yeah council tool deffo have the worst hangs

So that's where that old time saying comes from! "Don't fly off the handle"😯

Thank you for your insight and raising my level of awareness. I purchased my first axe, council tools woodcraft pack axe, and received it today only to find that the handle was split by the wedge in the eye. I decided to return and replace. Hopefully the next one is in better condition.

Your concerns are legitimate sir. I will not use any axe with human life in its path. I have actual footage of a lost head on camera. If we chop long enough we will experience this often with many manufacturers. I lost a head once and it pierced a metal garage door. "Flying off the handle" has been around for years for a reason.

I've had good out-of-the-box results from Council's premium axes, but have likewise had issues with their regular line. Most recently I had a new Dayton pattern axe come loose during the first use. I got in touch with Council and they sent me a replacement wedge, but even rehanging it didn't solve the issue. Further inspection revealed that the difference in eye size between the bottom and top isn't as much as on some of my axes from other manufacturers. In fact there was hardly any difference at all, which I see as a design flaw. The fix was to hang it with the handle protruding more than I typically like in order to get the wood to mushroom as much as possible. I've also not been pleased with the handle quality of Council's non-premium axes. I've seen a couple that were carved in such a way that it made them appear warped. For instance I had one where the palm swell was carved about 15 degrees offset from the rest of the handle. I suppose they're saving all the good handles for the Velvicut line.

Thanks for sharing. I bought the 19” pack axe and the handle came loose in 2 days after processing some firewood and then exchanged it for another one and that came lose in 1 day. Lost faith in the company but decided to give the brand a 3rd try and got the 22” camp carver and hoping it will hold out

First notch I chopped with my council, the head came loose. The hang was terrible and the eye of the axe was symmetrical top and bottom so no matter how many metal wedges I added it would never stay on. I’m disappointed as well.

Wow this is serious, thnx I was tempted to buy the one of their axes.

That is concerning. My CT boys axe has held up to a decent bit of use over the course of the past year or so, and my new flying fox hatchets seems tight, but I'll have to keep a close eye on them.

I've had to re-wedge the past like 3 council tools I bought. Will not be giving them more of my money, which is a shame because I love the steel and the feel of their handles. But I would rather shave and rasp up a new chunky HB handle than deal with danger.

My council tool axes came loose as well, with that said I do absolutely love their axes, I love the steal they use. They’re great axes, it’s def a bummer about the the heads coming loose but once I tighten them up it’s great but I do agree it’s very annoying if anything it’s more annoying than anything. The last CT I got I dismantled it and re hung it before I even used it. Also I had the same issue with my Mk4 Volkswagen vr6 lol.

I've taken to adding a second, larger barrel wedge or a standard wedge behind the small one from the factory. So far, this has been an effective solution on the councils I've found. I hope they resolve the issue! Good video, good lookin out.

I've never had a problem with Council's hang's, I actually think the humidity has played the biggest role in your loose head. I prefer a regular metal wedge over a barrel wedge but if it has a barrel wedge I prefer a small one because the bigger one does more damage at the top it starts splittlig the wood in all directions especially the sides.

I had a similar issue with my brand new flying fox. The day I received it I used it to split some kindling and the head came loose. Good edges, blade geometry , great straight grain handle. I wanted to love it. The hang was just bad, though. Since I bought it with the intention of eventually putting in on a longer 17-19" handle, I didn't return it. I added an additional steel wedge and its holding up fine so far. I always try to buy American when I can, but I was disappointed.

Grain on the handle is oriented wrong. Eventually a crack will form at the shoulder on the poll side. Probably has grain runout down the length of the handle somewhere too; the handle has a good chance of breaking in half along the grain runout. I'd keep the head, file and clean out the inside of the eye, and rehandle it with a straight-grained handle that's oriented correctly. For the wedge, I'd squirt some chair-lock or wood swell on the wedge-bottom and a little bit in the bottom of the kerf too. Then wood glue on the rest of the wedge, a bit of glue in the kerf, and drive it home. Then chop with it a bit. Then drive the wedge in again and observe at the axe-eye if the sides of the handle are mushrooming out against the eye. That means it's secure. Then I'd let it dry. I can't stand a loose axe-head, even if it's visually imperceptible where you can just feel it slightly. If I feel that, I'll drive in a barrel-wedge or even just a thick nail that's been sawn off to shorten it to about an inch-and-a-quarter. A full length 3 inch or 4 inch nail will go too deep and crack the handle. That's why you have to shorten it to about an inch-and-a-quarter, an inch-and-a-half. If you do the rehandling and wedging well, it takes some time and effort, but it'll stay well for many years of service. EDIT: ...and of course the flax/linseed oil treatment.

My counil tool boys axe came loose after 4 notches into hardwood. I was pretty disappointed.

Hope you sent this to Council.

I've often wondered if the eye ridges that True Temper, and other manufacturers, started putting in their forgings weren't partly an early attempt at planned obsolescence. Many people remove a broken handle and see those ridges and think screw it I'll just buy another axe. Edit: Now that I think of it my CT sport utility Boys axe handle split vertically at an eye ridge, I wonder if your jersey has ridges.

I agree that I wish they would sell just the tool heads and let us handle our own. Even if I keep their handle I need to scrape it down and do some shaping to get it serviceable. That said the head alone is worth what you pay for a finished axe. And handles are consumables just re hang as long as you plan for it when you buy the axe all is good. To use your car analogy it would be like not buying a car because you do not like the tires they sell it with.

Yep, every CT I’ve had slips up in the eye.

My 3.5 lb Jersey pattern did the same thing after 1 use. I do love the steel, so I'm in the same boat. I've gotta re-hang it. I literally have only used it 1 time and it slides up and down the handle about 1/4 in. The wedge is definitely not wide enough. Since we all have to re-hang them after the first use anyway, just sell me the steel. Don't get my hopes up.

I recently received the woodcraft pack axe for Christmas. Didn't even come with a barrel wedge,only a wood and straight metal wedge. A little disappointing considering it's supposed to be one of their high end axes

It seems to be a common issue on many axes this days., the last 4 axes i've bougth with "traditional wedge" hang, this last year have had the same problem, no mattter the brand ( ochsenkopf iltis, a pair if hardware line german axes, and a ct boys axe).and the iltis has suffered from a bad temper also, with an horrendous chip on the edge after 1 hour of use... That's an advantage on slip fit type axes.....they'll never fly off, no matter if they're a little bit loose.

Had this happen to my 24” pack axe as well.

Could potentially be a very dangerous flaw. Wouldn't want to be in the line of flight of that sharp lump of steel

I only hang my own axe and this is why. Plus I just like to Haft tools.

I got there Hudson Bay belt axe from blade show, haven't had a problem with mine yet.

I suspect the “ninja shelf” created by the hydraulic head seating process is probably just as much to blame as the choice of wedges. But regardless, I also wish they’d just sell the heads by themselves. Doing so would sure save many of us a lot of time

I feel your pain man. I just received a 19 pack axe from them and it was more loose than that right out of the box. As of now they have done nothing make it right.

Having the same issue with the same jersey. I think I’ve tried to hang it now three different times 🙄. Great head tho just a pain, any tips help lol

Gransfors hangs are not all that, mine came loose pretty quick I still can't believe I paid $200 for that thing. Sucks about the council tool at least you can rehang it better. The handles look quiet nice and I heard they are good, I think if they just sold the head along with the handle it would be better.

Hopefully you told them so they can look at a fix

Where did u buy that axe they r asking 175$ for it u got it for 52$ great deal for u

Weird, did they change the wedge? My Jersey Axe does not have wood wedge or barrel wedge at all, it’s completely metal, mine couldn’t be more than 5 yrs old. Edit: just checked on Amazon, it comes with a serrated aluminum wedge.

I would be screaming for joy if my new council tool axe looked as good as yours. I bought the same axe and one of the bevels was ground completely off. Don't know about the handle waiting on a replacement ☹️

I bought a 3 1/2 lb Council Dayton pattern back in December. Shattered the handle on about the fifth piece of blackjack oak due to overstrike. But not by much. Re-hung it with a wooden wedge and two barrel wedges. It's solid as a rock and sharp as hell now that I've put a little work in to it. The original handle was hung horribly, crooked aluminum wedge in a damn near diagonal kerf. I feel better about it since I hung it myself, and it was my first attempt.

The Jersey axe I got from council looked like it was ground by a blind drunk that was having seizures, everything on it is crooked. Their quality control is non existent.

One thing to consider is that, I believe, they oil the handles which makes them more prone to humidity changes shrinking and swelling the wood. Versus lacquer or polyurethane. Wood can shrink/expand up to 1/16" per inch. A kiln dried piece of hickory could have been swelled/shrunk many times before you got it. I have a 5 lb dayton from council and it has been fine but it put probably 5 coats of linseed oil on it.

Two out of three of my Council tool axes have loose heads after, what I would consider, minimal use.

About a year ago, I bought a CT sport utility boys axe from Omaha Knife. I think because of the hydraulic hafting of the head, a weakness in the handle shoulder grain, chopping on a 10 inch wide hickory branch cracked the handle vertically. Omaha Knife checked with CT and I received a new nice slim CT handle. I hafted it proud with just the wood wedge used some propylene glycol to swell the wood. It has been my favorite go to small axe since. I would still buy a CT axe, as I want to support a heritage American company, and I think they are making good heads with classic designs hard to get except vintage. I bought a Flying Fox, since. I bet they would want to know about your experience, and improve things. Craig Roost is on YT, so you might give him a shout. Take care. And thanks for the video.

you have to purchase the premium line. And i don't rate them either! you should contact them.

I just got a council boys axe among a bunch of vintage axes and was pretty psyched to try it. It was on a handle with a council tool sticker so it must be original and I was able to bang it back through the head without pulling the wedge. To make matters uglier the axe had an incredible shelf from being pressed on without properly tapering the fit towards the eye. I ought to post pictures of this handle for people to see.

I wonder if an ugly mushroom expanded wedged handle at the top is better? Buckling Ray (I think that's his name) seems to think the mushroom out under wedge pressure is good. And, personally it has for me, especially when followed up with a drink of linseed oil

Thats a shame.

Saw a guy stop a flying 7 lb hammer head with his face - nasty .... [but hilarious as it happens, and well deserved in the circumstances - don't judge me, the full story is too long to tell. Council Tool really need to get their act together - that is downright wrong ! They got the head right it seems, but you might say they've swallowed the donkey and choked on the tail.

You can't expect much from axes that are as cheap as Council Tool. When it comes to axes, you pretty much get what you pay for.

So what does Council Tool say about this? They doing anything to help or improve this?

What did Council Tools say about the handles? Maybe you should start your own Axe company and put them our of business.

Is like in almost factory,serial nr,serial montage,no 100% check quality per product,and most important no high quality workers on the right job,and maibe no good pay money for some job in the factory,this is reason in hand made job is high quality and the factory quality is worst

I have 2 council tool boys axes. The day I got them I took them out to buck up an Ash tree. One hour into it the head came loose on the one I was using that day. I had to re-hang it myself and since then it has been fine. The other council tool boys axe I didnt use that day. I took the head off the handle and hung that one myself before it had a chance to come loose on me. I still believe that the council tool sport utility line is a good value. The price is right for an american made axe head. I just know that I will need to hang the heads properly myself and that is fine with me. I know what to expect.

I don't believe the wood wedge or barrel wedge them selves are the issue....my beleave it's an issue do to poor time spent on the hang, the press on method and poor quality control all together that are the issues.....if it was mine I'd take the wedges out....work it farther down the shoulders to get a tighter fit then beat a nice fat wood wedge in there and be good to go

Sorry to hear it's loose. If you were to email Council Tool I'm certain Rooster would not only reply, but he'd have a satisfactory solution to the problem. Craig Roost is Council Tool and the designer of CT. Luck of the draw shows the Joker. My CT Jersey Classic is as tight as the first time I used it, as are my eight other CT axes. Really, email him.

Your wood has dried out since it was hung...soak it in a bucket of water for two days...let it dry and put some oil on top of your handle to seal the moisture in it . Stuff happens!!!

The old HBC design was crap. They redesigned them to have a deeper head at the eye and the bit is shorter. More inline with the older axes. That one maybe a one off. I have two axes, the sport utility boys axe and the woodcraft pack axe and they are both solid on the handle.

You never check your tool before use?

Any consumer-available axe has been sitting in a climate-controlled environment for a sufficient amount of time to dry out the wedge material in the handle to the point it is no longer functional and has become decorative. If you intend to try and use them straight up after receiving them it will most certainly loosen the handle after very little use and become a hazard to use. Proper setting of the handle is as important as the initial sharpening of the edge to establish the necessary pairing of the handle to the eye of the ax. The production line that axes run through does not spend enough time to ensure there is a proper fit and simply concern themselves with the aesthetics of the finished product as opposed to the functionality. This is most often overlooked by many when purchasing an axe and hoping to be able to use it immediately.

I have a bunch of Council Tool axes. They are awesome. I get them ready for use, just like any tool or implement. They continue to chop, cut, split everything in the Pacific Northwest, like rock stars. If you swung an axe with a loose head, you should let someone else process your firewood for you.... All you neighsayers are keyboard axe jockies...