Is this rehang too open and is the haft salvageable?

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Sep 25, 2015
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I'd like to save the haft if at all possible but the rehang has left me thinking I might not be able to. It was rehung a while back by a family member and it was recently given to me. When I took the axe I didn't really know the difference between open and closed --I just thought that the "angle" of the axe head on the haft was very off-square (open), so much so that it looked dangerous. I pulled out two roofing nails, a key and a drywall screw, pulled the haft and began to rehang.

So is it too open? I feel like it needs to be a bit more closed but I'm not sure. Can the haft be saved? It isn't that cracked/split/small the whole way down. By about 1/3 of the way down the eye it is a decent, snug profile. If it can be saved, how do I deal with the irregularities at the top of the haft?

Thanks.

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I'm with Square Peg. I'd keep this one for splitting as is, or I'd spend some time with files to bring the edge back and thin out the profile.
 
Square_peg said:
Doesn't look too open to me. That bit needs re-profiled.
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I think so too! Reprofiling this is not the sort of undertaking I'd relish (or have patience for) if all I had on hand were files. This is one of those situations where initially a grinder can really help out.
 
This was the boy's axe I learned on/used as a kid which is why I'd like to keep the haft. I know my dad used to sharpen it on the bench grinder which is why the bit needs a proper profile. It also looks like either my dad or brother took the poll to the grinding wheel as well, probably with the best intentions of cleaning up the mushrooming and surface rust but in the same process they also ground off any identifying markings (I can barely make out a stamped "U.S.A.").

I'll probably just finish the re-hang and let it sit in a bucket of BLO waiting to torture my kids with it someday.

There is a good 1/2" of the haft sticking out of the top and I suspect when its finished that will be closer to 5/8"-3/4". How much should I cut off --or how much of the haft should I leave sticking out the top? I feel like this might be a good candidate to have the top of the haft swell up over the eye, just never done it before.

Thanks.

EDIT:
300Six said:
I think so too! Reprofiling this is not the sort of undertaking I'd relish (or have patience for) if all I had on hand were files. This is one of those situations where initially a grinder can really help out.
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I have a bench grinder so when its time I'll use that first.
 
i see nothing wrong with this axe. needs a wood wedge.
sharpen and use the heck out of it.
 
Be super-cautions with the grinder. If it overheats the bit (and it can very, very quickly if you aren't careful), you'll anneal the bit and it won't hold and edge. I would say a quick touch follwed by a dunk in cold water repeatedly may keep you safe. Finish with a file and stone though once the bevels are brought down.

However, if it's to be used as a splitter, touch up the edge and run it as-is. it'll work great.
 
markv said:
i see nothing wrong with this axe. needs a wood wedge.
sharpening and use the heck out of it.
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That's the problem with this one. I am no proponent of knife edges but to get the angle down to something reasonable is gonna require an unbelievable amount of file work going back, at very least, an inch.
 
If you have a belt sander or know of someone who has one you can use, I'd just do that with a 40 grit belt, be sure to dunk it in water. After you've set the bevels, go up in grit to polish the edge to your desire, watching the heat along the way.
 
Is that a crack at the front of the eye, where the forge welding is coming apart?

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300Six said:
That's the problem with this one. I am no proponent of knife edges but to get the angle down to something reasonable is gonna require an unbelievable amount of file work going back, at very least, an inch.
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I feel the need to re-iterate that with good technique, a sharp file and a sturdy vise re-profiling with files isn't a difficult or too time consuming task. It shouldn't take more than 30 minutes tops to re-profile that axe (yes - back an inch). Additional time might be spent honing to refine the edge.
 
Twindog said:
Is that a crack at the front of the eye, where the forge welding is coming apart?

IMG_0797_zpslvhoinng.jpg
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It is from the manufacturing process. It is where the head was forge welded together. It isn't a problem and is common enough among older heads.
 
Get yourself a stool, gloves, old Nicholson bastard file, and get to it and that axe will do whatever you want it to. The profile it has now, I call that a roof top profile. No idea if that is correct or not, but just reminds me of a conventional roof top. That needs to be filed down for better wood penetration and overall performance. For the haft, I would take my coping saw and open up the kerf some, so i could comfortably get a good size wedge in there with some sticking out top of the eye, and you will be good to go.
 
Thanks Operator. I'm just about ready to start thinking about wedges however I'm realizing that the kerf as shown in the photos is accurately lopsided. Meaning whoever (presumably my father) hung this axe, they shaved down one side of the haft more than the other. The head is not on the haft exactly straight. Its off by about 3/32's or a couple degrees. Is that a deal breaker or should I just shove a wedge in it and call it a day?

I left the top of the shoulder a bit fat/ugly on purpose to protect it because its a boy's axe and I figure someday it'll get misused just as I misused/abused it years ago. Does keeping the shoulder a little fatter help protect the haft or does it not matter?

Thanks.
 
in an ideal world, you would want the kerf straight, but it doesn't always happen. I would open it up a little bit, aka make it a little wider, so when you throw a nice big old fat wedge all lubed up in linseed oil you will get maximum push out to the sides for great haft/head contact. What you have there shouldn't be that big of a deal. Shoulder wise, I like nice big fat shoulders, and the axe head to sit right down on it - this provides good stability for the head and gives less room for breakage.
 
That crack has been there forever. There is a matching one on the bottom as well. When I was a kid I used to get ambitious and think that if I split a ton of wood the crack would get worse, I'd eventually break the axe and then get out of that chore/punishment for the day... Boy was that a foolish thought...
 
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