Handle

This handle is for a 'mandril' – a miner's pick axe – and is described as a 'bottom mandril handle'. It was made by Forest Products Limited of Huntley, Gloucestershire, circa 1945–6. The handle is made of ash and has been cleft by hand to follow the natural grain of the wood, giving the handle a strength and toughness not achieved through machine cutting. It is part of a large collection of tradit…