How to make knives and axes. From the bar-blank to the careful hewing of the ax handle. Preparing the ax head

An ax is one of the most common types of edged weapons in antiquity. It was much cheaper and more practical than a sword, which took great amount scarce iron, and in terms of combat effectiveness was in no way inferior to him. An ideal example of this kind of weapon is the Viking axes, which will be discussed in this article.

Where did they go

Where did combat and utility knives come from? Ancient axes were very remotely similar to their modern “descendants”: forget about the pieces of sharpened flint screwed to the shaft with ropes! Much more often they looked like a drilled cobblestone impaled on a stick. Simply put, initially axes were not at all chopping, but crushing weapons.

And it's justified. Imagine a relatively thin, chipped plate of flint: what will happen to it if the owner hits the shield, wood or stone? That's right, it will be possible to say goodbye to weapons, since this mineral is very brittle. And this is in the middle of a fight! So a stone planted on a strong shaft is a much more reliable weapon. And the ax in its modern form could appear only after humanity had mastered the basics of metalworking.

Basic information

Contrary to popular belief, Viking axes, even the most menacing ones, were never heavy. Maximum - 600 grams, no more. In addition, the shaft was never bound with iron! First, the metal used to be extremely expensive. Secondly, it made the ax heavier, and a massive weapon in a long battle could lead to the death of the owner.

Another misconception of modernity is "an ax is a weapon of commoners." Like, all the "self-respecting" leaders of the Vikings used swords. This is from the category of Hollywood myths about the Vikings. The ax is much more practical, simpler, it is not so a pity to lose it in the heat of battle. A good sword made of “good” iron was so expensive that archaeologists have so far been able to find only single copies of such weapons.

Confirmation of this is the found graves of military leaders and high-ranking "inhabitants". They sometimes found entire arsenals, among which there were many axes. So this weapon is indeed universal, it was used by both ordinary soldiers and their commanders.

The appearance of two-handed axes

But the favorite "toy" of the northern peoples was the legendary brodax, also known as a two-handed ax on a long shaft (that's what the Viking ax is called, by the way). In periodicals, it is often called the "Danish ax", but the name is not very true, since it does not fully convey the very essence of this weapon. Brodax's "finest hour" came in the 11th century. Then people who are armed with it could be found from Karelia to Britain.

In full accordance with the ancient sagas, the Vikings simply loved to give their weapons sublime and epic names. For example, "Friend of the Shield", "War Witch", "Wound Wound". Of course, only the best and highest quality samples were awarded such an attitude.

What was the difference between two-handed axes?

In appearance, the blades of the brodaxes were very large and massive, but this impression is only partly true. The blade of such axes was significantly thinned during manufacture in order to save precious weight. But the “ax” itself could indeed be large: the distance from one tip of the blade to the other often reached 30 cm, and despite the fact that the “working body” of the Viking ax almost always had a significant bend. Such weapons inflicted terrible wounds.

Handles for a reliable swing had to be large ... and they really were! The “average” brodax, rested on the ground with a shaft, reached the chin of a standing warrior, but more “epic” samples were often encountered. These axes were extremely powerful weapons, but they still had one serious drawback. Since the shaft had to be held with both hands, the warrior was automatically left without the protection of the shield. That is why the “classic” one-handed axes of the Vikings occupied far from the last place in the life of the latter.

Influence on the military affairs of the Slavs

Many similar weapons were found near and on the territory of our country. Brodaxes come across especially a lot, and such finds are most typical for Leningrad region. Approximately in the XII-XIII century, the situation in those parts becomes less "tense", and the list of standard weapons is gradually changing. Viking axes with wide blades are gradually "transformed" into relatively harmless household equipment.

By the way, according to historians and archaeologists, it was during the period of maximum distribution of brodaks in Russia that a real “boom” in the development of domestic weapons thought of those years occurred. Battle axes in Russia, created under the influence of the Varangians, absorbed all the best from European, Asian and Scythian designs. Why are we paying attention to this? It's simple: the descendants of the Normans will later like the evolved Russian axes.

Combined models

Exactly Kievan Rus gave a second life combined options, with a striker on the butt. Such weapons were once highly quoted by the Scythians. It is these axes that in the 10-11 centuries the Vikings will “take over”, and from our country this weapon will begin its march through the countries Western Europe. It should be noted that initially the Vikings used a pick with a simple, round or mushroom-shaped section.

But already in the 12th century, battle axes in Russia acquired a coin square shape. This evolution is quite simple to explain: if initially the military people dressed in chain mail and other light armor, then over time the armor became more and more serious. It was necessary to break through it, and so there were klevtsy and "punches" with a pronounced faceted section. Most prominent representative Varangian-Russian axes is the hatchet of Andrei Bogolyubsky. Most likely, it never belonged to the prince himself, but it was made just in the historical period we are describing.

Weapons of the "modern Vikings"

Today, by the way, modern replicas of these weapons are being produced. Where can you buy such an ax? Kizlyar ("Viking" - one of the most popular models) - this is the new "homeland" of excellent weapons. If you are one of the enthusiastic reenactors, then best choice you won't find it anywhere else.

Why not a sword?

As we have already noted, the ax is often perceived by the layman as a weapon of a lumberjack and a master, but not a warrior. Theoretically, this assumption has some logical reasons: firstly, these weapons are much easier to manufacture. Secondly, even a more or less tolerable mastery of a sword required at least ten years, while the ax was with a person at that time all the time, and the improvement in the skills of its use took place, so to speak, “on the job”.

But this point of view is only partly true. Almost the only factor in choosing a weapon was its combat practicality. Many historians believe that the ax was displaced by the sword due to its great weight. And this is also not entirely true. Firstly, the weight of the Viking ax only slightly exceeded the mass of the battle sword (or even less - the mass of the ax itself was no more than 600 grams). Secondly, swinging the sword also required a lot of space.

Most likely, in the historical perspective, the ax gave way due to advances in metallurgy. There was more steel, warriors could be provided large quantity albeit inferior, but technological and cheap swords, the technique of combat use of which was much simpler and did not require such significant physical data from the "user". It must be remembered that the fights of that time were by no means elegant fencing, the matter was decided by two or three blows, the better-trained person had the advantage, and therefore both the ax and the sword were equivalent weapons in this regard.

Economic importance

But we should not forget about another reason for the popularity of axes. The Viking ax (whose name is brodax) also had a purely economic importance. Simply put, it is unlikely that it will be possible to build a fortified camp with the same sword; Considering that most of their lives the Vikings were on campaigns, and at home they were engaged in quite peaceful affairs, the choice of the ax was more than justified because of its high practicality.

Ax as a weapon of noble warriors

Judging by the annals and finds of archaeologists, this type of weapon was very popular among the Scandinavian warriors. So, notorious in his time, King Olaf the Holy was the owner of a battle ax with the expressive name "Hel". So, by the way, the ancient Scandinavians called Eirik, the son had the respectful nickname "Bloody ax", which quite transparently hints at his preferences in the field of choosing weapons.

There are frequent references to "axes lined with silver" in written sources, and in last years scientists have found many archaeological artifacts that testify to the truth of these words. Such, in particular, was the famous Mamenna ax, on the surface of which amazing and beautiful patterns are visible, formed by a hammered silver thread. Naturally, such weapons were of status and emphasized the high position of the owner in society.

The burial of Sutton Hoo also testifies to the great reverence for battle axes, as many richly decorated axes were found in it. Judging by the luxury of this burial ground, one of the outstanding military leaders of the Angles or Saxons was probably buried there. What is characteristic: the deceased himself was buried "in an embrace" with an ax, on which there are practically no decorations. This is purely so that during his lifetime this man clearly preferred axes.

sacred meaning

There is another circumstance indicating the reverence with which the northerners treated the axes. Archaeological and written sources unambiguously indicate that the Viking "axe" tattoo was extremely common precisely in the period from the 10th to the 15th centuries. This weapon, one way or another, appeared in almost all combat patterns with which professional warriors adorned their bodies.

It is also worth noting that the Viking Ax amulet was no less common. Almost every second neck pendant included a miniature figurine of an axe. It was believed that such an ornament bestows the strength, power and mind of a real warrior.

Self-manufacturing

If you are a professional reenactor, then perfect choice can become an ax "Viking" (production of Kizlyar). But such a “toy” is not too cheap, and therefore many lovers of medieval weapons may have the idea of self-manufacturing this weapon. How realistic is this? Is it possible to make a Viking ax with your own hands?

Yes, it is quite possible. An ordinary ax can serve as the basis for an ancient weapon, from which everything superfluous is simply cut off with the help of a grinder. After that, using the same angle grinder, the entire surface is carefully polished, on which there should not be any burrs and protruding pieces of metal.

Other remarks

As you can see, making a Viking ax with your own hands is relatively easy, and high costs it won't require. The disadvantage of this method is that the resulting tool will only have a decorative function, since they will no longer be able to perform chores.

To create an authentic sample, you will have to use the help of a professional blacksmith, since only forging will allow you to get a truly fully functional ax, an analogue of those axes that the Vikings once fought with. Here's how to make a Viking Axe.

The ax is one of the oldest tools used by man in his activities. He has come a long way, accompanying the evolution of man from the stone great-grandfather to modern product made of the highest quality steel. The scope of this tool has the widest range as on any kind industrial productions as well as for home use. The need for its use will not decrease in the near future.

Tool classification

Depending on the application, they may have different shape designs and size.

The specialization of this tool can be classified as follows:

1. Lumberjack ax.
2. Large and small carpenter's ax.
3. Cleaver for cutting firewood.
4. Tourist or hunting camp hatchet.
5. Hatchet for the kitchen.
6. All kinds of souvenir axes imitating ancient military weapons.
7. Sports tomahawk for throwing at targets.
8. Firemen's axe.
9. Butcher's ax.

Some design differences

Specialization may give rise to some design differences axes, but basically any of them consists of two parts: a working chopping metal part and a handle attached to it, called an ax handle. The hatchet is mainly made of wood.

Some tourist and kitchen designs can be made entirely of metal with wooden or plastic overlays to give the flat metal handle the desired shape.

The lumberjack tool is distinguished by a rounded blade and an elongated ax handle. It is most often used for harvesting brushwood from branches. For the preparation of firewood from logs is used special kind ax cleavers. Its metal part is more massive than that of ordinary axes, and has a more obtuse angle of the pointed chopping part.

A longer ax handle also has a firefighter's gun. In addition, for such axes, the back side of the metal part, called the butt, can also differ significantly. At conventional tools it is simply flat, and for firefighters this part can be made in the form of a hook or a sharp narrow wedge.

The butt of a kitchen ax is usually made in the form of a hammer for beating meat, and an ax handle with a round cross section is made on lathe.

carpentry axes

This type of ax is probably the most used in the world. Even with modern technologies no construction can do without such an ancient tool. Its versatility is unique.

Carpenter's axes are large, they are used for cutting logs, for making all kinds of notches during construction wooden houses and other structures.

Small hatchets that are used for smaller jobs.

The chopping blade of a carpenter's ax is usually straight and very sharp.

Hatchet happens various kinds. Its shape as a whole depends on the personal preferences of the owner, aimed mainly at the convenience of working with such a tool. Often good ax- the face of a carpenter, as a specialist. good master cherishes this instrument more than any other. Therefore, he never uses a purchased ax handle, but makes it personally for himself. However, in skillful hands it is very rare to change it.

Manufacturing methods

For ordinary person you have to use an ax most often when working in a summer cottage. Here, along with the work inherent in such a tool, not very skilled workers are used for various works. Therefore, ax handles, as a rule, do not withstand prolonged use, and they have to be changed quite often.

The most suitable material for the handle is birch. It is a durable, relatively light and smooth material to work with. For zealous owners, it will be useful to place birch bars to dry. Birch should be dried for a long time, at least 3-5 years, and always outside the impact sun rays. To make a good ax handle, you need exactly well-dried birch. Otherwise, it will dry out in the ax itself, the handle will begin to dangle, which can lead to significant inconvenience in work and injury.

There are several various ways how to make an ax correctly. But all of them can be divided depending on the technological equipment:

1. With the help of electric woodworking mechanisms ( a circular saw, planer, various types of grinding).
2. Manually from finished boards using a planer, rasp, and so on.
3. Handmade from birch logs.
4. With a minimum of tools.

Technological production of an ax handle

First of all, the necessary workpiece is cut on woodworking machines. All its dimensions (width, thickness and length) are made with a small margin for further adjustment.

The thickness and width are determined by the dimensions of the inlet of the ax, which is called the eyelet and is located at the bottom. It must be remembered that the upper outlet is much wider than the lower one, and it is impossible to confuse them when making measurements.

For the convenience of further processing, it is advisable to plan the workpiece on planer to make its section close to a triangular shape with an acute angle at the bottom of the future ax handle. Using a cardboard template, a drawing of an ax handle of the selected shape is applied to the workpiece. The template can be made by making a drawing according to the dimensions of an old broken tool, or you can find suitable shape ax handles in the sources of specialized literature or the Internet.

It is most convenient to cut rounded places using electric jigsaw. Next, smooth all the corners with a wide chisel and do a preliminary grinding of the product. It is not worth processing it completely to working condition, because when it is directly connected to the metal part of the tool, when significant efforts and shocks are applied, the tree can split, and all the work on final fine-tuning will be done in vain.

Mechanical grinding should be done on a flat surface. It is not effective to use an ordinary stone grinding disc. It is better to make a special disc, with the same hole in the center as the corresponding grindstone.

The material for the circle is best used from solid electrically insulating plastic, at least 5 mm thick. Sandpaper is glued onto it with PVA glue. You should know that paper should only be used waterproof. A simple one will quickly break. In addition, a circle pasted over with waterproof sandpaper can be washed from plaque. wood dust hot water. Therefore, if such a circle is made of plywood, then washing it will be problematic. Plywood can warp when exposed to water.

On such a circle it will be convenient to grind even and convex parts of the ax handle, especially the part that is inserted inside the ax. This must be done very evenly so as not to weaken the thickness of the wooden part.

For grinding internal roundings, it is good to have a vertical grinding. Equipment for it can also be made independently. To do this, you need to turn a wooden cylinder on a lathe with a through inner hole corresponding to the shaft of the engine used, and glue it on the outside with waterproof sandpaper.

The finished cylinder should be tightly put on the shaft of a vertically mounted engine. For grinding the ax handle, the diameter of the cylinder is not so important, but the wall thickness from the inner hole to outer surface should be quite massive, at least 10-15 mm.

Ax head

The upper edge of the ax handle, which should be inserted into the ax, is made slightly tapered so that it fits tightly enough. Before that, perpendicular lines are drawn on the end centerlines so that in the process of work, focusing on their location, do not mow the workpiece in any direction.

Before the final planting of the ax, a wedge cut is made. Its depth should not exceed the width of the ax itself.

How to properly put an ax on an ax is shown in the figure:

It is permissible to make a wooden wedge from another, softer wood species, which is more susceptible to compression than birch. So that the wedge does not jump out of the ax handle even with the slightest drying out, it is advisable to lubricate it waterproof glue. This is necessary in case the ax falls into the water.

After the wooden one, you can additionally wedge it with a metal wedge. Such wedges are specially forged in the forge, making notches along its edges for better grip with the tree.

It happens that the upper hole of the ax is larger than the lower one, not only in thickness, but also in width. Small gaps remain on the side of the inserted ax handle, into which additional wooden wedges also have to be driven.

If the connection of the ax with the ax handle went well, they proceed to the final finishing of the tree with the help of finer-grained sandpaper. This process is done manually.

Making an ax by hand

With the seeming complexity of this process, it is quite within the power of a more or less master owner to make an ax handle without the use of electrified equipment. Especially if there are boards of the right size available. If there are no boards, then the blank on the ax handle can be pricked out of a birch log. A log for these purposes should be selected, if possible, without knots and with a straight-layer structure.

To grind an ax with a sandpaper, it must be fixed in a vise. From emery material cut into narrow rather long strips. It will be very convenient for them to carry out the grinding process by winding the strips around the ax handle and moving the ends of the tape back and forth. In this position working surface sandpaper fits snugly to the workpiece without special efforts from the side of man.

Working with purchased ax handles

If a person does not want to bother with making an ax handle on his own, there are always ready-made samples on sale. Of course, serious manufacturers similar details they know well how to make an ax handle correctly. But still, when buying it, you should follow some rules so as not to make mistakes. First of all, you should very carefully measure the inlet of the existing ax. Differences in size for different axes are sometimes very significant and individual, especially if this tool was taken from grandfather's stocks. The main condition is that the dimensions of the acquired ax handle should not be less than the required values.

You should also pay attention to the quality of the wood of the finished ax handle. The density of the structure, the presence of cracks and the possibility of chipping during its installation.

Working with a purchased ax handle will be limited to fitting its end part, which directly enters the eye.

Sharpening and operation

Carpenter's axes require the most thorough sharpening. It's okay if the sharpness of these tools allows you to sharpen a pencil or even make a toothpick.

Before sharpening the cutting edge of the ax, it is necessary to check the hardness of the metal and, if it turns out to be too soft, it will be necessary to additionally harden the ax with high temperatures. It is best to do this in the forge, trusting a professional specialist.

The tool blade is sharpened after it is connected to a wooden handle.

Like an ax, the figure below explains.

Useful Instruction

Proper use of an ax can be described by following some basic rules:

1. Try not to cut metal products.
2. Carefully check the treated wood for the presence of foreign solid objects in its body.
3. Do not use the tool in a capacity that is not inherent to it: as a lever, chopper or shovel.
4. Do not drop the tool on a hard surface, especially from a great height.
5. Do not store it for a long time in an open place exposed to sunlight or in a very humid place.

With care, the ax and its wooden handle will serve for a long time and please their owner.

A wooden handle for an ax (axe handle) is a responsible product, and therefore a lot is taken into account in its manufacture - the material (grade and moisture content of wood), the direction of the fibers, the type of ax (carpentry, joinery or cleaver) The safety and ergonomics of the finished ax depend on the correct manufacture.

For carpentry and carpentry axes, the ax handle is made depending on the weight of the piece of iron. For axes weighing up to a kilogram, the length of the handle is 40-60 centimeters, one and a half kilograms and more - 55-65 centimeters.

The most suitable wood for ax handles is birch, oak, ash, maple. Any tree for an ax is dried not less than a year in natural conditions (not dryers) in the shade of well-ventilated areas.

We don't have oak, ash or maple, we won't talk about the quality of ax handles made from them. But I made more than a dozen ax handles from birch, and I will talk about it. By the way, those who worked with ax handles from different types of wood claim that only birch "does not dry" the worker's hand, because of the viscosity of the fibers.

Birch harvesting for handles of axes, hammers, knives and other things hand tool, conducted in winter period, at the very least in early spring before the start of sap flow.

The basal (butt) part of the tree comes into play. The birch chock splits into chopping blocks. It is split and not sawn along, in order to see the natural direction of the fibers, and in accordance with this, further workpieces are made.

Bars with a cross section of approximately 70-80 mm are pierced from the blocks. by 120-150 mm. and clean to dry. During the drying process, the birch will shrink across the fibers and the workpiece will become smaller. The blanks are dried for at least two years in a ventilated room without being exposed to sunshine(usually in the attic)

We put a well-dried billet on one side, see if there are any cracks. If everything is in order, we derive the total thickness of the two layers of 45 millimeters.

We put the workpiece on the face and orient the template relative to the fibers

Ax handle templates, their dimensions - length, thickness, cross-section at the main points, also differ in the purpose of the axes themselves -

On the end part of the workpiece, we outline the shape of the ax eye with a pencil along its inner part, aligning it with the exit of the fastening part according to the template.

Now produces a rough processing of the workpiece according to the template. This can be done with another ax and a wide chisel, I just cut it out with an electric jigsaw along the contour. And there are fewer chips, there is no load on the tree from impacts, and it looks more cultured.

We round the corners of the handle, in the upper part of it in a semicircle, and towards the bottom a little on a cone. It is this form of "inverted drop" that is most comfortable for the hand. Now let's put a piece of iron on the ax handle.

The ax attachment is made "in tension".

Wedge, I personally make for a birch ax from a pine resin board. Holds up great. One wedge is enough if the birch handle is very well dried and no longer dries out.

Having planted the ax, twist it in your hands, remove with a large file those places where the ax is not comfortable in the palm of your hand. Do not worry that you will move away from "standards" and "templates" if you make an ax for yourself. Let it be at least three times unsightly, but if it lies perfectly in your hand, then you will be less tired and productivity will increase, and the mood from working with an ax, which is an extension of the hand, will be good.

After the hatchet is ready and planted. Treat it with linseed drying oil, preheating it. I soak on hot only carpenter's axes. Carpenters are almost always indoors. I simply wipe the handles of the cleavers several times with light transformer oil.

Well, of course, every carpenter and joiner, over time, displays for himself the most optimal shape of the ax handle, with the desired placement of the center of gravity, length and thickness of the handle. There are a lot of options, as well as masters. However, GOST did not bypass this very right tool -

The ax is considered an equally important tool in household, during a simple hike or hunt, like a knife. It is not always possible to take it if people are going to hike light, but for such a case there is different types this fixture. You can find out how to create axes of various types below.

battle ax

The combat product is distinguished by the presence of a small butt and a small, simple blade. This is a fairly light standard hatchet with dimensions up to 0.8 kg on a long handle (from 0.5 m and more). The product comes in different types.

In order to make this ax, you need to work with a standard carpenter's blade. The top piece will have to be cut off to create a straight line. The bottom edge of the chopping head is removed with a hook, and a simple blade is rounded from below.

Next, the surface of the device is cleaned to a shine and burned with a flame of fire. The nozzle of this product should be such that the bottom edge of the blade and the tip of the ax handle are connected by a certain line, which will help to avoid auxiliary loads on the handle.

The best material for creating an ax would be butt of a simple birch. On the ax handle, where the loop of the head will end, it is necessary to make a hole obliquely, and then create a slot for the wedge near the created hole. Then the head must be planted on the ax handle, and a wedge smeared with glue should be driven into the slot.

wood product

A wooden hatchet cannot be compared with the work of an iron one. but sometimes you really need it. Due to its light weight, it is easy to take it on a hike to cut simple branches, and it can also be used as a weapon for training or at home.

How to create this product? The ax handle and the head can be made both individually and as a whole structure. The material is selected strong, dry, without fibers. It is worth taking oak or maple.

To create a blade and an ax handle in a separate process, you will need 2 chocks, sawn in half, on which a template is placed. Then they just stick together and connect completely. The blade of the device must be sharpened and burned with a flame or covered with a plate of steel made in accordance with its bend.

Ax for hunting

A hunting tool must have excellent handle balance. to make the right shots. It is best to use an all-metal fixture, because the likelihood that the ax handle will fall apart when cutting a carcass or when cutting the bones of an animal will decrease. If there is no chance to forge such a product, you can make it yourself from a blade and a wooden ax handle.

Before creating an ax created for hunting or fishing trips, it is necessary to make a thin wedge-shaped blade. The blade is processed with a small abrasive disk, you need to try to give it round shape(but not like a semicircle) and not overdo it with sharpness.

Then you need to temper the iron. To create an ax handle, a special birch, mountain ash or elm is used. To find out the correct length of the ax handle, you need to take it by one end, while the particle with the nozzle for the product should touch the ankle. When putting the blade on the part, its end must be wedged for better fixation. After that, an oblique cut is made and a wedge is placed.

It's great if the wedge is created from the same material as the ax handle. It can be put on glue, and if the inside of the butt is loosened, the problem will be quickly solved if the device is soaked in some water. Do not use a wedge made of metal, because it will begin to rust and spoil the tree.

For hunting birds and small game, an ax handle is created light, weighing up to a thousand grams, up to sixty centimeters long. To hunt a large animal, its length must be at least 65 centimeters, and its weight must be one thousand grams. You also need to look at the height and weight of the person who hunts.

Hand ax handle

Drawings are primarily required to create this product. This is a very important device that is easy to make. In order to make it, you will need:

• Wood preparation.
• Knife.
• Carpentry tool.
• Cutting fixture.
• Pencil.
• File.
• Hammer.

The creation process itself will be performed in a specific order:

• Create a template on paper. The ax handle of the finished fixture is placed on cardboard and circled with a simple pencil. Cut out.
• A bar is made from dried wood. That particle of the workpiece, on which the ax part will be placed, must exceed the dimensions of the metal eye by two or three mm.
• The contours of the template are transferred to a wood blank. It is worth leaving a margin of ten mm in the front, and ninety mm in the back.
• Cuts are created transversely along the upper and lower parts of the wooden bar, the depth of which by a couple of mm does not reach the selected contours of the ax handle.
• The fitting nozzle of a metal part is performed by hitting a mallet. If everything fits, clean up.
• An almost finished base is ground with a blade everywhere. They try to smooth corners and transitions with a file. At the end, everything is polished with sandpaper.
• With the help of a small hammer, a knife and a chisel, the workpiece is finished to the required shape. A knife is put in place of the saw cut and slowly knocked out with a hammer. That's all, the ax for the ax is done.

He is the real "king" of carpenter's tools. He is the true salvation for those who are lost in the forest. He is a faithful assistant if you need to chop wood for a bath, build a house or butcher game. A well-sharpened ax can be used in dozens of other situations, but the fact remains. The tool will be useful in any suburban economy.

The only difficulty that may arise economic person- buying good quality ax. More and more often you are convinced that it is much easier and more reliable to build an ax with your own hands. So let's look at the entire manufacturing process, starting from the preparation of an ax handle and ending with sharpening.

Making an ax handle step by step

The process of creating an ax with your own hands always takes place in a strict sequence. First, a tool handle is made, called an ax handle. When the length and shape of the handle are matched correctly, the tool literally "burns", demonstrating high performance and ease of use.

Try to take a stick with the usual round section and plant an iron base. You will quickly get tired, because holding such a tool for a long time, the hand experiences a strong tension. Another thing is when the ax handle has a curved shape, the tail is expanded and slightly bent down. Thanks to this design, the axes are firmly held in the hands even with strong blows.

The traditional ax tool consists of wedges (2 and 9), a blade (3) and a butt (1), a toe (4), a chamfer (5) and a heel on the blade (6), a beard (7), the ax handle itself (8). The number 10 indicates sharpening.

We prepare the material and cut out the first template

Since we need to make an ax from wood, we will take this material as a basis. Best of all, designs made of birch and oak, ash and maple have proven themselves.

A wooden ax can be made at any time of the year, but it is better to harvest the material for it in the fall, even before the onset of frost. The blanks are stored in the attic for at least a year, some experts advise drying them for five or even more years.

It is clear that if the taiga ax donated by grandfather was broken on an impregnable deck with your own hands, you can also take a fresh tree. This option will still be temporary, because after drying, the volume of wood decreases. The butt of the ax will begin to stagger, hold on less tightly.

To prepare a good template, drawings of the future product are desirable.

When there is cardboard template, it is much easier to transfer the contours of the designed product to the tree. A ready-made ax handle is taken as the basis, with which you are comfortable working. It is outlined with a simple pencil on cardboard and cut out.

Preparation for the work of the beam

From the bar-blank to the careful extrusion of the ax handle

• Before you make an ax, you need to carve a bar from a dried chock. Keep in mind that the length of the piece of wood must exceed the planned size. finished product about 10 cm. As for the width in front (fitted onto the canvas), ideally it exceeds the diameter of the metal eye by 2-3 mm.
• Place the finished template on the bar and transfer its contours. Leave an allowance of 1 cm in front, and 9 cm in the tail part of the workpiece. Before you put the ax on the ax handle, you will inflict more than a dozen blows on the handle. An allowance in the "tail" is needed to avoid splitting it. When final assembly is over, you can easily cut it off.
• We proceed to the main part of the work with the ax handle. In the upper and lower parts of the bar, transverse cuts are made with a depth not reaching 0.2 cm to the contours. A chisel is used to chip off excess wood along the cuts, the final cut is made with a rasp.
• Use a regular file or rasp to round corners, smooth curves and transitions. Sandpaper help with final sanding.
• It is still too early to install a steel sheet - the wood is impregnated with a solid waterproof composition. Suitable linseed oil, drying oil has excellent properties. Apply a small amount of the substance to the ax handle, let dry. Then the next layer is applied. The procedure is repeated until the instrument made by you personally stops absorbing it.
• Biggest mistake to cover wooden base varnish or oil paint. However, nothing prevents you from adding a little dye to drying oil (red, yellow). A bright instrument will never get lost in thick grass.

How did our ancestors choose the canvas for the hatchet?

Several hundred years have passed, but the method of buying a good canvas has not changed. Our ancestors knew how to make an ax out of wood and what metal base use. They have always paid attention to:

• Steel quality. By the way, today this issue is solved simply. Look for the GOST badge on the product - this will be an indicator of excellent quality. No OST and TU!
• Blade. The ideal blade has no cracks and dents, very even.
• Butt ends. They are strictly perpendicular to the blade.
• Eyelet shape. It is better when it is made in the form of a cone.

How to put an ax on an ax handle (video)

When the canvas is selected, a completely logical question arises: how to properly plant an ax on an ax handle and achieve a “dead” fastening? Start by drawing the center lines at the end. There will be two of them, perpendicular and longitudinal. The groove to the depth of the eye must be cut exactly along the contour of the longitudinal line. The cut will be useful for wedging the ax handle.

Having attached the butt to the end, outline the contours of the eye on it - the center lines will be a guide. Use a knife or planer to trim the landing part of the ax handle. It is important that the ax handle does not protrude beyond the edges of the eye by more than 1 cm.

It is convenient to fit the canvas with the help of hammer blows. Do it accurately, with effort, but without too much pressure. You don't want your punches to crack the wood, do you? As soon as the butt went beyond the boundaries, we check the strength of the fit, we look at how the canvas sits. It shouldn't slide off.

Wedge by wedge knock out or wedging method

You can strengthen the fastening of the metal part if you do a wedging. To do this, a small wedge made of hard rock wood such as oak. Because of this, the dimensions of the landing part grow, and it is fixed “tightly”.

Some craftsmen use not one, but two or even five wedges. But as practice shows, even one additional fixation is quite enough.

Wedging an ax. Drawing

A proven way to sharpen an ax blade

Sharpening an ax is the initial task after your tool is made and ready to use. Only in this case the product will perform the main function.

To work with freshly cut wood, the sharpening angle in an ideal tool is 20 degrees, dry wood - from 25 to 30 degrees. Equally important is the width of the chamfer.

Sharpening an ax by hand

How to sharpen an ax on a conventional electric grinder

Stock up on a container in which you will cool the metal in advance. Next, do this:

• Hold the product in such a way that the blade can be directed towards the rotation of the disc. We hold the butt at an angle of forty-five degrees. This is the optimal sharpening angle, regardless of the type of tool, its features.
• To sharpen the ax, it moves smoothly along the circle. The chamfer is ground, the angle of the sharpening being performed is sharpened.
• The final sharpening of the ax is always done with a special whetstone. From time to time it needs to be moistened in water to cool the metal.
• If it is not possible to sharpen the hatchet with a bar, it is replaced with a piece of plywood, which is pasted over with sandpaper.

Do not forget that it is always pleasant to work with a sharp tool, while a blunt ax is more additional and completely unnecessary effort, quick fatigue and not the most good result. After the work on the manufacture and sharpening of the ax is completed, a sheath is put on the blade. This will extend the life of the product, and it will not need to be sharpened so often. The cover is made of leather, birch bark, any other suitable material.

Ax case

There is an opinion that the tool can be stored stuck in a log. This is a big misconception. Consisting of strong steel and a hand-made ax handle, the ax becomes an "extension" of the master's hands. Try to chop wood homemade tool- and you will no longer want to return to store-bought products.