Grandpa's Cutter Mattock Repair

[searman]

One of the few non-machinist tools I acquired from my grandfather is a small-ish cutter mattock. Its light weight makes it relatively easy to use for long periods of time. The handle is about 3 feet long and the head is about 13 inches long. The opening for the head is very elongated compared to other mattocks I've seen and is held in place like an axe with a notch/wedge combination.



The shaft of the handle is in good shape, but some of the wood at the top on the axe side is missing as you can see in the photos immediately above and below. This allows the head to shift quite a bit when it's being used. I'd really like to find a way to repair this handle so that I can continue using the same one as my grandfather. Is there a known repair method for this situation? Do you graft in a some kind of wood patch and sand it back down to the correct shape?

 

[Oregon Dave]

That is a pretty easy fix.

If mine, I would use a sharp knife to cut a chamfer in the handle just below the metal, to allow handle to more easily slip further into the eye of the tool. Afterwards, turn it upside down and strike the hilt/bottom with sharp blows with a dead blow or suitable hammer on hand, the handle should slip in further. Next, cut the excess wood off flush with the top of the head, recommend a hacksaw; may require digging out any metal wedges already in place. Re-install the wedges if useable, new ones are easily obtained.

That's me, some tools of this type are made to slip off the handle, picks for one; self evaluate as needed.

Cool your putting your Grandad's tool back to use.