correct a canted hatchet eye?

[jm1989]

Hey guys, first post. I'm new to axes and I have a question. I have an old walters hatchet and the eye isn't aligned properly with the edge/bit. The edge of the blade is about 5-7 degrees off-center as a result. It's definitely a manufacturing defect and not a result of abuse. Can anything be done, such as filing the eye to be truer and re-hanging with a new handle? The hatchet looks well-used b the previous owner but I don't want to use anything unsafe or have it glance off things. What do you think?

Thanks so much

 

[Agent_H]

A picture of the tool would help draw responses.

Worth a thousand words.

 

[Hickory n steel]

You could file the eye, or you could just account for this when fitting a new handle.

 

[Square_peg]

Which way is it twisted? Clockwise or counterclockwise? Many of House Handles eyes are twisted clockwise as viewed from the top as a consequence of some slop in their turning process. If that twist works for you it might solve your problem.

 

[300Six]

Pictures would be helpful. Being a little off 'true' isn't a safety issue nor is it going to cause glancing blows etc. But if it bugs you and you were lucky enough to find an oversize eye handle you could always whittle away from either side to correct the alignment issue. The way wedge kerfs are often carelessly cut (not straight and not centered) in fact may be what caused the problem.