Making an axe or hatchet???

Col Defender

Col Defender

Joined
Nov 11, 2011
Messages
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Dilemma -- I have this really good customer in Colorado who has already bought 5 or 6 knives and now she is asking me to make a couple of hatchets. My quick answer to her would be "sadly no - I do not have the equipment or forging skills to do so". But I would hate to disappoint her, hence this post.

Have any of you made axes or hatchets from scratch? I am guessing that serious forging (which I do not do) would be absolutely a first requirement. She sent me a pic of a real shiny hatchet with purple wood handle - if I could find hatchet heads for sale somewhere I guess I could put handles on them but she would be better off just buying a couple of high quality hatchets.

Any suggestions - at all???
 
I never want to disappoint a customer either. It's safe to assume most of us don't want to. I have, in the past, had really good, long term customers request something that I either didn't have equipment to build/mod/fabricate, or simply didn't have the skills.

I specialize in a few things and am constantly learning to do other things and master other skills, add equipment, etc.

I chose the path of just being honest and letting them know up front I didn't have the capability to do it and if possible, recommend them to someone I trust that can do the work.

That honesty and providing a solution that worked for them went a long way to keeping them as my customer.

Not all customer service involves building or doing "everything". Sometimes good customer service is providing "solutions".

Good luck. Sounds like you have a customer who believes in you and loves your work.
 
You could grind it out from a big enough piece of steel, but that isn't really cost effective. I think forging and forge welding are needed skills. I've done a couple already, but they are a work in progress. Nothing worth selling yet.

Warren
 
I wanted to add that there are a lot of people that find vintage hatchet and axe heads and simply restore and rehang them. I've done a few for customers and I have quite a few myself.

From small camp hatchets all the way up to 4 lb. double bit axes. A lot of the vintage heads are of great quality from the right manufacturers and can be found in great shape.

Check out Operator1975 who is the regular expert on the subject here on the forum if you decide to go that route. You will find many useful posts and pics as well.

Again, good luck.
 
Thanks - I'll see what other options guys have before I tell her "no". I think she would be best off buying a couple of quality hatchets on line, or I did find a guy who sells good looking heads on line and I could put some quality handles on them for her. But even that is stepping way out of my usual business. Maybe I'll do three - two for her and one for me, :D
 
Col Defender said:
Thanks - I'll see what other options guys have before I tell her "no". I think she would be best off buying a couple of quality hatchets on line, or I did find a guy who sells good looking heads on line and I could put some quality handles on them for her. But even that is stepping way out of my usual business. Maybe I'll do three - two for her and one for me, :D
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Suggest she look in the Lee Valley online catalog. You could always rehandle one of those to match a knife she uses regularily. I have a good customer who wants a hatchet too, but told him he has to wait, or buy elsewhere. He's waiting as he has a functional hatchet. Once I make one that is good enough, he will get it.

Warren
 
Is a stock removal full tang hatchet a possibility? You would need quite a hunk of steel, but there's guys making some pretty nice ones like this. I guess it depends on it's intended purpose
 
MarkJeffrey said:
Is a stock removal full tang hatchet a possibility? You would need quite a hunk of steel, but there's guys making some pretty nice ones like this. I guess it depends on it's intended purpose
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That's what I was gonna say, I have made a couple full tang axes and they perform awesome. I don't have forging equipment either
 
Well thanks for a bunch of good suggestions. Good news - I did some shopping (not buying) and shared the results with my customer.. It turns out she can get a really good German, Swedish, or American hatchet for less than I could ever do if I bought heads, handles and put them together and shipped. And she did - ordered a couple of Swedish hatchets and we are all happy now.
 
I know it's a bit late , but I read in a book on Finnish trappers that used to make their log cabins. And in this book they where making their own tools and made their axes with mild steel , only the tip was high carbon. They would fold the steel and forge weld it with the high carbon tip. Maybe a possibility would be to find a piece of 1" mild steel and weld a piece of high carbon steel on it for the tip and grind your final shape/bevel.
 
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