- Joined
- Jun 26, 2010
- Messages
- 334
Its not done by a long shot, needs a proper handle, reprofiling, sharpening, and eye work. But this is just a two dollar shingling hatchet I've been messing around with. Was going to turn it into a tomahawk but realized the eye didn't have enough material...
So I threw it on a 32'' piece of oak for now, and am doing a ton of filing to clean it up. This is about 4 hours of work so far, not much. Thinking about making the beard narrower and cutting higher up. Not sure. Any ideas?
So I sort of finished this thing today. I finished profiling the head as much as I was able (barely any), cleaned all the grinding, and tried to chamfer the eye. Couldn't, so I ignored it. Boiled it in vinegar, and started working on a handle. Screwed the handle all to valhalla (toughest piece of hickory I've seen, fought me every step), and decided to try it as is. Turns out this sucks so bad I'm not going to finish the handle. Thing barely takes a bite due to the profile. Its cool, but its useless. Also, the steel at the bit is so hard, I gave up filing it and threw it to the bench grinder. Even that left it dull. So about ten hours and twelve bucks later I have a nifty story, three cuts, and a wall hanger. That and a bit more experience in axe. Oh, and the eye really sent me for a loop. Hammer eyes do not work on axes / tomahawks. So I had fun, but am kind of disappointed here at the end. If I could work a proper handle on it, and reprofile the blade (its to thick) and get it to hold a proper edge, maybe I would enjoy it. Meh.
Sorry about the horrid pics. Cameras going.
So I threw it on a 32'' piece of oak for now, and am doing a ton of filing to clean it up. This is about 4 hours of work so far, not much. Thinking about making the beard narrower and cutting higher up. Not sure. Any ideas?
So I sort of finished this thing today. I finished profiling the head as much as I was able (barely any), cleaned all the grinding, and tried to chamfer the eye. Couldn't, so I ignored it. Boiled it in vinegar, and started working on a handle. Screwed the handle all to valhalla (toughest piece of hickory I've seen, fought me every step), and decided to try it as is. Turns out this sucks so bad I'm not going to finish the handle. Thing barely takes a bite due to the profile. Its cool, but its useless. Also, the steel at the bit is so hard, I gave up filing it and threw it to the bench grinder. Even that left it dull. So about ten hours and twelve bucks later I have a nifty story, three cuts, and a wall hanger. That and a bit more experience in axe. Oh, and the eye really sent me for a loop. Hammer eyes do not work on axes / tomahawks. So I had fun, but am kind of disappointed here at the end. If I could work a proper handle on it, and reprofile the blade (its to thick) and get it to hold a proper edge, maybe I would enjoy it. Meh.
Sorry about the horrid pics. Cameras going.
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