Pipe Axes

[Dan Crabtree]

I made a pipe axe a few days ago out of a peice of piping, fullered it down, drifted a hole and forge welded down the rest for the blade, Put a handle on it drilled a hole from the bowl to the top of the handle, brought it home, that night some people where over and it was sitting on the bar in our living room, And a few of the people over I had no idea who they where, well next morning I cant find the axe anywhere, im assuming someone took it being as I have searched the entire house. Its a shame that someone would do such a thing to something that someone worked so hard on to make, but their loss now being as that was my first one and I made a second one today and it turned out much better. Anyway, I would like to have the hole in the handle go out the bottom. Anyone know how I could drill such a long hole? Also if you dont have a clue about what im talking about how to make one I could look into doing a blueprint on one, its a very interesting peice and ive heard that they where made out of gun barrels so its not too inacurate fr0m a historical standpoint.

Sorry for rambling so much and for any spelling errors its late and im tired. Thanks for the help.

[cross]

Hey Dan,please make a blueprint,I dont have a clue what your talking about.[grin].I forge pipe a lot candle sticks finials and such,would like to see your axe.

[JimG]

Make your self a simple drill.
A straight piece of wire, flatten the end, file to an even point bevel the edges and work it's way through, take your time.

[HWooldridge]

Sounds like you need to drill a hole similar to a ramrod hole in a ML rifle. Long drill bits are available or you can braze one to a piece of rod. A lathe with a hole in the headstock will make it easy but if you don't have access, it can be done with an electric hand drill. Just line it up and be careful.

[Ed Thomas]

Dan,

I presume you are making the handle out of wood? If so, to take Hollis's recommendation a step further....

Drill a hole in a piece of wood FIRST. Then you'll know where both ends of the hole are. Carve the handle based on the holes. Otherwise, you will have a devil of a time coming out centered without a lathe or boring machine. Even on a lathe, this is the best way to go.

Also as Hollis recommends, you can braze (or weld) a drill bit to a piece of round steel to make a LONG drill bit. Just make sure the new shaft is smaller diameter than the drill bit or it will bind in the hole. I've used this technique on steel, too.

[Jim C.]

Dan: I'd suggest drilling the hole in the handle from both ends toward the center.

[Dan Crabtree]

If i drilled 2 holes one would have to be capped off being as the pipe bowl has to run into it unless I wanted a choke on it and im sure the police would take to kindly to a pipe with choke on it being sold at craft fairs if you catch my drift. The handle is about 17 in. long.

[irnsrgn]

Dan, I once drille a 5/8 inch hole thru the center of a 6 foot long turned porch post so a customer could make a lamp out of it.

I used two short pieces of 2 by 4 with holes drilled in them to fit 1/8 black pipe, I positioned the post so it was straight with the holes in the 2 bys and an oil hole in the top and clamped the post to the bench and also the short 2 bys with about a foot between them. I then flattened the end of the pipe and ground the tapered cutting edges on it and then drilled 2 small holes just behind the flattened area for air to escape and then hardened the cutting edged. The pipe was 8 1/2 feet long and I used a hand drill on the end, drilled for a ways then air pressure to blow out the shavings. kept this up till I came out the other end, I was off about 1/8 from the center of the other end. it takes time tho and you have a much shorter distance. Wrap a piece of tape around the drill stem at the distance you want to stop at.

[sandpile]

DAN -- If you wanted to drill all the way through. You could thread the inside of the pipe and make decorative plug , with file work and ring in the end of it. I have seen these in tomahawks, they looked real nice.

Sandpile

[Old Grizz]

check out the people at dunlap wood crafts for pre-drilled handles at really good prices. fancy wood too. their e-mail is: Dunlapwdcrafts@aol.com, real nice folks.

heavy walled seamless tube is a good (and cheeper!) substitue for gun barrel. the heavier wall thickness gives you more meat in the blade and more room for fancy file work around the bowl. be sure to forge weld in a steel cutting bit. old nicholson file works well and is cheap, as well as water quenchable. for a 'hawk blade draw the temper back to a light blue and it should be plenty tough.

[sfDuck]

One more suggestion for the pile. Make the hawk handle out of ash or maple. Start with two pieces the have one long side planed flat. Then use anything on hand to make two cuts in a V shape on each piece of wood. Theis hole only needs to be the width of a straw so don't go too big, any hole with work. then glue the two flat pieces together with a large clamp, vise, plywood in a vise what ever. The point is the seam will not be shown if the edges are flat. Then file or shape the handle to suit. Many natives used this method for long pipe Hawk handles or for regular pipes. If the seams did show cover it with decorations. Short an simple fellas.................Duck

[dablacksmith]

this is how i make mine ... ive made a few pipe tommahawks over the years and ive tried various methods of drilling (special bits , lathe ect) and it rarely works so i decided that the cut and glue method is best i use a table saw and cut a grove in the middle with the sawblade 1/8 of an inch up makes a nice hole and not to hard! good luck!

[jimbob]

"The pithy center of an ash limb/sapling burns out quite easily, and it is probably for this reason that the original maker chose this method. It is by no means uncommon, and in fact could be said to be the opposite, with many extant originals showing this method used on the handle. "

found this on the web. It seems to be the way they did it.