Thread: Bearded Axe! Yes really!

I am a fan of Axes,I have a few nice ones and use one on pretty much a daily basis. I have been looking for a Skeggøx ,Skegg (beard) øx (Axe) for a while.One axe head turned up and I bought it for myself for Chirstmas.This one looks pretty old,someone had cleaned off the Rust which was nice and blacked the Head.It had a few garks out of the edge and a chip here and there but I was wrapt with it.

This kind of Axe has been in Scandinavia from the 6th Century,they were used as tools in some form as well as weapons in another.This one would have been a general purpose type of Axe,some of this type were used to hew beams but they would have had a bias edge,like a chisel to keep the axe head running along the Beam as it was used.Also the weight of this Axe 4.5 kilo suggests it was made to be swung with two hands...

Enough of that.

I was scratching around in the basement looking at some planks to make a handle from when I found a bit of Oak with a curious bend in the Grain.I needed a bit that was 6 cm thick to match the eye of the Axe and none of the Ash I had was thick enough.I remember milling this Oak but it was so horrible and twisty that it split to pieces when I tried to dry it and I cut most of it up for firewood.But by Chirst was it hard.




Usually I cut down to the outline of the handle with a handsaw,but this Wood was too hard,out with Mr Stihl.



I used the Rasp alot more than Usual,I normally make handles from Ash,most of its pretty soft in comparison .Didn't take too long to bring it up to shape.



A bit of work with little hand Planes and the giant Hatchet was taking a nice shape.Time to get the detail sander out and have a Beer.





After some Rape Seed Oil and a night sitting behind the Log Burner it turned out pretty good.Its a massive thing to try and use one handed.You can do it but you need both hands to lever it out of the chopping block once its sailed thorugh the kindling and buried itself an inch deep.