The Mini Hatchet
- Thread starter Hacked
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- Apr 6, 2001
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I'd love to see one of these made as a Council Tool offering, specifically their Velvicut line.
Currently it is 17.5" overall which is surprising since that is the second head I have hung on that haft. It is an 18" hatchet handle from House Handle thinned down twice. The picture with the double bit in it a couple posts down shows the handle as I received it. Notice above it is a slightly larger 19" house axe handle. I'm actually planning on doing a couple of hatchets on that model handle. The reason being I can get a much curvier handle with a nicer swell out of one of them and end up with something similar to a Small Forest Axe minus the flat cheeks and steep price tag. Planning to keep one in the truck, cause everyone needs a truck axe right?
Here is the house axe handle after some work. Not my best swell but feels great in hand.
Bottom since the bottom of the eye is generally smaller, but keep in mind the handle should be a little larger than the eye when it arrives. This let's you custom fit it to your axe head.
In my experience is is much better to have to remove wood. I had a boys axe handle that was simply too small were it fits the eye to be usable. A four in hand rasp will make quick work of removing wood from that area to get the handle to fit. I suggest starting from the very top of the handle so that the handle is just starting to fit into the bottom of the eye. Work your way down test fitting often keeping a close eye on the fit and alignment. Make sure the head is straight and centered on the handle. Some axes have crooked or off center eyes and you will need to adjust for this in the handle. This is were having more wood than you need to start with and taking your time really come into play. You can see me demonstrate these techniques on the first page when I hung the hatchet that you had asked about.
Last thing is use a slightly over sized wedge, as in just a hair longer than the eye of the axe. The eye will shave away what doesn't fit. I also find its best to leave a little of the handle hanging over the top of the eye. This will swell over the eye aiding in keeping the head in place, and can help with field mainaince since you can always drive the wedge in a little further to tighten the head up. I find it makes it much easier to remove the handle if need be as well. I don't recommend glue, and I feel strongly that metal wedges should be promptly pitched in the bin or used for none axe related purposes.
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Looking for a little help trying to put together an order at HH. I have two of these heads and a Craftsman mini hatchet. I think the ones in the photos are tomahawks?? The Craftsman I can probably thin down a full size scout/camp axe handle though it would be a LOT of wood to remove.
What about these? Thanks.
What about these? Thanks.
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Oh my goodness! That little thing is simply too cute! 
I've seen a number of those on the bay. I've been curious to find out if they actually take/hold and edge. You will want a straight handle for sure. HH has a TACK-BRAD HAMMER HANDLE that looks like it could be a good fit. There are others that are similar but I would look for something along those lines. The only issue I can see is since they are ment for small hammers you might need to adjust for the length of the eye. With that in mind you could just pick up a typical claw hammer handle which has a long eye and just thin it out to fit.
I've hung two of the Mini hatchet heads so far and I must say I find them more difficult than anything else I've hung so far. Both have ended up with gaps that I'm not happy about. And I will likely be redoing at least one. Take your time! Don't worry about thinning down the handle it doesn't take near as much time as you might think, that is the easy part IME.
I've hung two of the Mini hatchet heads so far and I must say I find them more difficult than anything else I've hung so far. Both have ended up with gaps that I'm not happy about. And I will likely be redoing at least one. Take your time! Don't worry about thinning down the handle it doesn't take near as much time as you might think, that is the easy part IME.
screened porch
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Nice little hatchet, 1215. I think it's for lathing or shingling, judging by the nail nick.
Thanks. Looks like the back half was red at one point and the portion from the nail nick to the blade was not painted. I found two of them and a Craftsman mini hatchet in an old box of my grandfather's stuff. All that I know is that it was generally in the boxes with his woodworking tools, however this box (an old oil can with the side cut off) had about ten or so broken hammer and mini hatchet/hawk/axe heads --so for all I know that could have been his "broken" pile at one point.
I just don't know what to do with it...
Hacked, I have no idea what brand they are and I know nothing about them. They feel like they were mass produced, almost cast, not forged. I mentioned in an earlier thread I almost thought it was a child's toy because of how dull/blunt they are. Because there are no stamps or markings, my gut says it was just something he picked up at the hardware store or purchased on a whim vs. an intentional buy... then again there are two identical heads and a very well used Craftsman mini hatchet all in this same box so I could be wrong. As an engineer, he (my grandfather) was a bit OCD when it came to tools but he always bought top quality, name brand stuff so these things confuse me.
I'll put an edge on one and let you know how it takes. I think I'll try the tack hammer handle from HH you suggested and see how it works. What should I put on this Craftsman mini hatchet? Thin down a scout/camp axe handle or just get three (probably four because I may break one) of those tack/brad hammer handles?
Thanks.
I just don't know what to do with it...
Hacked, I have no idea what brand they are and I know nothing about them. They feel like they were mass produced, almost cast, not forged. I mentioned in an earlier thread I almost thought it was a child's toy because of how dull/blunt they are. Because there are no stamps or markings, my gut says it was just something he picked up at the hardware store or purchased on a whim vs. an intentional buy... then again there are two identical heads and a very well used Craftsman mini hatchet all in this same box so I could be wrong. As an engineer, he (my grandfather) was a bit OCD when it came to tools but he always bought top quality, name brand stuff so these things confuse me.
I'll put an edge on one and let you know how it takes. I think I'll try the tack hammer handle from HH you suggested and see how it works. What should I put on this Craftsman mini hatchet? Thin down a scout/camp axe handle or just get three (probably four because I may break one) of those tack/brad hammer handles?
Thanks.
At some point I plan to try thinning down a scout hatchet handle for one of my heads, I basically have 3 at this point. I think it will work out well. The only thing I can think that would be problematic is the kerf. Obviously you can appreciate how narrow the eye is on these little hatchets. The kerf needs to be as straight and centered as possible and thin. I use a very thin pull saw to cut mine. I feel like 11-12" overall length is about ideal for these little hatchets. I tried a longer handle and while it works well for chopping it can be awkward in other uses. This length would allow you to use a 14" inch scout handle cut down I believe so that you can cut your own kerf. I have to stress that with as tiny as the eye is getting a good fit is a royal PITA. I still haven't found the best method.
I have another question guys. I received the "Handle house" 18" hickory scout hatchet handle. It is hand selected, unfinished and the grain is very good. I'm putting it on an old 18.5 oz plumb scout type head from ebay. The handle does not fit in the head, which I expected. In fact, the whole handle needs to be slimmed down. The slit for the wooden wedge is very narrow. Once I squeeze the handle into the head the slit is going to be non-existent. Should I open up the slit more or just try to force the wedge in? Someone said the wedge should go into the handle as far as possible. Based on the size of the wedge vs the size of the slit it ain't goin' far.
vcbvcbvcb,
If the eye on your head is tappered, and being a plumb I image it is the kerf should open up once the axe head is fully seated. If not I suggest thinning the top of the haft slightly over cutting a wider kerf. Personally if I can I like to have the handle fit as tight as possible before driving the wedge. Doing this you need a thin wedge and you can bevel the edge of the wedge just like a knife to help get it started. Don't stress about how far the wedge has gone into the eye. The goal is to have as much contact between the handle and eye as possible. As long as the wedge is in nice and tight and not coming out then you should be fine. This is just my own experience and opinions, YMMV.
If the eye on your head is tappered, and being a plumb I image it is the kerf should open up once the axe head is fully seated. If not I suggest thinning the top of the haft slightly over cutting a wider kerf. Personally if I can I like to have the handle fit as tight as possible before driving the wedge. Doing this you need a thin wedge and you can bevel the edge of the wedge just like a knife to help get it started. Don't stress about how far the wedge has gone into the eye. The goal is to have as much contact between the handle and eye as possible. As long as the wedge is in nice and tight and not coming out then you should be fine. This is just my own experience and opinions, YMMV.
