Norlund Hatchet With a New Handle - Plenty of Pictures as always

S

SkogKniv

Joined
Jul 25, 2009
Messages
465
Got this in trade several months ago. Handle was good but the alignment was a little off. Happened in the hardware store the other day, found a nice handle for a hatchet. So I grabbed it too. Decided I wanted to re-handle the Norlund.

Here is the new handle

DSCN1124.jpg



Here is the old alignment

DSCN1126.jpg


DSCN1125.jpg



Setting to work, driving out the old handle

DSCN1127.jpg


After a few holes it came off without issue

DSCN1128.jpg



Took the new handle to the sander, took off all the hard varnish and shaped it a little better

DSCN1129.jpg



After some working, the head went on without much trouble

DSCN1130.jpg



I now use linseed oil on the wedges. It helps drive it, softens the wedge, and hardens and locks up the bond as well after it dries.

DSCN1131.jpg


DSCN1132.jpg



Wedge drove home without any issue, nice and tight


DSCN1134.jpg




Trimmed it up


DSCN1135.jpg



Went with a 100 grit sanding finish, this seems to be the butter zone for grip for me.


DSCN1137.jpg



Now for some oil on the handle and head

DSCN1138.jpg


DSCN1139.jpg


DSCN1140.jpg



My favorite part is oiling the wedge, it sucks in the oil right off the bat


DSCN1141.jpg


DSCN1142.jpg


DSCN1143.jpg




The new alignment

DSCN1144.jpg



Hung out to dry


DSCN1146.jpg
 
trailmaker said:
Nice work. The alignment looks perfect. Do you put metal wedges in or is it unnecessary?
Click to expand...

If you haft an axe correctly, metal wedges are not needed. Makes no sense to haft an axe, then drive a steel wedge splitting the grain.
 
awesome job,and awesome norlund!:thumbup: ive been really looking for a norlund hatchet for a little while now for my girlfriend. i very recently took a big beefy framing hammer handle and sanded is down into a real nice sleek handle for a my slightly modified vaughan supersteel carpenters hatchet.its a real nice little bushcraft hatchet now:D so nice in fact that my girlfriend keeps telling me she is gonna steal it from me,thus the growing need to find her a norlund:Dagain awesome job,norlund and photos:thumbup:do you ever sand down hatchet handles for more comfort or do you like them straight outa the factory?
 
Nice work. I've been wanting to find a Norlund hatchet head like this one but have had no luck so far. That handle is made by link and Ace Hardware sells them in their stores but not on their website. I have used two of them and they have been very good. No issues.
 
thanks for posting.
excellent images.
the original genuine Norlund handle is smaller with a pronounced pommel, is this correct?.

buzz
 
maybe its just me because im new to this craft,but shouldnt the grain run from blade to poll instead of cheek to cheek? someone please let me know:D
 
The whole grain splitting issue with a metal wedge is more prevalent in the hatchets or smaller axes, obviously due to the shortened amount of wood from top of the eye down into the shoulder. Doesnt take much. Remember, wood is wood, not steel.

I myself dispise of metal wedges. I hate taking them out of my refurbs. I hate putting them in, then the haft splits.

I believe it was Skog that said it on here and the guy from an Ax to Grind also said it - if you hang it right, there is no need for a metal wedge.

That doesnt mean that they cant work as intended - i have a couple axes that have them and are ok. Is it for everyone and every axe? I dont think so. But again, I am one man.
 
I use metal wedges all the time. I think a good job can be done without them, but in my experience they have never caused any problems and I have had handles stay tight for a very long time through a lot of hard use. In my younger days on the farm I would split 25 short cords of hard maple per year for 33 years with a single bit axe and a sledge with a splitting wedge. I kept 3 stoves burning. An old fashioned heatrola, a wood cook range and a parlor heater. I still use the cook range every day, but heat mainly with natural gas now. I think the most important element in preserving an axe handle is hitting what you aim at.
 
Section10 said:
I use metal wedges all the time. I think a good job can be done without them, but in my experience they have never caused any problems and I have had handles stay tight for a very long time through a lot of hard use. In my younger days on the farm I would split 25 short cords of hard maple per year for 33 years with a single bit axe and a sledge with a splitting wedge. I kept 3 stoves burning. An old fashioned heatrola, a wood cook range and a parlor heater. I still use the cook range every day, but heat mainly with natural gas now. I think the most important element in preserving an axe handle is hitting what you aim at.
Click to expand...

Cool. So you use a wood burning cook range every day??? To cook with??? That's awesome. The aim thing...right on.
 
Yes, every day except in the summer when it's too hot. It is going right now. We cook on it and it helps heat that end of the house. There is nothing as penetrating or as effective as wood heat. Or as cheap if it's readily available. I've burned wood nearly all my life. I used to be a boiler fireman at a big hardwood sawmill which had 5 steam boilers that ran off scrap from the mill. It took less than 2 shifts to burn up the equivalent of a year's worth of home firewood. So I have a lot of wood burning experience. It was a steam operated mill and it had an enormous stationary steam engine that powered most everything. I got work that as well sometimes and I got to blow the mill's big steam whistle. It's all gone now.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top