Three axes...

[Hedgehog]

An old head on young shoulders...

All cleaned up & re-handled with Ash I harvested last winter.

The long one is 2lb (ish) hung on 27" handle.

Kent pattern on 18"

Small hatchet on 15.5"

All with Oak wedges.

The throw is a little more open than the last batch.

Hope you like them.

Disappointingly the Canoba wax lifted the dye out of the through-dyed leather on the sheaths in places.

The little one needs a sheath still & they all need final sharpening.

All the best.

 

[British Red]

Love the Kent pattern - that looks very handy!

 

[Hedgehog]

Cheers Red.

It has a lovely hamon where the steel is laminated too.

 

[British Red]

Silly question, but I assume you are making the helves yourself from ash?

If so - bloody gorgeous work!

 

[Hedgehog]

Yes indeed sir, & thank you very much!

 

[Wilderbeast]

Very nicely done chap good one!

 

[Radix lecti]

Nice set of axes there Hedgehog. Grand job. Cheers.
Daz

 

[British Red]

You should do a few of those up for sale Hedgehog (the Kents I mean) on 18" and 24" helves. They are as sweet as a nut and set up like that with a decent leather mask, every bit as good as a Gransfors.

Red

 

[Hedgehog]

Cheers for the suggestion Red - watch this space.

I know you know your axes & I'm very pleased you approve.

 

[Tjurved]

Very nice! I'm so glad to see that old axes gets a new life.

 

[robevs73]

Crackin handles and sheaths mate, I have a nice axe head in the shed that I havent got around to doing, you have given me ideas!

 

[shaggystu]

lovely work mate. have you any idea about the provenance of the littlest of the three? i'm fairly sure that it's the same as one that i've been working on for a little while and i've been wondering about mine. someone told me that it could be an old coal board job, used by the blokes who fitted wooden pit props, but TBH i don't really trust his opinion much!

cheers

stuart

 

[Tengu]

A very professional job there

 

[Hedgehog]

Many thanks for all your comments folks, much appreciated.

Rob - careful, they are addictive! I'm sure you'll make a cracking job of it though mate.

Stuart (shaggystu) - I have been trying to find out about this pattern too, I had three indifferent weights. I quite like them & might hang on to this little one for carving, it feel pleasingly tip heavy compared to a small Kent pattern. Your man may not be far off with the pit props...

 

[shaggystu]

.....Stuart (shaggystu) - I have been trying to find out about this pattern too, I had three indifferent weights. I quite like them & might hang on to this little one for carving, it feel pleasingly tip heavy compared to a small Kent pattern. Your man may not be far off with the pit props...

i feel just the same about the one i've got, it was sat by the fire, blunt as anything, when i moved into my current house and i used it for splitting kindling for along time without thinking about it at all. spent an hour or so working on the edge with a file and pretty much fell in love with it. i've got a few kent patterns, and they're lovely little axes, but the axe in question is something else all together, being so very tip heavy it's a joy to carve with. when i finally get round to putting a new handle on mine i'll put some pictures up (i've got a few "before" pictures of how i found it), would be interesting to see if anyone could shed any light on it

cheers

stuart

 

[robin wood]

They are gorgeous handles, fantastic workmanship. I like the "hatchet type" they make great carving axes. I have heard folk say they are French and a chap staying with me at the moment has one that pottern that is stamped Czechoslovakia. Whatever, they are common and good.

 

[Hedgehog]

Many thanks Robin,

The plot thickens on these little hatchets origin.

 

[shaggystu]

mine's stamped "foriegn", not an enormous amount of help i would've thought

i'll put a pictue up of mine as i found it, may add a clue

cheers

stuart

 

[shaggystu]

there we go

 

[Peter_t]

shaggystu i have one of these too, looks the same but i think one of ours has the handle on back to front?
looks a very tough axe with a chunky eye but i havn't sharpened it yet so don't know how it performes.

Hedgehog,
that is some great skill you have getting the blade alignment right sure isn't easy! also the grain looks spot on.


pete