That's a sweet little cruiser...just look at that convex section...Most lovely.
But it's that quoted sentence above that's the best part-how else can one truly appreciate any tool than actual use?!
Right on,great hang.
What did you rehang today?
- Thread starter Irongun324
- Start date
But it's that quoted sentence above that's the best part-how else can one truly appreciate any tool than actual use?!
Right on,great hang.
I'm not a frequent visitor to this thread,never get around to hafting nuffink...
But finally it came to me-i'll quarantine myself,and get All kinds of things Done!!!
So i heat-treated this little carpenter's axe from some past experiment,a friend here wants to use it for working on processing green birch for making sleds.Kinda combination of splitting and hewing(he's an old experienced hand at all this,i myself only milled the stuff before).
He wants a straight haft a couple feet long,no swell,nothing fancy...I tried talking him into opening the hang by bending the handle out,away from work,but he told me to not waste time with fancy tricks and just do it.
I have a chunk of nice air-dried hickory that's not quite long enough...It also would have rings oriented at a slant(unless i do some fancy footwork,which i was asked to knock off,and really it's not critical in a tool like this).
My alternative idea is this decent Link DB handle i have.There's enough beef in the swell to do that.Tempting to save all the work shaping the handle from scratch...(but feels almost a shame cutting a decent bigger handle down...I Am running some fever,and it's tough to make decisions
I'm still filing the inside of the eye,so can think about it some more.
Meanwhile took a picture of all the works together with my trusty bench hatchet...No idea who hung that,but it's opened up quite a bit,and i always found it very comfortable...
But finally it came to me-i'll quarantine myself,and get All kinds of things Done!!!
So i heat-treated this little carpenter's axe from some past experiment,a friend here wants to use it for working on processing green birch for making sleds.Kinda combination of splitting and hewing(he's an old experienced hand at all this,i myself only milled the stuff before).
He wants a straight haft a couple feet long,no swell,nothing fancy...I tried talking him into opening the hang by bending the handle out,away from work,but he told me to not waste time with fancy tricks and just do it.
I have a chunk of nice air-dried hickory that's not quite long enough...It also would have rings oriented at a slant(unless i do some fancy footwork,which i was asked to knock off,and really it's not critical in a tool like this).
My alternative idea is this decent Link DB handle i have.There's enough beef in the swell to do that.Tempting to save all the work shaping the handle from scratch...(but feels almost a shame cutting a decent bigger handle down...I Am running some fever,and it's tough to make decisions
I'm still filing the inside of the eye,so can think about it some more.
Meanwhile took a picture of all the works together with my trusty bench hatchet...No idea who hung that,but it's opened up quite a bit,and i always found it very comfortable...
- Joined
- Dec 24, 2019
- Messages
- 85
3¾lbs total
26¾" total
Ash Haft
Connecticut
True Temper
Flint Edge
Kelly Works
Oh man! That one has some seriously awesome character!
I took the easy route and cut down that DB Link job(it had a slight run-out along the spine,this'll be better use for it).
But i'm going for a compression-fit instead.These are a royal pain,but it'll be practical for a hewing hatchet used in the field,for transporting maybe,or replacment with much softer birch in case of breakage.
Also will make it nice to hone,manipulating just the head on your stone et c...
Almost done;will move up another inch or so and call it,and oil it.It's holding good,takes quite a beating with a rubber mallet to dislodge.
But i'm going for a compression-fit instead.These are a royal pain,but it'll be practical for a hewing hatchet used in the field,for transporting maybe,or replacment with much softer birch in case of breakage.
Also will make it nice to hone,manipulating just the head on your stone et c...
Almost done;will move up another inch or so and call it,and oil it.It's holding good,takes quite a beating with a rubber mallet to dislodge.
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2017
- Messages
- 2,450
4 lb New England / Dayton head
32" Link flame treated replacement haft
4½lb
30½"
32" Link flame treated replacement haft
4½lb
30½"
- Joined
- Dec 24, 2019
- Messages
- 85
Skinny! I bet it will take some deep bites! I like it! Love seeing the old forgotten heads come back to life4 lb New England / Dayton head
32" Link flame treated replacement haft
4½lb
30½"
That's a lot of axe! Nice tight hang! Great job!4 lb New England / Dayton head
32" Link flame treated replacement haft
4½lb
30½"
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2018
- Messages
- 1,874
That hang is tighter than a crabs asshole! And I agree what a sweet looking pattern. With that mostly flat top you can tell it's a different pattern than Dayton. Add that to all those lovely pits and patina.... What a lovely axe. And an incredible hang too! Awesome!4 lb New England / Dayton head
32" Link flame treated replacement haft
4½lb
30½"
Did this one for a friend at work. Finished over the weekend, took me this long to figure out a new photo host, then figure out the embedding.
Wood was a tiny hickory trunk that he had already, wanted to use it rather than some osage I bought for other projects. Came from a family farm I guess. It's nice dense hickory, but I'm still not sure it will last. Either way, its good to practice, and I'm a bit interested to see how long this one lasts.
Here's the other side (and the reasons for my dubious outlook!)
Here's the older axe that was the inspiration for this handle
I deviated quite a bit on the swell, I went for comfortable grip.
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- Dec 24, 2019
- Messages
- 85
Eh, so it's not an ideal piece of wood, big deal. I think it looks great with all the mix and variations. Good work, and yes, it's always great to practice! I'm a firm believer in use what you have. Is that a newer Snow and Nealy head? What's his primary use for that axe? What's the OAL it ended up at?
Did this one for a friend at work. Finished over the weekend, took me this long to figure out a new photo host, then figure out the embedding.
Wood was a tiny hickory trunk that he had already, wanted to use it rather than some osage I bought for other projects. Came from a family farm I guess. It's nice dense hickory, but I'm still not sure it will last. Either way, its good to practice, and I'm a bit interested to see how long this one lasts.
Here's the other side (and the reasons for my dubious outlook!)
Here's the older axe that was the inspiration for this handle
I deviated quite a bit on the swell, I went for comfortable grip.
Visually I do like the wood. And yeah, if he breaks it I'll just make another, maybe with some better material.
It is a new S&N head. I have another I'll hang for my own use and see how I like it. The owner of this one does a lot of camping and guiding for a hunting outfitter, idea was for a general purpose light ax. OAL is around 22" or a bit more, didn't measure but that is about what I was eyeballing - short enough for one hand if you're coordinated, long enough for two if you're doing light limbing or something like that.
It is a new S&N head. I have another I'll hang for my own use and see how I like it. The owner of this one does a lot of camping and guiding for a hunting outfitter, idea was for a general purpose light ax. OAL is around 22" or a bit more, didn't measure but that is about what I was eyeballing - short enough for one hand if you're coordinated, long enough for two if you're doing light limbing or something like that.
- Joined
- Dec 24, 2019
- Messages
- 85
Finally got around to finishing this long overdue project. Not sure what this head is, no markings, just ridges in the eye and little bit of red paint, possibly a woodslasher. Was my first head with ridges in the eye hang. Used a 32" House club, ended up at 31" OAL, 4 lb. 2 oz. Total weight.
After a ton of thinning...
Test run on a good size dead but solid standing tree...
Pretty happy with the final fitment to the ridges for my first time, dropped a barrel wedge in it, just because...
Practiced standing atop the log bucking...
Pretty darn happy with the final results. I really like the length/weight balance. Thanks for looking, hope everyone enjoys the weekend!
After a ton of thinning...
Test run on a good size dead but solid standing tree...
Pretty happy with the final fitment to the ridges for my first time, dropped a barrel wedge in it, just because...
Practiced standing atop the log bucking...
Pretty darn happy with the final results. I really like the length/weight balance. Thanks for looking, hope everyone enjoys the weekend!
Last edited:
Finally got around to finishing this long overdue project. Not sure what this head is, no markings, just ridges in the eye and little bit of red paint, possibly a woodslasher. Was my first head with ridges in the eye hang. Used a 32" House club, ended up at 31" OAL, 4 lb. 2 oz. Total weight.
After a ton of thinning...
Test run on a good size dead but solid standing tree...
Pretty happy with the final fitment to the ridges for my first time, dropped a barrel wedge in it, just because...
Practiced standing atop the log bucking...
Pretty darn happy with the final results. I really like the length/weight balance. Thanks for looking, hope everyone enjoys the weekend!
Very nice! good job! looks great and looks like it works good also - that old dry oak is pretty hard stuff.
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- Dec 24, 2019
- Messages
- 85
Hard it 'twas! Echoed off the river with every swing, but the hang is solid and the edge still sharp.
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2012
- Messages
- 13,727
Did this one for a friend at work. Finished over the weekend, took me this long to figure out a new photo host, then figure out the embedding.
Wood was a tiny hickory trunk that he had already, wanted to use it rather than some osage I bought for other projects. Came from a family farm I guess. It's nice dense hickory, but I'm still not sure it will last. Either way, its good to practice, and I'm a bit interested to see how long this one lasts.
Here's the other side (and the reasons for my dubious outlook!)
Here's the older axe that was the inspiration for this handle
I deviated quite a bit on the swell, I went for comfortable grip.
It's a beautiful handle. You certainly did that piece of wood justice. But I agree with your assessment of it's durability.
:fingerscrossed:
I don't think he cut those grooves in the tongue of the handle. I think the ridges in the head pressed those grooves in while he was seating the head on and off while fitting the head to the handle.
Maybe, hard to tell from a picture.
I tried it that way on mine and while they did make grooves in the wood the handle did not end up as close fit as I wanted. Still nice and tight, but it's not gap free at the top. If I ever do one of those again, I think the last thing I will do before wedging is to run a V-carving chisel in the grooves left by fitting. Just a couple passes should do.
I might even go so far as to pull the wedge and see if I can improve the fit a little...
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- Dec 24, 2019
- Messages
- 85
I pre cut the grooves with a utility blade. Crude, but it worked. As I seated and fit the head farther down the tongue I cut the grooves accordingly to where the ridges were making contact.
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2015
- Messages
- 1,002
Better than a utility knife or a V carving chisel is a gun stock checkering tool (Brownells catalog). It will not follow the grain.