A good carpenter's ax is one of the most indispensable things in a home owner's arsenal. Choosing an ax in a store is not an easy task, but if you wish, you can find a tool there to perform any household task. This option is not always the most profitable for the following reasons:
- high cost of a quality product;
- limited selection in regular stores;
- lack of an element of exclusivity.
Making an ax with your own hands is a difficult, responsible task, but at the same time extremely exciting. You will need patience, perseverance, and strict adherence to the work plan. Don't forget to check that you have all the necessary tools. To work with a metal blade and butt you will need:
- grinder (with cutting, abrasive discs);
- grinding disc;
- welding machine;
- file;
When making a wooden handle, the following will be useful:
- chisel;
- jigsaw;
- mallet;
- sandpaper;
- clamp.
Don't forget about marking tools such as a marker, ruler, and plumb line. Even the slightest flaw can affect the quality of the final product.
Try to find an old, rusty wooden ax in your garage, ask your neighbors. It will make an excellent base for your product. Pay attention to the condition of the butt and blade. If there is no noticeable damage or corrosion on them, then the metal part can be safely left.
The handle of an old ax does not have the necessary strength or appearance. Measure it carefully and enter this data into the table. They will be useful for developing a model of the future ax handle. If you want to make a homemade ax of a completely different shape, then it is better to change the dimensions of the handle in accordance with the type of the future product.
What types of axes are there?
This tool will help you perform various types of work. But specialization in one area makes it of little use in another matter. One is good at carpentry, while the other is better at chopping wood. These axes will have differences in the length of the axe, the shape of the head, and the sharpening.
Lumberjack
This ax makes it easier to fell trees and easily cuts branches. Requires a large inertia of the slashing blow. This effect is achieved due to:
- long axe;
- heavy head;
- sharp sharpening;
- shifting the center of gravity to the blade.
All this together saves the effort of the person who works with the tool.
Lumberjack's axe.
Cleaver
Sharpening is not important to him. It splits the log using mass and inertia. A heavy butt adds efficiency to the strike. The long handle allows you to grasp the tool with both hands and make a strong swing. The cleaver has a blunt blade, with a large convergence angle and a shift in the center of gravity towards the blade. This shape allows the log to be torn apart with sufficient swing.
Cleaver ax.
Plotnitsky
This tool is used for trimming logs; it is used instead of a plane. Most often held with one hand. They do not need to chop wood, so a strong swing and great inertia are not required. But what is important is a sharply sharpened blade and a smooth blade that smoothly transitions into it.
Carpenter's axe.
Srednerus
A universal ax suitable for many types of work. It does not have a clear specialization, therefore it combines the features of several types. It is also called taiga.
On a hike, you need to chop firewood, make tent pegs, cut up the hunter's kill, trim it, and use it as a lever. It is important not to carry too much weight. All of the above are features of this ax. It is small in size, sharply sharpened, has a moderately wide blade and a small strong axe.
Taiga axe.
Combat
This is already in the category of cold steel. If you decide to do it yourself, then this weapon will need to be taken for examination and subsequent registration. These include axes, Viking axes, tomahawks, celts and others.
Battle axe.
Sturdy
Hiking handy tool. The short handle and lightweight head make it lightweight. It has a wide, sharply sharpened blade. For farming, such a hatchet is useless, but on a hike it will come in handy.
The camping ax is sturdy.
Work process
Materials and tools for work
Handmade axes require at least basic plumbing and carpentry skills. We will make a DIY Viking ax from a simple ax that can still be used to chop wood. For this we need:
- A block of wood. No, regular pine or spruce will not work. Below is a list of acceptable breeds. There is one requirement for all of them - there must be longitudinal fibers, not transverse ones.
- Paper with pencil for sketch.
- Wedges.
- Varnish or oil (linseed, tung, teak).
- A small piece of leather or leather substitute.
- Ax blade. Any one will do, even one that is corroded.
From the tools:
- Angle grinder.
- Welding machine. Regular MMA welding is sufficient.
- Grinding machine.
- Bormashinka.
Separately, we need to talk about the tree. We will need a little bit - a 40x40 block. But what breed? There is a choice:
- Beech. In principle, inexpensive and beautiful material. Of all hardwoods, it is the cheapest. The only thing that needs to be taken into account is the intensity of moisture absorption. It needs to be covered with a thick layer of oil.
- Oak. Probably the best material for a handle. Strong, durable, reliable.
- Maple. Its advantage is elasticity. Where oak cracks under stress, maple will remain intact. By the way, one of the most beautiful types of wood.
- Ash. The hardest rock of the list, and inexpensive.
Now we can make a Viking ax with our own hands.
Cleaning corrosion
It will also need to be divided into several stages. And the first of them is cleaning:
- Before you make an ax handle with your own hands, you need to remove the old one. The easiest way is to knock it out. We cut straight along the beard of the blade and knock it out using a chisel or drift.
- Now let's move on to processing the blade. You need to remove the rust from it using a grinder. For this, a regular petal circle is enough. We'll do the polishing later.
- Now we look for cracks and grooves on the blade. If there are any, we simply brew them and clean them with a grinder. There is nothing complicated here.
Components of an ax
The ax consists of 2 main parts. Each of them is important and performs its own functions. The type of ax and whether it will be suitable for work depends on their combination.
Complete diagram of the axe.
Metal head
The head has several parts. The butt and the canvas are separated. The blade has a blade, cheeks and an eye. In some types of axes, the butt can be massive. It will give additional inertia to the tool. The length and thickness of the blade, blade width, vanishing angle, sharpening, each type has its own parameters.
Ax head.
Toporische
Much depends on its length and strength. The axe, cleaver and lumberjack are made with a long axe. Carpenter's and universal types like a handle of medium length. And for a tourist or chopping kitchen hatchet, a short ax is enough. But each ax must be made of hard wood that absorbs vibration well and fits comfortably in the hand.
Ax handle.
Making a Cardboard Template
On a large cardboard sheet we outline the shape of the handle and apply it to a wooden blank. The template will help us make a more accurate ax handle.
Beautiful do-it-yourself ax from a simple ax
It is important to understand what type of ax you need to make. Because not every option will come out of the head of an ordinary ax. They can have different masses and shapes. Usually they undertake to make a sturdy, middle-class or carpenter's one.
Ax handle
The handle, first of all, should be comfortable and strong. It will be good if the ax handle does not dry out, because this affects the tightness of the head. Will make her beautiful:
- correctly selected block, with a beautiful pattern;
- unusual shape;
- impregnation of the desired color;
- ferric chloride solution;
- pattern burned into wood.
You can come up with many options, it is important that they are technically feasible and leave the handle strong and comfortable.
Beautiful ax handle.
Braid for ax handle
It is made to strengthen the ax handle and protect it from destruction upon impact. Also, when doing carpentry, gripping your hand near your head will be more convenient.
Paracord is used for this. This cord is wound around the ax handle in its upper part up to the head. The winding is done tightly so that the paracord does not slip.
An ax covered in leather.
cloth
In the “Photoideas” section there are interesting options for the shape of the head canvas. Most ideas can be done without a lot of time and special equipment. If you take up forging, then any option is possible. What is important here is only an understanding of the scope of application of the ax and compliance with the requirements for this type. After choosing the type of canvas, you will need:
- make a sketch or life-size drawing;
- transfer the sketch to the workpiece;
- cut out the desired contour with a small gap;
- process initially with a grinder, machine or file;
- bring the workpiece to the desired form;
- shape the blade and sharpen it;
- if necessary, anneal, harden and temper.
- final grinding and sharpening of the tool;
- drawing the design and etching it completes the process.
There is nothing complicated, but it will require a little skill and ability to work with a tool.
The ax head can be decorated.
Making a storage case
The case is made for storing and safely carrying the instrument. He can:
- hold the entire axe;
- just cover your head;
- cover only the blade.
The sheath material protects the blade and, in some cases, the entire tool. Suitable for making genuine leather, plastic, thick fabric such as tarpaulin.
Making a case with your own hands will not be a problem, just follow a simple algorithm step by step:
- the tool is placed on cardboard or fabric;
- contours are applied to the material;
- a pattern is cut out and a mock-up of the cover is pre-assembled;
- after fitting, if necessary, correction is made;
- the pattern is transferred to the selected material;
- the cover is assembled or sewn.
Belt case for an axe.
Blanks for gift options
A creative person may get the idea to make a beautiful decorative tool for himself or as a gift to a friend if he suddenly discovers an ordinary old blade in his household.
On the other hand, photos of the best homemade axes seen on the Internet can contribute to this. As you know, the world wide web is today the main source of inspiration.
Having bought a blade of a suitable type at some flea market and found a suitable block, something from which to make an ax handle, a person begins to create.
Photo ideas
The head and its handle may have an original appearance. A drawing is made on the head and the shape of the canvas is changed. If the ax handle is aged, burned or treated with colored impregnation, the overall appearance of the product will change greatly.
Handle material
The functions of an ax are primarily influenced by its shape and length. The handle should be curved and the cross-section should be oval.
The best types of trees for the handle are maple, oak, ash, and birch. Since these types of wood withstand vibration well upon impact.
How to select and prepare wood
The choice of material and the features of its preparation affect the final strength of the ax made by hand. Only hardwood is suitable for the handle. It must first be dried in a special chamber or left in a dry place for a long period. Carpenters place the preform material in the attic, where it sits for many years. If the wood was purchased at a building materials warehouse, then the cut prepared for the ax handle must be dried at home or in an apartment for 2 months on a radiator or near a stove - the humidity inside should not exceed 8%. The best types of wood for making an ax:
- ash;
- hickory;
- beech;
- oak;
- Jatoba;
- birch;
- maple.
