6lb axe / RIVETING DISCUSSION ON PROUD HAFTS!!

Riveting discussion it is. We need to test it. It looks like from now on any full size axe hang I'll do I will leave it proud: if something go wrong it is so easy to cut it flash.

What about different animal: throwing hatchets. Would you leave the haft proud on, hmm, lets say, 22 oz Vaughan half hatchet?
 
Last edited:
In general hatchets can make do with lesser quality wood and hangs because of the lighter impacts they experience. But the impacts of throwing can come at wierd angles. If I were hanging throwing hatchets I'd leave them about 1/8" proud. And I would put a concave bevel on the bit to make it stick better.
 
ithinkverydeeply said:
Not very instructional, just entertaining. Roy Underhill talking about old school craftsmanship and tools, as he is want to do, while hewing a log. Maybe the only TED talk with a broad axe? lol
Click to expand...

I didn’t want to derail the OPs thread so I brought this here. Did anyone else notice the hang of Roy’s axes? A little proud it seems.

 
I can't speak to his reasons but an axe you may want to remove at some time i could see leaving it proud. A racing axe or a broad axe. I would anyway because it's so much easier to get the wedge out. But for me for permanent hangs it's flush all the way!!
 
Interesting debate ... my *humble* opinion of the *proud* discussion is that it's not an either/or scenario. Couple points here:
1. I don't think you can logically refute from a purely "physics" perspective that a proud hang will better prevent the head from flying off than a flush hang--that's just a fact. Facts have nothing to do with tradition or usage--they simply are just facts.
2. The traditional American axe was specifically designed with enough eye length and internal taper not to need a proud hang for reliable usage in most applications. Because they have this design you can get some additional benefit by a flush cut hang. You can add cross wedges to re-tighten the head, because being flush to the eye will prevent some splits that might occur if it was hung proud. Yes you can use those horrible cross wedges effectively! Well they were inserting those cross wedges for many years to prevent the head from flying off--especially if you couldn't easily re-hang it. It's pretty rare to find an old axe with an original handle in my area without any cross wedges.
3. A flush cut hang allows you to seal the top of the wood to the metal a little better to prevent moisture from getting into the eye.
4. I think we largely agreed that most wear occurs at the bottom of the eye. So if it becomes loose we can usually drive the haft further into the head and flush cut off the sides of the haft and drive the center wedge in deeper--thus creating a traditional rehang from an original flush cut without using cross wedges.
5. On designs such as the Hudson Bay where the eye length is limited I definitely prefer a proud hang for its extra and needed grip. The flare at the top from a proud hang also helps to prevent the head from rocking lengthwise in the eye -- especially if it takes an impact on the lower beard of the bit. A Hudson Bay belt axe is not likely to be a primary splitting tool so the proud hang offers a benefit with little downsides.
6. Any axe that cannot hold it's head secure due to insufficient internal taper or adverse weather can benefit from a proud hang.

In my conclusion I see the typical American axe design typically working very reliably with a flush cut. However if that hang is not holding things sufficiently secure, a proud hang might be the answer.
I don't see this an either/or but an evaluation of what works bets for the intended application in a given climate.
 
I also want to thank all the contributors to this thread who defended their preference. Vigorous debate properly conducted brings out some nuances that we all can hopefully learn from-- at least I have from both perspectives on this issue. Its obvious to me that we are fortunate to have people here who know what they are doing and why they do it a certain way.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top