Monday, March 10, 2014

Making my IDEAL AXE!

Hey Folks, long time no see here.  New job and life has me busy.  Anyways, wanted to share a post about putting together my ideal axe.  This axe, while not my favorite(boys axe size), will be the one I carry most of the time.  My region doesn't need a 3/4 axe a lot of the time and my shorter day jaunts and hunts don't need an axe of that size.  This is on the smaller side of a half axe, or maybe the large side of a hatchet.  Either way you want to look at it, it will be very handy for use and packability for me. 
 
OAL:  18.25 inches
Head Weight: 1.75lb (Plumb Cedar Axe pattern)
Edge length:  3 7/8-4 inches
 
Here is the build process


thinning down the shoulder for a nice transition.


top of eye


bottom of eye, if you look closely you can see this eye was not punched straight on the bottom.  This is not a big deal to fit but it is different to get the edge straight with the handle, which is all that matter when when hanging an axe.


that's looking pretty good.




straight alignment even with the crooked eye.








After using this a little I decided the end of the handle needed a little shaping to make it better and I also added a little wood stain to highlight the grain lines for some quick character appeal.  Here is the final axe





thanks for looking

8 comments:

  1. Hi OE,

    Thanks for checking in...
    Things have been pretty busy for me for the past six or seven months. I have gotten married, started a new business, have moved to a new location, and I am looking to move in the next few months to Poland for a couple of years. Unfortunately, because of all of this, the blog has taken a back seat. I do not know when I will be able to officially start it back up again, but in the meantime I do plan on trying to post here or there so that it does not get completely abandoned. I did just recently finish some winter camping- maybe that will make it up soon...
    I appreciate you checking in - thank you.

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    1. Well congrats on getting married and the new career. That's great Peter. One of life's biggest blessings is having a great spouse. I'll keep an eye out for updates on your blog. I have quited down a bit here myself with a job change. Such is life I suppose. Well best wishes on your new endeavors. Take care and God bless!

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  2. Looks great. Glad to see you got out. Where's your cohort? Lol. Pretty soon you will have two outdoor buddies.

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    1. Thanks, that axehead was a nice xmas gift :) It's exactly how I imagined it would be.

      I'll put up a post over the weekend that you'll like a lot.

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  3. Nice chopper you have put together there. :) Love the classic style. A 1.75 lb head on a short handle is an interesting idea. I don't think I've seen that combination before. Bet it gives you power AND portability.

    weekendwoodsman

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    1. Thanks WW, It's a mean little splitter for it's size...which was the idea :)

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