this week's graft has been all about the chopper 
I had orders for some hawk heads (two large and one small) and a bearded axe. There are a handful of ways to make an axe of this shape, but using the tools and materials I had to hand I picked two and tried them both
a few for stock (though the middle one is an order, I'm waiting for the customer to return my emails ). From the top down: 740g, 3 1/2" edge, my style hawk eye; 300g, 2 1/2" edge, slim axe eye; 390g, 2 1/4" edge, normal hawy eye all made from sold EN9/EN43.
These two have just gone to a customer in Germany. Normal hawk eyes, weighing in at 685g and 750g. Because I don't normally make axes (or anything else that size) I didn't have much in the way of material to work with, but I did find a couple of suitable lumps of mild steel in a fabricators bin So these have edges of EN42J welded in
And finally, those bearded axes I mentioned.irate:
The first one has a head of around 550g, so weighs 720g all in. Mild steel head with a silversteel edge of 4" in length. This one was made from a bit of 20x40mm mild that I bent into an L and then forged into and axe. More effort than it was worth that method I think :bluThinki Gone off to its new home today
Lastly, a bigger version with a head of about 900g and 1100g all in. Mild steel with an edge of EN42J, 5" long. This one was MUCH easier to make (technically anyway) I found a bit of 20mm plate in the bin that had a 'D' cut out of one corner. So all I had to do was punch the eye and weld in a cutting edge (just as I did with the big hawks above, but with an awkward shaped lump). Simples
Anyway, that's me done for this side of Christmas. I may just potter in the workshop this weekend, tidying up and the like in preparation for work starting up again on the 27th. Then again, I've still got some pattern welded bits I sitting around from a pottering session in the spring. I should probably do something with those?...:viking:
I had orders for some hawk heads (two large and one small) and a bearded axe. There are a handful of ways to make an axe of this shape, but using the tools and materials I had to hand I picked two and tried them both a few for stock (though the middle one is an order, I'm waiting for the customer to return my emails
). From the top down: 740g, 3 1/2" edge, my style hawk eye; 300g, 2 1/2" edge, slim axe eye; 390g, 2 1/4" edge, normal hawy eye all made from sold EN9/EN43.
These two have just gone to a customer in Germany. Normal hawk eyes, weighing in at 685g and 750g. Because I don't normally make axes (or anything else that size) I didn't have much in the way of material to work with, but I did find a couple of suitable lumps of mild steel in a fabricators bin
So these have edges of EN42J welded in
And finally, those bearded axes I mentioned.
irate:The first one has a head of around 550g, so weighs 720g all in. Mild steel head with a silversteel edge of 4" in length. This one was made from a bit of 20x40mm mild that I bent into an L and then forged into and axe. More effort than it was worth that method I think :bluThinki Gone off to its new home today
Lastly, a bigger version with a head of about 900g and 1100g all in. Mild steel with an edge of EN42J, 5" long. This one was MUCH easier to make (technically anyway) I found a bit of 20mm plate in the bin that had a 'D' cut out of one corner. So all I had to do was punch the eye and weld in a cutting edge (just as I did with the big hawks above, but with an awkward shaped lump). Simples
Anyway, that's me done for this side of Christmas. I may just potter in the workshop this weekend, tidying up and the like in preparation for work starting up again on the 27th. Then again, I've still got some pattern welded bits I sitting around from a pottering session in the spring. I should probably do something with those?...:viking:
