Made a Handle, Hung the Head, Noticed the crack

J

JPA88

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Nov 16, 2014
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Refurbed an axe head and made a handle last weekend. It's a 3.5# Plumb on a 33 inch handle. Handle was cut from the same 5/4 hickory board as my last one. This one is almost perfectly two-faced, showing all sapwood from one side and all heartwood from the other. It's a birthday present for a friend. I had finished it, done some test chopping, and then noticed a small crack in the bit edge. The axe had a sizable chip in the edge when I got it and had to be reprofiled. I was sure that I had gotten all of it out, but I guess the small crack lingered. So I suppose this means I'll have to go back to work on it, unfortunately.

What do you guys think, is it something that needs to be fixed before the axe is used?

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More crack exposed on this side than the other, as you can see in the next pic
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towards the top of the pic in this one, harder to see from this side
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I still had a little final grinding/shaping of the edge to do after I got it hung, just wish I had been paying closer attention and taken care of it earlier. Thanks for stopping in!
 
That stinks...If it were mine, I would run it as-is, but as a gift, I might have concerns about it once in use. I think I would likely keep working the edge until it was clean just because it was going to someone else.
 
It will take a lot of filing and metal removal to get that crack out, but the best thing to do is going to be dealing with it now. If you leave it the crack could turn into a big chip or the crack could continue to spread if you don't get it back to solid metal.
 
Square_peg said:
That's too bad.

Great hafting job but that bit is gonna fail.
Click to expand...

I really hope you're wrong about this. My favorite axe came with a small chip in it and I opted to go the route of sharpening it out over time. Most of it came out with my initial sharpening. A while back I noticed what appeared to be a very small crack forming much like the one shown by the OP only smaller. I immediately went at the bit with files and a stone until the chip and visible signs of the crack were gone. I've been keeping an eye on it without issue since then but it hasn't seen a terrible amount of use. I'm really going to be upset if the head fails as its become my go to axe for use at home or car camping trips. Mine is a Mann Edge however, not a Plumb.
 
first i believe it was the hair upper on it wich was the crack! well serious stuff, but not a T like quenching crack, that's better.
look if it goes further with magnifying glass, to be sure.
if not, that axe would be usable, keeping that in mind, carefully checking how it goes,

it's up to you to take the chance, or not...
 

Is this the crack, in the circled area? If so I would hit the crack with a round file until is gone and radius the edges from the edge down into the valley where the crack was. And then use it and use it some more.
 
A damn shame I say.... Really fine workmanship on the helve and hanging it. She'll be a fine wall hanger.

Tom
 
Is this the crack, in the circled area?
Click to expand...
That be it, Tobiism. That's not a bad idea. It would look kinda weird until it eventually got sharpened out, but still good for using.

A lot of good input here, and I thank you all for it. We'll see how ambitious I'm feeling this weekend. I may just remedy the whole edge. Sigh. I had another Plumb a while back that I got home and pulled the head on before seeing a crack coming up from the underneath, front side of the eye. It would've been a real nice one. These Plumbs, I tell ya.
 
Here's a view of the old girl as I received her. you can see the chip in the same place as the remaining crack. Real nice otherwise though, don't ya think? Very little mushrooming. Only a few hammer marks.

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That may not be a crack. It may be a cold shut from the forging process. I cant tell for sure from the picture. Look at it with a magnifying glass , if it doesn't continue , its probably not a crack. If it hasn't gotten worse by now it probably wont.
 
Just a thought...someone said, "Another cracked Plumb." A couple of the Plumbs I have restored have had incredibly hard steel on the eyes. Made me wonder, might the harder steel be more (or less?) prone to cracking? I have no expertise in this area whatsoever. Just thought I would throw out the question.
 
I briefly had a different plumb head that was cracked at the eye, and a few weeks ago I saw one at an antique shop that was cracked from top to bottom at the eye and had been poorly welded. I'm sure you are all tired of hearing about this cracked plumb, but I took a look at it under a lens yesterday and it doesn't look like your typical crack (not that I'm a crack expert). It ends very abruptly and bluntly, which is probably not the best description. I'll get a macro pic of it on here. I might just leave it be.
 
Close up. I'll let this post die after this, just wanted to see if anyone had any additional input after seeing amore detailed view of the fracture. Thanks, all

IMG_20160213_090157_zpszrmbgfj3.jpg
 
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