First try at a bearded axe

[Bentiron1946]

It's nice to see all the photos of the work progression, it helps in get the process down. You workmanship is really good and has improved from first to last. Thanks so much for sharing with us. You done good!

[Larry H]

Hey Matt,  real nice stuff, are you going to Ashoken May 4 ? Frank Turley is the Demonstrator. Do you have a power hammer? what part of orange co do you reside ? 

[Matthew Paul]

Thanks Larry. I will probably be there, although I have not registered yet. I do not have a power hammer, unfortunately. Although, I do have two people who can occasionally operate a sledge for me. I am near Goshen/Florida NY.

Than you for the compliments everyone.

 

Matt P

[basher]

Do it , do it and do it again........You have done that bit so rite..... its the only way.

 If I were to offer a little criticism I would try and blend the weld lines between the steel and axe blade material so there is not a visible line but more of a merging . I would of course do that under a power hammer but If I didn't have one I would use a very slightly rounded hammer to get those edges welded in.......

[Matthew Paul]

Thanks Basher. I did a few more.

Here is one without the flare to the heel and toe. You can still see the weld seam some on the eye.

 

 

And another that I need to slit and weld the bit in still. this one you can not see the seam on. I used a 6lb and a 3lb rounding hammer which seemed to blend it in quite nicely.

 

[Loneforge]

Nice work my Man!

[Timothy Miller]

Nice job you are ready to start your own raiding party. :)

[Eddie Mullins]

Those look great, also like the progression pics! I have yet to make my first, got to assist in making a simple wrapped eye this week, but am ready to try my hand.

 

Do you use a fuller or how do you form the eye area?

[beth]

completely beautiful work ! fabulous photos too :)

[Matthew Paul]

Thank you fellas.

Eddie: I do use a roughly 1/4" top fuller that I made from a pick axe to form the eye before it is wrapped. I'll attach some step by step photos.
 

 

These two photos show the stock marked for the inside front portion of the eye, as well as the poll.





I used a chain attached to the silencing chain on my anvil, with a weight on one end - to act as a helping hand while I fullered and forged this piece - as I did it by myself. You can see that I fullered about half way into the stock to start off the forging.

 

 

Then, using the corners of the anvil face, I forged the fullered area into a taper, or bevel, however you would like to describe it - A gentle transition from the deepest forged spot to the level face of the stock. I'm not a self proclaimed expert, so I may not be "proper" on the lingo.



Then I used a small cross pien that I forged to draw out the ears, while offsetting the stock over the edge of the face - The same positioning used to taper the initial fullers. When forging these with a striker, or helper, I use the same 1/4" top fuller used to make the initial depressions, to draw the ears.



This is what the forging will look like at this point. Poll forged, eye preformed, and ears drawn out.

 

Then the forging is wrapped back on to itself leaving about a 1/2 to 3/4" space, which allows me to clean the scale from the forging to insure a quality weld.


And that is how I generally form the eye. These photos are from my first attempt at this. I do have photographs from the group of 8-10 that I did, but am waiting to get them back from the photographer/striker/friend.
 

[Matthew Paul]

And here is the top fuller/crosspien that is soft, as you can see by the mushrooming. If I did one again I would for it at a 45deg or 90deg angle to how this one is. It's a 1/4" radius 1/2" diameter - roughly.

 

[Eddie Mullins]

Thanks for the additional pics. I'll be bookmarking this thread.

 

I'm new here so don't know what it tkaes for a thread to become a BP or sticky etc, but this is worthy IMO.

 

When you get the other pics back - please share. Like maybe the splitting and adding the bit : ) .

[Zanshin]

Thank you for sharing and many compliments for your work. I love them. Look like 1300/1400 medieval german battle axes. Very coooooool

[Matthew Paul]

Thank you and you are most welcome. I'll try to get some better pics of splitting and welding the edge if I can.
I did some more work on a couple today.

A shot of them starting out. Just a couple blocks of A36



Starting to fuer and draw them down.

 

 

Stepped down and drawn out.

 

 

And one of the eyes formed wrapped and welded with the bit forged out some.

[Eddie Mullins]

Keep the pics coming! I find I learn quite a bit from threads like this that are pic heavy, so I really appreciate them. Lots of times I will pick up a new trick with other applications, like your chain hold down. I'm going to give that a try. How much weight do you have on it?

[Matthew Paul]

Thanks. They are just over 1 1/2 #

I did some more work on this one today and got a few photos of splitting and welding the bit.
 

I got the edge split, beveled/tapered, and opened back up.



Then I forged the bit (1075 on this one)




I cleaned it up a bit. A bit. Get it.... Never mind...

Teeth chiseled into the bit so that it will be held in place until the forge weld is done.






And all welded up, ready for heat treatment after I flatten it out and true everything up one last time.

If you have interest int this I'd suggest picking up James Austin's DVD. It's very good and I hear that he is coming out with a second one.

[Matthew Paul]

I just finished up that head in the above post.



 

[Eddie Mullins]

Nicely done. There was another recent thread with ann axe making video that helped to fill in a lot of the blanks for me and I discovered axe making sections in a couple of the books I already have. I think I'm going to practice on a hawk first, I still need to develope my mojo for forge welding : ) .

[Zanshin]

So beautiful.... I can't wait to have a forge again...

[Matthew Paul]

Thanks. Forge welding is an important skill to have no doubt. I still have welds not take from time to time. One out of the 10 or so I had an issue with on the eye weld.



Also, I brought the heads out to my buddy's wood working/carving shop for him to carve and put some handles on the axes. So, I took some photos of that.

 

My buddy carving a spoon with one of the axes:

 

 

[Hyper Iron]

Ah I see you have one of those bench grinder/belt grinder attachments. How do you like it? I've been looking at those mighty hard here lately.

[Hyper Iron]

Seems I've jacked a thread about making things, by talking about making things?

[Matthew Paul]

It's a craftsman 2x42 sander that I use belts from trugrit on. It works great for the money. I've used it for about two years now. I'm in the process of paying off a bader though.

[Hyper Iron]

That's awesome. Thank you for the response. So you do all of this with just a striker and yourself? That's incredible. Basher and you have made me fall completely in love with axes.

[Matthew Paul]

Yes Sir, and thank you. Three of them I did by myself with just a chain and pickaxe head as a weight for a hold down. Those were fun. Basher does some phenomenal work, no doubt.