I have made lots of tomahawks in the past but none of them had a blade wider than 4". I was wanting to make a viking axe with a blade around 7" wide. I can forge it but I just wanted to know the best way to do it and what size stock I should start with, hopefully save myself some trial-and-error.

I attached a drawing of it. It is not perfect but you get the idea.

-Andrew

Check this one out:
http://forums.dfoggknives.com/index.php?showtopic=19425

Andrew,

Take a look on Mark Aspery's youtube site http://www.youtube.com/user/MarkAspery he has a video on it that goes through the start of an axe. The size of the steel is in the video. I just looked at it on Monday. good luck with it.


Brian Pierson

Now are you ding it like the vikings did with the axe mainly of real wrought iron with a steel bit forge welded on the cutting end?

Are you doing it with modern steel but a fold around and forge weld eye?

Are you doing it with modern materials using a punched and drifted eye?

Hard to advise you without knowing how you plan to do it.

Some good information here http://www.nielsen-norenforlag.se/index.php?Swedish-Blacksmithing excerpts from a book, but you get an inkling of how its done from the page details,

The book contains a couple of methods of axe making, from a single piece of steel, or folded and steeled insert, all processes needed, and details on spreading the blank blade to give the shape you require.

I was not planning on using wrought iron on this one. I know there are several ways of doing it and I was planning on maybe punching and drifting the eye but I am open to any suggestions.

-Andrew

I made a few out of old pulley hooks. The steel is often a mystery, but this particular axe is ridiculously tough and it hardened quite nicely on the edge. Sometimes they have manufacturing specs on the sides, if you are lucky, but not the case here. I opened the loop at the end of the hook and welded it onto an eye I made for better stability. These things make great axes, and are relatively easier to work with given their natural axe-like shape. With a little work, you could probably forge one into the desired shape.
The one below is still unfinished and kinda on the ugly side, but you can use it for reference, at least.

Good luck.