Top quality handles begin at the stump. To avoid runout and ensure grain orientation is perfect requires the ability to read bark and cut your logs according to the defects you may encounter. Then, once you start splitting for a quarter-sawn piece, you need to plan ahead and consider other factors such as existing splits in your wood. There are a number of other tricks and advice you can glean from the East Coast Lumberjack as he once again splits out some handle bolts or billets. Also in this video - a comparison of Canadian white ash to American hickory splitting. Come along and watch the process.