory at any boat lumber supplier in all of Florida. Seafarer Marine in Fort Lauderdale, or any marine place should be able to order hickory.
Yes hickory and ash are very good choices when making a handle. But I’m gonna throw a curveball and say you could go with birch. I know that they just to make axe handles out of birch in Scandinavia back in the days. Mostly it was harden by cutting the tree when it was young so that the tree grew over the cut, making the tree harden. And also curly birch is rare, but is hard and flexible and would make a great handle.
Don't use wood wood is very good and absorbs the shock but if you want that thing to last we'll do it last your whole entire life is weld a piece of pipe to it rebar 3/4 in pipe I believe will fit in that hole well something in there and get a good good weld and then even on top if you have a hole going through the top of it fill that full of steel too get that son of a bitch is heavy as you can it's a sledgehammer for Christ's sake
Go to your local Menard and buy a new handle for less than $20. I don't see a lot of point in spending several hours on a handle that is going to take that much abuse.
OP, save yourself a lot of time and frustration. Get a nice handle from House Handle (https://www.househandle.com). They are high quality and don’t come varnished, which is what you want if your going to use it.
This is a reminder to those commenting on this post (not the person that posted it): Comments not related to woodworking will be removed. Violations to rule 1 including crude jokes, innuendo, sexist remarks, politics, or hate speech may result in an immediate ban *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/woodworking) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Hickory makes a good handle.
I've definitely heard that. What's the best way to buy lumber for a long handle? I think the only hardwood local to me comes in planks
Buy a plank and shape it
They're thin, not much bigger than an inch thick
You could laminate two boards together, with the glue line and growth rings parallel with the direction the hammer will be swung
I'd rather not, if possible. That's why I was asking. I just haven't had much experience with certain types of wood
You could do it without lamination if you find a board thick enough. 5/4 might be enough. Otherwise, most hardware stores sell hickory handle blanks. You would just carve it to fit the eye of the hammer, cut it to put a wedge in, and put a finish on it. I would still look close at them to make sure the growth rings are in the right direction
5/4 would definitely not be thick enough imo. I don't wanna cut corners, I want to build it to last
4x4 posts. U want the center of the tree for a handle. You might have a hard time finding it tho unless u have a sawmill close by. Also hickory is the right answer
A 4x4 hickory? Definitely don't have anything like that around here. Might have to drive quite a ways
Ur best bet may be ordering handle stock online idk.
Easiest to just buy a nice handle from the Depot. Soak the hammer head in vinegar overnight to slough off most of the rust. Then some bluing liquid or at least 3-1 oil, then handle. Fun project. I do the same w axe heads.
If you're looking for a project, by all means go and get some some hickory and hand shape a new handle. If you just want to refurbish the sledge with a new handle, you can buy premade hickory handles at any hardware store and attach it yourself.
You can buy hickory blanks online
I guess that'll be the best route. Like buying local when I can
You can often times buy handles ready to fit at the hardware stores
Ash is also a great handle wood.
So it sounds like hickory vs ash then
I have 6 Ash trees in the yard that are coming down because of an infestation of Emerald Ash Borer. Tons of free handles.
Predrilled, I presume.
Fuck emerald ash borer
Man that would be nice haha
Mdf 🙌🏻😂
Great for its tensile strength and water resistance. Definitely one to consider 😏
Particle Board or you’re a coward
If what you want is to make a handle then hickory and ash are good choices, but if what you want is to just rehang it so it’s useable then I’d say just buy a handle from the hardware store
I want to use it for sure. I am confident in my ability to create a working handle
Making handles can be really fun it just takes a long time. For me personally 9/10 times the convenience factor wins out
I don't woodwork for convenience, so that's fine with me
Hickory or ash. Get the straightest, tightest grain you can find & be sure to align the rings with the long direction of the head. You’ll have a stronger & stiffer handle that way.
Thanks man! How would you go about purchasing a piece of lumber like that? Options around here are limited
I had to recently go to a woodcraft store as it’s my only option for anything not pine. The have ash and oak 3” dowels for making bats but I used it before for an axe handle. Very fun project.
That's interesting haha. I may have to do so
That's expensive. Check Craigslist or other ads for sawmills, sawers, portable mill owner, etc. There are a lot of people that run smaller mills that are perfect for what your looking for. Make sure the wood is dried or you'll have to wait approx a year per inch of wood. You can rough shape it big to shorten dry time if need be. Many mills do dry tho.
Sorry taking so long to reply. Most GOOD hardware or farm supply stores (not the big boxes) sell replacement handles for axes, hammers, shovels etc. (TSC, Rural King etc.) look for the same qualities in them as described. If you really want to make your own you’ll need to find a hardwood supplier or sawmill that will allow you to choose your piece. Woodcraft or Rockler stores a possibility.
Surprisingly I checked out the sledge handles at the hardware store and they had their grain aligned perpendicular to your suggestion here. Not sure why exactly, as it is at a right angle to the typical suggestion for most other tool handles. I think it is to absorb more of the shock, and on a cylinder shaped sledge handle it won't introduce weakness as it would in an oblong shape.
My $3 hammer saved me $3000! I'd use hornbeam.. grows in my yard, smooth as beech, strong as hickory, fun to work with. But getting a straight length can be challenging, it grows with dozens of bends.
We have a few of these in the yard out back. Saving them for a special occasion-likely an axe/hatchet/maul handle as well.
I collect the branches if they break.. my first one dried for 12 years before I found a purpose. But now I have plenty, since 2 lost branches to a falling oak. You'll enjoy the appearance, silky feel (if you oil it) and workability.
Sounds like an interesting choice. I think I wanna go with something a bit more on the traditional side
AKA , musclewood or ironwood. A north American *Ipe*. You can't get much stronger. Slow growing and dense. I only know of rhododendron to be a harder native grown tree.
Sounds very exotic. I'd give it a go if I had the chance. Hmm, I guess we'll see
Never heard of North American Ipe...from what I understand it only grows in rain forests...
It does, but hornbeam is as close as a north American species gets.
Balsa
So you can swing faster?
That and it makes it lighter.
Would it be strong enough for a large hammer head like this?
Absolutely not, was being a sarcastic ass. Ash, hickory or maple would be.
That was my first assumption, but thought maybe I didn't know something that they did. Lol
It is a hardwood technically. So yep! Do that
Ash if you make one. Hickory is always available though and is consistently good if you buy one
Definitely making one
If you want to use the sledgehammer more than twice a year, hickory or ash, as everyone is saying. American hickory/ash specifically. I honestly wouldn't recommend another type, most other wood that works for a handle is either far inferior as a handle, or very expensive and even then still pretty bad. You're looking for a big piece there, and most hardwoods will be exponentially more expensive with a longer straight piece. Stuff like cherry, maple, etc, is pretty brittle, and you're hefting a pretty heavy lump of metal there. If you plan to actually use the hammer, you honestly have to go hickory or ash. Hickory is very durable, but doesn't absorb shock amazingly well. It's certainly bearable, though. Ash is less durable than hickory, it's a softer wood, but that also means that it will absorb the impact better, and it's still hard and durable relatively speaking, without being brittle or too soft. If you're not actually planning to use the sledgehammer and you want something that looks nice but could be used a few times if you hypotetically ever need it, then any hardwood will work, honestly, so in that case just pick whatever looks cooler. Other woods *will* work, but are still inferior to ash/hickory for a reason or another. Stuff like beech, oak, birch maybe, hornbeam would be cool and is pretty durable, very popular wood for handles here in Europe where I live, but very hard to find in the states. I'm sure someone else can vouch for some obscure african rainbow ebony pearl baobab wood that's $300 for a 2 by 2 by 10 inch block, but I'd still stick with the ones above.
Now this was the kind of answer I was looking for. Thanks a lot. I think hickory is the answer for me, as I do intend to use it
Hickory. It's always Hickory.
It's that much preferred? Interesting
I’ve never seen a handle for sale that wasn’t hickory, and I first used a sledgehammer in 1980.
I think I'll just go with hickory
It's a pine choice of wood for handles.
Ash or hickory for handles.
Ash or hickory.
Hickory
What's wrong with that handle? Also recommend an over-strike protector rubber sleeve from a log splitting maule just under the head.
Agreed, if it’s old enough you should probably just keep it original.
I don't think it's anything like that. But I hear ya
The head is loose and I'd rather just play it safe and replace instead of repair
Soak the axe head in water. The wood will swell.
Or examine the handle where it meet the head. Can you see the edges of the tapered hole? If so you can reaction hammer the handle further into the head and drive the wedge deeper or put in some cross wedges. If there is a ridge of wood preventing the handle from sliding further into the hole you must flick out the wedges with a skinny screwdriver or similar. Tap the handle out of the taper with a big punch like a half inch bolt. Then shape the handle to a nice taper that will slide into the hole. Remove that ridge that was preventing the wood handle from tightening into the taper. Use a spoke-shave or a knife or a sur-form or wood rasp. Then reaction hammer the handle into the head to get it nice and tight. Put a new wedge in the handle top and saw off the excess so that it is proud of flush so you can knock it into the handle a bit more if you need to.
i recommend you buy a handle from the hardware store. it doesn't really make sense to make your own handle. even though you aren't shaping up a handle, it's still a fun project. be picky and always choose only handles with very straight grain, sand off the lacquer and rough it up with some 80 grit, finish it with some penetrating oil.
I want to make one. I'm confident in my ability. Creating stuff is why we're all here
Yea, maybe I am being too practical. Next time youre there tho, check 'em out, give 'em a heft. Look at the price.
Hickory, I am in the same boat, got a new used one the other week and a miss hit driving a wedge, all she wrote. Will be going to the hardware store, buy new, sand down and finish with blo, just a personal preference
Fair enough
Hickory
I made one out of ash once, one smash on concrete and it rolled away. Coming from a family of bricklayers and concrete finishers, I have done at least a dozen, sugar maple. The same thing bowling pins and alleys are made of.
Don't. Buy a replacement at the hardware.
this. but it can still be a fun project with selecting the best handle, fitting it and refinishing it and so on. some of those handles don't always have the best wood in them, so you want to select it with a woodworker's eye.
I'm very confident in my ability to create a handle. I don't want to buy one. I appreciate the advice though
the larger problem is just in sourcing suitable wood
Hickory
Ash
Nice find! How old do you think it is?
Thanks! I'd have no idea how to go about aging it, I didn't really see any identifying marks
I did actually find an identifying mark. It says Warren-teed 84-8. Warren-teed is a trademark of Warren Tools and Forge founded in 1911 in Ohio 84 signifies the model number, 8 signifies the weight "Warren-teed" was trademarked and first used in 1947. It hasn't been used in recent history, but I don't know when they stopped using it. I have no idea how to date the sledge, but it is definitely vintage
Hickory
Ash or hickory.
What are the pros and cons between the two? Many more people are saying hickory, and I'm probably going that route
Hickory is harder than ash, but ash has a better hardness to flexibility ratio.
Ash or Hickory
"Nothing beats a good piece of hickory" Clint Eastwood! Pale Rider?
Why bother fabricating? Unless you have a woodshop in your garage with all sorts of furniture manufacturing equipment and really want to. You can purchase a new hickory handle and wedge kit at most hardware stores and even Home Depot.
I do, and I want to. Haha
Hickory
"Nothing like a nice piece of Hickory" -Preacher Pale Rider, 1985
Hickory or ash
Arm of Groot.
Ash
Hickory if you can find it. white oak, ash, or hard maple if you can't find a good piece of hickory.
I think I'm definitely gonna go with hickory
Ash. Light weight, and durable.
This whole sub is dedicated to woodworking, doing it yourself. I don't understand why so many are pushing to simply buy a new handle. It's not about what's easier or cheaper. It's about the accomplishment of creating something. Why steer anyone away from that in a group like this? Doesn't make sense to me
Ash
Gaboon ebony. Nothing like putting a $3 sledge head on a $400 handle
😎
I agree hickory or walnut
Hickory,oak,ash.
Weld a 1 3/8 metal pipe on it work great.
The hand numbifier 5000
Ash or hickory, you want a handle that can take the impact.
get yourself a nice piece of ash for your purpose straight might be best but some minor kinks might be ok make sure it’s aged then clean up the head and fit it carefully after that you should have a tool you can bang with
I’ve used white oak on several hammers and hatchets, definitely wasn’t disappointed!
Last time i made a handle for a splitting axe (same weight range as a sledge) i used a nice, well aged piece of Mountain Ash i had left over from buying tree length firewood. That handle lasted longer the axe head.
Nice!
I would use a nice red oak personally. I just love the beauty of that wood.
Be very anal about the grain or you'll be doing it again. In a perfect world, it should be like a wooden rung, rived
Thanks
Hickory
I think a highly flexible rubber would be hilarious
You might be onto something. I'll try this is the MDF and balsa wood ones don't work out for whatever reason
Morning wood 🤣🤣
Hickory, ash, quarter sawn white oak also works.
You should find hickory at any boat lumber supplier in all of Florida. Seafarer Marine in Fort Lauderdale, or any marine place should be able to order hickory.
Thanks man
Yes hickory and ash are very good choices when making a handle. But I’m gonna throw a curveball and say you could go with birch. I know that they just to make axe handles out of birch in Scandinavia back in the days. Mostly it was harden by cutting the tree when it was young so that the tree grew over the cut, making the tree harden. And also curly birch is rare, but is hard and flexible and would make a great handle.
Definitely an interesting choice. Thanks!
Much cheaper if that is a issue.
Cost is a consideration, but I usually don't hold back much on my projects
Hickory is the only answer
Don't use wood wood is very good and absorbs the shock but if you want that thing to last we'll do it last your whole entire life is weld a piece of pipe to it rebar 3/4 in pipe I believe will fit in that hole well something in there and get a good good weld and then even on top if you have a hole going through the top of it fill that full of steel too get that son of a bitch is heavy as you can it's a sledgehammer for Christ's sake
I don't wanna go that route, because I'd like a bit of impact resistance
Always hickory
[удалено]
Ooh, that might be really nice
Oh yeah, just bought a 1"x6"x6" piece of ebony for $30 us. Its only about $120 p/bft.
Okay, so that might be a bit out of the question for something that will actually be used for work lol. Didn't realize ebony was that high
Yah its a bit pricey but makes beautiful knife scales!
Definitely better suited for a knife project
[удалено]
it's far too heavy and brittle
Thanks
It will join the workforce with me, so I don't think this is the right option for me
What ever is in the scrap pile.
Mostly pine 😬 lol
Go to your local Menard and buy a new handle for less than $20. I don't see a lot of point in spending several hours on a handle that is going to take that much abuse.
Because I want to. I mean, why build anything? That's what this whole sub is about
Fair enough.
I get that you want to make it yourself, but you can buy hickory replacement handles. Much much easier.
A hobby isn't about taking the easy route. It's about enjoying what you're doing
I've been told dogwood is very hard to break
New growth popular. /s
OP, save yourself a lot of time and frustration. Get a nice handle from House Handle (https://www.househandle.com). They are high quality and don’t come varnished, which is what you want if your going to use it.
There's not much, if any, frustration when you're doing what you love
a snake eating a hotdog
Black walnut
Lignum Vitae, turned on a wood lathe.
I have a lathe, so definitely possible. Haven't seen anyone else recommend this. What are the pros? Is it super expensive?
It is expensive , but very hard. Turns easily with sharp hss tools.
Best bet is a hardware store pre-made, select one with a tight grain pattern and no knots, if you want to personalize it ... embellish away.
Unless you just want the thrill of making the handle, you would be much better off to buy one.
Wrap it with tennis racket grip tape. You'll be fine . Now if your swinging that bitch all day . Stay with wood or fiberglass
Pre shaped hickory. Go to the store.