Little 5160 francesca/viking hand axe

J W Bensinger

J W Bensinger

Joined
Mar 26, 2009
Messages
2,228
Most of the time when I'm making axes it's these:
image.jpg little headhunters.
Couldn't resist the lines of this style-also easier to forge.
image.jpgimage.jpg
Distal tapered haft, 3/8" at the head to 3/16" at the butt.
 
Wow, that thing looks sweet, I think it would look even better with wood scales though. (I am just not a fan of paracord wraps, personally)
 
Thanks guys- Liam- I do them with micarta or wood too:image.jpg
I do an epoxy soak on the 550 so it's a pretty solid mounting, though
Wood would look nice.
 
I like both of the designs. With a francesca, originals being used as throwing axes, I'd say the paracord works out. The wood scales would get busted.
 
That looks like a great thrower. Not fond of paracord on throwers, but the shape looks right to me.
 
What if the wood was recessed from the tang, maybe that would prevent impacts on the wood so it wouldn't get busted up? I prefer a fuller handle for throwing too. And that little sweetie begs to be thrown!
 
fishface5 said:
What if the wood was recessed from the tang, maybe that would prevent impacts on the wood so it wouldn't get busted up? I prefer a fuller handle for throwing too. And that little sweetie begs to be thrown!
Click to expand...

It's not the direct impact per se that does the damage to scales. It's the overall vibrations through the piece on a bad hit. You miss on a throw and it glaces off a wood round and it's like smacking the side of the handle with a mallet as hard as you can. It's the same reason why an over skeletonized handle will break when you throw it as well. A good throw has about the same stress effect as a good chop. It's the bad throws that kill a tool not designed for it.
 
Last edited:
True-i figured cord wouldn't release quite as smoothly on a throw, but simage.jpgoaked in epoxy it's not so bad.

Alocksly- all of these are forged to shape-
image.jpg
The hafts are distal tapered from 3/8" to 3/16" or so at the butt- makes them balance more like a traditional hafted axe. Micarta would hold up fine for throwing, I think. Especially rivetted or bolted on so there was some give
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top