Axeandadze

Oh, and I sanded off the lacquer and went the BLO route on the handle...personal preference, but I like the feel of 80-grit sanded and BLO'd wood. The ash they used is really nice, and is gorgeous with the BLO rubbed in.
 
I didn’t have a chance to truly use mine yet, but I am “fondling” it daily. :D
You guys already commented on the good edge holding, which is a testament to a good heat treatment.
I would like to share my experience regarding its balance.
The more I keep holding it, the more I appreciate how easy it is to control it.
Easy & secure control is a very important characteristics for a fine woodworking tool.
I think the handle choice was a well thought out one: it significantly contributes to a truly great tool.
Well done, ipt! :thumbup::thumbup:
 
I haven't got to do a whole lot with mine either but I did use it some just to get a feel and I've been making a little kindling at the wood furnace with it. The head on mine came rattling loose and the fit wasn't super well done to begin with. But, I think coupling that with shipping it across the world in the winter and the low price of these tools, I don't feel like this is an issue. The metal wedge was as annoying to get out as they always are, but I took off the hard step at the shoulder where the head was bottoming out, and quickly rehung it. I really like the shape of the handle, but I felt it was a bit too deep compared to its width, so since I was rehanging it anyway I took a bit of material off. It guzzled BLO and we're good to go. The loose head isn't really a big deal but I find it feels strange to be using it as a carving tool with the head rattling around. Others mentioned the sharpness and mine sounds like it was the same. It came sharp enough to go straight to work but just a little fine tuning takes it to where I want it. The bit profile is a little thicker than the GB wildlife hatchet which I have said on many occasions that I like to carve with. However, the profile worked just fine for me. The balance is good, it feels good in the hand to swing. It's a nice little axe. These pics are as it came to me. My hang was nothing to write home to mom about. If the handle is Ash, then I would say Ash doesn't seem to flex like Hickory for hanging purposes. I needed to move the wood quite a bit to fill up the eye, and the wedge crushed instead. I should have made a nice hard wood wedge but I just wanted to get it done so I used some leftover House wedges.

zbirovia1 by city_ofthe_south, on Flickr

zbirovia2 by city_ofthe_south, on Flickr

zbirovia_fit by city_ofthe_south, on Flickr

zbirovia_profile by city_ofthe_south, on Flickr
 
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cityofthesouth said:
... The head on mine came rattling loose and the fit wasn't super well done to begin with. But, I think coupling that with shipping it across the world in the winter and the low price of these tools, I don't feel like this is an issue....
Click to expand...

Thank you for your understanding.
It is wood. The wood is live and it shrink or swell due to humidity so sometimes the handle may loose...
Anyway - I'm working on that and I'm close to find the way to stabilize the wooden handle.

Thank you honest feedback- this makes me to improve my work!
 
Yeah, I wouldn't have been concerned either...totally understandable given the various locations and current weather. I would have done the same...rehung and moved on without batting an eye. Thanks to ipt for touching on COTS's points. Mine is currently coated with BLO and with the low temps, I'm leaving it for a few days so the BLO doesn't get tacky.
 
I have made some experiments with hot BLO and natural bee wax in vacuum and I think that soon I'll have a proper solution.
The Idea is to "fill" as much as possible the wood so to be more resistible...
...And I was surprised to see how much liquid a piece of wood can take...
As I know it is a common technique in knife makers.
 
ipt said:
Thank you for your understanding.
It is wood. The wood is live and it shrink or swell due to humidity so sometimes the handle may loose...
Anyway - I'm working on that and I'm close to find the way to stabilize the wooden handle.

Thank you honest feedback- this makes me to improve my work!
Click to expand...

ipt said:
I have made some experiments with hot BLO and natural bee wax in vacuum and I think that soon I'll have a proper solution.
The Idea is to "fill" as much as possible the wood so to be more resistible...
...And I was surprised to see how much liquid a piece of wood can take...
As I know it is a common technique in knife makers.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I live in Kansas and I don't know how long it spent in the cold here but the humidity has been brutal. It'll be over 50% one day and way under 50% the next. And we've been having varying humidity allover the country so to me, it's nearly unavoidable for the wood to have shrunk on its journey.

The vacuum idea is probably good. I'm sure you'll have to deal with a lot of helpless customers who can't snug up a handle if needed, even though everyone who uses a wooden handle tool is probably going to have to replace or tighten that handle at some point.

ETA: I guess my point with the helpless customers, in case someone finds this post via google or something, is that hanging a tool like this is easy and my question is; do you want to pay extra for a tight handle when the occasional loose one is easy to fix, or would you rather just get a nice tool for a good price and tweak it yourself? For some people, yeah they just want to go to work. For others, not so important. I know we're probably the only ones who feel this way but I'd be happy to buy tools with no handle at all if it meant a significant savings.
 
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cityofthesouth said:
....I'm sure you'll have to deal with a lot of helpless customers who can't snug up a handle if needed, even though everyone who uses a wooden handle tool is probably going to have to replace or tighten that handle at some point....
Click to expand...

You know, in fact they are not so much...
I'm selling in most of the major platforms and I have more than 2500 happy customers mostly from USA and EU.
Yes.
There a people which:

"want safely shipped razor sharp adzes and cannot sharpen the tools themselves: they are clearly not tool users, but armchair dreamers."

:*)
(quote is credit to "little knife")
but in general almost ALL of people who are really obsessed from axes, adzes and etc. hand tools can recognize the good tool in normal price.
 
Tell us about the stainless steel Axeandadze. I live in a harsh costal environment and would like to know the details of this tool.
Thanks
 
It is a cast, grinded, tempered, annealed, polished axe.
The steel is:
ГОСТ- 3х13
DIN - X30Cr13
AISI-420J2; 420S

C 0,26 - 0,35
Si up to 0,8
Mn to 0,8
Ni to 0,6
S to 0,025
P to 0,03
Cr 12 - 14
Ti to 0,2
Cu to 0,3
Fe ~83

Amartensitic Stainless Steel

Tempering 950-1020 °С, oil. annealing 200-300 °С
HRC 50

"Good corrosion resistance in moderately corrosive environments that are free of chlorides, such as soaps, detergents and organic acids.
Good resistance in oxidising atmospheres up to temperatures of about 600 °C.
Optimal corrosion resistance is obtained in the hardened condition with a polished surface finish."

Most of my customers are hunters, butchers- with the adze you are cutting the bone with the axe the meet.
It was sound strange for me but - when you are in the wood...
There is no trace of rust after washing with water.
It looks good. It's light. Put it on the belt and go on the bushes...
:)
 
ipt said:
You know, in fact they are not so much...
I'm selling in most of the major platforms and I have more than 2500 happy customers mostly from USA and EU.
Yes.
There a people which:

"want safely shipped razor sharp adzes and cannot sharpen the tools themselves: they are clearly not tool users, but armchair dreamers."

:*)
(quote is credit to "little knife")
but in general almost ALL of people who are really obsessed from axes, adzes and etc. hand tools can recognize the good tool in normal price.
Click to expand...

Haha! Well that's good.
 
ipt said:
I have made some experiments with hot BLO and natural bee wax in vacuum and I think that soon I'll have a proper solution.
The Idea is to "fill" as much as possible the wood so to be more resistible...
...And I was surprised to see how much liquid a piece of wood can take...
As I know it is a common technique in knife makers.
Click to expand...

Consider using Swel-lock or generically DPG - dipropylene glycol. Also consider leaving the haft protrude 1/4" through the eye. After wedging the haft above the eye becomes much bigger than the eye.
 
Hi, guys!
Long time no write!
;*)
I'd like to share recent prototype...
It's not ready yet and it will be interesting what you thik about...


IMG_20150716_214055_zpsu0lh9q8t.jpg
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IMG_20150716_214132_zpssfowcvob.jpg
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And how much according to you should be the lenght of the handle? The head weight is appr. 3,8 lbs. Cutting blade is 5".
I'm planning 25" lenght.
 
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