A handle is the part of an axe that fails, and it is meant to. Replacing one should not mean replacing the axe.Grain runs the lengthThe single thing that decides whether a haft lasts is grain orientation: the growth rings should run in line with the axe head, not across it. A haft with the grain running the wrong way will break at the shoulder however good the timber is. Ours are cut from rosewood, ash and birch with the grain running true.Wedges included. Cut to fit the axes we make.