Noob Axe Questions

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rang3

Joined
Mar 18, 2015
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I just bought my first axe and have had these questions bouncing around in my head for weeks:

1. Can any axe be made into a slip fit axe (as opposed to being wedged)? If not, what is unique about tomahawks and slip fit axe heads?

2. How true a test of steel quality is the "rings like a bell" test? If I shop for axe heads at garage sales etc., what should I be looking for to identify good steel?

3. How much of an axe head is heat treated? How much of the edge can be ground/sharpened back before only untreated steel remains?
 
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I’ll address your first question on a geometric basis. I’m holding an axe right now that has eye dimensions of roughly 5/8” width by 1-3/4” length, in a kinda bulged teardrop shape. If I carved a haft that would fit through that eye, and was even 24” long, I’d break it the first time I used it.

Generally speaking, tomahawks and other slip fit striking tools have a wider rounded eye, because the entire handle cross section has to fit through it. One advantage of wedging is that the handle below the eye can include flare, palm swell, curve (if you like). Only the tongue has to fit through the eye.

Sure, I could heat this in the forge and drift the eye wider, within limits. Would it make it a better axe? No.

Parker
 
Parker has you covered on #1, I really don’t know about #2 (but am also curious), so I’ll tackle #3:

It depends!

Some axes are through-hardened although this is comparatively rare. The only real drawback I see with a through-hardened axe is that you are (in theory) more likely to break it at the eye during a missed-hit into a rock/roadway.

Generally as you note they are differentially treated. Here’s a quote from the Council Tools website:

“ANSI Standards call for bit hardness of Rc 45-60, at least ½ inch back from the cutting edge. Council Tool internal standards call for tempered bit hardness of Rc 48-55 and we target 1-1/4 inches from the cutting edge.”

So, I probably wouldn’t buy an unidentified used axe with more than ~1/4” of apparent edge wear/regrinding.

Finally there are forge welded bits (multiple pieces of steel sandwiched in some fashion so that the harder steel is at the edge). Due to the construction method these will typically have a “deeper” portion of hardened steel.

Some axes will show a hardening line (often very faint) which can be informative.

The head pictured below shows the hardening line clearly because I had just dipped it in hot distilled vinegar to remove rust:
7C379571-B3B1-45F4-AEB2-BA89A38358DC.jpeg
 
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Regarding slip fit axes, it is possible to convert a slip fit axe into a wedge fit axe, but not the other way around, due to the geometry issues mentioned by those above. However, while the merits of a wedge fit head have been mentioned, the merits of a slip fit have not so I'll include some below.

Advantages of the slip fit head approach include, but are not limited to:

•Impossible for the head to fly off the handle.
•Should loosening occur the head is readily tightened without the need for special tools or methods.
•When replacing a broken handle the broken portion is more easily removed from the eye.
•Multiple handles of different lengths may be used for the same head, and interchanged depending on the context of use.

Regarding your question as to the ringing of a bit as an indicator of quality, it does generally indicate that the bit is thin, is hardened, and is free of cracks, delaminations (in forge-welded steel bits with iron bodies) or voids. However, there are many thick axes that do not readily ring in a sustained way but are just fine in terms of their steel and heat treatment. Essentially, a ringing head can be considered as confirming certain qualities of that head, but the absence of ringing is not necessarily an indication that the head is of poor quality.
 
rang3 said:
If I shop for axe heads at garage sales etc., what should I be looking for to identify good steel?
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Most times you can pick up axes at garage sales so cheap that I will just take them all. The best part is cleaning them up and finding a good quality name on the axe. Look for True Temper(Kelly), Plumb, Collins, Craftsman and Norlund, just to name a few. You will always regret not buying something so just buy it!!
 
JL is right, and I have found good deals on hatchets/axes at swap meets as well. Usually not quite garage sale prices, because the sellers will pack up and bring ones they bought at a garage sale and want to make 10 bucks on, but still reasonable.

I actually favor the swap meet, cause summer is my busy season and I often don’t have time to go out saling every weekend. I can drop by the swap meet for an hour or two Saturday morning, pick up a couple finds, then go on to my other obligations. Some vendors know I’m a hatchet/knife guy and bring things to show me special.

Parker
 
Here's an example, $6 at an estate sale. Cleaned, sharpened and a new handle. I didn't even see the Plumb name on it when I grabbed it because of all the rust.

 
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