In essence, how to hang a collared axe is no different than hanging any other axe. All you need to do is approach it with a game plan, take your time, get a tight fit and throw in a wedge.
With collared axes having an absolutely perfect fit isn’t as critical either since they act like a taper and create a huge amount of friction inside the eye.
Start by marking out your eye. If you don’t have the old stub to copy you will have to mark the top and bottom widths and then fill the rest based on your judgment. All you need is a basic taper, so don’t worry about being too exact.
From there it’s just trial and error. Slowly take off the high spots and form your taper. This process takes time. There is no way around it to get a good fit.
If the high spots aren’t showing up well try rubbing a pencil on the inside of the eye.
After your head is fitted make sure to blend the shoulder in. It will be thick at the collar but should be thinned out both for aesthetics & functionality.
Now you’re ready to put a wedge in.
Swedish style collared axes are wedged with a single thin wedge. Just like American style axes. The wedge should extend 2/3 of the way down including the collar. I’ve seen some people try to get across wedge in but there just isn’t room and it’s not necessary.
Below is a picture comparing a Finnish eye to a Swedish eye.
You now know all the secrets to hanging a collared axe. If you missed my previous post on How To Make A Custom Axe Handle From Rough Lumber you can go back to it here.
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