How To Make An 18th Century Hatchet Without a Forge!
Making the Early 18th century Square Poll Hatchet with an Oval Eye.
I made this hatchet a long time ago, before I knew where to obtain a tomahawk. However, this hatchet has always been my favourite, it is good to use, it handles well and it is great for throwing. This is how I made it.
First of all I purchased a second hand hatchet head from a second hand dealer, I think it cost me a couple of dollars. I took it home and placed it in the firebox of our wood burning stove. If you do not have a wood burning stove or open fireplace, then simply make a small fire outside. When the head was red hot, I took it out with a wire through the eye, and placed it on the tiles to cool down slowly. Once cooled, I was able to cut the head into the shape I wanted with an ordinary hacksaw, and file the rough edges smooth.
Next I went out into the garden and built a small hardwood fire. Next to the fire I drove a pickaxe into the ground, pointy end sticking upward. I reheated the head to bright red in the fire, then using a pair of fencing pliers I removed the head and placed it with the pointy end of the pickaxe sticking into the eye of the hatchet head with the head upside down. That is the top of the eye downward on top of the pick. I then used a hammer to drive the head down over the pick. When it lost its redness, I reheated and repeated the process until the head was driven well down on the pick and the hatchet head now had an oval eye like a tomahawk.
Finally I heated the head to cherry red again, and then quenched it in water quickly. This re-hardened the metal.
The advantage of this type of helve fitting is that it does not require a wedge to hold it in place, and the helve fits in from the top, not the bottom. In fact the helve is fitted exactly the same as a pickaxe or mattock, and this also makes the helve a lot easier to make and a lot stronger fit in the eye
Making the Early 18th century Square Poll Hatchet with an Oval Eye.
I made this hatchet a long time ago, before I knew where to obtain a tomahawk. However, this hatchet has always been my favourite, it is good to use, it handles well and it is great for throwing. This is how I made it.
First of all I purchased a second hand hatchet head from a second hand dealer, I think it cost me a couple of dollars. I took it home and placed it in the firebox of our wood burning stove. If you do not have a wood burning stove or open fireplace, then simply make a small fire outside. When the head was red hot, I took it out with a wire through the eye, and placed it on the tiles to cool down slowly. Once cooled, I was able to cut the head into the shape I wanted with an ordinary hacksaw, and file the rough edges smooth.
Next I went out into the garden and built a small hardwood fire. Next to the fire I drove a pickaxe into the ground, pointy end sticking upward. I reheated the head to bright red in the fire, then using a pair of fencing pliers I removed the head and placed it with the pointy end of the pickaxe sticking into the eye of the hatchet head with the head upside down. That is the top of the eye downward on top of the pick. I then used a hammer to drive the head down over the pick. When it lost its redness, I reheated and repeated the process until the head was driven well down on the pick and the hatchet head now had an oval eye like a tomahawk.
Finally I heated the head to cherry red again, and then quenched it in water quickly. This re-hardened the metal.
The advantage of this type of helve fitting is that it does not require a wedge to hold it in place, and the helve fits in from the top, not the bottom. In fact the helve is fitted exactly the same as a pickaxe or mattock, and this also makes the helve a lot easier to make and a lot stronger fit in the eye
3 comments:
Wow, I have to admire your industriousness in producing that hatchet head without benefit of forge or smith equipment.
Wayne
The Clerk
Hi. Great article. I have what I think is a goosewing copper's hatchet. I picked it up in a Paris flea market. Can I send you a photo? I am trying to figure out it's approximate age and it is a bit different from anything I am seeing in my books.
Thanks.
Rob
This looks to me like a 17th-18th century German design, but I would not attempt to date your axe from this photo. I will send you links to a couple of sites to check out. Regards, Keith.
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