Is this chip too bad? Vintage Collins

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paulmlemay

Joined
Feb 5, 2016
Messages
5
I picked up a vintage Collins 2 1/4 lb axe at a garage sale. The handle is nice and firm, and it was cheap.
However I noticed a chip in the blade.

Do you think the chip is too big to file out?

I have watched a few videos on Youtube on filing the axe to remove chips.

collinsaxe1_zpsrxjkjzco.jpg


axechip_zpsb3jatib4.jpg
 
thats nothing mate, just true up the cutting edge running a file flat to the edge and then reshape from there, heck you could even leave it as it is and i bet it wouldnt cause much trouble when chopping wood.
 
sharpen it up and use it, and as you keep filing as you are using, it should work itself out.
 
With woodworking tools what Remzy is talking about is called jointing.

You should scribe a line back from the edge that excludes the chip, parallel to the edge so as to preserve the original (?) curve. Then grind back to that line with a portable sander if you have one or use a file. Then rough out the bevels with whatever you've got, always leaving just a teensy bit of the flat edge. You can then take that out by shaping your micro-bevels.

Good luck with it. Should be a very handy tool.
 
You can also sharpen it with a chainsaw file like a serration and then let subsequent resharpenings work the edge back for you until the chip is fully removed.
 
Operator1975 said:
sharpen it up and use it, and as you keep filing as you are using, it should work itself out.
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FortyTwoBlades said:
You can also sharpen it with a chainsaw file like a serration and then let subsequent resharpenings work the edge back for you until the chip is fully removed.
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I agree with these two. It is a waste of metal and time to get rid of the chip. Blend it in with a round file and ignore it. It will disappear on its own eventually.
 
Not good photos of the handle, but what is shown looks sort of rotted.
 
The handle feels firm enough, better than my other axe! Not bad for three dollars.
I plan to sand the handle a bit this weekend and apply boiled linseed oil.
collinsaxe3_zpsx2dcfd6z.jpg
 
BG_Farmer said:
I agree with these two. It is a waste of metal and time to get rid of the chip. Blend it in with a round file and ignore it. It will disappear on its own eventually.
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Mark me down for another vote this way. Curious to see what the stick looks like after some work.
 
Can't believe some of the advice guys give on this forum. Do it properly in the first place and you will never have to worry about it again. Don't sharpen it with a chainsaw file, you will be removing more steel and steepening the angle on the shoulders of the filed bevel. If you have a passion for these tools, do yourself a favour and re profile the blade, you won't be disappointed. My suggestion would be to draw file the bevel with a good second cut file, holding the end of the file in the middle of the top of the eye. You will re profile the bevel and the small chips will disappear in no time. Be sure to do it evenly on both faces though. Cheers, ICS
 
ICS said:
Don't sharpen it with a chainsaw file, you will be removing more steel and steepening the angle on the shoulders of the filed bevel.
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You'd be removing less steel than grinding the whole thing all the way back, and by the time you did that you'd be producing the same effect on the entirety of the bit unless you also grind or file the cheeks back.
 
Guys, have a good look at the blade, it has more than one chip requiring some work, it also has a crappy flat profile. Paul, if that's your name, do yourself and the axe a favour, see how it can perform and don't fall into the trap of just getting bye with a minimal of work, in this case the chainsaw file. Sure it can get you out of trouble, but seems to me your not in trouble, so take the time to do it properly, you will be glad you did.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
You'd be removing less steel than grinding the whole thing all the way back, and by the time you did that you'd be producing the same effect on the entirety of the bit unless you also grind or file the cheeks back.
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Forty two, I don't think the argument is about removing less steel. I know you are in the business of selling hardware so you should know what effect that sharp little chainsaw file shoulder would have on the overall performance of the axe, or at least it's potential.
If I were in the business, I would be encouraging everyone who has the same passion as myself for these truly amazing tools, to get the best out of them, not just inflict stop gap measures.
 
The smaller chips in the edge can be removed with very little work. Sharpening the large chip with a chainsaw file will remove the flat and the remaining "single serration" will have little detriment to cutting performance while significantly increasing the useful life of the tool. I think you overestimate the effect its presence would have.
 
You mean to tell me some people have differing opinions? Boy that never happens. The bottom line is this; You spent 3 dollars on it, it's not a national treasure, or is it? And how exactly does its national treasure status justify either approach - I mean, seriously. Is the chip big enough that you are going to turn a bunch of perfectly good axe into metal filings, or not? Is the chip detrimental enough that it's worth the time, or not? Whatever you decide, you made the right choice.
 
Depending upon how steep the current bevel is, that chip may disappear during the re-profiling process anyway (to get it to the Ax to Grind bevel gauge). I'd work on the majority of the edge to get it where you want (i.e. ignore the chip for the moment and get the profile and cheeks thin and correct) and then re-assess how much the chip may affect it.
 
SC T100 said:
Depending upon how steep the current bevel is, that chip may disappear during the re-profiling process anyway (to get it to the Ax to Grind bevel gauge). I'd work on the majority of the edge to get it where you want (i.e. ignore the chip for the moment and get the profile and cheeks thin and correct) and then re-assess how much the chip may affect it.
Click to expand...

Stop making sense :)!
 
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