First Axe Hafting

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utah_fish

Joined
Oct 21, 2011
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Finally got around to hafting my Kelly Flint Edge on a 32" House Handle handle. I used a 4 way rasp and my Mora knife. Lesson learned - don't use the knife again as it can take off some pretty big chunks when you don't want it to. This took a while to do and having done the first I've learned a few things. I probably should have extended the kerf with my saw as the wedge bottomed out quicker than I expected. I also took too much material off around the shoulder and could have benefitted from a wider wedge. All in all though it seems pretty solid. We'll find out in October at the next old mens gathering.

Picture of my "shop" on the back patio. (New work bench is under construction.) I live in Scottsdale, AZ and it was around 103 degrees at noon today.


Getting close to having it seated.


The blade was really uneven so I took the Nicholson to it at 90 degrees to true it up and will sharpen it later. Lots of hardened bit remaining.


Done......


And done.....


And done again. Put some BLO on the handle later in the day.


Thanks to Cooperhill for giving me a few pointers.
 
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looks great. as you said, you may want to try for a wider/thicker wedge next time around. The ones that House Handles supplies with their handles are pretty junky. IMO.
 
cooperhill said:
looks great. as you said, you may want to try for a wider/thicker wedge next time around. The ones that House Handles supplies with their handles are pretty junky. IMO.
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Greetings Coop. Where can I get some better quality wedges?
 
Finally got around to hafting my Kelly Flint Edge on a 32" House Handle handle. I used a 4 way rasp and my Mora knife. Lesson learned - don't use the knife again as it can take off some pretty big chunks when you don't want it to. This took a while to do and having done the first I've learned a few things. I probably should have extended the kerf with my saw as the wedge bottomed out quicker than I expected. I also took too much material off around the shoulder and could have benefitted from a wider wedge. All in all though it seems pretty solid. We'll find out in October at the next old mens gathering.
Good job on hanging the axe. You can get a wedge at your local hardware store to fill the gaps in your kerf. I usually use pieces that I cut off the handle or wedge to fill in any hole in the eye.

You are right that you could have cut the kerf deeper to get to the fatter part of the wedge. Try using a hardware store wedge and some SweelLock and you can fill in the minor gaps.

It's a lot of work hanging an axe. You did a great job. Thanks for posting pictures.
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I get em at Aubuchon hardware but I'm not sure there are those out in Utah. Most local hardware stores carry them. Hickory handle store (ebay) also sells a lot of them.
 
That's pretty nice for a first hang. I've basically given up using the wedges that come with handles and opt instead for making my own using whatever hard stock is laying around. Lately it's been walnut and cherry but I know there are some small oaks that grow down in AZ, if you had the means to turn a piece of that into a wedge I think it would be awesome. Just have to put a block on top when driving to lessen the chances of splitting it, and make sure your kerf is deep enough. I usually aim for it being about 2/3 of the depth of the eye, give or take. I just cut a piece of stock about 3 inches long (grain running that way) square it off and then angle my table saw blade slightly. Set the fence and rotate after every cut so you get the same angle on both sides and you'll have a pile of them in no time. I have a japanese ryoba saw that is awesome for ripping by hand if you have a kerf that's real narrow and need to split a wedge but not remove 1/8" of material in doing it.

Or you can do like coop said and buy one, but those are usually a softer wood. I also like the color contrast from a different wood.
 
I agree with the above fellas. I have lots of elm, and fashion my wedges from it. I love it. Would never go back to the poplar ones.

Keep an eye on that head. It appears that the wedge did not fully seat. From your description that it "bottomed out," I'd say there is a good chance that the head will come loose in use. As a rule, I never let a wedge that bottomed out stay put. It leads to problems. Personally, I'd pull that wedge, remove the head, extend the kerf, and re-do. Maybe you'll want to give it a try first, though. Just be careful.
 
utah_fish said:
The blade was really uneven so I took the Nicholson to it at 90 degrees to true it up and will sharpen it later. Lots of hardened bit remaining.
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Good move. Some people don't like to remove that much material but I do it whenever it's called for. I want the bit to be shaped like factory, not with nicks remaining and the toe rounded back out of play.
 
Guys, thanks for all the input; I really appreciate it. I'm kinda OCD about getting things right so I'm going to take M3mphis' advice and make my own wedge, pull the old one, extend the kerf and do it again. I want to get it right. I can really see why you guys are into this. Really cool to take an old tool and put it back to use. I'll post some new pics as I redo this boy in the next week or two. Up in Utah flyfishing today and tomorrow and hitting them good.
 
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