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Kentucky WIP

L

lmalterna

Joined
Dec 12, 2002
Messages
3,767
My favorite pickup- an old Plumb Kentucky- maybe original handle...maybe not but a good one anyway. Knowing that, like me, not everyone has optimum tools( ;) ) I thought I would snap pics of how I do things. Heavy rubber hubcap hammer is used to drive handle into eye for fitting, bowed drawknife for slimming/shaping, copper hammer with hickory drift to drive handle out- notch in workbench helps to prevent slippage.
Bill
Before:


During:




Just about ready for sanding/blending, cutting kerf, wedge and trim :)
 
Looks like those tools work fine to me! That's an interesting pattern, too. Nice find!
 
Finished it up...of course the last blow seated the head just a skosh past the shoulder...@#$#@! But it is tight and solid so I dripped oil in it and will seal gap with plumbers wax to keep moisture out. I sanded the handle just enough to blend the fresh wood from slimming. I may polish the edge just for pretty but she is ready to work as is. My first Kentucky and I really like it.

Head just got light hand sanding with 600 grit and scrubbing with steel wool. Touched the edge a bit with a file and stone.

Bill



 
Looks good! It certainly is ready to go now. Will you be filing out the chips/dents in the edge, or sharpening them out as the axe gets used?
 
SC T100,
Thank you- I have enjoyed your projects as well- pretty much what convinced me to put this one on here. Just us rookies learning from each other's experience :)
I have a Connecticut R King that I am about to start....when my wife gives me a time allowance! LOL!

For the chips/dings I prefer to just sharpen them initially and then let them "age" out as the entire edge gets sharpened. They look ugly but cut just fine as long as they are not deep. Sort of like uniformly charpening a serrated edge until it is eventually smooth.

I have reprofiled edges before but it eats up alot of cutting years- usually reserve this for one way out of spec in the toe. It then needs alot of thinning of the cheeks to get it back in shape.

Bill
 
lmalterna said:
SC T100,
Thank you- I have enjoyed your projects as well- pretty much what convinced me to put this one on here. Just us rookies learning from each other's experience :)
I have a Connecticut R King that I am about to start....when my wife gives me a time allowance! LOL!

For the chips/dings I prefer to just sharpen them initially and then let them "age" out as the entire edge gets sharpened. They look ugly but cut just fine as long as they are not deep. Sort of like uniformly charpening a serrated edge until it is eventually smooth.

I have reprofiled edges before but it eats up alot of cutting years- usually reserve this for one way out of spec in the toe. It then needs alot of thinning of the cheeks to get it back in shape.

Bill
Click to expand...

Haha! Yup! I've enjoyed your posts as well. And I really like this axe...it's an interesting head to say the least. You'll have to let us know how it cuts.

Good idea on letting the edge age out...I'll have to consider that for my next project (once I find another one). I've done the re-profiling things on a few of mine, and it certainly is a lot of work and metal to remove. I also saw a post somewhere that said the use of a round/chainsaw file in the dent and chips allows those areas to be sharpened and cut well, without the removal of too much material like you describe. It might be worth a shot, unless you've already done something similar. In that case disregard, haha.
 
SC T100 said:
I also saw a post somewhere that said the use of a round/chainsaw file in the dent and chips allows those areas to be sharpened and cut well, without the removal of too much material like you describe.
Click to expand...

It's an interesting idea but I would be very careful not to make the ding any larger. I just touch up the axe with a stone as though the ding weren't there. Eventually you sharpen past it.
 
Pegs,
Thank you, it was love at first sight. You just never know when pics in an ad are bad just what will come out of the box. I hate that I missed the first but JUST A TOUCH and seated it just past the shoulder- but it is tight and I will seal the tiny gap with wax to keep moisture out. I was sadning to blend out where I used drawknife and spokeshave and took a hair too much.

The hang looks closed in pics but when I rest bit and butt on bench, nearly dead center of the bit. This one hangs on the wall of keepers.

Bill
 
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