What did you rehang today?

Yankee Josh · Aug 27, 2019

Thanks so much you guys! Seems a little silly to hang a second hewing axe when I've only ever done it 3 times. Still haven't finished one beam either! They dry out before I get back to them.
I do my share of flooring and I have thought of a great use for this one the next time I do a floor.

I'm not sure what the number 3 means. Presumably a size?

I spent more than a few minutes lapping the back of this one to restore some flatness. It's about as shaaap(as they say here in Maine) as it can be.

Probably be a little while before I can complete or start another project. So I won't continue stacking up the posts. :thumbsup:

. Have a good one guys!

Square_peg · Aug 28, 2019

Yankee Josh said:
I spent more than a few minutes lapping the back of this one to restore some flatness. It's about as shaaap(as they say here in Maine) as it can be.

I was noticing that. It looks shaaap!

JoeP01 · Aug 28, 2019

OK lads, the gnarly Dayton-pattern 3lb Plumb single bit is hung! How should I finish the handle? Oil? Burn & oil? Burn & stain? Danish Oil? ... I'm very open to suggestions. (Handle has some really nice swirly/circular grain (idk what the proper term is).) I love cool axes!

Yankee Josh · Aug 28, 2019

Square_peg said:
I was noticing that. It looks shaaap!

Skookum shaaap!
Edit; is that kind of a double negative? I learned the word from "ave" the you tuber. I guess I've only heard that word used alone. ie; that hatchet is skookum.

Square_peg · Aug 28, 2019

JoeP01 said:
Danish Oil?

That's a good choice. Plain BLO is good, too.

I don't like the burned look but it's your axe. Stains are good but natural is good, too.

Yankee Josh · Aug 28, 2019

JoeP01 said:
OK lads, the gnarly Dayton-pattern 3lb Plumb single bit is hung! How should I finish the handle? Oil? Burn & oil? Burn & stain? Danish Oil? ... I'm very open to suggestions. (Handle has some really nice swirly/circular grain (idk what the proper term is).) I love cool axes!

Agreed. Blo is great stuff all by itself. Look forward to seeing it finished! One thing to look out for though is if your handle had varnish on it be sure to thoroughly sand it otherwise you'll have spots where it can't soak in.

phantomknives · Aug 28, 2019

JoeP01 said:
OK lads, the gnarly Dayton-pattern 3lb Plumb single bit is hung! How should I finish the handle? Oil? Burn & oil? Burn & stain? Danish Oil? ... I'm very open to suggestions. (Handle has some really nice swirly/circular grain (idk what the proper term is).) I love cool axes!

i havent seen a burn in quite some time and it reminds me of one i burnt years and years ago, i'd say go for a light burn.

Yankee Josh said:
Skookum shaaap!
Edit; is that kind of a double negative? I learned the word from "ave" the you tuber. I guess I've only heard that word used alone. ie; that hatchet is skookum.

it's a double positive, so yer good. skookum is north west canadian for tough.

JoeP01 · Aug 29, 2019

Square_peg said:
That's a good choice. Plain BLO is good, too.

I don't like the burned look but it's your axe. Stains are good but natural is good, too.

I think I've at least lightly burned every axe I've thus far done, and while I'm obviously a fan of the look (though still trying to improve my technique), I'm just not sure that I'm feeling it with this one. I appreciate everyone's suggestions!!

ithinkverydeeply · Aug 29, 2019

phantomknives said:
i havent seen a burn in quite some time and it reminds me of one i burnt years and years ago, i'd say go for a light burn.

it's a double positive, so yer good. skookum is north west canadian for tough.

An me just thinking it was beer.

http://skookumbrewery.com/

Square_peg · Aug 29, 2019

phantomknives said:
skookum is north west canadian for tough.

Actually it's Chinookan, the language of the indigenous traders who made their home along the lower Columbia (N'Chi Wana) in Washington & Oregon.

Meek1 · Aug 30, 2019

Yankee Josh said:
Thanks so much you guys! Seems a little silly to hang a second hewing axe when I've only ever done it 3 times. Still haven't finished one beam either! They dry out before I get back to them.
I do my share of flooring and I have thought of a great use for this one the next time I do a floor.

I'm not sure what the number 3 means. Presumably a size?

I spent more than a few minutes lapping the back of this one to restore some flatness. It's about as shaaap(as they say here in Maine) as it can be.

Probably be a little while before I can complete or start another project. So I won't continue stacking up the posts. . Have a good one guys!

You are an artist at shaaaapening! Very impressive.

Malus · Sep 1, 2019

I finally finished this handle for my father's maul the other day and rehung it. He bought it in the 80s when they bought their house and they're heated almost exclusively with wood since then. The maul has done a lot of splitting over the years. A couple years back someone bought him a fiskars splitting axe, and the maul has been relegated to sledge hammer duties ever since. The edge was completely dull so I took it to the bench grinder then the belt sander, with frequent water dips in between passes. I didn't go any further than a smooth file. I used hophornbeam and although it can be a bit of a pain to work with it makes a very strong handle. I like being able to see that there are probably 30-40 growth rings that run from the knob into the eye. The overall length is about 34" and it was wedged with yellow birch.

Yankee Josh · Sep 1, 2019

Malus said:
I finally finished this handle for my father's maul the other day and rehung it. He bought it in the 80s when they bought their house and they're heated almost exclusively with wood since then. The maul has done a lot of splitting over the years. A couple years back someone bought him a fiskars splitting axe, and the maul has been relegated to sledge hammer duties ever since. The edge was completely dull so I took it to the bench grinder then the belt sander, with frequent water dips in between passes. I didn't go any further than a smooth file. I used hophornbeam and although it can be a bit of a pain to work with it makes a very strong handle. I like being able to see that there are probably 30-40 growth rings that run from the knob into the eye. The overall length is about 34" and it was wedged with yellow birch.

That is an excellent job! A beautifully made haft and superb choice of wood. I've mentioned it before but my uncle is woodcutter. He's of the type of tough grizzled men that give Maine woodsman their reputation for being hard workers. He broke his leg a few years back and had a metal rod inserted. He broke the damn rod 3 separate times! Haha. Frigging guy! Finally the doctor told him he wouldn't put another in so he had to be careful. So far so good. Anyway the point of that diatribe is that he will only use hophornbeam for axe and maul handles. You can imagine if he does that to his own leg how axe handles fair around him!

My problem is a cannot find, and I've been looking, a hornbeam large enough to make a helve from.
Your use of it I find inspiring. Thanks for sharing!

Malus · Sep 2, 2019

Yankee Josh said:
That is an excellent job! A beautifully made haft and superb choice of wood. I've mentioned it before but my uncle is woodcutter. He's of the type of tough grizzled men that give Maine woodsman their reputation for being hard workers. He broke his leg a few years back and had a metal rod inserted. He broke the damn rod 3 separate times! Haha. Frigging guy! Finally the doctor told him he wouldn't put another in so he had to be careful. So far so good. Anyway the point of that diatribe is that he will only use hophornbeam for axe and maul handles. You can imagine if he does that to his own leg how axe handles fair around him!
My problem is a cannot find, and I've been looking, a hornbeam large enough to make a helve from.
Your use of it I find inspiring. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks YJ! That's a great story about your uncle! I've heard that hornbeam was the preferred handle wood of old New Brunswick loggers. I lucked out and found a grove of hornbeam on some of my family's property, but only one so far that wasn't growing in a spiral and full of knots. That tree has made a couple handles so far and the rest is split out to become bows (if I ever finish my shavehorse).

Speaking of hard on handles, my father and I were discussing what would be a good option to protect the handle just under the head where it always seems to get torn up. Even if you avoid overstrikes, splitting up big rounds inevitably chips away at that portion of the handle. He suggested heavy gauge copper wire wrapped might offer some protection. If I had any abilities in metalworking I would make a steel guard like they use on the gransfors mauls, but copper wrap seems like it might be a good idea, and it's malleability might work well to absorb/distribute the shock of a blow.

Miller '72 · Sep 3, 2019

Both came to me in my Labor Day Haul.
Both keepers...

Collins Legitimus
Hartford
2 1/4lbs
16" total length

Iron City
6lb Spalling Hammer
CCC Civilian Conservation Corps No 13
SCS 6

I rehung the Iron City on this 23" hickory i had salvaged prior.
Now @
22 3/4"
6 3/4lbs.

Super additions to my hoard...i mean collection

ithinkverydeeply · Sep 3, 2019

Both are really neat!

Yankee Josh · Sep 5, 2019

I hung the Connecticut pattern legitimus after work today. Filed and honed it last night. I ended up filing off exactly .5oz of steel so it now weighs #3-11oz.

A couple photos before final hang;

This yellow birch wedge didn't go in as far as normal. But it's doing its job very well anyway.

Pretty hard to beat a connie for looks in my opinion. This Salem handle co. helve is thin. VERY thin! Fortunately this axe has a slender enough eye to work on it.

All in all I'm pleased with how it turned out. That makes 4 I own in this pattern. I'm afraid that number will just grow and grow and grow.... I hope so!!!

ithinkverydeeply · Sep 5, 2019

Yankee Josh said:
I hung the Connecticut pattern legitimus after work today. Filed and honed it last night. I ended up filing off exactly .5oz of steel so it now weighs #3-11oz.

A couple photos before final hang;

This yellow birch wedge didn't go in as far as normal. But it's doing its job very well anyway.

Pretty hard to beat a connie for looks in my opinion. This Salem handle co. helve is thin. VERY thin! Fortunately this axe has a slender enough eye to work on it.

All in all I'm pleased with how it turned out. That makes 4 I own in this pattern. I'm afraid that number will just grow and grow and grow.... I hope so!!!

Frickin’ beautiful man!

Agent_H · Sep 5, 2019

Yankee Josh said:
I hung the Connecticut pattern legitimus after work today. Filed and honed it last night. I ended up filing off exactly .5oz of steel so it now weighs #3-11oz.

A couple photos before final hang;

This yellow birch wedge didn't go in as far as normal. But it's doing its job very well anyway.

Pretty hard to beat a connie for looks in my opinion. This Salem handle co. helve is thin. VERY thin! Fortunately this axe has a slender enough eye to work on it.

All in all I'm pleased with how it turned out. That makes 4 I own in this pattern. I'm afraid that number will just grow and grow and grow.... I hope so!!!

Beautiful axe there Josh!

Fmont · Sep 6, 2019

God dang.