Kentucky Armory Club

Handle time for my carving hatchet. The eye is really large (1 7/8 x 7/8) for a small 1.5 pound/800g head. So a stock handle does not exist, I need to kustom make one. I have a 13" Louisville Slugger ash billet from the Hillerich & Bradsby factory. Beautiful straight grain and being a round billet I can make it perfectly vertical. Let's see if I can find a working handle in it.......

Plant that baby maple and grow your own handles.

rustynuts wrote: ↑

Sat Jun 12, 2021 9:24 pm

Plant that baby maple and grow your own handles.

Already have 2 big silver maples in the back yard, not even good for fire wood.

I’ve got some ash if you need some

irishrob wrote:I’ve got some ash if you need some

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Might take you up on that.


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Here’s the progress so far. I have the blank roughed out in a handle shape. Yea, I hit the easy button and used the band saw.






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I give up for the evening, sweating my ass off out here and my hands are giving out. About half way on the handle and going on pretty straight.





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FUCK!
Noticed some hairline cracks in the handle. Oh well, fire wood for next season.

So on to the next billet. This is a ash chunk I bought from a local sawyer.




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Easier when you’ve done it before and have a pattern.




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I’ve got a couple chunks of wood that might make a nice handle. Hit me up if you want to swing by and pick any up. I’ll text you a couple pics.


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Almost on, about another 1/4” or so. The fitment is really tight.




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Glue and pins is your friend with wood cracks

Gunsmokin wrote:I’ve got a couple chunks of wood that might make a nice handle. Hit me up if you want to swing by and pick any up. I’ll text you a couple pics.


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Nemo, check your inbox. Sent you a few pics.


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Well the main part of the handle is roughed in at 3/4” x 1.25”, still need to finalize the shape of the shoulder and pommel. Those designs are hinging on if I want to do an oval or octagon shaped handle. Oval - easy and feels good. Octagon - PITA to keep consistent but really fits the hand.





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Damn near close to being done. Still need to fair the curves, decide on pommel shape and finish sand. Then last fit on the head and cut kerf and wedge it home.





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DONE!

Overall quite pleased how it turned out. Not so much with the pommel but I can kustom it after I use it for a while. Finished right at 13” (33cm) which is spot on for good balance. Still need to stone and strop the bevel.

Oh, and of course make a sheath.





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Carving axe sheath…......well the design.

Here’s the real start





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Well it meets all the requirements to be called a sheath. Version 2.03 is gonna be a winner.





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Finish sanding, burnishing and dying tomorrow.




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Dyed, stitch grooves and holes.




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And we’re calling this project DONE!





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nemo wrote:And we’re calling this project DONE!





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Looks good


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Very cool!

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