How to make an axe (pic heavy!)

[Dave Budd]

By popular request, here is a short how to of making an axe It's not the only way, but it's the way that I most often use and is simple enough for anybody with a forge and a bit of excess energy to try

First take a hammerhead. I've started with a brand new hammer on this occasion because that way I can be sure of the type of steel (therefore the heat treating and quality control). These Kennedy machinists hammers are made from 1055 modified (it's got a bit of silicon added). The ball peen hammer is going to be a hawk when I get around to it

Weld it to a handle, that saves mucking about with tongs that let go whilst you work on it, or losing the head in the fire when you least want to! Then start heating in the forge (in this pic I've had it sitting on the fire for a bit to burn the handle stump out without losing the wedge )

Open the eye out to the correct size and shape by driving a shaped bar called a drift through it. This is much easier with a second pair of hands and a sledge hammer, or better still a power hammer or ruddy great press! It has to be done HOT and when the drift stops moving must be taken out quickly so it isn't locked into the head

Once the eye is mostly shaped, the blade is drawn out in length and width. On group courses I get people to work in pairs and use a special sledge hammer, but I'm using my little flypress with a set of fullers in it. Before I got this baby I had to do it all by hand with a heavy cross-peen hammer in one hand, which is why I haven't made a habit of making axes outside of shows and courses! (for kit geeks, the flypress is a Norton No.6)

Then to and fro between the press and a hand hammer, tidying the bevelled surface and the profile of the axe. Keeping things in check as I go, if it gets too far away from my intended shape then it is a struggle to bring back

Final shape with the hand hammer and a couple of normalising cycles before I move to the grinders.

side note: whilst that was cooling, I got to work on a special hammer for bookbinding (Sandsnakes, if you're listening: I've finally got it done! ). This is how I would make an axe from a bar without the hole already in it.
Traditionally a slot is cut in the centre of the bar using a chisel, but getting it straight and in the middle is a challenge best avoided, especially when working solo. So I drill a few holes in a line (ish in this case is close enough), then drive a drift through to open and shape

Back to the axe.

Using an angle grinder, I tidy up the profile of the axe that I'm making. Getting rid of any bulges and the writing that was stamped on the top of the hammer head and is now stretched along the top of the blade. I keep it attached to the bar to make gripping it in the vice easier.

Then the sides, again the angle grinder (big one at this point) is my friend!

After severing the head from the handle I go over the whole thing with a 40grit flapdisk on my little angle grinder. This is to tidy up the shape, even out the curves, thickness, etc The weight at this point is approx 560g (i say approx as the scales in the workshop aren't all that precise), I expect it'll lose another 10g or so when I finish it and grind the edge on.

The next step is to heat treat the head, do the final grinding and fit a handle before sharpening it up That'll have to wait til next week!


thanks for sticking with me there

 

[andybysea]

Enjoyed reading that looking forward to part two,cheers.

 

[FreddyFish]

looking really good.

 

[Mesquite]

Nice one Dave, the pint didn't affect you that much

 

[g4ghb]

nicely done Dave and you make it seem so easy too!

 

[launditch1]

Very interesting, thanks for posting.Thats something id like to try when i can find me a hammerman!
Could you elaborate more on what you do in the 'normalizing cycles' please?
Iirc is that where you heat it up and let it cool in air?

Good stuff!

 

[Pcwizme]

Argh! Dave you cant be doing this to me, Now i have a hankering to make me an axe head! Shame i dont have an anvil yet, i will have a fly press soon though!

 

[Dave Budd]

Making an axe this way is technically quite easy (easier than knife I reckon), it's just a lot of hard work

I've made small axes at shows using 1/2lb hammers bought from the obligatory second hand tool stall at the show. I just **** the thing hard with a 4lb hammer. get;s the job done n.b. '****' is a technical term

Laundtich, yes normalising is bringing to critical temperature and then leaving to cool in still air. It refines the grain structure and relieves stress in the metal. Makes grinding/filing easier and helps prevent warpage when hardening. I do it 3 times in total but the third is juts prior to hardening.

 

[hiho]

good read. thanks for sharing

 

[launditch1]

Thanks for the info.Can you show us a folded one next with a firewelded carbon steel edge?

 

[Dave Budd]

Like this you mean?

Here is a splitting hatchet/maul that I made myself the other week. started as a 2kg hammer and ended up at 4 lbs. The handle is a temporary measure until I decide on a length and style (it was the hammer handle shaved down adn shoved back in)

 

[launditch1]

B****dy show-off!
When you make an axe like that, does the carbon edge bit need any special preperation i.e making it a wedge shape?If you catch my drift..

 

[Dave Budd]

depends on how you want to do it really. If you weld the body together and stick the steel in at the edge, then a wedge shape helps to avoid cold shuts. That one was made with a bar of steel running right up to the eye. Unfortunately the first attempt at it welded up fine, in the time between hardening and tempering the axe tore itself apart. Basically the mild steel body kept contracting and the hard steel core was too brittle and split, the welds hep up fine!

My favourite little axe that lives in my travelling tool box has a welded bit like that but it much smaller (about 1 1/2" edge) so was a lot easier to make.

 

[British Red]

I'm learning a great deal here Dave....thanks for taking the time to illuminate. I can understand much more by seeing than hearing - probably because I don't have any "smithing" background to understand some of the terms when the more knowledgeable discuss them...terms like "fullers" leave me scrtching my head

Fascinating stuff though - please keep it coming!

Red

 

[Dave Budd]

you're welcome red

You know, I run an axe making course in the summer if you fancy having a go yourself. Men women and teenagers have all managed to make axes successfully with me, so I'm sure you'll be able to cope

 

[British Red]

If I can gear down off work Dave I'd love to. However in metal work classes they gave me the work bench in the corner made by Fisher Price. It was nice pretty colours though .

I believe the phrase employed on my report card was

"The mechanical aptitude of an iron chicken in a magnet factory"

I suspect this is not a good thing.

That said John Lord did get me to turn out an ok flint axe so maybe all is not yet lost

 

[woof]

Enjoyed that Dave, thanks for sharing.

Rob

 

[Dave Budd]

right, time for an update

I had the forge lit during the week, so I heat treated the axe head and got distracted (from the procrastination project that is the axe ).

The roughly ground axe is normalised again (brought up to non-magnetic and then cooled in air), just to make sure there are no warps and cracks to surprise me.

Then heated once more

and when at the right temperature, plunged into a vat of warm quenching oil! I was rather busy to take a pic of this point, so the shot is of the still warm head post quench

Then the get tempered a few times in the oven, this is between tempering cycles.

As you can see, the distraction was the hawk that has been mentioned elsewhere

On account of the fact that the handles for the axes that I've been working on have been sitting drying out completely i the airing cupboard, I took the opportunity to document the fitting and shaping of the hawk handle.

I used the hammer handle from the other axe to make a quick handle for the hawk, just so I could test the edge a bit I've never really used a hawk before so I thought it might be fun to use this one to rough out it's own handle from seasoned (but damp) ash.

Then carve it down straighter and closer to fitting with a drawknife and rasp.

I use chalk to highlight where i need to remove material, it last longer and is easier to apply than sooting the inside of the eye with a candle

Then with the head an inch or so from where I want it, I've stopped and put the handle indoors to dry out properly

The abrasives that I ordered a few weeks ago, still haven't arrived. So the day before yesterday I cancelled the order and ordered some from a different shop. They arrived this morning! So I will finally be able to get this lot finished up next week

 

[The Cumbrian]

Very interesting.

My uncle and his colleagues used to make axes out of hammers when he worked in the steel works, but they used a massive steam press to shape 'em.

Cheers, Michael.

 

[Chris the Cat]

Love those Dave!
I have just realised that I have A Dave Budd axe shaped hole in my collection!!
Can you help me out??
My best,as ever.
Chris.