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HF hatchet modification

S

SC T100

Joined
Apr 2, 2014
Messages
1,058
I know others have done this as well, but I thought I would do a quick post about my little Harbor Freight (I think) hatchet. If I remember correctly it stared life pretty dull and looking like this:


I wasn't a good chopper when I used it last year (it hadn't been sharpened), and the handle was gaudy and uncomfortable. So I drilled out the handle, and hung it on a Link hatchet handle. I then sharpened it decently, painted a small orange collar on it for visibility, and made a sheath.


I still didn't like the feel, and I ended up taking too much of the handle off. It was sharp (too sharp as the edge was too think), and it ended up polished from an angle grinder and sanding wheel. It just wasn't what I was looking for. So I decided to redo it again.

I pulled it off the handle and hung it on a hammer hatchet handle. Funny enough, it fit *much* better, as the eye is pretty small. I soaked the head in vinegar to get rid of the polished look, made a new sheath, and re-sharpened it after the vinegar ate away at the edge. So then it ended up very nice, and what I was looking for! Pics were taken pre-sharpening, but you get the gist. I'm pretty happy with it...ti went from me not really wanting to use it to now a favorite of mine. I am sure the steel is of average to poor quality, but the edge is at least somewhat tempered as revealed by the vinegar bath. And I actually seem to prefer the straight handle for this one...feels much more natural.



You can see the temper line and old file lines here:


Not a bad little budget hatchet. It certainly looks and feels nicer to use now. It's still a little heavy for my taste, but I'll use it this weekend and see how it does!
 
A Harbor Freight hatchet is the perfect blade to "play" with and see what you like without having to invest a lot of money or worry about maiming and antique. Looks good :thumbup:
 
Alocksly said:
A Harbor Freight hatchet is the perfect blade to "play" with and see what you like without having to invest a lot of money or worry about maiming and antique. Looks good :thumbup:
Click to expand...

Yeah, I totally agree. I experimented a lot with this one, and if I screwed up, no biggie. I certainly wouldn't have done some of these things to vintage or boutique axe heads. And of course it feels more like "yours" at the end of the day.
 
Nice work. I don't think the steel is bad at all on these of the ones I've seen. If you read the reviews(and the Graintex Indian axes, which I'm almost positive come from the same factory), much of the negativity comes from Handle issues, the low price/expectations and the fact that they are not sharpened. I'm not sure why one would want an Axe to be sharpened when they can do it themselves just the way they need it for their intended application, and if one doesn't know how to sharpen an Axe, he either shouldn't own an Axe or he should buy one of these and learn!
 
BG_Farmer said:
Nice work. I don't think the steel is bad at all on these of the ones I've seen. If you read the reviews(and the Graintex Indian axes, which I'm almost positive come from the same factory), much of the negativity comes from Handle issues, the low price/expectations and the fact that they are not sharpened. I'm not sure why one would want an Axe to be sharpened when they can do it themselves just the way they need it for their intended application, and if one doesn't know how to sharpen an Axe, he either shouldn't own an Axe or he should buy one of these and learn!
Click to expand...

Thanks, and yeah that's definitely true. I'm convinced some manufacturers (like the base Council Tool axes) are left a bit rough to 1) reduce costs, and 2) allow the end user to tune the axe to the intended purpose. The steel did deform on me once, but I had almost a knife/machete edge on it...I think any edge that thin on an axe will dent/deform (or chip, and I'll take a dent over a chip any day). I reduced the angle a bit and it seems pretty darn decent. I can't really complain especially for the price (which was free from a family member, incidentally). I'll be sanding and coating the handle in BLO eventually, but it's great for now.
 
looks good. I've modified some import axes and agree it makes them more personal when you put some time into them.
 
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