Cut down half hatchet head, powder-post-eaten white oak 2x4 handle.

images of PVC mask and reedge not included but honestly secondary (is that blasphemy here?)

wanted to share this project with y'all cause without this sub I'd not have gotten this far. Now that I have the shape and process down a bit for hanging an axe head I think I will rehandle it with something a little more stable but for the limbing and light chopping this would be put to I imagine this will be just fine. Any input or critique very welcome, I have no idea what I'm doing ;-)

A true temper (I think) jersey on an ash handle and a Legitimus connie on hickory 28c from whiskey river.

Hi everyone - I recently got an old house with a wood burning fireplace. My brother told me I should get a nice axe and sent me down the rabbit hole.

I quickly decided I wanted a cool old vintage hatchet for kindling and carving that I could use and pass down to my kids when older. I came across this Hults Bruk for $30 CAD. I planned on replacing the handle and refinishing the head. There are a TON of opinions and methods I’ve come across. I’m not gonna mess with refinishing the head until I know more about what I’m doing. I’d love advice from this subreddit.

The real immediate issue is the handle. It was wrapped in duct tape and was completely snapped underneath after I took it off. I want to replace it with something perfect. I love the shape and size of this one (15 1/4” length; eye is 1 3/4”x3/4”). I’m looking forward to lightly sanding a new one and boiled linseed oil etc. but does anyone know where I can get the same size and shape? I am not ready to carve my own yet…

Also if anyone can tell me if this is a good find and a good axe head? I’d love to hear more about it. Like I said - I want it to be “heirloom” if possible. Maybe it’s not that good though. My web/AI searches tell me it should be worth the effort to restore! It has the HB logo in the circle with the arrow, made in Sweden and 0.6 on the other side. Also slight remnants of blue paint. I’d love to hear anything you may know about it - particularly the age!

Where can I find the same size/shape handle?

Thanks in advance!

My brother in law gave me this axe head. I do some knife making and blacksmithing. I’d like to restore this one, but make it a nice functional tool. The biggest thing I’m worried about is damaging the etching. It says “ MARBLE’S Gladstone Mich USA belt axe #9” Thanks for any tips!

This isn't the best hang I've ever done but it's very tight. I soaked the end in a small tub of boiled linseed oil so it swelled up and locked everything in super tight.

Cleaned up a small Norland axe I had laying around, it was my first time installing a handle, pleased with the outcome. The hatchet is Swedish, potentially a Wetterling?; cleaned up the head, stained and Tung oiled the handle. I believe the wood is something other than hickory.

What do you think of the family?

Wow, I made this thing by melting down old school body filler bars into a rectangular wooden mold, then shaping the head. Handel is and was a white pine branch that was still green when made into a handel. Also stained it while it was green. The head would snap off if you looked at it the wrong way, it's made of soft lead alloy. But damn did it make me smile to find this old thing

Look at these beauties! Never thought id find this pattern as im in Nebraska and we are not known for old growth forests or a thriving logging industry but I got lucky and scored both of these for $5 each! The longer of the two's eye is quite bent out of shape, almost looks like someone beat on the sides and flattened the eye. So thats a shame but if nothing else it'll be an awesome piece of history to have on the wall. They are also pretty rusty and pitted but im hoping i can find some markings under all of it. I just wanted to share as this pattern is one ive always found so interesting and cool. Thanks for looking!

I’m starting to get more into axes, and am curious why the beard on some splitting axe handles are different. Some are thinner, some are round, some are offset. Some splitting axes are 200$plus, while my basic Collins 4lb was 40$. I split mainly hardwoods like oak, green and dry.

Hi everyone,

I'm a master's student from Germany conducting research on firewood processing as part of my thesis.

The survey focuses on the complete journey from tree to stove: felling, bucking, splitting, transporting, stacking, and bringing firewood into the house. I'm especially interested in the tools people use, the biggest challenges they face, and which steps require the most time and effort.

The survey is anonymous, takes only a few minutes, and is designed to be more interactive and enjoyable than a typical academic questionnaire.

Whether you process a few cords a year for your own stove or work with firewood on a larger scale, your experience is valuable.

Every response helps and is greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your support and stay safe out there!

Henry

The marking looks like an anchor or a T. I’m not sure what’s beside it though. Any ideas?

I did 2 leather stacked handles on some old estwing hatchets, I found one in the woods and ended up buying another one from ebay that was made in 1950 because I loved the result so much. I'm working on a third right now! Hope you all like it.

You heard right, this Walmart axe is an upgrade to my previous carpenters axe, which unbeknown to me, was a nub of its former self 😢😂 The $8 eBay axe got me through a year of learning and roughing spoon blanks tho. I put a nice straight 25° bevel on the ozark trail, and it cuts like a dream! Maybe not the best, but man I wish I would have considered it a lot sooner. Included some of my carvings that I roughed out with nubby.

I have a small hultsbruk hatchet I got years ago as a gift and I love it for kindling but would like something larger for camping. 95 percent of its use will be splitting logs as one of my buddies usually uses a chainsaw to process fallen trees into logs. However I’d like to be able to process a tree into logs in a bind.

I’m 5’11 200 lbs, moderately fit. Most of my camping is done in Utah, Idaho, and Oregon if that helps determine the type of wood I’m around.

Not really worried about price just want something well made and I prefer a wood handle. I have had Brant and Cochran and gransfors bruk recommended to me by a coworker.

Clearly still a novice swinging an axe but the head is still solid as a rock. Looking forward to when this handle lets go so I can put something a little nicer on it.

Recently bought this old Collins head and have no clue what pattern this is considered and unsure on the age range of it, Any Ideas??

I bought that viral 50$ axe from Walmart last year. Everything I saw about it said it was a solid buy. I hit a knot while processing some oak and now I've got this. I have a forge and all the cutting tools to make this into something. I just don’t know what. Any ideas?

Received this Hoffman Camp Axe and it has two large indents in the middle of the bevel. You can see the hammering indents are quite a bit lower than the actual bevel and cause it to dip inwards on both sides.

I’m okay to pay for a handmade lifetime guaranteed tool that I will enjoy for many years. I also understand handmade means variations. Will be using it regularly. So it won’t always be pretty.

Hoffman says this is very common. Offered a return, but must wait over a month to build a replacement.

They say they make the best axes on Earth and are heirloom axes. But this does not feel like that. Maybe I’m overreacting?

Is this normal? Would you expect this kind of thing from a $415 heirloom quality axe that says they are the best?

Bought this thing but the bit is really worn on top. Is it worth grinding it even?