My first forged axe head. Not all that pleased with how the eye turned out. Will have to make a drift more suited to the job. Steel was a strip of 3/4" plate little over an 1" wide from the scrap bin at work. Seemed to harden up about right so that was a bonus. Slitting chisel worked good.


New axe posing next to 2 old ones from leaf spring and 1/2" galvanized pipe flattened and welded on. The polled one travels everywhere in my pickup. Has served well. The other has a really thin blade and get used for roughing out the odd bit of woodworking in my shop.

Nice job. I'm impressed. As far as the eye is concerened, unless its just your personal feeling, there was no such thing as a 'standad' eye type unless the ax was being mass produced to be shipped to the colonies for trade. I have yet to make a tomahawk, or camp ax with the same eye. Its just whatever I have on hand at the time for the drift, or I just make a solid head, anneal, then drill and file.
I have books on hawks, and axes.

i like all of them, was curious how you got the hammer head on the back of the largest one, working with the leaf spring.

It was a thicker piece of spring. Maybe from a log truck to far back to remember now. pretty sure I torched it out roughly to shape and ground it all down to where I wanted it. It's wedged in the seat of the truck but pretty sure it's about 3/8" thick on the hammer end. The cutting edge is a fairly steep convex grind, does a passable job at splitting wood for a campfire. Just heavy enough you can beat on something fairly good with the hammer end.

Not pleased with the drifted eye in that it's not nice and even,nor a uniform taper to it. Not to concerned with size,just not a nice uniform oval from the top like I had wanted. Might take the die grinder at work and dress it up a little on the inside yet. Depends on just how far behind we end up with all the equipment...services due and whatever else the bush crew can thrash