So have this little tiny hatchet... What on earth do I do with it?!

TheDandyLion

TheDandyLion

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Mar 27, 2013
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I was going through my late great grandfather's tool box and in the bottom I found this little hatchet head. I mean little, like maybe 1/2lb head. I'll add a picture with a name later but It's in excellent condition, just needs a new handle. Now I'm wondering. What do I do with this little thing? I'm going to re-handle it but then what? I don't really care for hatchets let alone the tiny ones. Any ideas?



Thanks,

A very confused hatchet owner


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Here it is, it's really small but in fantastic condition. These are the only markings
 
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Have a photo of it next to a size reference object?

Could maybe use it as a kindling hatchet for making finger-thick and smaller bits.
 
I have a couple of tiny ones- the Craftsman has the original handle so I cleaned it up, gave it to my wife for use in kitchen.

She smashes garlic with the back and disassembles chicken with the edge. Works in place of a cleaver and slips easily in a kitchen drawer.

Bill
 
Well I don't have the head on me but I could probably get a picture of it soon today. The kitchen idea isn't bad but I already have a couple heavy cleavers. I also don't have much need for a kindling hatchet as I do most of that with a large knife or ax. I'm thinking of pouring a sort fine edge on it and keeping it in my shop for some of the rough carpentry I find myself doing.
 
If you don't want it you can always sell it on the internet. Axe collectors sometimes buy those just as a curiosity.
 
I'd really like to see a pic of it next to something for size comparison. I like smallish hatchets sometimes.
 
I'm guessing that one is the same size as the tiny Craftsman or Vaughan hatchets- only about a foot long total. Some guys really love 'em, since they're small enough to slip in a pocket and carry along trapping or light hiking. Here's some info on pocket axes in general:
http://www.oldjimbo.com/survival/tinyhatchets.html

You can get a replacement handle here:
http://www.forestry-suppliers.com/product_pages/Products.asp?mi=17471

I didn't care for the shape of those handles though, and made my own from osage orange- just finished it last month.
pocket%20axe_zps73sc3lek.jpg


I carried this one along the other day, mushroom hunting with my daughter. We came across a dead hickory laying on the ground, and I used this little hatchet to strip off some bark and a little wood, to see if it was rotten or had any useful wood in it.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Wow--that's a gorgeous handle! Great work on that!
Click to expand...

+1!

A hatchet that size can be useful for roughing out a shape for carving such as a ladle or bowl or a baton.

That really is a beautiful handle. If I may ask; Do you carve out the convexities at the butt or use a rasp?
 
Normally with most woods, I like to carve them to shape with a knife, but osage orange is rather difficult to carve. So on this one, I did most of the final shaping with Iwasaki Carving Files. These are wood working files that work amazingly well. I went into some more details on this thread, and others mentioned them as well:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1064461-What-did-you-rehang-today/page30

I also used this hatchet for some wood working a couple weeks ago. I was hewing a small log with my broad hewing hatchet, and was getting the shape close to what I wanted. It was not easy to use that big hatchet for taking smaller bites of wood, and my hand was getting tired. I tried this little Craftsman hatchet, and found it worked perfectly for the finer shaping. So I'd say they come in handy for shaping in between a bigger hatchet and draw knife.
 
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I own and use one of the Vaughan Sportsman's axes. If you don't like using a hatchet you probably won't like using a mini hatchet. I got mine for the intended use of dispersed camping trips where I didn't want the extra weight and bulk but still wasted some form of conventional axe. I find the little hatchet once property profiled and sharpened can do some work. This weekend I used mine to cut, shape, and set some stakes made of white oak. Mainly it was just to see how it performed. With a little ingenuity a good deal can be done with these little hatchets. They are good if you want a little belt or bag axe that won't weigh you down. Hiking, dispersed camping, and hunting come to mind as possible scenarios where it could be useful. I think in modern times however a large knife is more stylish in all of those scenarios.
 
I'm not a hatchet guy (anything (combination tire iron/hammer/knife/Pulaski/real axe) inevitably beats a hatchet)) but now that you have a tiny one shine it up and leave it out all the time when you're outdoors and it will either grow on you for use or wind up gathering mold. Then you can make a decision.
 
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