I just finished this little guy up. The head is made from 4140 with a heavy etch. The head is 5" long with a 2" face. This one is a gift to a little guy so the handle is a Homehardware replacement for a common ball peen hammer. Not much point in putting a super hardwood handle since it is going to take a beating.
For my old chopper I cut the handle so it was recessed about a 1/4" then drove in a wedge to tighten it up. Fill with epoxy until flush, this keeps the head from working loose and if the handle breaks it can be drilled out easy enough.
Very cool piece man. Im sure he will love it, and as you said, probably beat the hell out of it. Good idea going with that handle, since once he ages a bit and will look after it better, its relatively easy to add a fancy handle at that time
