Here’s a few pictures of a little axe project that I’ve done recently :0)
Cheers Russ
Started life like this ..........
Cheers Russ
Started life like this ..........
Little axe project
- Thread starter warthog1981
- Start date
Can you list all that you did? We can see a somewhat reshaped head, cleaned and polished, and a new handle, but did you change the geometry of the head, and did the handle you used come in that size or did you have to modify a larger handle to fit? What tools did you use?
All good inspiration for other folk
All good inspiration for other folk
The mods were the following
I removed the old handle by carefully drilling out the old the old wedge.
I reduced the size of the head by cutting it down with an angle grinder and some thin cutting discs. I kept the head cool but constantly cooling it down with a water soaked cloth.
Refined the shape with various flap disks and sanding discs for the grinder still being very careful to keep the head cool with the wet cloth.
The profile was already fairly decent it just didn’t have much of a cutting edge sorted that out.
The handle I bought hoping that it was going to be a good fit for the axe it was but needed trimmed down a bit because the eye of the axe was bigger than the top of the handle.
Just had to whittle the handle down till the head sat drown better.
Which made the handle a little shorter
Fitted an new oak wedge into the handle and soaked it in some boiled linseed oil for 48 hours
And gave the handle 3 or 4 coats of oil.
I’ve got a small bench grinder that I’ve got various polishing wheels that I used to give the head a decent shine up.
I’ve not done any leatherwork for years so it was a bit of a learning curve to make the sheath for it.
Thanks for the kind words Russ
I removed the old handle by carefully drilling out the old the old wedge.
I reduced the size of the head by cutting it down with an angle grinder and some thin cutting discs. I kept the head cool but constantly cooling it down with a water soaked cloth.
Refined the shape with various flap disks and sanding discs for the grinder still being very careful to keep the head cool with the wet cloth.
The profile was already fairly decent it just didn’t have much of a cutting edge sorted that out.
The handle I bought hoping that it was going to be a good fit for the axe it was but needed trimmed down a bit because the eye of the axe was bigger than the top of the handle.
Just had to whittle the handle down till the head sat drown better.
Which made the handle a little shorter
Fitted an new oak wedge into the handle and soaked it in some boiled linseed oil for 48 hours
And gave the handle 3 or 4 coats of oil.
I’ve got a small bench grinder that I’ve got various polishing wheels that I used to give the head a decent shine up.
I’ve not done any leatherwork for years so it was a bit of a learning curve to make the sheath for it.
Thanks for the kind words Russ
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How did the hatchet perform before you modificated it?
Adler is a generally pretty sympathic little German brand. I recently called them because I wanted to ask a few questions, also about this hatchet, and my impression was, that I reached Grandma Adler in the living room. She told me to call later, and ask her daughter...
I also told her that there is something wrong with the picture below, but she obviously didn't understand. Reminds me to call ones more.
www.adler-werkzeug.de
Adler is a generally pretty sympathic little German brand. I recently called them because I wanted to ask a few questions, also about this hatchet, and my impression was, that I reached Grandma Adler in the living room. She told me to call later, and ask her daughter...
I also told her that there is something wrong with the picture below, but she obviously didn't understand. Reminds me to call ones more.
Forstwerkzeuge & Gartengeräte - Adler Werkzeug
Entdecken Sie Adler und Wagnum Werkzeuge: Forstwerkzeuge, Spaltwerkzeuge, Feuerwehräxte, Gartengeräte, Hacken, Hepen und mehr - seit 1919
www.adler-werkzeug.de
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I didn’t use it much the way it came from the factory really didn’t get on with the unusual shaped handle.
And like most axes it needed a bit of work on the the cutting edge didn’t take much to get it usable.
I decided to go with putting another short handle on it because I really do like batoning small axes makes for a very safe little axe paired with a folding saw.
Cheers Russ
And like most axes it needed a bit of work on the the cutting edge didn’t take much to get it usable.
I decided to go with putting another short handle on it because I really do like batoning small axes makes for a very safe little axe paired with a folding saw.
Cheers Russ
Thank you for sharing. 
Just realised that I didn't say how good it looked in my earlier post!
Impressive job!
Just realised that I didn't say how good it looked in my earlier post!
Impressive job!
I think, that they perhaps mainly look at it as a hammer for pretty big tent stakes.
This hatched could have been made according to German boy scout specifications.
As a boy scout leader I used my hatchet, regarding the relevance, 50 % for tent stakes carving and hitting into the ground, 30 % cleaning twigs from pine tree poles, 20% for kindling. No log splitting because it never was needed during the school holydays when we went out with the group. Perhaps the design reflects this use.
But I never used this hatchet. No idea, how it performs.
This hatched could have been made according to German boy scout specifications.
As a boy scout leader I used my hatchet, regarding the relevance, 50 % for tent stakes carving and hitting into the ground, 30 % cleaning twigs from pine tree poles, 20% for kindling. No log splitting because it never was needed during the school holydays when we went out with the group. Perhaps the design reflects this use.
But I never used this hatchet. No idea, how it performs.
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