What did you rehang today?

I've been a chainsaw guy for years but just got introduced to the world of Axes. I procured a few cheap axe heads to learn to hang and this is one of the first nice ones I tried. I bought the head already finished and went with a painted half handle and BLO.
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I first tried stain on the lower part of the handle but I haven't had good luck with stain on these hickory handles so I ended up using paint. I had some bleed through under the tape that I need to clean up.

It's so pretty now I'm not sure I want to use it.

It looks good, but the paint may cause blisters if your not wearing gloves.
The problem with that, us that you get more feedback when you're gloveless.
 
Thorn less and non-seed baring. Both the black and honey locusts shed lots of seed pods. The Black Locust will only have thorns on the branches the Honey Locust will have thorns on the trunks also. We do not have many Honey Locusts, the few I have seen here are associated with old homesteads(except the ornamental).
I have no idea what the wood is like in the ornamental.

Thanks Garry! I went out to take a look and the living ones do have seed pods (but at the same time I don't see the little thorns near the leaves). If they remember to let me have the trunk I will report back but who knows if/when it'll happen. Nothin like a dead standing tree to spruce the place up!

Honey Locust grows all over here (or at least in the woods) but I don't know if the wood has the same properties as Black. We also have Hedge in Kansas so as far as I know it was preferred for fence posts. Still plenty of hedge post fences still standing around here.
 
Hickory, that's what I hear about paint and varnish but I haven't had the personal experience with it yet. This hudson bay will probably only see light use around the patio fire.
 
Collins 3.5lb. Blue paint and a little chunk of sticker. The handle is slimmed down and the swell is fairly pronounced.

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Quick question, is Juniper a suitable tool wood for a hammer/hatchet?
 
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Quick question, is Juniper a suitable tool wood for a hammer/hatchet?

No.

It's similar to cedar. Not good handle material.

http://juniper.oregonstate.edu/bibliography/documents/phpcapBy2_juniper mech props 94.pdf

A juniper forest is a cool place, though. I hiked through the Juniper Dunes Reserve in South Central WA last year. Amazing place. Your have similar places down there in central Oregon.

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(Yes, we have sand dunes in rainy WA State. There's a dry side to our state.)

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That is some beautiful country there.

I was splitting some out intending to make wedges and was just curious off hand.

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Juniper lives a hard-earned life. It smells pretty great as well.
 
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Another 28" elm handle with walnut wedge, Connecticut style head
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Kelly Dandenong axe, this was made for the Australian market. 28" vintage hickory handle with walnut wedge
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Eclipse Michigan pattern single bit, hickory handle, 36" I think
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Winchester hatchet, pretty pitted, good user. Hickory doesn't stain well, looks blotchy here.
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Flint Edge, after true temper bought out kelly. Sort of matching the Eclipse axe.
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Kelly Perfect, jersey style with bevels, on a 28" straight hickory handle, nice one, early head.
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Another 28" elm with walnut wedge, Mann Superior head.
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Collins 28" elm with walnut wedge
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Made 5 of those connecticut style elm handled axes for my groomsmen, the Mann Rockaway posted earlier is mine, waiting on a laser engraver to do up the handles a bit and then knock out some sweet sheaths. Have climbed 14ers with all the groomsmen so having the engraver etch some topographical maps of the specific mountains on the sheaths, should be GOAT when finished.
 
Kelly Cruiser, basically a half sized double bit. Hickory Handle
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Plumb 4.5 pounder Hickory Handle
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Keen Kutter not the best edge work, must've had some large chips break off in the past
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Small boy's axe, Our Very Best brand.
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Fan of this one, early Collins.
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Plumb Hatchets
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Kelly Works boy's axe, already came with a handle, set a bit high for my tastes but was hung well so left it.
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Have about four more I finished up this weekend.
 
Plumb Connecticut, real nice condition, on a 36" straight handle, will be a real work horse.
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Fred E Barnett double felling pattern.
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Kelly Perfect, also very nice condition
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Collins Legitimus, with a neat history, was stamped USA meaning it was manufactured for WWII, would have either been attached to a jeep or in an engineers box/kit. Amazing shape, had their standard green tar paint on it, took that off, re-handled it. Nice piece.
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The brother to the other Barnett double.
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If you haven't, give my page a gander, about 100 etched heads on there once you load a few pages of miscellaneous restorations. www.instagram.com/berensaxehouse

Operator is on Instagram as well, as you all know he has some excellent pieces too.
 
Beautiful work! I like the variety of handles and finishes. Hanging an axe can certainly be addicting. I've been wanting to shape my own handles but suitable hard wood is hard to come by around here. Thanks for sharing
 
Beautiful work! I like the variety of handles and finishes. Hanging an axe can certainly be addicting. I've been wanting to shape my own handles but suitable hard wood is hard to come by around here. Thanks for sharing

Check out http://thraneaxeandsawco.com/product/handle-blanks/ I get all my blanks from him, and then finish carving them up, I suppose he may sell boards as well but his patterns are nice enough I just get them as blanks. Prices are fair IMO, if you are looking for something apart from hickory that is.
 
I was splitting some out intending to make wedges and was just curious off hand.

Juniper lives a hard-earned life. It smells pretty great as well.

I think it would be fine for wedges. And it's fairly rot resistant, too.
 
If you haven't, give my page a gander, about 100 etched heads on there once you load a few pages of miscellaneous restorations. www.instagram.com/berensaxehouse

Operator is on Instagram as well, as you all know he has some excellent pieces too.[/QUOTE]

Nice page thanks for sharing it.
Do you know who the manufacturer is on those Fred Barnett axes? I have run across a couple they have the look of quality but I have not done anything with them yet.
Pretty nice cabinet there also. Is it a McDougall?
 
This is a 2lb Plumb ballpein on a new 18" House Handle, a 12oz old head on an old 14" replacement handle, and a Wards 1.25lb head on a hand made 13.5" hickory blank that I bought and finished. All have a few coats of linseed oil and then beeswax finish.




 
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Nice page thanks for sharing it.
Do you know who the manufacturer is on those Fred Barnett axes? I have run across a couple they have the look of quality but I have not done anything with them yet.
Pretty nice cabinet there also. Is it a McDougall?

No idea on the Barnett axes, not much information out there that I could find, pre-WWII.

The cabinet is a Boone actually.


I like the look of this pattern on a straight handle. Very nice work.

Connecticut and Jerseys look nice on a straight handle.
 
Connecticut and Jerseys look nice on a straight handle.

Agreed on the Jersey patterns. I just hadn't seen a nice, full Connecticut on a straight handle like yours.

Very nice shaping on your handles btw - They have a look about them that says they were prepped, shaped, and treated by the same person. Classy.

Kind of a signature maybe, intended or not?

If I had a signature to my hangs it would probably be inadvertently making the swells look like dongs. Not classy...

JB- Your hammers always look great. Every time you post some up, they look solid and polished.

I don't picture that 2lb ballpein coming loose, ever. :thumbup:
 
I found this older european hatchet on the bay. I paid more than I normally would but I couldn't resist its old world charm. guess I would say it's either German or Austrian origin. The steel on the bit is a smidge softer than vintage American axes, hence the rolls. it gave me an opportunity to try my first attempt at peening the edge back on an anvil. The handle is a bit softer than hickory but I like the fact that it seems to be a repurposed piece of chicken coop fence post or maybe a floorboard, from the staple marks. I rasped a little more shape into it. It was a bear to get properly aligned as the bit wasn't aligned with the eye. I used a recycled wedge and pegged a screwhole with a spike carved from an old handle. Overall I'm pleased.









 
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