What did you rehang today?

Steve Tall · Mar 24, 2016

the possum said:
After a bit of googling, I found an old ad that listed the Voyageur's Axe dimensions. Sounds like it was new in 1935. It's given as 11" overall, with a 1 pound head. That's a little heavier than I was thinking it would be- the Craftsman/Vaughan mini only has a half pound head.

From around 1933-1944, some Plumb Voyageurs were used as the official Girl Scout axes (with GSA emblem on green heads), according to this book on scouting equipment posted by Alocksley:

Alocksly said:
...

archertl · Mar 24, 2016

erik the red · Mar 24, 2016

Finished this Hults Bruk 19" today.

300Six · Mar 24, 2016

erik the red said:
Finished this Hults Bruk 19" today.

Well done! A new life for a vintage axe head. You can see, and feel, that overly thick modern replacement handles sort of overwhelm the size of the head. But that too can be rectified with a rasp or power sander.

erik the red · Mar 25, 2016

300Six said:
Well done! A new life for a vintage axe head. You can see, and feel, that overly thick modern replacement handles sort of overwhelm the size of the head. But that too can be rectified with a rasp or power sander.

Thank you sir! Indeed the heft and girth of the belly as it moves into the shoulder area of the handle is more than I would like in a small forest axe, especially when choking up for fine carving/detailing. But like you alluded to, all it takes is a few minutes to thin that out! In all, I am pleased with the result. Now I need to get to work finding a head for the boys axe handle I have laying around!

333.okh · Mar 29, 2016

the possum said:
Dad gave me this older Swedish made hatchet head last summer, and I finally got around to hanging it. The eye is quite a bit larger than American made patterns, so I couldn't find a ready made haft anywhere to fit it. A guy I work with gave me a chunk of Black Locust firewood, and I managed to split out a suitable piece. I spent several months slowly shaping it & letting it dry indoors; hopefully it's done shrinking.

Since the neck of the handle is broader than usual, I figured it needed a bigger butt to lend balance, and also because this head is just a little on the heavy side for a 15" handle. I already have a nearly identical head mounted on a 18" haft, but that one is too long to fit in my pack, so I wanted something a little more compact, but would offer more chopping power than a smaller scout axe.

I had to remove quite a bit of steel from inside the eye fore & aft, since it was hourglass shaped not only on the sides, but front and back as well. Still didn't get it quite even, so there's a small gap in front of the haft. If the hardwood wedge won't keep it in place, I may resort to using a metal wedge.

The bit on this one is on the harder end of the range for what I'd expect from Swedish hatchets, more like vintage American made ones. And the high centerline is more American too, so hopefully this one will make a good packable user.

best handle i have seen in years..............would look good on the Norlund Hudson pattern I found recently as well

archertl · Mar 30, 2016

the possum · Mar 30, 2016

333.okh said:
best handle i have seen in years..............would look good on the Norlund Hudson pattern I found recently as well

Thanks for the compliment. And I owe some thanks to City of the South for his earlier one as well. I split another handle blank out of that same piece of firewood while I was at it, so I'll have one on hand next time I come across an oddball sized head.

By the way, I'm also an Elmer Keith fan.

DarthTaco123 · Mar 30, 2016

Was in the process of hanging this lovely Forest King baltimore kentucky pattern when a crack I didn't notice before popped out. Going to have to V out the crack and fill it full of weld I suppose.

Thought it was just a cold shut from the forging process and ignored it. Won't be doing THAT again, this is the first axe that's done this to me.

jblyttle · Apr 2, 2016

A few recent projects. All are new handles, but some are OLD new handles. I sanded the old ones to get to some fresher wood before finishing them. The House Handle on the large axe I thinned somewhat and could probably have kept going.

There are a few nice old hammers, a Collins half hatchet, a Warren large hatchet (I love the pattern in the handle) and a Swedish 3lb head on a 28" handle.

Square_peg · Apr 2, 2016

I like that Warren.

300Six · Apr 2, 2016

JB you're getting pretty darn good at this. Were you to thin-saw a N-S and E-W wedge kerf in hammer handles you could dispense with steel wedges altogether. Go for it! I re-handled a large hammer (BFH in fact) for a heavy equipment mechanic friend 3-4 years ago and purposely wedged it with wood in two directions to see how it would hold up. So far so good; I was there today and the handle is beat to sh-- and blackened with oil/grease but the head has, so far, not become loose.

tobiism · Apr 7, 2016

A friend gave me this cool old double bit head. Cruiser 2.75lb size with a full size eye. Put a razor sharp mirrored chopping and splitting edge and whittled down a house handle 30" handle. No markings on the head, no ridges and the steel is excellent!

jblyttle · Apr 7, 2016

tobiism said:
A friend gave me this cool old double bit head. Cruiser 2.75lb size with a full size eye. Put a razor sharp mirrored chopping and splitting edge and whittled down a house handle 30" handle. No markings on the head, no ridges and the steel is excellent!

Very nice!

garry3 · Apr 14, 2016

Not sure what the intended use was for this little Plumb. Maybe a flooring hatchet? Any way it had never been hung from back in the day when they could be purchased with out a handle, because everyone could hang them to suit them selves. I have wanted to try out a curved bit on a single bevel hewing hatchet for awhile now so this one fit the bill. It also has ears which I like, otherwise I am just talking to myself.

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That old Heller file made short work of sharpening the hatchet. It was all it needed to shave the hair on my arm.

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The secondary bevel is something that I have not seen before. It may have a purpose.

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Straight handle for the hardened poll.

rockman0 · Apr 14, 2016

Interesting hatchet Garry, Let us know you like that curved bit.

300Six · Apr 15, 2016

Garry3; I wouldn't be surprised if most hewing hatchets/axes had secondary bevels when they were brand spanking new. Much less metal to remove during the first 2 or 3 re-sharpenings.

the possum · Apr 15, 2016

garry3 said:
The secondary bevel is something that I have not seen before. It may have a purpose.

300Six said:
I wouldn't be surprised if most hewing hatchets/axes had secondary bevels when they were brand spanking new.

I don't have pictures of it, but my Dad has a new-old-stock hewing hatchet. I'm pretty sure it's from the early part of the 1900's, and I don't remember now whether it's a Keen Kutter or a Diamond Edge. Anyway, it also has a secondary bevel like this. But what really surprised me, is they also sharpened the back side of the bit a little. More than was necessary to simply remove a burr/wire edge. To me, that starts to defeat the whole purpose of having the back side flat all the way to the edge. But it's there, and I'm 99% sure it's the original factory edge.

Square_peg · Apr 15, 2016

garry3 said:
Any way it had never been hung from back in the day when they could be purchased with out a handle, because everyone could hang them to suit them selves.

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How did you conclude that it had never been hung? I'm just wondering because the toe looks a little short to me.

garry3 · Apr 15, 2016

Square_peg said:
How did you conclude that it had never been hung? I'm just wondering because the toe looks a little short to me.

Just the camera angle. It was factory fresh. Black paint everywhere, including inside the eye. Not a scratch to be found in the eye, on the poll or to the cutting edge.