Grimalkins Projects Thread

In a pinch a cement (concrete) block worked fine for me a few times many years ago. Something with a flat side and sufficient mass behind it so you don't have to swing nor exert yourself.
 
So this one went really smooth! Got everything ready to go, thinned down the wedge to what I thought was a perfect width. The handle ended up being 23" after all was said and done. Its a GREAT length. Feels great for 2 handed swinging, and can do small amounts of work one handed. What I think is probably the best size for a hiking axe.

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The axe ended up being toe to the left after I drove the wedge in, I got pretty frustrated with that. But I took her out today and bucked a good sized piece of pine (after chopping and having fun for a bit, I got down to business):

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After bucking that piece, I notice the wedge is coming loose. I just can't catch a freakin break!

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So it looks like I might get a second chance to straighten up the hang. I might just keep using it today and see if I can work that wedge out enough to clamp it. The only problem is I have no idea what I did wrong to get this wedge to start coming loose. I put some BLO on the sides before I drove it in, would that be the cause if it hasn't dried enough yet? Or was it just not tight enough? I mean the top is mushrooming out, I thought it was a really tight fit.
 
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I have this same head and that's the handle length I was thinking of using. Your post has motivated me to do it. The original handle is hatchet length and limits its use to one handed, but I was a bit worried about the proportions with a longer handle. Yours looks great.
 
That is a good looking axe Grimalkin. Appears it works well at that.

It's bothersome when you to try to attend to detail and the wedge or alignment is a touch off. It probably isn't off enough to affect using it but if you are thinking about it now then you might be happier fixing it and if you are pulling the wedge anyway...

If you do pull the wedge, maybe relieve the upper portion of the tongue on the same side it's leaning to try to get it a bit straighter. It's counter intuitive to remove material from the side it's leaning - kind of like running an outboard motor with a hand/grip throttle.

I also have a national pattern (3.5lb) that's been used like it had a hardened poll that might need to be hung and used after seeing yours.

Really though, nice looking Plumb.
 
Thanks guys, hey Bridger, this is the 1.75lb variant (just letting you know), and this length really does feel fantastic.

Agent, I pounded the wedge back in, I'm going to leave it for a couple days and let that oil dry 100%. Have you had a wedge start to pop out like that before? What part is the tongue? Sorry for my ignorance.
 
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Grimalkin said:
The axe ended up being toe to the left after I drove the wedge in, I got pretty frustrated with that. But I took her out today and bucked a good sized piece of pine (after chopping and having fun for a bit, I got down to business):
I put some BLO on the sides before I drove it in, would that be the cause if it hasn't dried enough yet?
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That's probably it. Give it a couple weeks - keep using it - and then see if you can drive the wedge down below the end of the haft. The haft will swell over the top of it locking it in place.
 
So here's how it ended up in the end. On second inspection, I believe the eye of the handle was improperly aligned, my fault for not seeing that.

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Already getting a patina on it, just need to go chopping pine all day. After bucking that piece, the steel still shaves my arms, amazing steel. My other axes haven't been able to hold that shaving edge like this.

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We'll see how the wedge does over the next couple weeks. I had a thought to screw in 2 or 3 drywall screws, then clamp those screws and try to pry it out if it comes to that.
 
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Grimalkin said:
Thanks guys, hey Bridger, this is the 1.75lb variant (just letting you know), and this length really does feel fantastic.

Agent, I pounded the wedge back in, I'm going to leave it for a couple days and let that oil dry 100%. Have you had a wedge start to pop out like that before? What part is the tongue? Sorry for my ignorance.
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Yup, that's the size I've got.
 
Grimalkin said:
I have another question for you guys, what method do you use to drive in your wooden wedge if you don't have a mallet?

I tried hitting a 2x4 with a hammer last time on top of the wedge, I don't think enough energy transfers to the wedge. Any suggestions?
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I use whatever steel headed hammer I have handy. With the bottom of my axe handle resting on a rubber floor mat I drive the wooden wedge. I look every so often to be sure the head is not coming up the haft as I am driving the wedge. If it is I just slam the haft hard on the rubber floor mat driving the head back down(I hang the head while I still have a squared off fawns foot.). My wedges never go in in one piece. They always split. I want them to split to take up the uneven spaces between the eye and the haft. I drive the wedges hard and far enough that I get a sense they can go no further and want to or start to mushroom. Then I trim them off.

I prefer a softer wedge than the haft but will use a hard wood on occasion. My wedges have never backed out.

It might not be the right way to do it, but it is my way.
 
garry3 said:
I use whatever steel headed hammer I have handy. With the bottom of my axe handle resting on a rubber floor mat I drive the wooden wedge. I look every so often to be sure the head is not coming up the haft as I am driving the wedge. If it is I just slam the haft hard on the rubber floor mat driving the head back down(I hang the head while I still have a squared off fawns foot.). My wedges never go in in one piece. They always split. I want them to split to take up the uneven spaces between the eye and the haft. I drive the wedges hard and far enough that I get a sense they can go no further and want to or start to mushroom. Then I trim them off.

I prefer a softer wedge than the haft but will use a hard wood on occasion. My wedges have never backed out.

It might not be the right way to do it, but it is my way.
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I forgot to mention that I ended up using a piece of maple firewood I had cut up. I carved out a handle that I could grab on to, and just banged in the wedge. It worked really well actually, much better than I thought! I keep the bottom of the handle on a piece of wood to not damage the handle, seems to work good!

I have thought about using a good old hammer, I might try that next time!
 
garry3-nothing wrong with your way. The only thing I do different is I drive the wedge with a carpenters 's wood mallet I made from osage orange. I also have never had a wedge back out, and that is on a lot of hangs.
 
Old Axeman said:
garry3-nothing wrong with your way. The only thing I do different is I drive the wedge with a carpenters 's wood mallet I made from osage orange. I also have never had a wedge back out, and that is on a lot of hangs.
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Have you ever heard of cracking an eye by over driving a wedge? It seems I have been told that but I can not remember by who. Just want to separate the wheat from the chaff. Sometimes things have a basis in fact.
 
garry3 said:
Have you ever heard of cracking an eye by over driving a wedge? It seems I have been told that but I can not remember by who. Just want to separate the wheat from the chaff. Sometimes things have a basis in fact.
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I've cracked an eye while wedging before. Happened to my True Temper broad hatchet. I figured it was a bad heat treat. I had a buddy weld it, I re-hung it and it's been fine for 5 years now.
 
Square_peg said:
I've cracked an eye while wedging before. Happened to my True Temper broad hatchet. I figured it was a bad heat treat. I had a buddy weld it, I re-hung it and it's been fine for 5 years now.
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So there is some basis in fact. I am not quite as aggressive as I used to be but I sure don't baby it. I think I was warned of the danger when I started driving nails many years ago(pre nail gun), went through rigging axe handles like Grant took Richmond when I first started out. Became an expert in telling if a missed placed blow would cost me a finger nail also. No need to wait and see, I just knew how it would turn out.

The guy in this well known video is from the same school I think. Its the Pioneer axe video. I can not speak about all there axes but some of there double bits had quite thin eyes. He is driving the wedges around 9:20 or so.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qr4VTCwEfko
 
I have never had an eye crack. But, many years ago when I was young and knew everthing, I had an eye bulge. The reason is because I made a hickory wedge and drove it hard. If the wedge is always made from a softer wood than the hickory haft there should never be a problem with damage to the axe eye.
 
I was using the stock softwood wedge that came with the new handle. And I was driving it very aggressively.
 
SP- I think you hit on it when you figured it must have been a bad heat treat. i dont see any other way a soft wedge could crack the eye.
 
Old Axeman said:
garry3-nothing wrong with your way. The only thing I do different is I drive the wedge with a carpenters 's wood mallet I made from osage orange. I also have never had a wedge back out, and that is on a lot of hangs.
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For some reason, I get the feeling that my wedge bottomed out, and could have gone further (so I trimmed up the wedge too much, it was too thin). Even though there seems to be a very tight fit....I haven't gone through the paces with the axe since, but the hang is bothering me in general with that stupid crooked hang.

I want to try and pull it out, but I am worried I will screw that up as well, and have a messy wedge that is tight. I was thinking about using screws and try to pry it out, any advice on that?
 
Grimalkin said:
I want to try and pull it out, but I am worried I will screw that up as well, and have a messy wedge that is tight. I was thinking about using screws and try to pry it out, any advice on that?
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Yes. Drill a pilot hole first so only the threads are grabbing so the screw will not wedge it more. Use two screws, one on each end.

Make the next wedge 5 or 6 inches long and eyeball it to fit it before driving it. With the long wedge, if it don't seat to suit you, it can be tapped from poll to bit and be removed for a refit. Long, prefitted wedges are the only way I have found to get the PERFECT hang.. Hope that helps you.
 
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