I had the desire to forge a 3/4 axe. However I dont have the bennifit of a second person toact as a striker or any powerhammers. So, i came up with the wrapped eye design where the poll is pinned and forgewelded into place. Here are some pics with a little breakdown.

First I took the 1 1/2" x 1/4" 1018 and measured out how long I wanted the bit to be, how much material I would need for the eye, and the poll. I centerpunched each of these spots so that I could see them when the steel was hot.

I pinned and forgewelded the poll onto the flat stock. After that I drew down the ears of the eye on the edge of the anvil. then, I folded the stock over and shaped the rear portion of the eye.



Once that was done I forge welded the 1 1/2" x 1/4" 1075 bit into the head, leaving the whole piece attached to the parrent stock still.





Then I removed the head from the parrent flat stock and forged the bit into shape. I had to make a drift for the eye. I'm happy with how it came out. I normalized the head three times, and annealed it.



While the head was annealing I carved the helve from a large chunk of seasoned locust.



Then I trimmed the cutting edge back, heat treated the head, and sharpened it. I hung the head on the helve and that was it!







Here is a video of it's first trip:

Thanks for looking,
Matt Paul

Really looks nice. Good job!

Actually I have a book that details something like that, he has a flat bar, uses fullers on a little bit out from the middle on each side.
Bends it around that bit so you have a nice sized gap, forge welds it. Shapes the bit.
Puts in a mandrel to shape the eye properly and draw out the ears.
For a felling axe.

More'n one way to skin a cat or forge an ax. :)

You made a darn fine ax there. That's how they *should* work.

I like the lines of your axe very much. It seems to me that it would be less work to use if the handle were longer though. I do like the handle shape... it just seems an awkward length... really a bit too long for one handed use and yet too short for comfortable use with two hands. I think it would be optimized with a longer handle but I could like it as a heavier one hander too. It appears to me that you've done a good job in the sharpening... which is fairly rare to see! I like to see a long flat bevel with a slight secondary convex bevel. Lots of logger rodeo axes have hollow grinds instead of flat bevels though.

556mp
Sorry to say but" there is nothing new under the sun" your's is the same method used by Hudson's Bay Company to forge their axes.But your creative approach problem solving ,proves that your blacksmithing skills are certainly growing in the right direction.

Actually I have a book that details something like that, he has a flat bar, uses fullers on a little bit out from the middle on each side.
Bends it around that bit so you have a nice sized gap, forge welds it. Shapes the bit.
Puts in a mandrel to shape the eye properly and draw out the ears.
For a felling axe.

Do you happen to remember the name of the book?

I like the lines of your axe very much. It seems to me that it would be less work to use if the handle were longer though. I do like the handle shape... it just seems an awkward length... really a bit too long for one handed use and yet too short for comfortable use with two hands. I think it would be optimized with a longer handle but I could like it as a heavier one hander too. It appears to me that you've done a good job in the sharpening... which is fairly rare to see! I like to see a long flat bevel with a slight secondary convex bevel. Lots of logger rodeo axes have hollow grinds instead of flat bevels though.

It's a 28" handle on a ~2# head. Which is appropriate and the norm for a boys axe or 3/4 axe.

556mp
Sorry to say but" there is nothing new under the sun" your's is the same method used by Hudson's Bay Company to forge their axes.But your creative approach problem solving ,proves that your blacksmithing skills are certainly growing in the right direction.

That's a good bit of information to know. I'll have to research that some.


Thanks for the compliments!

Awesome! Love the video

Very nice axe! Just goes to show you that a blacksmith needs to be clever to get stuff done with what he has available.

Seriously impressive axe! I'm thinking that the shape of the handle contributes to the cutting force also, but that axe head is lethal. I would be happy to carry that along in the woods. The video really illustrates what a high quality axe can do.

Robert

I have a ton of wood that is in need of that awesome Ax it is waiting on it ;)

Sam

What's non-traditional about it? I've seen a number of *old* axes where the poll is forge welded on. Forge welding was a lot more common in the real wrought iron days than after Bessemer steel started taking over.

Thomas,

At the time that I posted this, I had not found any writings about any axes being made this way. A couple of you guys enlightened me ;)

Thanks,
Matt

great work .
this is defiantly the method I have seen used on some of the axes in my collection and is a viable and well executed job of it, great cat skinning
All the best Owen

One of the definitions of a good idea is that more than one person comes up with it over time.