Repurposed carpenter's hatchet - Finished!

B

bliorg

Joined
Sep 6, 2020
Messages
13
Hi, all -

Finally hung the hatchet redo I've been working on. Have gotten into spoon carving lately and wanted a hatchet for roughing out green blanks. Decided it'd be fun to modify something cheap into something passable. This was a $7 marketplace find. My first hang (first work on a hatchet at all, first handle, first bluing, first grind), I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. It's not perfect, but a whole bunch of learnings, and stuff I'll definitely do in the future.

Before:
54312868168_d50abca67a_z.jpg
54312854154_ed7aa05c5d_z.jpg


Completed:
54391153329_e9c4e8bc67_z.jpg
54391337405_f8e12d2c7d_z.jpg


54391195633_feab98277f_z.jpg
54390089297_269ca1219e_z.jpg


Handle is a piece of ash that'd been laying around for years. Baked the ash to give it some color - the hatchet is light enough duty (and light enough generally) that I wasn't worried about loss of tensile strength. Finished in tung oil and wax. Wedged with mahogany. The head was obviously cut down, reshaped and rust blued. The bit was radiused just a bit, and the bevel hollow ground asymmetrically to about 35° included. Honed and stropped, it's pert' darn sharp. Originally the head alone was about 22 ounces; post fettling, the entire thing is right at 18.5 ounces.

Have been scouting the local woods for stock, but immediately I have two mulberrys that will need to come down sooner than later. For now they will be on-demand spoon reserves. Only other thing I want to do with this is DIY a leather sheath...

Thanks for looking.
Scott
 
bliorg said:
Hi, all -

Finally hung the hatchet redo I've been working on. Have gotten into spoon carving lately and wanted a hatchet for roughing out green blanks. Decided it'd be fun to modify something cheap into something passable. This was a $7 marketplace find. My first hang (first work on a hatchet at all, first handle, first bluing, first grind), I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. It's not perfect, but a whole bunch of learnings, and stuff I'll definitely do in the future.

Before:
54312868168_d50abca67a_z.jpg
54312854154_ed7aa05c5d_z.jpg


Completed:
54391153329_e9c4e8bc67_z.jpg
54391337405_f8e12d2c7d_z.jpg


54391195633_feab98277f_z.jpg
54390089297_269ca1219e_z.jpg


Handle is a piece of ash that'd been laying around for years. Baked the ash to give it some color - the hatchet is light enough duty (and light enough generally) that I wasn't worried about loss of tensile strength. Finished in tung oil and wax. Wedged with mahogany. The head was obviously cut down, reshaped and rust blued. The bit was radiused just a bit, and the bevel hollow ground asymmetrically to about 35° included. Honed and stropped, it's pert' darn sharp. Originally the head alone was about 22 ounces; post fettling, the entire thing is right at 18.5 ounces.

Have been scouting the local woods for stock, but immediately I have two mulberrys that will need to come down sooner than later. For now they will be on-demand spoon reserves. Only other thing I want to do with this is DIY a leather sheath...

Thanks for looking.
Scott
Click to expand...
Nice work!!
 
I really like how you reworked the head. The geometry looks just right for a carving hatchet. Way to go, the nail pull slot cut out is just right to get your hand right behind the blade for close work. For me, the haft bulge, just below the eye, is too large. It could be fixed without too much trouble with a 4-in-hand and not have to remove the haft. Just remove the bump from the back, and thin down the sides of the haft in place. I believe I would also tone down the sharp point on the butt swell.
Thanks for showing us your great new carving hatchet !
 
Old Axeman said:
I really like how you reworked the head. The geometry looks just right for a carving hatchet. Way to go, the nail pull slot cut out is just right to get your hand right behind the blade for close work. For me, the haft bulge, just below the eye, is too large. It could be fixed without too much trouble with a 4-in-hand and not have to remove the haft. Just remove the bump from the back, and thin down the sides of the haft in place. I believe I would also tone down the sharp point on the butt swell.
Thanks for showing us your great new carving hatchet !
Click to expand...
Thanks! Like I said - first shot. I literally sat here with the board and a French curve and drew out something that seemed about right. It looks a bit chonkier than it feels, but should it prove to not be as functional as I’m hoping, I will definitely try your suggestions. Btw, the “fawn’s foot” is not what I had drawn. As I was roughing it out on the bandsaw, this was basically the first relief cut and I thought it looked alright.
 
Thanks for your polite reply. Everybody and ever axe task are different. So, what works for me might not be right for you. It is quite common for me to hang a axe or hatchet for a task at hand, try it for awhile, and then modify the haft. One way that can help with this approach is to not put on any finish, hang it with a metal removable axe wedge ( I do not know if they still sell those any more) then modify the haft, try it again, and when it is right, hang it with your wood only wedge (NO METAL WEDGES). Looks like to me it would be easy to modify the haft without removing it in your case. The only thing to do after the haft is just right would be to refinish it. I know this sounds like a lot of extra work, but it really is not when you get a system down. I have done this to some special purpose hatchets 2 times before I was happy.
 
bliorg said:
Hi, all -

Finally hung the hatchet redo I've been working on. Have gotten into spoon carving lately and wanted a hatchet for roughing out green blanks. Decided it'd be fun to modify something cheap into something passable. This was a $7 marketplace find. My first hang (first work on a hatchet at all, first handle, first bluing, first grind), I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. It's not perfect, but a whole bunch of learnings, and stuff I'll definitely do in the future.

Before:
54312868168_d50abca67a_z.jpg
54312854154_ed7aa05c5d_z.jpg


Completed:
54391153329_e9c4e8bc67_z.jpg
54391337405_f8e12d2c7d_z.jpg


54391195633_feab98277f_z.jpg
54390089297_269ca1219e_z.jpg


Handle is a piece of ash that'd been laying around for years. Baked the ash to give it some color - the hatchet is light enough duty (and light enough generally) that I wasn't worried about loss of tensile strength. Finished in tung oil and wax. Wedged with mahogany. The head was obviously cut down, reshaped and rust blued. The bit was radiused just a bit, and the bevel hollow ground asymmetrically to about 35° included. Honed and stropped, it's pert' darn sharp. Originally the head alone was about 22 ounces; post fettling, the entire thing is right at 18.5 ounces.

Have been scouting the local woods for stock, but immediately I have two mulberrys that will need to come down sooner than later. For now they will be on-demand spoon reserves. Only other thing I want to do with this is DIY a leather sheath...

Thanks for looking.
Scott
Click to expand...
It's beautiful work. You should be proud.

I agree with Old Axeman about his modifications to the handle. I think you would find it easier and more comfortable to use if you made those mods. But I'll disagree with Bernie about the shape of the edge bevel. I think it's still a bit too thick for a carving hatchet
 
Personally I've never found the jawline or hammer poll to get in the way of me putting pressure where I needed it on the head, but making it work better for you is what matters most, and that includes things like aesthetic concerns that make it more pleasant for you to use. A good tool isn't a good tool unless it's put to work!
 
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