5 Ways To Remove an Axe Handle (with pics)

There are a few tips and tricks I have learned over the years to get axe heads off of old or damaged handles. While it’s simple, it’s not always easy. Some of these old axe heads can be stubborn.

It’s easiest to remove an axe handle if you aren’t trying to use it again, but there are ways to get the head off so the handle can be reused (sometimes). The axe above was one I had to remove (using Method 2) after I realized I had hung it at a slight angle.

Note: If your axe has an epoxy seal in the eye, you likely can’t save the handle.

If you need to replace your handle, the nicest store-bought handles I have ever used are from Whiskey River Art & Trading; their heritage handles are next level. But I also have a guide for where to find good axe handles.

This is just a hobby. When you buy through a link, I may earn a commission to support the site.

Method 1:

Cut Off the Old Handle and Drill

The simplest way to remove an axe handle is to cut it off right below the head, and then punch or drill out the remaining wood that’s in the axe’s eye.

It’s not complicated, but old hickory can be more stubborn than you might think.

Step 1. Cut off the handle

First, cut off the handle flush with the eye (or as close as you can).

Step 2. Punch out the eye

Secure the head upside down with a gap under the top of the eye (a vice works great), and use a heavy punch with a hammer or mallet to knock the wood out of the eye.

Hammer on the bottom (the side you cut), so the remaining wood will pop out the top of the axe. The top of an axe eye is wider than the bottom, so it will only work in one direction.

If you can’t punch the remains of the handle out of the axe eye, then it is time to drill baby drill!

Step 3. Drill out stubborn wood

If the wood is stuck tight (which it often is), use a drill to help break it apart in the eye. Just drill and drill, hole after hole, until the wood breaks apart and falls out. using a punch, chisel, or even a screwdriver to help break it apart.

Even with drilling, old compressed wood can be tough to remove. Especially if the wedge has been glued in place.

Method 2:

Pull the Wedge to Save the Handle

If you want to remove a securely attached axe head while saving the handle, you will first need to remove the wooden wedge that locks them together. Then the handle can slide out of the eye.

If the wedge has been glued, it’s going to be trickier, but not undoable. Grab your drill, jump to step 3, and be careful.

Step 1: Remove any metal wedges

First, if there is a metal cross wedge, remove it before you reach the main wedge. The best way is to use a chisel or a screwdriver to pry it up and out. It’s best if you can get a little notch in the skinny side and pry up (using the edge of the axe for leverage).

You may need to dig into the top ¼ inch of the handle to get the metal wedge out – so make sure that you have enough shoulder room on the handle to hang the head lower than it originally sat if needed.

Step 2: Pull Out the Wedge

There are two ways to try and grab hold of the wedge: to pull it out. If the handle is sticks out the top of the axe, you can try cutting 0.25″ of the handle on either side of the wedge, so you can get a hold with pliers.

Or you can drill screws into the wedge itself, and use pliers to grab those, and pry it out. You will likely also need a vice here to get it out, and you may need some serious force to pull a well-fit wedge.

This method doesn’t always work; sometimes the wedge will break before it pulls out.

Step 3: Carefully Drill Out the Wedge

If you can’t pull the wedge out, you will need to drill it out very carefully. Use a thin drill bit, because remember the wedge thins out as it goes into the handle. You don’t want to damage the handle itself.

It helps to blow or shake out the debris regularly so you don’t drill too far.

Step 4: Hammer the head off

Even with the wedge gone, the wood might be too stiff to remove by hand. So use a mallet or deadblow hammer to finish the job.

Either whack the top of the handle to pop it down out of the axe eye, or turn the axe over and whack the bottom of the axe head.

I use this (cheap) 3lb Deadblow Hammer.

It’s best to use a softer wood wedge (like poplar) when rehanging an axe on an old handle. Poplar is the standard in most wedge kits.

Method 3:

Hammering Off Loose Axe Heads

I use this method more than I probably should for old axes I plan to restore – whether I am keeping the handle or not.

This isn’t the “right way” to remove an axe handle, but if the head is already quite loose, you can sometimes just hold the axe upside down and smack the bottom of the head repeatedly with a rubber dead blow hammer until it pops off.

You want to hit both ends of the axe head on either side of the handle evenly, back and forth, working the head off the end handle a little bit at a time. Even if the head it quite loose, it can take more whacks than you would expect.

If you don’t see any progress after a few strikes, I would move on to the next method. And make sure it actually is moving up the handle – sometimes the head will just rock slightly in place, which looks like progress – even though it’s not actually moving.

This method will be hard on your hammer – so don’t do this method if you care about that either. 

Method 4:

Drill & Chip Out Epoxy or Aluminium Wedges

To remove an axe handle with an epoxy seal or aluminum wedges, you are going to need to be persistent. Both a pain to get out, and they often just need to be destroyed. Drill, chisel, and smack them until they come out.

If you are lucky, you can get a grip on the aluminum wedge with pliers and pull it out. But the aluminum is softer than the axe head, so they really wedge in there and form to fit. So you will likely need to drill and break them apart.

Expoy seals will also need to be drilled, and then likely chiseled out. They are an even bigger pain than the aluminum wedges.

Method 5:

Remove an Axe Handle with Fire

I have never actually tried to remove an axe handle with fire, and I don’t ever intend to. But stubborn handles can be burned out if necessary. This method was historically used at logging camps, before power tools made things easier.

Burning an old handle out of an axe head risks damaging or ruining the axe. You need to be very careful not to destroy your axe with this method. If the blades get too hot, it will ruin the temper and make the steel softer, and ultimately useless (this is the same reason you should never sharpen an axe with a bench grinder).

The Loggers’ Handbook suggests packing the blades with wet earth to keep them cool while the wood is burned out. But, if you are not at a 1950’s logging camp and instead are using a blow torch in the garage – I think you could use a wet towel in a vice as well – just keep adding water as you go.

About the author:

About the author:

Jim Bell | Site Creator
I’m just a guy who likes axes. I got tired of only finding crap websites, so I set out to build a better one myself.

I’m also on Instagram: @axeandtool