New Belt Axes

[Tyler Murch]

Here are some little belt axes I've been working on the past week. The first one I hand cut the eye with a chisel and is forged from 1" sq. 5160. That's just a test handle that it's on. It's not finished yet. The second one is forged from 1" hex. from a crow bar. I'm getting really fast at making those. Only takes me about ten pounds of charcoal. My blacksmithing guild is having a tomahawk competition that's over in Oct. or Dec. They're going to be judged on look and cutting ability. Gonna get started on it soon.

[HWooldridge]

Very nice work - I prefer the look of the handled one (for no particular reason other than personal opinion).

With regard to ax design, I watched a movie the other night on IFC about two Basque families who lived in Spain over several generations. It was a quirky little movie and one of the themes was the ongoing competition between the men in log chopping. They would each set up ten logs and cut them in two in timed events. The interesting thing was the shape of the axes, basically a big rectangle in profile so the poll was the same length as the width of the blade. In addition, the handles were round in section - not oval like modern American axes. The eye in the poll looked to be turned but not welded back to the blade.

There were probably extras doing the real work but the actors playing the parts actually did some chopping and the chips really flew. I thought this was an interesting shape that seemed to develop apart from the more recognized "tomahawk" profile so often seen if both work and war axes.

[Tyler Murch]

hmmmm, was it like a bearded axe? Do a search on google for Gransfors Bearded Axe. See if that's it.

[HWooldridge]

No beard shape - the blades in the movie were the same width as the eye so you see a rectangle when viewed from the side. It was as if they took a piece of material 6" wide by 14" long and rolled the eye on one end so the finished dimension was around 6x8, with a 2" round eye.

[Tyler Murch]

I see what you're saying now. I've never seen anything like that.

[A.S.T.]

Nice hawks . Here are a few of mine.

[JPH]

Hello:

Here's a pic of three of mine that I did a couple of months back, two with pierced blades, one without. Done using mild steel polls and a 1060 insert for the edge. Handles are the more or less "standard" tomahawk handles you can get from most "Black powder" suppliers...figured I'd just make a drift that would accept these handles, easier all around when it comes time to replace.

Heads are slow rust browned using organic reagents and the grips are flamed and soaked in my tempering oil for two weeks...I think that the browning looks a whole lot better than the black forge scale finish...but that's just me..

JPH