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my first AX


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soon I hope to make a small camp ax. I hope to make something larger than a tomahawk, but smaller than a full size ax. A camping/backpacking size ax. I'm just wanting to solicite advice.
I have a charcoal brake drum forge, and soon I'll have a propane forge(if I get it in a usable condition). as for steel, I have some scrap not much to speak of yet.

which is best, folding a strap around a handle and welding the ends together for the edge, with or without a tool steel edge. or is it better to cut and drift an eye.

should I make it out of quality steel or preserve the good stuff for just the cutting edge.

My skill so far is...I've never forge welded, and I figure this is a good project to learn on. simple because either fold and weld to create an eye or cut and drift to for the eye then weld a piece for a cutting edge. either way I get to weld.

what do you guys think?

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sounds like you got a plan! if your going to weld without a bit (all steel) use something like leaf spring, if you want to slit and drift the eye than weld a bit in, start with something 7/8 inch or bigger. make the eye, then split with a chisel or saw and weld the bit in. i would start with the folded one since youve never welded before, because it takes less work to redo if you screw it up. you can take a piece of mild steel, wrap it around a drift, weld almost to the edge, insert a steel bit and weld it in. do final shaping and haft it.you got a lot of options. do whichever you have the material for, or the inclination to do. good luck, and post pictures.

Ed Steinkirchner

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Pictures will most definatly come.

If I can remember to take them I'll try and get some pictures during the process. If I forget(My ADDmight act up again) I'll atleast get some of the finished product. or the ruined mess.

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HOw does a lawnmower blade sound for an ax? If i were to fold weld to form the eye...Would this NEED a bit added? or will this steel be ok to form the cutting egde as is? I know lawnmower blades differ from blade to blade as to what kind of steel is used, but as a general rule, would this work? or do I need to add some kind of tool steel to form a good cutting edge? I have a few broken craftsman wrenches I could use to make a cutting edge. But only if it is needed.

lol....I scrounge for everything, even my steel.....I'm poor what can I say...lol

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Punching and drifting a larger piece of steel will likely yield more satisfactory results down the road if you plan to use it much (especially since you mentioned you have never forge welded). It's not that it can't be done but a solid piece of material usually makes for less problems in the long run.

In case you are wondering why I would make this recommendation...some years ago, a nationally known smith demo'd at my shop for our local BS group and I was given a tomahawk head that he made over the weekend. This was forge welded in a complete fold up to the edge with a piece of file put into the cleft and was very well made. I hafted it and gave it to my son, who has used it hard over the years. The head is now about 10 years old and is starting to split; the edge is also deteriorating and chips on occasion. My son does ranch work and is very rough on tools so this is certainly not a criticism of the smith - but in contrast, his other tomahawk was made from an air chisel bit almost twenty years ago and shows no sign of damage. Folding and forge welding can make for a very serviceable tool but in general, I believe a homogenous piece of carbon steel is easier for the average person to forge and finish into something that will last several generations.

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Punching and drifting a larger piece of steel will likely yield more satisfactory results down the road if you plan to use it much (especially since you mentioned you have never forge welded). It's not that it can't be done but a solid piece of material usually makes for less problems in the long run.

In case you are wondering why I would make this recommendation...some years ago, a nationally known smith demo'd at my shop for our local BS group and I was given a tomahawk head that he made over the weekend. This was forge welded in a complete fold up to the edge with a piece of file put into the cleft and was very well made. I hafted it and gave it to my son, who has used it hard over the years. The head is now about 10 years old and is starting to split; the edge is also deteriorating and chips on occasion. My son does ranch work and is very rough on tools so this is certainly not a criticism of the smith - but in contrast, his other tomahawk was made from an air chisel bit almost twenty years ago and shows no sign of damage. Folding and forge welding can make for a very serviceable tool but in general, I believe a homogenous piece of carbon steel is easier for the average person to forge and finish into something that will last several generations.

thanks for the info, I'm still up in the air as to which way I'll go, but I will be making as tool that wil see heavy use.
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If you are sourcing from recycling, I would suggest modifying an old hammer head first,

then go to the punch from a solid piece, (You will need to make tooling (a punch and drift) then you will have a bit more experience to

go for the welded job

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If you are sourcing from recycling, I would suggest modifying an old hammer head first,

then go to the punch from a solid piece, (You will need to make tooling (a punch and drift) then you will have a bit more experience to

go for the welded job


I've already made a heck of a hawk from a small ballpeen hammer. It honestly is one of the best tomahawks (in reguards to edge holding ability) I've seen in years.

What do you think John? Find a large Ballpeen hammer and use that, or a small sledge?

as for a tooling, How would I make a punch and drift? I'm not sure if my skills in the forge are ready to make these tools, but I want to try.

My purpose of this is I'm takeing the family(wife and 5 kids) camping soon(a few weeks away) and I want to take a small ax, so I can make the camp equipment instead of carrying it in, as rope and para cord is lighter than all that metal. so i figure why not make the camp ax to take with me.


for those who can't tell I'm a tinkerer(my grandmother is always commenting on how I make some of the oddest thihngs as well as some of the most useful) I've even made things that would be cheaper and easier to buy, just to make them myself.
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Well at least you're doing stuff! I haven't touched my forge in quite some time, due to other financial obligations taking priority over buying more propane and/or charcoal. Hopefully I can do something like this soon though, as my dad has recently acquired a large trailer full of scrap metal (oh boy!) Anyhow, forgewelding is something that requires some practice, so I'd suggest maybe trying it out on something else first, just to get a feel of how it goes (if you can, practice on the same kind of metal you plan to use)

I'd suggest using a single piece of steel to make your axe for now, just because it seems as though it may be a bit simpler. Then on your next project, use two pieces of steel, and compare the two axes. It seems to be a good way to learn, and you get to see how each method works. (pros and cons of each, difficulty, etc) but in the end it's all up to you. good luck!

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Akad, charcoal is the easy one. You can make it for next to nothing. just search youtube for purgatory iron works. He has some great information on not only making charcoal but also on general blacksmithing. then there is Walmart, at my local walmart a 20# bag of charcoal is only 3 bags for $20.50. I only buy "multiples of three" bags at a time (ie 3, 6, 9 ect ect) this way I can take exact change to the store.

trenton at purgatory iron works is one of the reasons I got started with blacksmithing. his ideas are also how I can afford to do it...cheaper is better. here is a couple of his videos






I'm sure there are cheaper ways to get forge fuel, but thit is the way I do it.

Soon I will get my gas forge and then I'll be searching for a way to get cheap propane.
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I've already made a heck of a hawk from a small ballpeen hammer. It honestly is one of the best tomahawks (in reguards to edge holding ability) I've seen in years.

What do you think John? Find a large Ballpeen hammer and use that, or a small sledge?

as for a tooling, How would I make a punch and drift? I'm not sure if my skills in the forge are ready to make these tools, but I want to try.



As you have already proven the hammer route, you could go that way again, or push youself to try another method, first from solid, then folded and welded,

I say this as you may find it more easily achievable, and there is no point in making it too difficult, build on the basics and it will give you the confidence and experience you need.

If you are going the hammer route, choose one of the size applicable to what you need and will be using it for.

Tooling you should be able to cope with, and it will also be useful for other projects (as well as the experience and satisfaction you will get from making them yourself), so spend some time on getting them correct.

For the drift, it is just a matter of forging /drawing down a suitable piece of steel to the shape you require for your handle. As it is a taper, (to suit the handle profile you are going to use) you could make it long enough to cope with a couple of sizes of handles, you will also need to decide how you are going to fix your handle, a single taper (Like a pickaxe) so you can remove the handle, only need drifting from one side,
or a double sided taper (like an hourglass)like on the standard hammer fitting using wedges, which needs drifting from both sides.

You may also like to consider the use of a bolster plate (or swage block if you have one) to prevent the bending and distortion in the blank when you are punching and drifting,

For the punch, there are a couple of considerations, you can make a thin slitting punch, make the side edges radiused, this will reduce the tendency of the punched hole to split/tear at the ends when opened up, (some drill holes through the blank before heating it to also prevent this potential weakness happening)

Then after slitting/punching you can place the blank on end and as if upsetting the blank open up the slot, and then use the drift to open the eye, or make a punch nearer to the central core dimension of the handle you are going to use.

If you use a thin slitting punch keep it cool in use quench it often as a large mass of hot metal will quickly heat your punch, some advocate the use of lubricants, but I don't find them necessary, the choice is yours,

There are also various theories on the geometry for punches that you can find details of on this site, (Brian Brazeall, Uri Hofi) my personal choice is a flat end with sharp square corners where it strikes flat.

Whatever course you choose, good luck with it and have fun, and that goes for the trip too.
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I think For this project I'm going to find a large ballpeen hammer, or maybe a small sledge, then I'll repurpose it to an ax.
pawn shops yard sales and flea markets here I come!! lol


Ball pein would probably be the best way to go for balance etc. a sledge would have equal amounts of metal both sides, OK for a battleaxe but not necessarily a working axe
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I just got back today from my first camping trip with my FIRST tomahawk. As you might remember I made it from a small ball pein hammer. This thing worked beautifully, held its edge woderfully, and made short work of any thing I put in its path. Theres nothing like a torture test by a 9 year old to prove a blades quality. Now to make a cover so I can carry it in the woods safely, right now I Just have a cardboard zip tie and duct tape cover on it.

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it's not a new tomahawk, I have pictures of it in a previous post. this was just my first try at puting it to use. Unfortunatly I have no pics of the trip I couldn't find my camera before we left. I'm still working on the first ax project.

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  • 2 weeks later...

As far as your earlier question about mower blades... they do vary and I would test before using them for a tomahawk... but most of the blades that I have gathered are good steel and will harden and hold edges very well. I have read that 1090 is commonly used by mfrs and that seems right from my experience. I have heard that some will not harden but have not personally encountered any. The riding mowers use thicker blades and generally those are better stock for most uses. Some are about 3/8" thick and I like those best. If I were to make a folded hawk with no bit I think I'd try to leave one piece short of the edge so that I didn't end up with my edge right on the weld. Old files are similar steel and I have seen nice hawks made from them also.

For slit and drifted hawks you might keep an eye out for some of the heavy pry bars with square sections (I sometimes get them from antique or flea markets). The steel in them makes good hammers and chisels and should be good for hawks also. Junk axles are often 4140 which is good hawk steel too. Hammers are often 1040 or 1050 so that is the kind of steel you likely have in your hammer conversion hawks.

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