thinking about tiny choppers

blade_user said:
I'm new to this forum, but here are a couple that I have made:
3/16" thk A2 tool steel, 2-1/2 in wide.
IMG_1047.jpg

This one is the same dimensions except for the longer neck:
IMG_0959.jpg
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Nice! I like the long neck one. Do you do commission work? Send me a PM for your rates please. :)
 
siguy said:
..i want to try something like an 18" on a blade the size of the GB mini hatchet. .
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You ought to try one of the Ft Meigs Belt Axes then. I have the Ft Meigs Nessmuk.

It is a fairly narrow but heavy head on a 15" handle. It gives a lot of power.

http://www.colonialgunworks.com/fort_meigs_belt_axe.htm

My ideal would be on the other side of yours. I like a heavy head wide bit on a short handle.

When I had Lee Reeves make me a Nessmuk I had him do a 12" OAL (like Nessmuks Original) rather than his longer stock 14" OAL.
 
HD, thanks for the info.

i have also done a little bit of playing with a heavy head on a short handle, and i don't like it as much. maybe i'm trying too heavy of a head and trying to cut down the handle too much, but the ones i have played with felt akward to me.
 
siguy said:
akennedy-a question about the BRKT vaughan...what mods, if any, did they do besides regrinding the head? for instance, did they grind out the eye hole or replace the handle, etc?

thanks
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hollowdweller said:
No the head is just re ground.
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HD is essentially correct - just the head is re-ground. But they also buffed the lacquer finish off the handle and applied linseed oil and also shortened the handle's end knob by by cutting off the tail slightly (which maybe removed an ounce from the overall weight). But nothing other than that. Somewhere Mike posted every step his shop did to the Vaughan's - but I can't find it, may have been on outdoors-magazine

Here's a couple of photos I found on the web:
1212062836-File1188__Medium_.jpg


1177286102-Kephart___Axe.JPG


And here's a photo of mine:

IMG_3739.jpg


for what it's worth, Mike Stewart stopped modifying them because Vaughan started to produce heads that were too thin which didn't allow him enough of a margin too remove material without the edge chipping out - so I don't know if you'd run into the same issue.

believe it or not i'd choose it over a small fixed blade knife if someone stuck me on a mountain in the late fall - it'll never replace a full size hatchet but it's pretty amazing what you can do with it. certainly sufficient to keep a fire going and building a shelter.

looks like they fetch about $120 these days:

http://www.knifeforums.com/forums/showpost.php?post/1650220/
 
I bet BladeUsers little chopper would be great for cutting purposes too. Looks safe and comfy to handle.
 
csabacanada said:
How about Wetterlings mini hatchet?
It came shaving sharp,made of good steel and with a nice leather sheath.It holds a very good edge.Light weight and it chops well for it's size. I like it more than GB mini and cost half of the GB MINI.
all the best
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I wonder if the one you have is a mini or the Wildlife hatchet? I just got a Wetterlings mini. It is smaller than my Wildlife .
034a_1.jpg


02ff_1.jpg
 
Just checked here
http://www.wetterlings.com/
MINI-AXE-12B-0,3 kg- 30 cm
.2 kilos lighter and 1.25 (ish) inches shorter than my my Wetterlings Saw 13
The mini is new to me,Cool!

Saxon where did you get the Wetterlings mini?
Don't post the link just the company name will be fine.
Wouldn't want you to get ding'ed for deal spotting.
Or if that is also deal spotting just PM me instead!
 
I was luck enough to spot 2 for sale on ebay. The guy wasn't a dealer. He just had extras to sell. I will try to contact him and find out where he got them.
So far mine are performing perfectly. I paid him $65 apiece so I'm pretty happy with them compared to the more expensive GB. I think they must've started making the Mini since GB bought them. Just sent you a PM.
I should add that mine didn't come with the sheath in the picture. It has a simpler little thing.
 
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If you want to see tiny, a Craftmans salesman sample.
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Sometimes on EBAY they are listed as "child's hatchet"



(The bottom one is a Craftsman)===>
Craftsman_minihatchet.jpg

They go for 20-40 bucks on EBAY
 
It'd sad that now a day's most people would be agast at the thought of buying a child a hatchet or a knife. When I was a child that was my most prized possesion, most boys carried a poket knife to school and no one cared or anyone got stabbed. A child can get a criminal record now for bringing a plastic knife with his lunch.
 
I have always loved little hatchets, my GB mini is a prized possesion, but a user of course.
 
cherokee tj said:
It'd sad that now a day's most people would be agast at the thought of buying a child a hatchet or a knife. When I was a child that was my most prized possesion, most boys carried a poket knife to school and no one cared or anyone got stabbed. A child can get a criminal record now for bringing a plastic knife with his lunch.
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There is one highly collectible childs hatchet that was given away at a shoe store :eek:
I wanna say Browns Shoe Store or something like that?
Little jimmy would go in and put his feet in the Measure-O-Matic machine
He gets about 10 years of radiation
He gets his shoes AND a free child's hatchet!!!
Everyone is happy ;)
 
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