McKinnon Rockaway axes

[Ernest DuBois]

Here is a video I made of a woodworking workshop on a line drive powered by a central diesel motor showing things in motion.

 

[Square_peg]

Wonderful video!

 

[jake pogg]

I debated wether to risk lousing up such lovely McKinnon topic...Decided to risk it,for no really good reason,but only a small academic point,the difference between welded and slitted methods...

I'm at present on my winter work-travels,and staying with friends for whom i forged this goofy little hatchet these many moons ago...Technically,it was a trial for some methods,and should've been pitched behind the forge out of sight,but as often happens someone seen it and loved it and i will always live with yet another spot on my karma for letting an inadequate work outa the forge door......
Anyhoo,my friend loves it,it's his favorite trapline hatchet(and i must now re-hang it,dammit,why did i glue that wedge in......).So in a way some good testing did come of it.
Here's what it looks like:https://imgur.com/YIkvcz6
And it may at first appear to be quite Rockaway-ish,untill you look at it from the top:https://imgur.com/8UeiIpH

And now one can see the difference in mass at the poll.
You guys can probably see that typical "boat-tail" effect one so often sees in CT products and other solid-billet slitted axes.
It doesn't Have to be like that,in theory one Can slit a solid where that beautiful wedge shape with ample,wide poll would result.
But so often one doesn't...

 

[Yankee Josh]

I debated wether to risk lousing up such lovely McKinnon topic...Decided to risk it,for no really good reason,but only a small academic point,the difference between welded and slitted methods...

I'm at present on my winter work-travels,and staying with friends for whom i forged this goofy little hatchet these many moons ago...Technically,it was a trial for some methods,and should've been pitched behind the forge out of sight,but as often happens someone seen it and loved it and i will always live with yet another spot on my karma for letting an inadequate work outa the forge door......
Anyhoo,my friend loves it,it's his favorite trapline hatchet(and i must now re-hang it,dammit,why did i glue that wedge in......).So in a way some good testing did come of it.
Here's what it looks like:https://imgur.com/YIkvcz6
And it may at first appear to be quite Rockaway-ish,untill you look at it from the top:https://imgur.com/8UeiIpH

And now one can see the difference in mass at the poll.
You guys can probably see that typical "boat-tail" effect one so often sees in CT products and other solid-billet slitted axes.
It doesn't Have to be like that,in theory one Can slit a solid where that beautiful wedge shape with ample,wide poll would result.
But so often one doesn't...

Geez I don't know Jake.. I love it!
Perhaps you are just being self deprecating but I think it turned out great!

 

[jake pogg]

being self deprecating

Thanks,Josh,but i must do that-it's part of my job.

I'd love to,someday,produce some decent axes.Reliably so.And it takes SO stinking much practice,and thinking,and learning...(all of which you and others on this site are Such enormous help-thank you Many times over).
So being ultra-critical is a must.To maximize the good in each of the experimental models.

But yes,this idea is firming up in my pea-brain:When Americans had to weld up the axes from several chunks,accruing that ample mass at poll was no issue,just a matter of using heavy enough chunk for that,plus the hard-plating is super helpful as well.

But once more mechanized slit&drifted methods took over those polls quickly slimmed right down(and any wedge patterns became scarce if not extinct altogether).
Seems to me that what the section of a poll is in finished axe is what the starting stock dimensions were,in a modern ones.And that is not really enough; for some patterns anyway.

 

[Agent_H]

I debated wether to risk lousing up such lovely McKinnon topic...Decided to risk it,for no really good reason,but only a small academic point,the difference between welded and slitted methods...

I'm at present on my winter work-travels,and staying with friends for whom i forged this goofy little hatchet these many moons ago...Technically,it was a trial for some methods,and should've been pitched behind the forge out of sight,but as often happens someone seen it and loved it and i will always live with yet another spot on my karma for letting an inadequate work outa the forge door......
Anyhoo,my friend loves it,it's his favorite trapline hatchet(and i must now re-hang it,dammit,why did i glue that wedge in......).So in a way some good testing did come of it.
Here's what it looks like:https://imgur.com/YIkvcz6
And it may at first appear to be quite Rockaway-ish,untill you look at it from the top:https://imgur.com/8UeiIpH

And now one can see the difference in mass at the poll.
You guys can probably see that typical "boat-tail" effect one so often sees in CT products and other solid-billet slitted axes.
It doesn't Have to be like that,in theory one Can slit a solid where that beautiful wedge shape with ample,wide poll would result.
But so often one doesn't...

Awesome. Just Awesome.

 

[Ernest DuBois]

Awesome. Just Awesome.

Great to see the work of an actual and engaged person here. Really, it's the true and in fact biggest, but at the times sorely lacking,value of the website. Hope to see more in the future keeping the forum a float in a lively and interesting and informative way.

 

[Fmont]

I debated wether to risk lousing up such lovely McKinnon topic...Decided to risk it,for no really good reason,but only a small academic point,the difference between welded and slitted methods...

I'm at present on my winter work-travels,and staying with friends for whom i forged this goofy little hatchet these many moons ago...Technically,it was a trial for some methods,and should've been pitched behind the forge out of sight,but as often happens someone seen it and loved it and i will always live with yet another spot on my karma for letting an inadequate work outa the forge door......
Anyhoo,my friend loves it,it's his favorite trapline hatchet(and i must now re-hang it,dammit,why did i glue that wedge in......).So in a way some good testing did come of it.
Here's what it looks like:https://imgur.com/YIkvcz6
And it may at first appear to be quite Rockaway-ish,untill you look at it from the top:https://imgur.com/8UeiIpH

And now one can see the difference in mass at the poll.
You guys can probably see that typical "boat-tail" effect one so often sees in CT products and other solid-billet slitted axes.
It doesn't Have to be like that,in theory one Can slit a solid where that beautiful wedge shape with ample,wide poll would result.
But so often one doesn't...

Yes Jake, like so many artists you're certainly your own harshest critic. That looks to be every bit the axe that's come out of those famous Bruks, and nobody here could possibly question your competence. And it's as handsome as anything on the market. Every time you post something up I'm darn astounded. I've paid good money for small forge axes that aren't half as well crafted, with much less informed designs.

 

[jake pogg]

Thank you,Fmont!For the compliment,as well as for this new exalted Status upgrade!
Now that i've been promoted i'll terrorize the poor forum with all sorts of funky images...

But as an example of serious flaw-i did drag this head off it's haft,and before re-hafting took this photo for you guys.
At the back of the inside of eye can you see the void,and a squiggly "crack" running out of it over the underside of poll?
That is a tear in steel,caused by too fast/forcible(per Temp.)slitting of the eye.
This effect is called "brashness",the breaking apart of steel along the grain boundaries,a bad no-no in any forging be it hardware tools or anything else.
Then this flaw was forged closed,forming what is called a "cold-shut"(same as contaminated weld,no bond).

That is an omission in the Equation of given process,T control,the relative sizing of slitting and drifting tools,hurry and general scatter-brained half-assedness.
(However it's not a Systematic problem;as in it's just a matter of avoiding it in the future).

Another reason i wanted to show you gents this is that is what caused the cracking of the poll in that Connie of Agent_H's that we welded...
It was less severe/noticeble there actually,but still(with some beating on poll)did cause the crack to propagate clear to the outside,so at least potentially it is a pretty bad deal.
Be vigilant for signs of any remaining slitting chisel marks at both top and bottom of back of eye.
And of course any sign of brashness along the inside back wall.

 

[ithinkverydeeply]

We are pretty far a field now. Maybe this topic would be better served in its own thread.