Improvising a Shepherd's Axe

[daizee]

Your going to need some of those pants to complete your ensemble.

and a 'stache.

The eye is clearly more aft than on my version, or perhaps that's due to the eye shape. I think a hatchet eye would be ideal, but I like the length of the full-size axe for this application, which is why I started there.

 

[crbnSteeladdict]

FWIW:


Bob

I think one has to adjust the length of ciupaga to the terrain and use. I could probably use it for backcountry hiking. A lot of National Monument and National Park trails have very characteristic CCC era long deep steps. Walking down with too short walking stick could be deadly. There are trails like Upper Yosemite Falls trail (long, wet, slippery, slightly sloped switchbacks build before New Deal) that require 2 walking sticks or just nothing in your hands to keep the balance walking down. Different kind of beast is Grandview trail in Grand Canyon; very tall steps (two free hands and use of butt needed)

 

[Hickory n steel]

What about getting something like a post hole digger handle ?
Maybe you could weld a couple pieces of mild steel into the eye to make it a bit more appropriately sized to the head ?

 

[phantomknives]

might be able to make a hatchet out of that head, cut the eye off, cut the bit off, weld'm together and resize the eye, nice weekend project for someone who seems to have the necessary equipment

 

[Square_peg]

I think it is too short

Definitely.

 

[daizee]

Haha, yeah. I can't put steel together, I can only destroy it in various ways.

It's a pretty good cane height for level ground.
Oh, I should mention that I rate +3 on the Ape Scale. So my long arms reach it ok when the butt is resting next to my foot.

 

[daizee]

Haft still too heavy, and not quite 'walking stick' enough. Have bandsaw will trim. Next I'll blend those steep corners in to make everything rounder. Maybe I can get a rubber foot on the end:

 

[rjdankert]

Just thought I would mention that if someone wants to make a shepherd's axe there are ready made "staff tips" available.

This is just one source:

http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.aspx?cat=1,250,43243&p=63218


Bob

I had been looking not long ago for a good hiking point for my own little shepherd's axe project and the Lee Valley ones are the nicest I was able to find, by far.

Thread:
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/valaška-shepherds-axe.1473142/


Bob

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Ideal length for a walking stick is for the top to reach the crease of your wrist when standing with your feet shoulder width apart and your legs straight but not locked.

 

[littleknife]

The reason the axes in those photos were relatively short was that at that time (19th Century) they were first and foremost status/occupational symbols, then tools, weapons, and only lastly - and occasionally - walking aids.
When the 19th century romantic nationalisms made them fashionable attires for gentlemen of leisure, they became more of a walking stick, especially for outdoor strolls.
These make poor walking sticks, even when they sport only an axe-shaped wooden handle. The ones with the metal heads are even less balanced.
They are great objects for conversation and the envy of all kids. (When I was a kid, I wanted one too.)

Here are some Hungarian variants from late 19th, early 20th Century ethnographic collections:

Fokos:

http://mek.oszk.hu/02100/02115/html/2-384.html

Swineherder’s axe (kanászbalta, kondásbalta, balloska, valaska):

http://mek.oszk.hu/02100/02115/html/3-21.html

 

[Agent_H]

Haft still too heavy, and not quite 'walking stick' enough. Have bandsaw will trim. Next I'll blend those steep corners in to make everything rounder. Maybe I can get a rubber foot on the end:

I wonder if shaping the shoulders off of it would help with overall visual proportions initially and guide your handle thinning to the end. You could also get a little a piece of wedging in the space at the front of the eye.

I get the best results by removing material primarily from the tongue/shoulders into the swell. Your going to hold the head in your hand so I imagine right below the head being important. The traditional ones look more or less round. Your eye shape makes that challenging to recreate to a certain degree.

More “walking” and less “working”?

Neat project

 

[littleknife]

Daizee, nice job!
It does not have to be a traditional design to work, your interpretation is just as valid as the traditional ones, which were first derived from the weapon (fokos) and later on influenced by real hatchets too.
As Agent_H suggested, you may try removing the most protruding parts of the shoulder (but keep enough of the ramp, so the head does not slide down, if you use it as a hatchet). You can gently round off the corners and the non-cutting edges for more comfortable hold.
Please don’t forget to use some edge-guard (Kydex?).

 

[rjdankert]

Here is an example of one with an elongated top fairing into a round:






Bob

 

[littleknife]

Here is an example of one with an elongated top fairing into a round:






Bob

Very nice collection of walking sticks and valaskas!

 

[daizee]

That light-hafted one looks like a tomahawk-style fit. Is that true? Any issue with leaning on it like a cane? That would be my concern, though I think it's probably the most straightforward answer - basically mount a tomahawk on a really long haft.

 

[rjdankert]

That light-hafted one looks like a tomahawk-style fit. Is that true?

Yes

Any issue with leaning on it like a cane?

Sorry, I haven't used it that way enough to give you an answer.

- basically mount a tomahawk on a really long haft

Yep


Bob

 

[daizee]

More shaping on the haft, and found a cane/leg foot in my stash that fit it nicely:

 

[crbnSteeladdict]

Here is an example of one with an elongated top fairing into a round:






Bob

That eye looks small. How does it compare to boy's axe eye? I guess total weight around 4lbs

 

[rjdankert]

That eye looks small. How does it compare to boy's axe eye? I guess total weight around 4lbs

First, I do not think that this one was intended to be a user shepherd's axe- maybe as a cane, but not for pounding or chopping. I got it basically as a decorative piece, and only showed it as an example of the shape of the handle. On to your question the eye is small, approximately 1 3/16 x 9/16. The handle is cut out on top with a shoulder that the head rests on (like a tenon). The handle at the widest part just before where the shoulder starts is about 1 3/4 x 3/4. Total weight is about 1 1/2 pounds.


Bob

 

[crbnSteeladdict]

First, I do not think that this one was intended to be a user shepherd's axe- maybe as a cane, but not for pounding or chopping. I got it basically as a decorative piece, and only showed it as an example of the shape of the handle. On to your question the eye is small, approximately 1 3/16 x 9/16. The handle is cut out on top with a shoulder that the head rests on (like a tenon). The handle at the widest part just before where the shoulder starts is about 1 3/4 x 3/4. Total weight is about 1 1/2 pounds.


Bob

thanks Bob