a Woodsman Axe...

Always wanted one of those Gransfors-Bruks small forest axe. Have to save up some funds for this purchase. Those axes are not on the inexpensive side.

Got the idea from here.
Woodtrekker - Cheap alternative for gransfors bruks

Tractors supply has this axe called a boys axe with w 2.25 pound head. I have been doing some grinding to make the edge of the axe head a bit narrower. A file to sharpen the edge and a handy dandy Puck stone to smooth the edge. Seems to cut well, holds an edge without to much wear. The axe has been used on hardwood and softwood. I cannot compare this axe to the Gransfors-Bruks, because I don't have one yet.

This pic is after the 2" sander I have for the air compressor. Removed the protective coating on the axe head. The coating seemed to offer up some resistance while chopping and not getting a lot of penetration per swing. So I cleaned it off most of the axe head. Gets a nice bite, edge is still needs work as I am not the most proficient sharpener. But, the edge I do have is nice and cuts well.

I will post updates if I come up with any here.

Enjoy,

** As always this is a tool. Tools can be dangerous can cause injury. Always exercise caution. Wear gloves and eye protection using these types of tools...

To Make A Knife...

I was doing some reading about knife making, and then to add to the process I watched several videos on Youtube. Found some really cool bushcraft websites, here is one of the many out there: Making a Bushcraft Knife.

I did not have much in the way of steel. I poked around the shed and found one of the old mower blades. So far so good. I noticed that the blade has a turned up corner, cut off that section. I don't have any way to heat up the metal to flatten. At least not yet. I do have plans to build a small forge very soon. Once again Youtube has plenty of videos on building a forge.

As for tools here is what I used:

Hacksaw
Bench grinder
Belt sander (hand held, need to get a bench mount)
Dremel tool

I need to build a jig to get the blade bevel right. This is a learning experience so the first round will not be so good. Here are a few pic's of the project.

Need to come up with some scales for it. I will try to root up something out back in the woods. Maple, Birch, some decent hardwood. A small knife, but something to test out and learn from.

 Holes need to get drilled for the scales and lanyard before the tempering.

 The spine is approx. 3/16" thick. It will make a nice sturdy knife once it gets tempered.

More to follow as I gather up and build what I need to work through this project.


Enjoy,