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Frazer's Corner of the Internet [photo heavy]


Frazer

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My first "full size" axe. I need to make a larger drift to clean up the eye and I'll probably even out the blade a little.. Then there is some profiling and a lot of grinding left to do. Still, it's getting there.

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The eye isn't as clean as I would like it to be on top, but I think I can fix that with the right size drift.

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A good trick I learned from Jim Austin for the front of the eye is to use a round nose or half round chisel, like the one pictured below, to cut away the very front of the eye, removing any minor delaminations there.  Cut in hot using a post vise to hold the stock works a treat.

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Of course that is just if the front of the eye is too tight or you have a cold shut to deal with.  for an eye that is too wide at the front the easy solution is to forge it down further...

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when you make the mandrel..  Just massage it in.  You can do this before the steel is welded into the cutting edge so there is no worry of over heating the steel in the cutting edge.. 

If massaged in around the mandrel at the welding heat, the seam there will weld up just fine and really if done will not have a weld seem at all. 

This is the method I use and if I can do it.. Anyone can.. 

Nice preform work and weld.. 

depending on what you are after..    I often will use a commercial handle as it saves me the time having to completely make 1..  Are they good.. No..  But if I sell and axe than the person who buys it can simply replace it vs sending it back for a handle job.. 

So the eyes are shaped to receive these commercial handles as is the mandrel. 

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M.J., nope, no delamination. To be honest I am somewhat surprised by that. That was a lot of material to get up to a welding heat and flipping an axe that is  ~4.25" wide really disturbs the fire. The eye still isn't perfect on top (right image), but I think it's good enough for me to go in and clean it up with a file.

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Latticino, That's a good suggestion. I'll put that in my memory banks for the inevitable day where I run into issues. I think I had a lot of beginners luck on this one. Your tip to go back and fuller the set downs that make up the eye was HUGE. That nice shoulder made things so much cleaner.

Jennifer, the eye is made to fit a commercial handle for a 2.5# axe head. I don't mind making small handles, but for a larger one like this I think a standard size eye is the way to go.

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Sooo, my original plan was to grind this down to the weight my coworker was looking for... but I've kind of grown attached to it.. I think I'm going to leave it where it is (~2.5#'s) and keep it as an axe.

I started a smaller version today. I mean, I have make sure it wasn't just beginners luck right? :D

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Looks great..  For myself I'm not usually to interested in what the axes look like from the side. I mean a few shots is good, unless there is something interesting.. Love how it came out. 

The weld seams are what interest me the most. 

Looks great and a mighty fine chopper..  

Your buddy is very lucky.. Be sure to put your makers mark in it and a date if you can..  30 years or 40 years from now those people will wonder who made such a wonderful tool.   

Thanks for posting up the extra photos.. 

Very well done.. 

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