American Axe....first try at shaping a handle

Alan2442

Alan2442

Joined
Jan 12, 2011
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608
So i got this American Axe (roofing hatchet???) head the other day...



...and I got a hold of a handle for what i think was a normal hatchet.

The handle had a piece missing off the belly of the curve so I was able to get it for free. When I got home i hit the sander...wasn't going to go that crazy with it, but when I tried to fit the head I realized my axe head should be on a straight handle and it was now curving the wrong way. Instead of trash the idea I went ahead and took it back to the sander and did my best to shape it into something a little more usable.

It's not perfect, but it was a free handle with straight grain....and it was allot of fun.







 
jblyttle said:
You make some nice lemonade.
Click to expand...

Nice JB. Looks good Alan. I just hung a Craftsman carpenter hatchet made from the middle piece of a trashed double bit handle that is shaped more like a hewing hatchet handle.

Yours looks better -:thumbup:
 
Looks to me like it'll work just fine. Yours wouldn't be the first reward (edit: REARWARD) curving handle on Earth.
 
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cityofthesouth said:
Looks to me like it'll work just fine. Yours wouldn't be the first reward curving handle on Earth.
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True COTS. If you are going to pound something I guess it's facing forward.

Just noticed what you did to throat/belly. Your hand lays straight and you can use it choked up for cutting- maybe won't feel the rearward sweep?
 
It's in nice shape and you put a good edge on it. You made the right choice straightening that handle.

That type of hatchet was usually marketed as a claw hatchet. I like them a lot. My current favorite camp hatchet is my claw hatchet. I like having both a hardened poll, an axe bit and a claw/nail puller all in one tool. I use duplex nails in trees around camp and I don't like to leave anything behind when I go. The claw hatchet takes care of that.

I think these do well on a riggers axe handle - available at most hardware stores that sell hammer handles. 17"-18" is good.

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