Post by twomoons on Jul 18, 2013 14:13:35 GMT -5
Last week I was at Dean's and here he was trying to split a 6 foot elm log for bow staved and he was pounding a cheap aluminum handled hatchet into the log with predictible results. When he broke off the handle he gave me the head and cussed because the AX was no good. I assume every hatchet from the factory is warranted for beating on with an 8 pound sledge and prying the aliuminum handle with a pipe?
So I took the head home and cleaned out the hole the handle was pressed in and turned a small shank to fit the hole and turned the other end to fit a chunk of 12 Ga barrel. 12" long. I turned a brass plug for the other end and welded the head and shank to the barrel section after I pressed them together. I cleaned up the welds and reground the blade where it had hit other wedges in the log and bead blasted and painted the blade. As the french say wallah! A nice camping and survival hatchet for just a little work. The handle is wraped with 50 feet of para cord for a good grip and can be removed for use as a line. The hollow handle holds a gooodamount of whatever you need to carry and the o ringed brass butt cap keeps everything dry. Now I have a nice testicle ax for chopping down bad guys swimming in the Bazille creek, of a good hatchet to keep clamped in the canoe for cutting set line poles.
So I took the head home and cleaned out the hole the handle was pressed in and turned a small shank to fit the hole and turned the other end to fit a chunk of 12 Ga barrel. 12" long. I turned a brass plug for the other end and welded the head and shank to the barrel section after I pressed them together. I cleaned up the welds and reground the blade where it had hit other wedges in the log and bead blasted and painted the blade. As the french say wallah! A nice camping and survival hatchet for just a little work. The handle is wraped with 50 feet of para cord for a good grip and can be removed for use as a line. The hollow handle holds a gooodamount of whatever you need to carry and the o ringed brass butt cap keeps everything dry. Now I have a nice testicle ax for chopping down bad guys swimming in the Bazille creek, of a good hatchet to keep clamped in the canoe for cutting set line poles.
Attachments:
