Hey everybody!
Before I begin, let me preface this post by saying that I have never worked on an axe before. This project was both educational and fun, but I can't see myself doing it again without proper tools.
I have recently developed an interested in woodworking, and found myself in need of a decent hatchet. I had a Craftsman camp axe and was inspired by this article on Woods Roamer to give it a go.
http://woodsroamer.blogspot.com/2011/04/inexpensive-woodcarving-axe.html
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This is the hatchet after an initial go with the file. The profile isn't fantastic, but it's better than when I got it. I whacked out a spoon blank from a piece of firewood and found it to be serviceable, but definitely in need of improvement.
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The handle, however, was bad. After immersing myself in material on axe restoration and re-handling, I decided I wanted to give it a try. I must have watched the "Axe To Grind" documentary ten times.
The first job was to separate the handle from the head, which was easily done with a coping saw. The bit of wood stuck in the eye, however, proved to be much more stubborn. I used a hand-crank drill and an old screwdriver to drill out the wooden wedge and pry out the metal ones. It was laborious, but gratifying.
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After that, I decided to clean up the head a bit. This took several hours of scrubbing with sand paper. I was also curious to see where the hamon line (?) was, so I immersed the head in a hot vinegar bath and was sort of surprised at the result.
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It's crooked. Quite crooked. After seeing this, I wondered if I should continue the project. But I had already invested enough time in it that I thought I should continue. Most of the bit was hardened, except for a small area near what I think is the "heel". I'm not sure.
So, on to the handle work. I do not have the resources to craft my own handle, and so I found myself at the hardware store wading through the many choices. This straight double-bit handle had the best grain.
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I chopped it down to size (figuring I would have the other half in case I royally screwed up) and began the shaping process. This was greatly helped by a drum sanding attachment and my dremel tool.
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But here's where things got a little dicey. I had some serious difficulty when it came time to make the "kerf" cut. I didn't have a vice, so I had to get creative. I began to make the cut with my coping saw, and thought everything was going swimmingly.
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A few minutes after this picture was taken, however, I examined the front of the piece and realized that the wood had cracked! I had a few rather disconcerting chunks come off the further I made the cut. This created some "shelves" in the cut that I was worried would catch the wedge and compromise the integrity of the hold.
I believe this is what attributed to the failure of my first attempt to hang the head. The further I drove the wedge in, the more it pushed the handle out of the bottom! I managed to start over and shave everything down again. The second time, the wedge got about a quarter of the way in when a badly aimed blow to the wedge snapped it off. I desperately tried to get the head off before the glue set, but the thing was on for good. The question is--how well? I chopped through a piece of frozen spruce with it and the head didn't loosen. I even beat on the bottom of it with another piece of hickory in the hopes that I could try again, but it was done.
Here's the finished project, before the final sharpening.
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I saturated the handle and the wedge with oil in the hopes that it would swell and add to the integrity of the hold. But I'm still worried about the safety of using it when the wedge only went in a quarter of the way. What do you all think? Would it be alright for woodworking? I don't plan on felling any trees with it, but I also don't want to sustain an injury that definitely could have been avoided.
Before I begin, let me preface this post by saying that I have never worked on an axe before. This project was both educational and fun, but I can't see myself doing it again without proper tools.
I have recently developed an interested in woodworking, and found myself in need of a decent hatchet. I had a Craftsman camp axe and was inspired by this article on Woods Roamer to give it a go.
http://woodsroamer.blogspot.com/2011/04/inexpensive-woodcarving-axe.html
This is the hatchet after an initial go with the file. The profile isn't fantastic, but it's better than when I got it. I whacked out a spoon blank from a piece of firewood and found it to be serviceable, but definitely in need of improvement.
The handle, however, was bad. After immersing myself in material on axe restoration and re-handling, I decided I wanted to give it a try. I must have watched the "Axe To Grind" documentary ten times.
The first job was to separate the handle from the head, which was easily done with a coping saw. The bit of wood stuck in the eye, however, proved to be much more stubborn. I used a hand-crank drill and an old screwdriver to drill out the wooden wedge and pry out the metal ones. It was laborious, but gratifying.
After that, I decided to clean up the head a bit. This took several hours of scrubbing with sand paper. I was also curious to see where the hamon line (?) was, so I immersed the head in a hot vinegar bath and was sort of surprised at the result.
It's crooked. Quite crooked. After seeing this, I wondered if I should continue the project. But I had already invested enough time in it that I thought I should continue. Most of the bit was hardened, except for a small area near what I think is the "heel". I'm not sure.
So, on to the handle work. I do not have the resources to craft my own handle, and so I found myself at the hardware store wading through the many choices. This straight double-bit handle had the best grain.
I chopped it down to size (figuring I would have the other half in case I royally screwed up) and began the shaping process. This was greatly helped by a drum sanding attachment and my dremel tool.
But here's where things got a little dicey. I had some serious difficulty when it came time to make the "kerf" cut. I didn't have a vice, so I had to get creative. I began to make the cut with my coping saw, and thought everything was going swimmingly.
A few minutes after this picture was taken, however, I examined the front of the piece and realized that the wood had cracked! I had a few rather disconcerting chunks come off the further I made the cut. This created some "shelves" in the cut that I was worried would catch the wedge and compromise the integrity of the hold.
I believe this is what attributed to the failure of my first attempt to hang the head. The further I drove the wedge in, the more it pushed the handle out of the bottom! I managed to start over and shave everything down again. The second time, the wedge got about a quarter of the way in when a badly aimed blow to the wedge snapped it off. I desperately tried to get the head off before the glue set, but the thing was on for good. The question is--how well? I chopped through a piece of frozen spruce with it and the head didn't loosen. I even beat on the bottom of it with another piece of hickory in the hopes that I could try again, but it was done.
Here's the finished project, before the final sharpening.
I saturated the handle and the wedge with oil in the hopes that it would swell and add to the integrity of the hold. But I'm still worried about the safety of using it when the wedge only went in a quarter of the way. What do you all think? Would it be alright for woodworking? I don't plan on felling any trees with it, but I also don't want to sustain an injury that definitely could have been avoided.
