Hammer me this

Another thing to note: make sure the head goes on the correct way. The eye of the head should be tapered and the larger opening should be at the top. This way you have a tight press fit at the bottom of the head and the wedge expands the handle to fill the extra space at at the top of the head and locks it to the handle ensuring it can never fly off even if it gets a little loose and wobbly. Many (most?) hammers will have the taper in both directions so you use two perpendicular wedges to get proper expansion. Axe heads are always tapered in the same way but usually only laterally so they use a single wedge.
 
CallumRD1 said:
Another thing to note: make sure the head goes on the correct way. The eye of the head should be tapered and the larger opening should be at the top. This way you have a tight press fit at the bottom of the head and the wedge expands the handle to fill the extra space at at the top of the head and locks it to the handle ensuring it can never fly off even if it gets a little loose and wobbly. Many (most?) hammers will have the taper in both directions so you use two perpendicular wedges to get proper expansion. Axe heads are always tapered in the same way but usually only laterally so they use a single wedge.
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do you mean that the two wedges cross each other?
 
Yes, here's an example (not my photo)

https://flic.kr/p/LMZvxJ

The first wedge is the width of the handle material at the top of the eye. You drive it in, split it with a chisel, then drive the second wedge in. If the first wedge is wider than the handle material then it will contact the eye before the handle material as the second wedge is driven in and you'll get a poor fit. It's not as hard as it sounds, it just requires a little care and attention to detail.
 
went with the single wedge for a couple reasons;
-it's what I planned for and I don't want to f this up
-the eyelet is straight for and aft, and bulged on the sides
-I would have done it wrong, lol. See point 1 haha

vbb4wJE.jpg


the heart of the assembly is purple
bnJM30p.jpg
 
Looks good! One thing I'll add for the future: unlike knives, I find it much easier to shape hammer and axe handles before installing the head permanently. I usually rough out the profile, fit the eye to the end of the handle, shape the handle and sand to final grit, and only then wedge the head to the handle.
 
" Just slot the tenon and when everything is done, drive in a wedge. Don't wedge the head on until you are finished with the handle completely."

I gave him the same advise early on. He didn't take it. It will make shaping and finishing harder, and may leave a stress spot at the head.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
" Just slot the tenon and when everything is done, drive in a wedge. Don't wedge the head on until you are finished with the handle completely."

I gave him the same advise early on. He didn't take it. It will make shaping and finishing harder, and may leave a stress spot at the head.
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yep, I made a decision and I'm running with it
I appreciate the advice, but I have my reasons for doing it this way in this instance. Don't be offended that I didn't take your advice.
 
Looks pretty good...I kinda like the way you added material at the bottom...should make for a pretty sexy looking hammer. Would like to see some pics of the finished product when you get there.
 
JDegraw said:
Looks pretty good...I kinda like the way you added material at the bottom...should make for a pretty sexy looking hammer. Would like to see some pics of the finished product when you get there.
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thanks! I also appreciate your interest.

the handle is almost shaped- the little ridge below the head is a bit of a challenge but it's starting to feel and look alright.

got the top of the tenon ground down and it's slightly concave. I used a 4.5" angle grinder and the idea was to create a little bowl so the linseed oil could just sit there until it soaks in. Been adding drops here and there over the past couple days as it's absorbed
F8fbHDo.jpg
 
thanks Richard- it feels pretty nice I gotta say.
The side of the handle of the forming face is rounded, and the planishing side is flatter. I can tell which side is which through feel, but my theory is that the flatter handle will gave me a little more leverage and control over the planishing side, while the rounder handle face will introduce a little less torque into my hand when forming. I'll find out next month when I go visit Jake and Ryan
 
thank you so much
 
Lorien said:
but my theory is that the flatter handle will gave me a little more leverage and control over the planishing side, while the rounder handle face will introduce a little less torque into my hand when forming. I'll find out next month when I go visit Jake and Ryan
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Good morning Lorien. So.....what's the conclusion here?
 
weo said:
Good morning Lorien. So.....what's the conclusion here?
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I'm still working on getting Stuart Branson to have me over to forge a blade or two. Hammer is little more than a paper weight at the moment, lol
 
Thanks.
Look forward to the thoughts.
It's a beautiful paper weight though..
 
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