Forging an adze...

[VaughnT]

The proof of the pudding is in the eating, and I've talked about wanting an adze for far too long.

When I happened across an old mason's hammer in my box of spare rusty stuff, I decided it would make a far better adze than hammer. And considering that I'd never used it as a hammer, that seemed like a sure bet.




Pound. Pound. Pound!

The fullering jig earned her paycheck on this one.

 

[humdrum_hostage]

I can't wait to see the result! I have become a massive fan of adze's recently.

 

[drliamski]

Can we see your fullering jig please

 

[Dave Budd]

that reminds me, I've got to make a couple of adze later this week I was going to over the weekend, but got snowed under with a couple of huge axes (by snowed under, I actually mean got totally knackered making!)

 

[VaughnT]

One fullering jig.... this shot was when she was brand new and all shiny.

The idea is that the bolts allow you to move the jaws depending on the thickness of the stock.



In this application, I only used the top die. The radiused end of the die allowed me to reach in and fuller right up to the eye. It also made sure I didn't have any sharp ridges formed by a 90º edge.



Hammered to shape, with the blade thinned a good bit.....





Now, it's just a matter of grinding the bevel in and doing the heat treatment. I get the feeling that the hardest part is going to be finding a nice piece of wood for the handle.

 

[drliamski]

Looks good. Does it sit in the hardy hole?

 

[VaughnT]

Looks good. Does it sit in the hardy hole?

It certainly would, but that wouldn't be a very practical application. Better to put a handle on it and use it for chopping into wood....

 

[drliamski]

Fuller not the bloody adze.... 😂

 

[VaughnT]

Fuller not the bloody adze.... 😂

Something to be said for being specific, ay?!?

Yes, the fuller has a stem that fits the hardy hole on the anvil. I'm working on another fullering gizmo that's more like the Smithing Magician, but I'll always keep the godzilla handy.

I made another arm for it that acts as a third hand whenever I need to hold a punch.

 

[forginhill]

Great choice of material for the project! Looks like it was begging for a new life as an adze. Looking really good so far.

 

[VaughnT]

She took to the heat treatment like a champ. Brought her to a nice orange and let it soak for a few minutes, then a nice warm oil bath to loosen her tired muscles. Shined the edge with a stone and watched for the colors to turn. I got her to a real pretty shade of bluish purple which I've always found good for knives. Now it's just a matter of finding a suitable hardwood limb for the handle!

 

[OurAmericanCousin]

Very nice work and great finish. Top notch.

Its funny, when you posted your thread I had just given up on my third failed attempt to post a thread on a tomahawk I'd made from a hammer. Coincidence.

Again, terrific results.

 

[milius2]

great project and a neat result!

 

[mrcharly]

Very neat.

The flat adze I used had the bevel on the other side. That was a big beast for large work tho', so a small adze might be better with the bevel on the 'top'.