Nick2cd Posted July 3, 2014 Report Share Posted July 3, 2014 A few weeks ago, I was in my shop straightening up a bit (it's a never ending battle). In the midst of my cleaning spree, I stumbled across an old rusty axe. I hadn't seen it in years, yet I recognized it immediately. In an instant, I was taken back to my childhood. I can remember using that axe with my dad when we would journey out to cut and split firewood. It was a task that I hated at the time, as it seriously cut into my time with friends and getting into trouble. Today, however, I look back at those memories and cherish every moment. A warm crackling fire on a cold, snowy day is one of my favorite things in the world. Had my father not taught me to split wood and build a fire, this pleasure would most likely be absent from my life.It was disheartening to see this tool that represented such an important part of my life in such a poor and neglected condition. Immediately, I knew that I wanted to restore it back to full function. I would have my work cut out, as the head had heavy oxidation and the handle needed to be replaced completely. Regretfully, i didn't have the presence of mind to take a picture before i started knocking off the rust/oxidation (or before i cut off the handle). The first step was to knock off the rust. I did this mostly with sandpaper and files. There was some deep pitting that I was unable to completely eliminate without changing the shape of the tool. I will simply chalk these spots up as battle scars. I progressively sanded, filed, and polished the axe head until all the oxidation was removed and a bright new layer of carbon steel was gleaming back at me. The next step was to address the tired handle. I removed it from the axe head completely. It was an old hickory handle that deserved some rest after years of use and abuse. I envisioned the new handle being a much darker wood to compliment the beautiful steel shine of the freshly polished head. Against common wisdom, I selected a clear, straight grained piece of 8/4 black walnut. Hickory and ash are the gold standard for tool handles, but I wanted something different. This axe will most likely be used around the fireplace to split kindling or knock off an errant knot. Its days of hard labor are over. Its dues have long been paid. I don't have significant concerns of the walnut handle being over stressed for the given tasks. To Be Continued......(so i don't exceed my picture limit) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick2cd Posted July 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2014 The Second Half..... I drew out a handle shape that I found to be esthetically pleasing, yet balanced with function. I roughed the handle out on the bandsaw. Here is where the real work began. I sculpted the blocky blank into a smooth series of organic curves. With lots of rasp work, card scraping, planing, and sanding I finally arrived at my desired destination. Next, it was time to fit the handle to the head. I started by tracing the eye of the axe head onto the end-grain of my handle. I cut a kerf into the end of the handle with a fine tooth dovetail saw. I fitted the head to the handle with rasps and sandpaper. This process took me longer than I anticipated. I would expect my next attempt to go a bit faster. Once I attained the proper fit of the handle, it was time to cut a wedge that would lock everything together. Again, I could have chosen a super hard, durable wood like hickory, maple or beech, but instead, I chose something a bit more decorative. I selected one of my favorite domestic woods of all time....cherry. I think it will darken and age well with the walnut. With the addition of some wood glue, I drove the wedge into the kerf as far as it would go. A few hours later, I cut off the protruding excess leaving about 1/16" proud. A final honing of the cutting edge got it shaving sharp. A heavy coat of boiled linseed oil was the concluding step. Thanks for looking. This project was very sentimental. I enjoyed the process and the memories it brought back to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick2cd Posted July 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2014 i forgot to take a picture from the eye of the axe. Here it is. i have a steel wedge i plan to put in perpendicular to the cherry wedge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted July 3, 2014 Report Share Posted July 3, 2014 Super awesome Nick! Thanks for sharing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted July 3, 2014 Report Share Posted July 3, 2014 It looks better than the original ever did! Great job . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted July 3, 2014 Report Share Posted July 3, 2014 Sharp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted July 3, 2014 Report Share Posted July 3, 2014 Those sort of emotions, deserve the beauty you created.... Damn well done, heart thumping! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted July 3, 2014 Report Share Posted July 3, 2014 Very nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nod Posted July 3, 2014 Report Share Posted July 3, 2014 Beautiful work! I've been geeking out over axes for a bit now, and this is a fantastic first effort. Maybe it's not, I'm assuming. I've got an old 36" axe that I picked up used that needs a new handle. I was going to send it out to be done, but this has me tempted to try it myself. Great job and thx for sharing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick2cd Posted July 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 thanks everyone! it was a very enjoyable project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted July 4, 2014 Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 I think given your profession that you should keep this in your office 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasahan Posted July 4, 2014 Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 How did you sharpen it? We have an old ax that i tried to sharpen with a bench grinder and it didn't work well (grantef, i don't really know how to use a bench grinder). Also, I literally did not know ax heads were capable of getting that shiny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick2cd Posted July 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 I think given your profession that you should keep this in your office Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick2cd Posted July 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 How did you sharpen it? We have an old ax that i tried to sharpen with a bench grinder and it didn't work well (grantef, i don't really know how to use a bench grinder). Also, I literally did not know ax heads were capable of getting that shiny. I set the primary bevel with my edge pro sharpener. It wasn't smooth going because of the shape of the axe head. It wanted to move around making it difficult to maintain proper bevel angles. I was most successful with hand honing with a coarse then fine stone. Finished on a leather strop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted July 4, 2014 Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 I have known a few dental professionals that were also excellent craftsmen. Think about it . This guy is doing reverse sculpture in your mouth! So applying those skills to his or her hobby can you expect much less than awesome ? I do woodwork for a living and it's my personal craft of expression. If I can't do it right why should I bother? I have the tools and the skill, if you just want cheap go somewhere else. And you can bet that next time I will have learned a little more and will strive to do even better..... Sorry if I set the bar a bit too high Nick.... Rant off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llama Posted July 26, 2014 Report Share Posted July 26, 2014 Nice work! Somehow I missed this thread. A tip from FOG sent me searching for it! glad I did! Very nice!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick2cd Posted July 26, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2014 Nice work! Somehow I missed this thread. A tip from FOG sent me searching for it! glad I did! Very nice!! Thank you! I saw your comment on my bench hook thread on the FOG and I couldn't figure out how you knew about the axe handle....until now. Hahaha 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kendallstrand Posted July 26, 2014 Report Share Posted July 26, 2014 Very cool project. Great job Nick! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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