Needed a change

Raymond Richard

Raymond Richard

Joined
Jun 17, 2001
Messages
5,705
After making sheaths for a couple week the forging bug still had a hold of me. For several months I've been wanting to make a hawk or ax and ended up doing this one. Got the idea for this one from the movie Sleepy Hollow. Its smaller than the ax used in the movie plus it has a hammer pole. I'll be getting some larger steel in a couple weeks and plan to do one full size. This one has a cutting edge of 5" measured around the radius, 6 1/2" from edge to end of hammer pole with a 15" hickory handle. It weighs in at 1.75 pounds. Bottom picture shows what I started with.

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Looks really good Ray,Your giving me the hawk bug, I'm going to have to try and work up one in. :thumbup: Should make a good trout slayer but your going to have to be mighty quick and don't forget your snorkel.:D

Bill
 
Man that looks totally "comfy" and unique. It's always a pleasure seeing the results of your work!
 
I sure do like the looks of it. How hard did the edge get?

I do have a question for you regarding the handle attachment though. It looks like the handle is basically the same thickness as the head, which I'm assuming means the wood had to be carved down with a sudden step to go into the eye. I'd be interested in hearing how you put this through its paces, to see what it really takes to break the handle at that join/transition.

I ask this coming from the standpoint of a kid who used to replace hammer, hatchet, and axe handles by the dozen on rainy days back on the farm. They always broke right where the handle meets the head, leading me to believe this area should be extra beefy, rather than carved down smaller than the rest. I suppose all the dialogue about open communication ("critique") lately is why I've actually posted this question though. Really hope I'm not coming across as confrontational with it.
 
I like the looks of that ax. Seems to be good clean work.

I had the same question about the handle and whether there is enough heft to take a stiff blow.
 
the possum said:
I sure do like the looks of it. How hard did the edge get?

I do have a question for you regarding the handle attachment though. It looks like the handle is basically the same thickness as the head, which I'm assuming means the wood had to be carved down with a sudden step to go into the eye. I'd be interested in hearing how you put this through its paces, to see what it really takes to break the handle at that join/transition.

I ask this coming from the standpoint of a kid who used to replace hammer, hatchet, and axe handles by the dozen on rainy days back on the farm. They always broke right where the handle meets the head, leading me to believe this area should be extra beefy, rather than carved down smaller than the rest. I suppose all the dialogue about open communication ("critique") lately is why I've actually posted this question though. Really hope I'm not coming across as confrontational with it.
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I'll add a picture of the eye. Its really not that much smaller than the width of the steel itself. I do agree its going to be weaker than if it had not been stepped down but I didn't want to get eye bulge on this piece. I had the buggy axle checked. Its .2 carbon, it did harden up but not much. This ax was made more for art than actual use. It can hang on the wall as good as any of them.

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Raymond Richard said:
I do agree its going to be weaker than if it had not been stepped down but I didn't want to get eye bulge on this piece.
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Thanks for the explanation, Raymond. Another idea comes to mind though- on pieces where "eye bulge" is not desired, the historical method was just to make the eye longer rather than bulging wider. Think of an old double-bit axe- the handle gets considerably wider where it enters the head so there's still enough wood for strength, but is thin so it doesn't interfere with cutting.

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