Correct ax shape. Wood splitter: making a wooden handle with your own hands

Selection the right material it is very important for an ax handle, it is impossible to make a reliable ax if the wrong wood is chosen for an ax handle.
For an ax handle, you can only use solid wood deciduous trees.
The wood must be well dried: standard drying of lumber to 8-12% moisture is not enough, it is advisable to take wood dried in special chambers or withstand the workpiece long time in a very dry place - on radiators or on a stove. Additional drying allows you to avoid loosening the ax due to drying out due to loss of moisture in conditions with variable temperature and humidity - winter / summer, damp forest / heated apartment.

The choice of wood species for the manufacture of an ax handle

Ash

Ash, in our opinion, is one of the the best materials for the manufacture of an ax handle. Ash wood is quite affordable: well-dried ash lumber of the required quality is used for finishing and furniture manufacturing. In a large wood-selling organization, you can usually choose a bar required size and quality.
The strength of ash is beyond praise. In terms of wood density, hardness and durability, it approaches oak, but at the same time it is quite elastic. The shafts of spears and ax handles of battle axes were usually made from ash. At present, the handles of the instrument and gymnastic bars are made from ash.

Ash wood is beautiful and can vary greatly in appearance. In one tree there is wood that differs in color and grain pattern. In the manufacture of ax handles, we focus not on the beauty of the pattern, but on the arrangement of the fibers, which provides the greatest strength. We can only offer to choose an ax on an ax handle darker or lighter from among those available in stock.

Jatoba

Ax handles from jatoba and ash

Jatoba wood has high impact strength and is well suited for the manufacture of sports equipment and tool handles, suitable for the manufacture of bent parts with steaming and is often used in furniture production. The wood is very durable, hard, viscous, surpasses oak wood in strength. Jatoba is beautifully processed and has an unsurpassed appearance. Perhaps this is the most beautiful wood from which it makes sense to make ax handles.
Jatoba is great for making ax handles, especially if the ax requires not only functionality, but also high aesthetic data.

Hickory

hickory, also called american walnut, is widely used to make ax handles, hammers, pickaxes and other tools in America and Canada. The wood is strong, resilient and quite durable.

oak and beech

They have a beautiful structure, are strong, durable, quite easily processed, affordable. Unfortunately, in the manufacture of ax handles, both breeds have disadvantages. Oak is too hard and dries the hand when cut. However, when we planted a felling ax on a long (about a meter) oak ax handle, the recoil was no longer transmitted to the hand - the length of the ax handle amortized the blow. Beech is excellently cut, has a beautiful surface, but is very hygroscopic. To protect against moisture for a beech ax handle, a simple impregnation with oil will not be enough.

Birch

The most widespread in Russia are birch ax handles, although birch wood can hardly be called the best option. Perhaps, if you use split dies of the butt of a curly birch, felled and dried in a certain way, you can get an excellent product. But the availability of such material leaves much to be desired: even if it is possible to choose a birch trunk of the required quality cut down in winter, there is a place for drying with the right parameters, then the drying time will still be more than a year. In addition, birch easily absorbs water and is spoiled by microorganisms, therefore, in addition to thorough initial impregnation, further care during operation.
Make high-quality ax handle from birch can be recommended only to those for whom the process of self-production is valuable and who are ready to spend considerable effort and time on preparing wood.
The quality of mass-selling birch ax handles is extremely low, and sold birch lumber is not suitable as a material for ax handles.

Maple axes

Maple showed himself good stuff for making axes. In addition to sufficient strength and elasticity, maple has a beautiful texture and is well polished. Made of maple ax has a wonderful appearance.

Handle durability

The breaking strength of the ax handle is ensured by the location of the fibers along the ax handle and the strength of the wood. Cross-layering is unacceptable, with the exception of blanks made from chipped dice of curly wood, in this case, considerable strength can be achieved during manufacture, given the arrangement of the layers.

Blade service life

The durability of a properly made ax is determined by the resistance of the wood to impact and compression. The part of the ax handle located in the eye experiences very significant loads, over time it can be crushed and the ax head is loosened. The service life is determined by the type of wood (the harder, the better), drying (a poorly dried ax will “soak” very quickly), nozzle density: precise fit and dense nozzle (by blows or pressing) significantly increase durability. Properly made ax handles can work with a heavy load for years without requiring repair.
If a properly made and mounted ax is loosened, it can be repaired. In the case of a direct attachment (when the ax is mounted on top of the tapered end of the ax handle, and then wedged), the ax should be upset and an additional wedge of hardwood should be hammered in. It is also possible to use a flat or round metal wedge.
With the reverse attachment of the ax (the ax handle is passed through the cone-shaped eye from top to bottom), loosening does not occur, since during operation the loads are directed towards the expanding end of the ax handle and the ax is only mounted more tightly.

An ax is a tool necessary for any country farm. It is useful when chopping firewood, and when building a house, and when cutting game. Unfortunately, not all axes on the market are reliable and convenient. Some of them are even dangerous! Therefore, if you have a need for "clumsy" work, you can try to make quality tool with your own hands. We will now tell you how to make an ax.

Components of an ax: metal sheet, ax handle and wedge

An ax handle is a tool handle, the convenience of the work performed depends on its length and shape. straight stick with round section- not the most the best way. The hand, holding such a tool, experiences increased stress and quickly gets tired. Much more practical is a curved ax with a section in the form of an oval with straight sections. The tail section is desirable to expand and bend down. Then, with strong blows, a reliable holding of the ax handle in the hands will be ensured.

Ax scheme: 1 - butt, 2.9 - wedges, 3 - blade, 4 - toe, 5 - chamfer, 6 - heel, 7 - beard, 8 - ax handle, 10 - sharpening

The process of making an ax looks like this:

1. Material preparation

Durable ax handles are obtained from oak, birch, maple, ash.

Wood for ax handles is traditionally harvested in autumn, before frost. Barked logs are laid in the attic, in a dry and dark place to dry. The blanks must lie in storage for less than a year. Some experts recommend even longer drying - 5-7 years.

However, if your ax has broken, but you urgently need to chop logs, then you can use fresh wood. This is a temporary option, since after drying the wood will in any case decrease in volume and the handle will begin to “dangle” in the eye.

2. Cutting the template

A cardboard template is necessary for transferring the contours of the projected ax handle to the wood surface and manufacturing a tool with the desired dimensions. As a sample, you can use a ready-made ax with which it is convenient for you to work. The handle of the "standard" is circled with a pencil on a sheet of cardboard, cut out and a template is obtained.

3. Making a blank bar

From the dried chock, strictly along the fibers, a bar is squeezed out - a blank for the ax handle. The length of the bar should be approximately 100 mm longer than the intended size. finished product. The width of the blank in the front (which is mounted on the ax blade) should exceed the width of the metal eye by 2-3 mm.

A template is applied to the bar on both sides, its contours are transferred to the wood. In this case, the template is positioned so that an allowance of 10 mm remains from the front of the bar, and 90 mm at the end (in the tail section). The allowance in the shank serves to prevent splitting of the handle when fitting the metal sheet. It cuts off after final assembly.

4. Extrusion of an ax handle

In order to finally bring the ax handle to the right sizes, top and bottom of the bar make transverse cuts. Their depth should not reach the intended contours of the ax handle by 2 mm. Excess wood, along the cuts, is chipped off with a chisel. Finally, up to the contour lines, the material is cut with a rasp. A file (bastard or rasp) rounds bends, corners, transitions. The final polishing is sandpaper.

5. Impregnation with a waterproof compound

The best means for wood impregnation - drying oil and linseed oil. The hatchet is coated with any of these oils. After it dries, apply the next layer. This is done several times until the oil stops being absorbed.

The hatchet should not be slippery, so cover it with varnishes and oil paints Not recommended. You can mix a small amount of dye into the drying oil, for example, orange, red or yellow. An ax with a bright handle will be clearly visible in the grass and will not get lost.

About how to make a high-quality ax handle for an ax in field conditions, but with all the rules, see below:

Choice of metal sheet and ax head

It is almost impossible to make a metal sheet with an eyelet at home, so you will have to buy it ready-made. When buying, pay attention to:

steel quality - ideally, the product is marked with the GOST badge, and not TU or OST;
blade - should be smooth, without dents, cracks, bends;
eye shape - in the form of a cone;
butt ends - should be perpendicular to the blade.

At the end of the ax handle, two centerlines- longitudinal and perpendicular to it. A groove is cut along the contour of the longitudinal line to the depth of the eyelet - this cut will be necessary for wedging the ax handle. Then a butt is attached to the end and the contours of the eye are outlined, focusing on the center lines. With a knife, an ax or a planer, the landing part of the ax handle is cut off, giving it the shape of an eye. Moreover, this is done in such a way that the ax protrudes beyond the eye by about 1 cm.

With the help of hammer blows, an ax is planted on an ax handle. Do this carefully so that the wood does not crack. After the butt goes beyond the boundaries of the butt, they check the strength of the fit of the blade - it should sit tight, not slip off.

Attaching an ax to an ax handle: a - fitting, b - attachment, c - wedging; 1 - ax, 2 - ax handle, 3 - wedge

Wedging the ax - a guarantee of a firm fit

Wedging serves to enhance the reliability of fastening the metal part of the ax to the ax handle. The safety of working with this tool depends on this. Wedging is carried out by driving into end part wedge handles made of hardwood (oak, walnut, yew, etc.). Accordingly, the volume of the landing part of the ax handle increases and “tightly” sits down in the eye.

For the manufacture of a wedge, a wooden, well-dried plank about 5-10 mm thick is used. The working part of the wedge is equal to the depth of cut. Using a rasp, the wedge is cut so that its sides are parallel to each other. Only the very end is machined with a double-sided chamfer. The thickness of the wedge near the chamfer should exceed the width of the cut by 1 mm, at the end of the working part - by 2 mm.

Scheme of the wedge used for wedging an ax handle

To drive a wedge, the ax is placed vertically on a hard surface (table, anvil, etc.). With a chisel, the groove of the cut is expanded, a wedge is installed and hammered into it. Before driving, you can lubricate the wedge with glue (without a rubber component) - to prevent it from being pushed out of the cut and a more secure fit.

Groove extensions for easier wedge driving

Wedging an ax with one wedge is a popular and reliable option

Wedging with one wedge is not the only possible variant. Some masters prefer to use large quantity wedges, for example, two or five. In the latter case, the first wedge is driven into the longitudinal groove at the end of the ax handle (as when wedging with one wedge), and then the remaining four are driven in perpendicular to the first. How to put an ax on an ax handle, and then wedging is shown in detail in the video plot:

Proper technology for sharpening an ax blade

A do-it-yourself ax blade will perform its function only if the sharpening angle and bevel width are maintained correctly.

The sharpening angle affects the convenience of the ax and the degree of its functionality. If you plan to cut wet, freshly cut wood, then the sharpening angle should be approximately 20 °. If dry trees, then 25-30 °.

The width of the bevel is also very important, but in ready-made blades, change it to the usual home master not under power. However, there is a way out: grind off the ax blade with a double “descent”. The first corner is turned at 15°, the second at 25° (average value).

Ax sharpening: a - sharpening angle, b - chamfer width (should exceed the thickness of the blade by 2.5-3 times)

The ax is sharpened on an electric grinder. At the same time, they make sure that the blade does not overheat much - this leads to a deterioration in hardness near cutting edge. Therefore, taking up the sharpening process, you should put a container of water next to the grinder to cool the metal. It is advisable to immerse the blade in water after each pass along the circle.

It is necessary to reduce the runout of the grinding wheel to a minimum by regularly dressing with special cutters. When sharpening, hold the ax so that the blade is directed towards the rotation of the electric grinder. The butt is held at 45 °. The blade is sharpened by smoothly moving the ax along the circle. The sharpening angle is carefully sharpened, the chamfer is polished.

Sharpening an ax on an electric grinder allows you to quickly get a sharp blade

The final sharpening of the ax (grinding) is carried out using a whetstone, regularly wetted with water. Instead of a bar, you can use a piece of plywood glued with sandpaper. Remember that working with a sharp ax is a pleasure, while a blunt tool will force you to put in more effort, leading to quick fatigue.

Quality hand tool is one of important criteria its assessment when choosing. A practical, convenient and reliable tool significantly increases labor productivity, facilitates the process itself and eliminates the possibility of injury. This is especially true for such a tool as an ax.

Its use provides for the presence of an intense dynamic load, which is characterized by a special injury risk. With inept handling of the tool, the ax often flies off the handle and injures the worker. To prevent this from happening, you must first learn how to plant an ax on an ax handle.

About varieties

Today there are about ten varieties of chopping tools. And before putting an ax on an ax handle, it is necessary to determine what type it belongs to: carpentry, combat, tourist, or is it a woodcutter's tool. Although all axes consist of a handle and a metal part, each type of tool differs in its purpose and structural features. Apply to each special recommendations regarding how to properly plant an ax on an ax handle. The photo below, for example, presents the features of fastening the metal part to the handle in a carpenter's ax. In other types of weapons, it is somewhat different.

How are the axes attached?

There are several methods for attaching the handle to the metal part:

Welding. Provides reliability and durability of the tool.
Manufacture of an ax in the form of a solid tool. Characterized by rigidity and strong recoil.
Gluing method in a special chamber using epoxy materials. For ax handles apply polymer materials which are very difficult to glue at home. Drying chambers are required for such work.
Putting the metal part on the handle with further wedging. This connection method is considered the most ideal for doing at home.

To successfully complete the work, you need good qualifications, time and an idea of \u200b\u200bhow to plant an ax on an ax handle. Samomus can cope with this if you have the skills and necessary tools. In case of failure, if the metal chopping part is not securely attached to the handle or the structure has loosened over time, the procedure of mounting and wedging should be repeated again.

How to plant an ax on an ax handle?

Despite the seeming simplicity of connecting with the help of pushing and wedging, this work is not easy to do. It has its own nuances that should be taken into account. To facilitate the process, professional carpenters recommend following step by step instructions, which contains the following steps:

preparation for work;
manufacturing of steel and wooden products for wedging;
planting and wedging.

Start. Preparatory stage

Before starting work, you must:

Buy an axe. As a material for its manufacture, according to experienced carpenters, dried birch is ideal. This tree is very popular, as it has all the necessary properties for this. When choosing a handle, you need to consider the thickness of the product and its shape.
It is recommended to check the handle for a comfortable grip. Ignoring this aspect will lead to the need to perform unnatural compensatory power movements during felling, and this, in turn, is fraught with rapid fatigue.
Fit the acquired ax to the eye of the ax. The job is to use a knife or other woodworking tool to trim the handle to the desired shape (straight or conical). Tapered lugs are considered the best as they provide a very secure fit.
Make a cut at the top of the handle. this work performed at the end. A cut is a longitudinal groove, which is performed using You can make one (along the end) or several cuts (three side and one longitudinal). It depends on how the master decides to plant the ax. According to professionals, the most effective is a longitudinal cut with four side cuts. An important nuance at this stage, the width and depth of the cut are considered. The resulting groove must be hidden in the eye, otherwise, when wedging or during operation of the ax, its handle may split. The width must match the thickness of the wedges. But at the same time, they should not enter the cuts either too easily (the sawing procedure loses its meaning) or tight, since this can lead to splitting of the ax handle.
Before you put the ax on the handle, you need to align the axis of the blade and the axis of the handle in the same plane.

Wedge preparation

Reliable fastening of the chopping element with a handle is possible under the condition of high-quality wedging. To do this, the master will need wooden and metal wedges.

You can buy them at a hardware store or make your own. The shape and dimensions of the wedges must correspond to the type of cut and the material from which the ax handle is made. For wooden wedge suitable wood dried birch. For metal product hard tin (shovel shovel) is suitable.

driving

Often beginner home craftsmen ask questions: how to properly plant an ax on an ax handle, how to hammer wooden and steel wedges?

Hammering is an easy process. This work should be started if the handle and wedges are already fully prepared.

The first to score the longitudinal is performed with light hammer blows. It is undesirable to knock hard, as this can flatten the tree, reducing the stability of the connection. After the wedge fills the cut with itself, the remains must be carefully cut using a hacksaw blade. The work is considered successful if, during the test, the ax mounted on the handle holds firmly and does not stagger.

wedging

According to the belief of beginners, wooden wedges should be from the same wood as the ax handle. But it's not.

First of all, wood must be durable.
The direction of the fibers must also be taken into account. It should be parallel to the narrowing of the wedge. This direction will prevent the latter from breaking when driven into the cut. A broken wedge does not perform high-quality expansion of the ax handle to the sides. Wedging is considered successful when the wedge has completely filled the entire space of the cut and it is impossible to remove it.
In the manufacture of wedges, it is important that the dimensions of the transverse products correspond to the size of the eye.
In some cases, the lug may have gaps. You can fix them with gauze or bandage soaked in the material protects the wood from getting wet and performs a reinforcing function. To perform reinforcement, it is necessary to wrap several layers of gauze around the upper part of the handle before inserting the ax. The resin is poured into the cuts and fills all the existing voids and cracks. After it hardens, the wedges are clogged. At the same time, wooden wedges are driven first, and after that, iron wedges. The distance between them should be at least 0.3 cm. The iron wedge at the end is bent with one edge so as to cover the wooden one.

Which side to put the ax on the handle?

Features of planting an ax depend on its shape. For standard products of Soviet production, the conical shape of the chopping part is characteristic. This enhances its wedging qualities and eliminates errors when mounted on the handle.

According to the rules, you need to put on an ax in such a way that the wedge and the end of the handle protrude 0.5 cm beyond the eye. This is possible if the ax is planted with its narrow part towards the wedge, and its wide part towards the ax handle. With this mounting, the worker can, if necessary, put the loose chopping part back into place by tapping the ax on something hard. After that, you need to re-drive the wedge, but deeper.

In carpentry, reverse ax landing is often used. It is necessary in those rare cases, if the ax is used not as the main tool, but as auxiliary tool in order to trim or trim something. The reverse method of the nozzle is mainly used for sledgehammers and splitters. They do not have wedges. The entire load goes to the extreme part of the handle, which holds the metal part of the ax.

In conclusion

Depending on what shape the metal chopping part is chosen, it is decided which side to put the ax on the ax handle. It is important that the tool is comfortable and ergonomic.

Following the step-by-step instructions, you can quickly prepare the ax for work yourself.

For those who live in own house, it is often necessary in the country and on hikes such a tool as a taiga ax. Work tool good quality is expensive and hard to find.

An ax from the market is not always of good quality. Therefore, we will make our own ax using improvised means.

Varieties of axes

Consider the variations of axes:

A cleaver is a heavy conical axe. Due to the large weight, it is well suited for cutting large, hard rock tree.
Carpentry - small weight and size, has a pointed blade. Used with careful, precise, neat work with wood.
Taiga - suitable for felling trees, harvesting trees, building a hut, removing bark, branches.
Tsalda - designed to clean the area from shrubs.
Kitchen (cooking) - designed only for chopping bones. It is a small hatchet, with a short handle and a large "blade".
Lesorubsky - used only for cutting trees. Consists of a long ax handle and a wide one, sharp blade.

Of all the above species, the taiga ax is more necessary and more useful than all.

Distinctive features taiga ax:

Light weight.
A small area of the piercing surface (makes it possible to drive it as deep as possible into the wood).
Specific sharpening of the blade (the rear edge is much smaller, thinner than the front.

This feature is designed to be used this species an ax like a cleaver (if the blow is struck correctly. An ordinary ax has a blade of the same shape for precise work with a tree).

Making a taiga ax

Handle material

The function of the ax is primarily affected by its shape and length. The handle should be curved, and the section should be oval.

For the handle, species of trees such as maple, oak, ash, birch are best suited. Since these types of wood tolerate vibration well upon impact.

Wood harvesting starts in autumn

Dry in a dark place. Before use, wood must be stored for about one year, and preferably five.

Only felled wood is not advisable to use as it will dry out over time and will not hold in the eye.

Create a cardboard template

On a large cardboard sheet, we outline the shape of the handle and apply it to wooden blank. The template will help us make a more accurate handle.

Handle material preparation

A one-year-old wood block is hewn parallel to the fibers. The blank for the handle should be longer than the template. We make the place that is inserted into the eyelet wider than the main part.

On both sides we circle the attached drawing, while not forgetting to leave allowances. After that they inserted upper part into the eye, remove excess wood.

Steps to cut an ax handle

Before cutting the handle, you need to make transverse cuts, but so that they do not reach the line of the future handle by about 4-5 mm. With the help of a chisel, we remove the remains of wood and excess allowances.

Ore transitions and corners are performed by turning with a rasp. After the workpiece is done, we bring the sandpaper to smoothness.

Buying a stabbing part for a taiga hatchet

It is unrealistic to make a blade in a domestic setting. In this case, here is a list of what you need to focus on when buying it on the market or in a hardware store:

The presence of GOST marking (indicates the quality of steel);
The hole for the handle (eye) must be cone-shaped;
The blade is smooth, without defects;

Collecting an ax

We cut the upper part of the handle along and across.
Cut into five pieces of hard wood.
We wrap the top of the handle with gauze soaked in resin for better entry into the hole in the blade.
Using a hammer, drive in the handle.
Hammer the prepared pieces into the cuts at the top of the ax handle.
After the structure dries, cut off the protruding parts of the wooden pieces.

Note!

Sharpening the stabbing part of the taiga ax

A properly sharpened blade gives excellent performance of the hatchet. In accordance with the activity that you will perform with an ax, the sharpening angle depends.

The sharpening of the taiga ax is performed at an angle of 30-35 ̊. If they will perform work with fresh wood, then we sharpen at an angle of 25 ̊.

If you use a grinding wheel for sharpening, then the ax handle must be held at an angle of 40-45 ̊. We reproduce the sharpening slowly, carefully.

If you have everything in stock the right tools, a photo step by step manufacturing ax, then its creation will not take a lot of time, effort and money, and in return you will receive a high-quality ax made by yourself.

But do not forget that with a piercing part made of high-quality metal, the ax will last much longer and if the handle is treated with linseed oil, then it will not rot and deteriorate.

DIY ax photo

Note!

In every country house there are a number of necessary tools for various works. An ax is required to build a house, chop wood or butcher meat. You can buy it at the store or make your own. The purchased tool may be inconvenient or unreliable, and this is not safe. The tool, made by hand, is particularly convenient and reliable. Before you make an ax handle with your own hands at home, you need to know what an ax looks like, what parts it consists of, and decide on its purpose.

Types of axes

The tool is usually classified according to the type of handle.

In addition to the main axes, there are tools designed for special works. This includes: a cleaver, carpentry, large carpentry, sculptural ax, as well as figured tools and an ax for concave surfaces.

Self-made ax

Components of an ax: an ax handle, a metal sheet and wedges. How easy and convenient it will be to work with the tool depends on the length and shape of its handle, called an ax handle. Let's see how to do it right and right size. To do this, you need to select the material and extrude the workpiece according to the template.

Homemade product impregnated protective agent, this will help protect the ax from rotting. Impregnation is done in several layers of drying oil or linseed oil. Each subsequent layer must be completely saturated. Coating products with varnishes and paints is not recommended. They will give the handle a sliding effect, and the ax will constantly begin to slip during operation. Sometimes a bright dye is added to the impregnation. Tool handle acquires bright color, and this is good when work is carried out in overgrown areas. The ax will always be visible and will not be lost.

Choosing a metal nozzle

It is impossible to forge metal tightly with your own hands, so they buy it in hardware store. Tips for choosing a stabbing part:

A high-quality blade should be solid, without nicks, chips and dents.
Metal is marked according to GOST.
The ends of the butt should be perpendicular to the blade.
The eyelet must be cone-shaped.

Attachment of an ax on an ax handle

The process is carried out in several stages, such as fitting, planting and wedging.

You can eliminate the cracks that occur when fitting a metal sheet using epoxy resin. It is poured into the cuts before driving the wedges. The resin will dry in a day. And only then you can saw off the protruding part.

Blade sharpening and hardening

Performance tools depend on a sharp blade. Therefore, you need to know how to sharpen an ax correctly. For each type of work, its own blade processing angle is selected.

Sharpening is done on an electric grinding wheel, smoothly moving the blade along the circle at an angle of 45 degrees. To ensure that the quality of the cutting edge does not deteriorate, the blade must not be allowed to overheat. To do this, a container with water is installed near the grinder. The blade is periodically lowered into it for cooling. At the end of the work, the blade is polished. To do this, use a whetstone or sandpaper.

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