What did you rehang today?

My daughter found this in an antique shop in Austin, TX. It's a cool little hatchet. I had a 32" handle laying around that had a warp in it so I took the bottom 14" of it and shaped it to fit this little Grove head. I haven't heard much about Grove, but the quality is sure there.
 
I found this great handle at Rona a month ago and couldn't wait to put something nice on it. I managed to get this nice Collins 2 1/4 pounder. I really like the grain on this haft. Garant puts this stupid yellow grip stuff on the bottom of the handle that would likely eat the average person's hands if he/she weren't wearing gloves. You can still see flecks of it on the end grain.
 
I finished this 4 lb Smart's axe awhile ago, but discovered a gap between the haft and the eye (see first photo). After humming and hawing over options, I just cut the haft off and started again. Someone on this forum was wise enough to tell me that polls that get hammered on will eventually lose their shape, which this one did. So, I kept that in mind putting on the new 32 inch handle. I used Danish Oil on this one for the first time ever. These handles are Garants. The only 32" ones I can get have a really flat and weak swell in the handle. Still, its nice to find a quality vintage Canadian axe with some history. These heads were made in Brockville, Ontario, Canada. This one is likely at least 50 years old.
 
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Curt you've been busy! All three of those look very well put together. Got a favorite of the 3?
 
Square_peg said:
Did you get a chance to take a file to the edge? There are many of these axes coming out of Eastern Europe right now. Most reports have been of mediocre steel.
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This piece was picked up at a farmers market in Bosnia by a relative of mine. It was made by a local young aspiring blacksmith. I have not tested this one for hardness. The axes from this region are not and were never made to the hardness level we in USA expect. In Bosnia all axes are sharpened with a file and this one files easier than any USA made axe. They are usually made to be hafted in a slip on manner. Like a tomahawk, hence the size of the eye. They are usualy hafted by the end user and left with rough forging marks. This pattern is an all purpose axe and the blacksmith will make the bitt thiner at your request. This one was forged for limbing and does so prety well i might add. I wil be picking up a few more of these for sure. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Here it is next to it older bigger, better made bretherin.








 
Oak handle, Oakland head.

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Got this one done yesterday. Just pulled it out of the BLO for pics today so its still oily. Put one coat on the handle yesterday and it brought out some color in the handle. 36" HH octagon stick, and man was it thick just below the tongue. Took a lot of rasping to get it thinned out.
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rockman0 said:
Got this one done yesterday. Just pulled it out of the BLO for pics today so its still oily. Put one coat on the handle yesterday and it brought out some color in the handle. 36" HH octagon stick, and man was it thick just below the tongue. Took a lot of rasping to get it thinned out.
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I know that opinions vary, but I do like the look of a straight handle on a vintage head.
 
My work vehicle bin axe for whatever I may need it for. A Council Tool Dayto (3.5lb) head on a HH curved 30" haft. All heartwood. Up next is a sheath to keep my bin and my fingers safe from the business end of this thing. It took a great edge. Hopefully I'll get to test the edge holding ability very soon.

 
Did up this Flint Edge, first time having to carve away wood for the ears, definitely a learning experience.
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Guitarist7.62 said:
Is that a curved or straight handle? Looks good man!
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It's a 36" Curved, it still needs to be thinned down with the spoke shave, and have a fawns foot cut from the big ugly bulb at the end. I like to hang the head before I start on carving out a fawns foot.
 
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