Log-dog

Well,it all worked out pretty much as planned.
https://imgur.com/a/N4BXyZi
No major mishaps,barring a mistake in calculations due to which the dogs are 2"-3" longer than specified.

The donor for steel bits was an old Nicholson 10" mill bastard.
Here it is wired for welding,teeth,dirt,rust,and all,flux should take care of it.
The sloppy fit is good,as it'll allow the flux to get in there,after the initial low heat.
https://imgur.com/9BRuYSm

After the initial weld-setting heat,wire can be stripped off...
https://imgur.com/a/PCqx7uZ

And couple-three weding heats later the bit is on.I won't worry about trying to blend it in,i can feel with the hammer that it's solid,and won't worry about pretty:
https://imgur.com/vYWPlGm

And so on,all around the other three points.That file(whatever it is,W1-1095-something,anyway)feels wonderfully stiff under the hammer,and will serve,methinks.

Edit:I screwed up the photos,apologies,and i think i got them straight.
 
Last edited:
jake pogg said:
I'e left a minimal,maybe insufficient length past the bend.(My specs call for 4"-5",and the actual is a bit over 4").
The more i look at it,the more i begin to doubt the sturdiness of the spike,it being A36,(or 1018-1020 at best).

These are bound for the PNW,and are likely to mostly see conifers,but still...
Click to expand...

I think the length is fine. And A36 should do OK. If you're concerned you could dip them in a superquench or maybe just a cold water quench from orange/yellow heat. Not gonna get super hard but you'd get a little hardness. The other option is a home-made case hardening compound.

https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/7839-hardening-mild-steel/

Ernest DuBois said:
I know what your going on about with the mechanics of cut nails and I buy it and always have. At the same time I do see the forces at work in the two instances not really being comparable. I think if you were to anchor across the grain it gives the least secure grip, weakening the grain head on like that.
Click to expand...

I agree with Ernest. Driving them across the grain is less secure. You'd have to go much deeper (ruining the work) to gain a grip across the grain.
 
Square_peg said:
The other option is a home-made case hardening compound.
Click to expand...

Yessir,'tis so.
All that you mention are all good ways to come up with a sturdier surface,+stiffen the point some.(There's also a cool arcane method of hot-depositing cast iron onto the heated surface...).
The only difference,i imagine,is Shape-ability.
After what all came up in discussion,a solid hard point can give a guy some options in shaping/sharpening the edge.

I was concerned with length of spike (possibly needlessly),and so tried to draw it out overmuch.Then in it's thinned state it looked suspect to me...Last spring i forged a pike-pole end that Was,dammit,too soft and bendy...Felt pretty dumb,but at least it was for my own use;whereby with a tool that leaves the shop it's more of a concern.

In the event here's a photo of the difference,one steeled the other not yet:
https://imgur.com/a/pwc2LGf
 
Man, I'm envious of the one who's got a smid to turn to that'd make such an implement. I think these tips will serve that one well, (once they get ground down/formed to their good dimensions.) Anyway so good to see that you have gone against the convention of the day and made them from this substantial stock.
jake pogg said:
I was concerned with length of spike (possibly needlessly),and so tried to draw it out overmuch.Then in it's thinned state it looked suspect to me...
Click to expand...
This was also behind my musings on whether or not a secondary bevel might have some advantage.
(Well, tomorrow I drive through central Paris and hope to get within sight of taking stock of the damage to Notre Dame. Very gut wrenching in a way.Hopefully Francois Calame is able to join us next week giving his assessment.)
 
Apparently the spire was a 19 cent. revision so no lost knowledge from that section. I can't imagine how the work on the Gothic roof construction can ever be replicated though the forms can be reconstructed the original hands-on skills represented irretrievably gone up in flames.Still an opportunity of sorts and critical to be mindful that it won't be the state, church or billionaire philanthropists rebuilding but the carpenters, roofers, masons, metal and glass workers, scaffold builders even crane operators.
 
It will truly be interesting to watch the narrative that comes out of this, the inevitable struggle that ensues on that level.

So I can't say now but who knows, there is a chance that Calame is drawn in even though he is in Normandy. We are scheduled to be lodging together. Roland, also working in patrimonial reconstruction will have insights. Martin and Bernard, Tristan also doing historic work.
 
Ernest DuBois said:
(Well, tomorrow I drive through central Paris and hope to get within sight of taking stock of the damage to Notre Dame. Very gut wrenching in a way.Hopefully Francois Calame is able to join us next week giving his assessment.)
Click to expand...

It seems astounding to me that a structure 800 years old simply cannot be duplicated today. Think of the timbers in that structure. They will have to be milled. The men to hew them do not exist any more.

How many other trades simply don't exist anymore? Imagine trying to replace quarry tile from a quarry that ran dry 500 years ago. No other source will match it exactly.

"And all the King's horses and all the King's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again."
 
The old growth timber of whatever species(') she was framed of undoubtedly no longer exists on this planet. They'll probably have to use Doug Fir from British Columbia. If they even use timber. Might end up being engineered wood like glu-lams or oriented strand beams. Sad to think that it's all we have left. :(
 
Last edited:
It was all oak, some dating from before the year 1000, as I understand, meaning the time of cutting which happened far in advance of the beginning of construction. They will use oak in the reconstruction but as you say, it will be a far cry from the virgin oak that's now cinder. What are the hopes of an actual restoration, instead of a fix? Look, patrimonial work is in France an industry, they can go far in doing an actual restoration but it's a matter of choice. Probably this roof was relatively light construction, meaning no inordinately large timbers. Had the belfries burnt then it's another matter but they were untouched.
 
Edit to avoid thread drift.
 
Last edited:
Ok,one last post on this decidedly non-axe-related matter.

i Meant to be a good boy and grind nice straight bevels on points,as per all things discussed about how the sharpening itself could affect the operation of the tool.
But i'm worthless at machining,and my facilities are horridly inadequate.
So i just quickly rocked on these awful convex bevels,hoping that the owner and user of these will not have too much trouble dressing them to a desired shape.
https://imgur.com/a/1sTx1n7
https://imgur.com/wPesOAv
 
jake pogg said:
Ok,one last post on this decidedly non-axe-related matter.

i Meant to be a good boy and grind nice straight bevels on points,as per all things discussed about how the sharpening itself could affect the operation of the tool.
But i'm worthless at machining,and my facilities are horridly inadequate.
So i just quickly rocked on these awful convex bevels,hoping that the owner and user of these will not have too much trouble dressing them to a desired shape.
https://imgur.com/a/1sTx1n7
https://imgur.com/wPesOAv
Click to expand...

6C3SGHb.jpg


wPesOAv.jpg
 
Ernest DuBois said:
It was all oak, some dating from before the year 1000, as I understand, meaning the time of cutting which happened far in advance of the beginning of construction. They will use oak in the reconstruction but as you say, it will be a far cry from the virgin oak that's now cinder. What are the hopes of an actual restoration, instead of a fix? Look, patrimonial work is in France an industry, they can go far in doing an actual restoration but it's a matter of choice. Probably this roof was relatively light construction, meaning no inordinately large timbers. Had the belfries burnt then it's another matter but they were untouched.
Click to expand...
I caught that the roof was 25 tons of lead.
 
Thank you for all the kind words,gentlemen.

Agent_H said:
Too many thanks Jake! I hope to put them to use in June.

Is there a story on the maker's markings? Arrow or tail?
Click to expand...

Agent_H,enjoy!:) Very happy they got there safe,and prompt(i'm Such a fan of USPS,great outfit).

My touch-mark comes from the name of my defunct enterprise,"Devil's Creek Forge",which in turn stems from the old indian name of a creek that i homesteaded on.The name itself i haven't heard,the language spoken here is in tragic decline,and things like that are not discussed freely.I do know that the word is not "devil" in a "Western" sense,but some supernatural critter...So a devil's tail is a joke of sorts...(irony is a major part of local culture...i may even be that critter:)).

Long time ago i was young and naive and wanted to curl that chunk of steel into an actual pig-tail(demons in the Old Country all had tails like that:)),but i didn't know then that D2 is air-hardening....So that curve is all i got before it Stopped moving.Just like That.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top