Rehaft Project - Collins Legitimus Broad Axe

R

Rover24

Joined
Mar 5, 2013
Messages
7
Been lurking around here for months picking up lots of good info. I picked up this axe at an antique fair a few months back, paid $5. The lady who sold it to me said that her friends grandfather owned the axe for at least 60 years before he passed. After I bought it, I told her I'd saw off the handle and throw a new one on and get it back to its original purpose. I think she about fainted when I told her this, but the handle was loose and was wedged with nails, as you'll see below:

AxePhoto1.jpg


The logo is faint, but I can barely make out Collins and Legitimus...hopefully I'll see the logo better after a vinegar bath

Axephoto3.jpg


The main reason I decided to scrap the handle and rehang:

Axephoto2.jpg


15 total

Axephoto4.jpg


The axe originally had a straight handle, but I am thinking that I want to put a curved hatchet handle on it. I figure it will be more comfortable to use that way. I'm hoping to use this guy to aid in the carving of some spoons and possibly a kuksa. What do the experts say, straight or curved handle?

Thanks for looking...I'll update the post once I get back to work on it this weekend.
 
Nice looking. Sometimes those old handles, if you hit them with some linseed oil will explode with color, depth, and life, and can be reused with the axe they came with, especially if not being used.

Nice find. Those old Legitimus heads were of great quality, hence the name - don't copy, only one.

Thanks!!!
 
Rover

Nice find! I agree with Operator. If you can salvage the old handle, you will be glad you did. That's a lot of nails though and the handle has probably been somewhat damaged. It always amazes me what a good wedge will do though. From the photos, it looks like you might have a little bit of distortion in the eye. It could be the camera angle. You can safely correct eye distortion with a hammer and a wood anvil.

As for handles, I personally prefer straight handles. I feel they are more accurate. The curved handles seem to take out a bigger chip when chopping though. It's really a matter of user preference, and what you intend to use the tool for. I do more splitting than chopping.

I hope you will post more photos when this tool is a little farther along. I really regret taking "before" and "during" pictures of some of my restorations. It's cool to see how other people do their restorations.

Glad you finally joined. I wish more visitors would join. It would make the forum better, and more good ideas could be shared.

Later
Brent
 
bbforstr said:
Rover

Nice find! I agree with Operator. If you can salvage the old handle, you will be glad you did. That's a lot of nails though and the handle has probably been somewhat damaged. It always amazes me what a good wedge will do though. From the photos, it looks like you might have a little bit of distortion in the eye. It could be the camera angle. You can safely correct eye distortion with a hammer and a wood anvil.

As for handles, I personally prefer straight handles. I feel they are more accurate. The curved handles seem to take out a bigger chip when chopping though. It's really a matter of user preference, and what you intend to use the tool for. I do more splitting than chopping.

I hope you will post more photos when this tool is a little farther along. I really regret taking "before" and "during" pictures of some of my restorations. It's cool to see how other people do their restorations.

Glad you finally joined. I wish more visitors would join. It would make the forum better, and more good ideas could be shared.

Later
Brent
Click to expand...

This is a great post. Thank you!
 
I always try to save an old handle if possible too. Those smaller broad axes or hatchets traditionally had straight handles. Generally, curved handles were more on the bigger axes with blades 8" or more. You could do different, just giving you some info.
 
I also like to save old handles but I think that one might be too far gone. As for the new handle, I prefer a straight handle on a broad hatchet. I tried a curved handle on my True Temper and I hated it. I cut it off and replaced it. But I'm used to swinging hammers so short impact tool handles need to feel like hammer handles to me. I like curved handles on my longer axes.

Bottom line, put whatever you're most comfortable on it.
 
New here, I hope you are still around. I just ordered a Legitimus like that and it too has a bent eye. You say above that can be fixed with a hammer and a wooden anvil. Should I carve a drift of Maple or Oak and drive it in cold. Or should I heat up the eye in my coal forge while keeping the edge and cheeks cooled. I hope that made sense. Though I doubt I could preserve the temper that way. I could try to retemper, though I would rather do it cold if possible.
 
Sluicebox said:
New here, I hope you are still around. I just ordered a Legitimus like that and it too has a bent eye. You say above that can be fixed with a hammer and a wooden anvil. Should I carve a drift of Maple or Oak and drive it in cold. Or should I heat up the eye in my coal forge while keeping the edge and cheeks cooled. I hope that made sense. Though I doubt I could preserve the temper that way. I could try to retemper, though I would rather do it cold if possible.
Click to expand...

I'd like to hear more on this also
 
Sluicebox said:
Or should I heat up the eye in my coal forge while keeping the edge and cheeks cooled.
Click to expand...

You don't even have to get it up to forging temperature to correct an eye. You're not trying to change the cross section of the metal, just push it back in shape. Recall that it got pushed out of shape while cold. It'll move back at black heat just fine. If you heat the one side of the eye at a time with even just a propane or mapp gas torch you can hammer it back in shape. Tie or clamp a wet rag to the bit while heating the eye to preserve the temper.
 
I cut down a boy's axe handle on mine, but it's a hell of a project if you're not set up for it. It gives a nice sweep to the handle. I left it long for leverage, but you can still choke up for neat work.

$_57.JPG
 
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