Bill Siegle
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Oct 3, 2000
- Messages
- 6,867
Just finished this one up and I am pretty happy with it 
I have been contemplating old stone age hand axes for the past couple years. They fascinate me because they were pretty universal around the world and they were kind of man's first "do it all" cutting tool. In the past I have made some rougher blades based on the knife from the Hunted movie. Not the Dave Beck but the one that was made in the field from a leaf spring. I really liked the simpler version from both a maker's and a user's standpoint. So I got to thinking and for me, it really fills that "If I had only one" concept we are always discussing/arguing about 
I took my old rough idea and dressed it up a bit with G10 scales, a 5160 blade, and a finger notch. It can be used as a light hatchet and a utility knife. If you choke up on the blade, you can use the point for finer tasks. I drilled out the tang so it balances out when you move your hand up on the blade. Also the area in the choil area on the rear of the bevel is set up for scraping a fire steel. Overall it is 11 9/16inches. The 1/4inch thick blade is 6 3/4in long tip to handle with about 5 1/4inches of sharpened edge. At the wides point, the blade is 2 1/4inches. Here are some quick pics showing the Hand Axe and several different gripping options.
I have been contemplating old stone age hand axes for the past couple years. They fascinate me because they were pretty universal around the world and they were kind of man's first "do it all" cutting tool. In the past I have made some rougher blades based on the knife from the Hunted movie. Not the Dave Beck but the one that was made in the field from a leaf spring. I really liked the simpler version from both a maker's and a user's standpoint. So I got to thinking and for me, it really fills that "If I had only one" concept we are always discussing/arguing about I took my old rough idea and dressed it up a bit with G10 scales, a 5160 blade, and a finger notch. It can be used as a light hatchet and a utility knife. If you choke up on the blade, you can use the point for finer tasks. I drilled out the tang so it balances out when you move your hand up on the blade. Also the area in the choil area on the rear of the bevel is set up for scraping a fire steel. Overall it is 11 9/16inches. The 1/4inch thick blade is 6 3/4in long tip to handle with about 5 1/4inches of sharpened edge. At the wides point, the blade is 2 1/4inches. Here are some quick pics showing the Hand Axe and several different gripping options. 
