Those who live in their own home often need a tool such as a taiga ax at the dacha and on hikes. Working 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.
Types of axes
Let's look at the variations of axes:
- A cleaver is a heavy cone-shaped axe. Due to its large weight, it is well suited for chopping large, hard rocks tree.
- Carpenter's - light in weight and size, has a pointed blade. Used for careful, precise, careful work with wood.
- Taiga - suitable for cutting down trees, harvesting trees, building a hut, removing bark and branches.
- Tsalda – designed for clearing the area of bushes.
- Kitchen (cook's) - intended only for chopping bones. It is a small hatchet with a short handle and a large “blade”.
- Lumberjack - used only for cutting down trees. Consists of a long ax and a wide, sharp blade.
Of all the above types, the taiga ax is the most necessary and useful.
Distinctive features of the taiga ax:
- Light weight.
- Small piercing surface area (makes it possible to drive it as deep as possible into the wood).
- Specific sharpening of the blade (the back edge is much smaller, thinner than the front.
This feature is made in order to use this type ax like a cleaver (if the blow is delivered correctly. A regular ax has a blade of the same shape for precise work with a tree).
Making a taiga ax
Handle material
The functions of an ax are primarily influenced by its shape and length. The handle should be curved and the cross-section should be oval.
The best types of trees for the handle are maple, oak, ash, and birch. Since these types of wood withstand vibration well upon impact.
Wood harvesting begins in autumn
Dry in a dark place. Before use, wood must be stored for about one year, or better yet, five.
It is not advisable to use felled wood as it will dry out over time and will not stay in the eye.
Making a Cardboard Template
On a large cardboard sheet we outline the shape of the handle and apply it to a wooden blank. The template will help us make a more accurate ax handle.
Preparing material for the handle
A block of one-year-old wood is hewn parallel to the grain. 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.
We outline the attached drawing on both sides, and do not forget to leave allowances. After inserting the upper part into the eyelet, we remove the excess wood.
Steps to carve an ax handle
Before cutting out the ax handle, you need to make transverse cuts, but so that they do not reach the line future pen approximately 4-5 mm. Using a chisel, remove any remaining wood and excess allowances.
Ore transitions and corners are made by turning with a rasp. After the workpiece is made, sand it until smooth.
Buying a piercing part for a taiga hatchet
It is impossible to make a blade in a domestic environment. In this case, here is a list of what you need to focus on when buying it at the market or in a hardware store:
- Availability of GOST marking (indicates the quality of the steel);
- The hole for the handle (eye) should be cone-shaped;
- The blade is smooth, without defects;
Collecting an ax
- We cut the upper part of the handle lengthwise and crosswise.
- We cut five pieces from hard trees.
- We wrap gauze soaked in resin around the top of the handle for better fit into the hole in the blade.
- Using a hammer, hammer in the handle.
- We hammer the prepared pieces into the cuts at the top of the axe.
- After the structure has dried, cut off the protruding parts of the wooden pieces.
Pay attention!
Sharpening the piercing part of the taiga ax
Excellent performance of the hatchet is ensured by a properly sharpened blade. The sharpening angle depends on the activity you will perform with the axe.
The taiga ax is sharpened at an angle of 30-35 ̊. If they will be working with fresh wood, then we sharpen it at an angle of 25 ̊.
If you use a sharpening wheel for sharpening, then the ax handle must be held at an angle of 40-45 ̊. We reproduce the sharpening slowly and carefully.
If you have everything in stock necessary tools, photo step-by-step production ax, then its creation will not take away large quantity 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, it will not rot and deteriorate.
Photo of a do-it-yourself ax
Pay attention!
Pay attention!
In every country house there are a number necessary tools For various works. To build a house, chop wood or butcher meat, you need an ax. You can buy it in a store or make it yourself. The purchased tool may turn out to be inconvenient or unreliable, and this is unsafe. A handmade tool 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 basic axes, there are tools designed for special works. These include: axe, carpenter's axe, large carpenter's axe, sculpture axe, as well as figure instrument and an ax for concave surfaces.
Making your own ax
The components of an ax are: an ax handle, a metal blade and wedges. How easy and convenient it will be to work with the tool depends on the length and shape of its handle, called the axe. Let's look at how to do it correctly and suitable size. To do this, you need to select the material and cut out the workpiece according to the template.
Homemade product impregnate 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. It is not recommended to coat products with varnishes and paints. They will give the handle a sliding effect, and the ax will constantly begin to slip out while working. Sometimes a bright dye is added to the impregnation. The handle of the tool acquires a bright color, which is good when work is carried out in overgrown areas. The ax will always be visible and will not get lost.
Selecting a metal nozzle
You can’t forge metal tightly with your own hands, so you buy it at a hardware store. Tips for choosing a piercing part:
- A high-quality blade should be solid, without nicks, chips or dents.
- The metal is marked according to GOST.
- The ends of the butt should be perpendicular to the blade.
- The eyelet should be cone-shaped.
Attaching an ax to an ax handle
The process is carried out in several stages, such as fitting, fitting and wedging.
You can eliminate cracks that occur when installing 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 can you saw off the protruding part.
Blade sharpening and hardening
The performance of the tool depends on the sharp blade. Therefore, you need to know how to sharpen an ax correctly. For each type of work, a different 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 prevent the quality of the cutting edge from deteriorating, the blade must not be allowed to overheat. To do this, place a container of water near the grinding machine. The blade is periodically lowered into it for cooling. At the end of the work, the blade is polished. To do this, use a sharpening stone or sandpaper.
Axes were used with equal effectiveness in carpentry and military crafts, but the main area of application was still in the peaceful field of activity. They were intended for chopping wood and felling trees; without them it was impossible to build a simple hut.
An important part of a steel tool is the ax handle, for which you need to select wood and process it accordingly. As a toy, you can cut a wooden ax out of plywood. Just like in popular computer games.
A little about sizes and shapes
Each master made an ax with his own hands, focusing on his height and specific application. It is no secret that a tool designed for chopping wood will be somewhat different from a similar product intended for cutting down trees. In this case, a small carpenter's hatchet for small carpentry work will be the exact opposite of the two categories listed above.
Despite this, a professional ax with a wooden handle always consists of three main parts:
- working part made of metal with a sharpened front part;
- ax handle - a handle made of wood;
- wedge - a spacer element that connects parts of a structure together.
At self-production special attention is paid to the metal part, otherwise the tool simply will not cope with its main function. Here, not only the shape and material are taken into account, but also the aspect ratio and sharpening angle.
Modern axes are usually made from medium-alloy tool steel, which has been heat treated and hardened.
The blade shape is selected depending on the application. For example, products designed for arborists are often used for cutting down tree trunks and removing large limbs. This kind of work requires a great depth of penetration, so the shape of the ax should be wedge-shaped. The splitting axes that are used for chopping wood have a similar shape, but have thicker “cheeks” and acute angle sharpening.
The length and size of the ax directly depend on the impact loads. If significant impact force is required, the handle is made longer to provide a larger swing. Here the dimensions are 700-900 mm. The length of the handles of log axes (carpentry tools) usually does not exceed 500 mm; a good cleaver is attached to a shaft of about 800 mm.
The shape of the ax should provide a comfortable grip, so the middle part is always made curved, the seat and shank have thickenings. The blade angle usually varies between 70-90 degrees.
How to choose the right wood for a handle
It’s curious, but not all tree species are suitable for making an axe. It is recommended to use only wood durum varieties, pre-dried in special chambers or kept in a dry place. Failure to comply with these requirements will lead to the fact that during use the handle will dry out and securely attaching the blade to the ax handle will be very problematic.
Home craftsmen use several types of wood to make wooden handles, each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages. Let's try to figure out which wood makes the best ax handle.
Birch
This is a “come and take” feedstock, but availability of the material does not guarantee high quality. To make a high-quality birch ax handle, the wood will have to be dried for 10-12 months. Even after this, the material remains sensitive to humid environments.
Maple
It is also an accessible and widespread material with a limited scope of application. In particular, maple handles are not suitable for making quality instrument for a carpenter or lumberjack. However, the tree has beautiful texture, therefore ideal for decorative and souvenir wooden products.
Hickory
This unusual name hides an American walnut that grows in Canadian forests. To make an ax handle, this best option, successfully combining strength, elasticity and durability. However, only American and Canadian loggers can truly appreciate these benefits.
Jatoba
This is a type of wood unique in its properties, which is used for the manufacture of sports equipment and furniture. Jatoba is easy to process and has a presentable appearance. At the same time, such solid wood is not inferior in strength to oak, so ax handles made from it are very reliable.
Ash
Among the listed options, ash is considered optimal ratio availability and quality. At the same time, the wood has an interesting texture, so after appropriate processing the wooden ax handle will have a presentable appearance. appearance without loss of strength and elasticity.
Important nuances
The strength and durability of the ax is determined by the resistance of the wood to dynamic shock loads. The reasons for premature breakage of the handle look like this:
It should be clarified that a properly made handle can last for several years without requiring repairs.
How to carve a toy ax
A homemade plywood ax can serve interesting toy for a child or will be a great addition to a New Year's costume. Often small children, teenagers and even adults want to do wooden axes, as in computer games like Minecraft. You can make such a product in 1.5-2 hours with minimal financial costs.
To make an ax out of solid wood, it will take longer because it will be more difficult to process wood than plywood. The parts are cut out with a special cutter or sharp knife, removing the chips layer by layer, ensuring that the dimensions and proportions are maintained.
With plywood everything is simpler. First you need to find a ready-made template or draw it yourself in full size. The drawing is translated into plywood sheet. The blade and handle are cut out separately with a jigsaw.
To make the wooden toy look more natural, it is better to glue the blade from two halves, after cutting a groove for the handle.
Then both halves of the plywood ax blade are placed on the handle, secured with pins and glued together with PVA glue for wood. After drying, the wooden blade is given a sharpening angle. This operation can be performed with an ordinary file. At the final stage, all surfaces are sanded and the blade is coated with several layers of silver paint. You can apply a custom design or stick a sticker. The finished wooden toy looks very beautiful.
“It’s not the fur coat that warms a man, it’s the axe,” says popular wisdom. An indispensable assistant on the farm, " right hand"for any carpenter - this is all about a very simple tool called an axe.
Whether it's an ax for the garden or for professional use, the demand for this tool will never go away.
A conscientious attitude towards operation, the ability to properly prepare a tool for work will not only help to avoid troubles, but will also serve as a guarantee of the successful completion of the planned work.
Experienced craftsmen know how to make an axe. Having understood the technology and studied practical recommendations, making an ax with your own hands is not difficult even for a non-professional.
Piercing attachment for an ax
When choosing a piercing metal part for a future ax, special attention deserves the quality of the material. Parts manufactured according to GOST are what you need.
You should avoid markings MRTU, OST or TU on the nozzle, because these designations allow for changes in technology during the pouring process of the part (the addition of third-party substances that affect the quality of the material is possible).
When a blade hits another, there should be no marks left on both. Curvature of the material, the presence of any kind of dents, and a curved blade axis are completely eliminated.
The importance of the handle
You can select the optimal length of the ax based on the height of the master and the force of the blow. Strength, in turn, directly depends on the length, so when working with a large ax, it will be easier to chop logs of firewood.
Before making a choice, you should decide on the desired result:
- heavy version of the instrument ( total weight 1kg-1.4kg, handle length from 55 to 65 cm);
- lightweight version (weight 0.8 kg-1 kg, with a length from 40 to 60 cm).
The quality of the wood from which the ax handle will be made is of great importance. Not every type of wood is suitable for manufacturing. Often, birch is used for these purposes (parts located near the roots or stem growths).
There are also handles made of oak, acacia, maple and other hardwoods. All selected workpieces require long-term drying.
After the wooden blank has dried well, the contours of the handle are drawn on it, according to a pre-made template. To avoid hand slipping during operation and to increase the convenience of the ax, it is necessary to provide a thickening at the end of the handle.
A knife, chisel, or electric jigsaw will help you cut out the outline.
After trying on the ax head and not finding any signs of a loose fit of the parts, you can safely continue improving the ax handle. Glass will help you scrape the tool, and sandpaper will be useful for grinding.
Attaching the piercing attachment to the handle
Correctly following the nozzle instructions will lead to excellent results:
The eye of the cutting part must be adjusted to the upper part of the ax handle; the excess wood can be easily removed with a knife.
Make a mark on the ax handle where the piercing part will end. To do this, you need to place the handle lying down to avoid inaccuracies. Divide the resulting segment in half and make a corresponding mark.
Holding the ax handle while standing, you need to make a cut to the second mark. This is done with a hacksaw and used for a wedge.
Plan a wooden wedge similar to a previously purchased metal one. The width is equal to the size of the eye, the thickness of the product is from 5 to 10 mm, and the length is equal to the depth of the cut.
Having placed the board on the table, you need to place the piercing part on it, located upside down. Next, you should put this part on the handle and slowly start tapping it on the board.
From time to time you need to change the method of tapping from the piercing part to tapping with an axe.
As soon as the piercing part enters the eye, you need to place the ax vertically and insert a wooden wedge. A hacksaw for metal will help you cut off everything necessary materials, which as a result of the nozzle will be on top.
At the end, oil is applied to the handle and the product is thoroughly dried. The correct execution can be compared with the photo of the ax for the dacha posted below.
Blade sharpening
To avoid hassles that arise during work, it is necessary to take a responsible approach to sharpening the blade. Standard indicators GOST compliance:
- sharpening angle for construction work equal to 20-30°;
- for carpentry 35°.
Compliance with the sharpening requirements is very important. The mismatch between the degrees leads to the fact that when cutting with an ax, the blade gets stuck in the wood.
During initial sharpening, minor damage, nicks and gouges are eliminated. Afterwards, secondary sharpening is carried out. The end of the process is the grinding process, carried out with a fine-grained stone.
A tool made with your own hands according to instructions is always the best ax you can have in your dacha.
Photos of the best ax options for a summer residence
Axes are indispensable tools for working in dachas, vegetable gardens, when going on a picnic, etc. How to make an ax that is easy to use? There are many answers to this question technical solutions. The choice of a specific solution depends on the tasks that the tool must solve. Recently, there has been a demand for a battle ax from historical reenactors. Different tasks for this tool require different approaches for their manufacture. Below, the emphasis will be placed not on making an ax from scratch, but on remaking common models and creating a convenient ax to suit your hand.
The ax is one of essential tools on suburban area. It can be made completely from scratch, or you can update an old tool.
Axes: types and differences
An ax is one of the most ancient human tools, having many varieties. Many archaeological finds indicate that the ax was an integral tool and weapon of man.
They performed a huge amount of work: cutting down trees, scraping out dense animal skins, trimming wood and, of course, killing their own kind. With the development of humanity, axes began to evolve. Their development followed the directions of their activities; they began to have narrow “specifics”. Today there are a huge number of varieties of axes, however, we will focus on the most common types:
- Plotnitsky. Today this species is the most widespread. This is due to the fact that up to 90% of all tasks can be completed with such a tool. possible works. The weight of such products can vary from 800 grams to 2 kg. The most common axes weigh about 1.5 kg. They are comfortable cutting down small trees, trimming logs, butchering animal carcasses... Besides everything else, this type of tool is most often produced by various enterprises, which significantly reduces its cost.
- Taiga axe. This is a rather heavy ax (about 1.0-1.2 kg), a type of cleaver. The difference is the long (about 0.5 meter) handle. The main purpose is felling and cutting of wood. It is very popular among hunters, fishermen, tourists, geologists, etc. You can easily make a taiga ax out of a carpenter's axe.
- Cleaver. The cross-sectional shape of such a tool is a triangular wedge. It is designed for cutting wood. Quite heavy (about 2 kg).
- Battle axes are relatively light (about 0.5-0.8 kg) axes that are attached to a long shaft (handle) of 0.5 m or more. Thanks to historical clubs, there is a demand for them. There are several varieties of such products: two-handed/one-handed, double-sided. Today they are made to order, and most often carpenter's axes are converted into antique battle axes.
- Various small-sized tourist hatchets. These are very dubious devices with short and not always comfortable handles. They are problematic for felling and cutting wood thicker than 30 cm in diameter, and in addition, most companies (including branded ones, such as Fiskars) make plastic axes, which in case of breakage are almost impossible to replace. Some manufacturers (mainly Chinese) make the handle disproportionate to the hand of the average person, which leads to hand fatigue after 5-7 minutes of work. To top it all off, the light weight of the ax itself (up to 0.8 kg) requires significant physical effort during operation. Such products can often be found in stores, they are often advertised, but purchasing them is not recommended due to their low ease of use.
- Stone axes. These are homemade products made from stone using “ancient” technologies. Practiced among bushcrafters or simply lovers of antiques. They can be easily made from scrap materials with your own hands if you have silicon at your disposal.
In addition to their purpose, all types have their own design differences:
- The main design difference of a carpenter's ax is that the toe has the same shape and size as the heel. If you roughly draw a line from the middle of the butt width to the middle (height) of the blade, then both parts will be symmetrical. The toe and heel are rounded at some angle (often different models and manufacturers angles do not match). It is this design that is convenient for “fine” work with logs. For convenience, the handle (axe) is made relatively short.
- The toe and blade of the cleaver usually form a right angle (this is also true for the taiga cleaver). This solution allows you to split wood without getting stuck in it. For felling and cutting large logs, the splitting axes are made quite wide. This increases their weight and makes them untransportable on long, non-transportable journeys.
- The main difference between a taiga ax and a cleaver is its weight. To reduce it, “taiga” ones are made narrower in cross-section, and in addition, they try to “cut off” all unnecessary metal. This is how a cut is made from the heel to the beginning of the butt along an arc.
- Battle axes have a low and narrow (in cross-section) blade. Often with reverse side there is a thorn. The butt is also made narrow.
Selecting and remaking an ax
Before purchasing a tool, you should clearly define the tasks that the ax will solve.
Even in the absence the desired type in stores, you can always make it yourself by purchasing and remaking a carpenter’s ax.
You should start by choosing a carpenter's axe. The first thing that needs to be determined is the steel from which it is made. Today, Damascus steel is considered the “coolest”; products from it are made by both private blacksmiths and some companies.
Domestic manufacturers most often use 65G steel to manufacture their products. It is a fairly hard (about 55 Rockwell) spring steel that performs well in woodworking work. As mentioned above, almost 90% of all axes are made for carpentry.
Choosing an ax for a carpenter is not difficult. The first thing to do is decide on the mass. For precise and “fine” finishing work, you need to take an ax of about 0.5 kg, for rougher ones - about 1.5 kg.
It is important to remember that the handle of a purchased ax is made from a factory and in 99% of cases it will be uncomfortable. How to make an ax handle will be discussed below.
If you need a taiga ax, but it’s not on sale, then it’s quite easy to convert a carpenter’s ax into the desired design. To do this, you should carefully select the ax by weight. Since excess metal will be cut off during reworking, the weight of the ax will accordingly decrease. The acceptable weight of a taiga is 1-1.2 kg (without an ax). Therefore, to achieve such indicators, you should take a carpenter’s weight of about 1.3-1.5 kg. To remake a carpenter's tool, you need to cut the toe so that it forms an almost right angle with the blade. Also, to make it easier, all the metal under the heel is cut off.
To do this, you need to apply a marking - an arc from the lower end of the butt to the heel. If the cut is made in a straight butt-heel direction, this will worsen the strength of the axe.
You can cut metal with a grinder, but it is important to constantly water the cut areas with water to cool.
Otherwise, there is a very high probability of overheating the blade, which will significantly reduce hardness and strength.
In a similar way, carpenter's axes are used to make battle axes.
When the ax is ready, you should make an ax handle and connect them.
How to make an ax handle
The most convenient are curved axes with an oval cross-section. This shape allows you not to strain your hand when working, which will allow your hand not to get tired. For different types axes differ only in the size of the bend and the length.
For taiga - the length should be from 0.5 to 1 m, the bend should be such that the lower end of the ax is in line with the middle of the blade and the toe. Carpenter's ones have a short (up to 0.5 m) handle, which has a small bend angle. Battle axes are mounted on a long and almost even ax handle. The section is selected based on the hole in the butt of the axe. Despite the differences in the sizes and shapes of the handles, the technology for their manufacture is almost the same.
To make an ax handle, you should select a blank the right size. This could be a board or a log. Next, markings are applied and all excess is cut off, after which it is thoroughly sanded with sandpaper and varnished. On the side where the ax is attached, cuts are made along the cross-section in the made ax handle to drive in spacer wedges. After which the ax is placed on the ax handle and pushed apart with wedges.