My Boarding Axe came today!

[Yvsa]

You guys just couldn't stop while I was ahead, could you!
I will be ordering a couple to work on as gifts and maybe one to stay home and keep the pirates at bay.

Well you evidently didn't want to be left out eh ArchAngel? And No, we couldn't leave well enough alone.

I'm not sure these were sand cast but that's definitely a very real possibility.:thumbup: After casting they would be turned out of their mold, the sprue cut off as well as any flashing that might have formed....
That would explain the inconsistencies in them as well as the ground finish. Mine has some heavy grinding marks that signifies a coarse belt was used and then finer scratches where they were maybe smoothed out on a belt sander as the marks run in lines and not a circle as an angle grinder would impart.
After grinding I'm thinking they were probably heated and then dunked in oil giving them their present finish. It's also evident that not much care was taken with them and they were probably tossed into a waiting bin for the next step. Mine has the familiar appearance of hot steel dunked in oil.

My dial caliper's have a chip or something under the dial cog that is letting it slip so I can't measure anything but I can compare sizes.
I put the tips in the bottom of the hole and locked the calipers in place and then moved to the top side where the tips went in about 3/4ths of the way, telling me that the top was a bit larger than the bottom which is desirable.

Was also wondering about the steel Q. and maker's methods... mine's going a-privateering.

Could this thing also throw? Seems so.

Mike

Mike I wouldn't hesitate to throw mine if I could. I don't recall whether it's in the posts above or in another forum but one of the guys with the cast French 'Hawk says it has held up just fine throwing it.

 

[Dave Rishar]

True Temper 36" sledge handles (~$10 at Home Depot) are a close fit. They were slightly smaller than three of my four eye holes.

I cut the wedge notch a bit deeper on each of mine, trimmed the wedge a bit short, and used my 5 lb. sledge liberally to seat the heads, drive the wedges, and otherwise get things assembled. One fit nearly perfectly, one was all right, and two showed enough gaps that I drove a few "mini-wedges" around the periphery just for my own peace of mind.

One had a crooked blade. I didn't notice it until I set the head and had a reference. At first I thought I'd gotten the head on crooked but after checking the top of the eye with a level, no, the blade is crooked. Some judicious tapping around the sides cocked the eye and made for an appearance of a straight blade.

 

[SamuraiDave]

I have been working on fitting ONE of these boarding axes to a 3" long oak 2x2 all day long.
I used to rasp bit on the die grinder to get the handle to about the size where it will fit the head, and then attacked it with a hand rasp. It is taking me a Long Long time to get from a "rough fit" to a "good fit". The rasp bit on the grinder it just too aggressive to do detail work.

I don't know if this will just be a looker, but I have never done it to a 3" long square piece of wood. I am used to working with wood stock that starts off round. Such as a oak Bo from a reputible martial arts supply store, or some other type of handle material that fits the human hand.

Square pegs into round holes are tough to fit.