Council Tool28 Inch Curved Single Bit Replacement Handle

So, the description, as mentioned, is quite literal. While it is 28" in length, the circumference is fairly small--roughly 3.5". The best way to describe it is more like a 36" single bit handle reduced in scale down to 28". The overall reduction in scale is enough to be ergonomic for someone with smaller hands (say, for instance... *drum roll* ... A BOY of the ages 11-13). All in all, I have no problems with this size because the construction is solid. The grain pattern beautiful and flawless. The finish is just what you would want for a handle you might customize. Or it could be left in its raw state and serve you perfectly. Included is a metal wedge (odd choice, but I'll give it a shot).As I alluded to earlier, the proportions are great because it is basically just a larger handle scaled down for smaller hands. The fawn's foot shaped butt is just right in size to keep the axe in your hands without sacrificing comfort. The part that fits through the eye of the axe (the head, the wedge?) is also sized appropriately. And it just so happened to be quite nicely split down the middle to draw equal halves; that's quite lovely to see for a change. Now, as I think I mentioned maybe once or twice (:D), the overall circumference of the handle is small, and it would honestly be the only drawback of the handle assuming you just wanted a regular 28" single bit axe handle. But it's also not so small that you couldn't use it (remember 3.5" where you hold it).*** Recommended for youngsters, and/or for axe heads that are lighter (no more than 2.5 lbs). ***** If you need a 28" handle that is closer to size for adult use, I recommend the True Temper 28" Boy's Axe. Otherwise, this one will serve you well. **

I used this handle to re-haft an old Plumb axe I had gotten at a junk store. The handle was the perfect size for this axe, with proper grain orientation and no grain run-off, and it was made from nice dense hickory. It was shaped well, and left unfinished, which is a very good thing. Axe handles at hardware stores local to me usually have a horrible varnish slopped onto them, bad grain orientation and horrible run-off, and wedge slots that look like they were sawed in by near-sighted gibbons. Getting this rather lovely handle in the mail was such a nice change of pace.The only negative here, and it's very minor, is the terrible aluminum wedge this handle comes with. But thankfully, the solution is simple: just don't use it. I usually just make my own wedges, but any decent set of wood and metal wedges the proper size will do fine. It's not a big enough mark against it to knock the score down a star. The handle was fantastic.The handle was also made from a very pretty piece of hickory, with a lot of color to it. This doesn't matter a bit as to usability or strength, but it was a nice added bonus.I will be buying more Council handles in the future.

A decent axe handle. Mine came with near-perfect grain orientation. We'll see how well it holds up but the size looks like an exact fit for the eye of this axe head.To answer one of the questions asked by another reviewer, no there is not one standard sized eye for a 3/4 axe (traditionally called a boy's axe). The two common sizes that I'm used to seeing are 2 1/16" x 11/16" and 1 13/16" x 5/8". This fits the larger eye size.My complaint is that it came with a single very large all-metal wedge (shown at left in the picture) instead of the more usual wood and small-metal wedge combination (the example at right). The toothpicks show how far down the cut goes in the handle head. I plan to cut that slot down to a more traditional depth and use a spare wood-and-metal wedge rather than their one-piece metal wedge. My axes are for Scouts and get hard use. I fear that the all-metal wedge will be very difficult to remove when the handle inevitably needs to be replaced.

Great wood, good grain orientation, lightweight and snappy. I love it. Mine has taken some abuse, still solid as ever! WILL purchase again.

I am very pleased with the excellent quality of this handle. Not too thick - very good grain orientation. I used a wooden wedge instead of the metal one that came with it. I wish I could find similar quality in the local hardware stores.