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Sharpening an Estwing Hatchet
- Thread starter GaryXD
- Start date
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2008
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- 660
Trizact belts- start with 200 and work your way up to 800 for a working edge- for a polished edge you can keep going up to a .5 micron loaded leather belt.
- Joined
- Sep 24, 2010
- Messages
- 2,395
I myself would not use a belt sander to sharpen.
I think a lot of guys do over heat the edge with power tools, belt sanders & etc. It's not automatic that you will. It requires a certain touch to do it consistently well and most guys do not seem to posses that artistic touch.
Edit: After reading the two following post I want to clarify when I imply most guys will screw it up, many of those guys would never visit this forum for advise. But even with those who do, there are some pretty fat fingers or something. But the two following posters sound like part of the minority that do it well.
Edit: After reading the two following post I want to clarify when I imply most guys will screw it up, many of those guys would never visit this forum for advise. But even with those who do, there are some pretty fat fingers or something. But the two following posters sound like part of the minority that do it well.
Last edited:
t1mpani
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2002
- Messages
- 5,536
Put a finger or thumb from the hand that isn't holding the handle of the axe down on the other side of the blade directly opposite where the belt is, down by the edge. Sharpen in passes, from one end to the other--do not linger in one spot. Pull across at a rate of roughly an inch of blade width per second. When the finger that's down by the edge starts to notice warmth, dunk the head in a pail of cool water for ten or fifteen seconds, then repeat. Move your whole body when you grind--moving your torso, not your hands, rocking from side to side on your feet.
This is one of those things that you only get good at by doing it, but if you follow the above steps you'll be safe from altering your temper.
*Added note---Estwing Axes tend to be pretty thin in cross section as compared to a typical axe, and thus do not have as much steel to serve as a heat sink for the edge. It may seem like you're feeling heat very quickly because of that. Err on the side of caution and dunk too often versus too seldom.
Further recommendation: I learned to grind by buying a whole bunch of cheap machetes and practicing angles on them. $100 investment in $5 machetes will give you a pretty solid foundation in careful steel removal, if you're interested enough. Before you know it, you'll be reprofiling the edges on high-dollar customs without even breaking a sweat.
This is one of those things that you only get good at by doing it, but if you follow the above steps you'll be safe from altering your temper.
*Added note---Estwing Axes tend to be pretty thin in cross section as compared to a typical axe, and thus do not have as much steel to serve as a heat sink for the edge. It may seem like you're feeling heat very quickly because of that. Err on the side of caution and dunk too often versus too seldom.
Further recommendation: I learned to grind by buying a whole bunch of cheap machetes and practicing angles on them. $100 investment in $5 machetes will give you a pretty solid foundation in careful steel removal, if you're interested enough. Before you know it, you'll be reprofiling the edges on high-dollar customs without even breaking a sweat.