Forged bearded carving hatchet

[Handforged]

Here is something fun.

This is a small bearded carving hatchet I forged out and just got around to finishing up. This is not a traditional style persay but one that I make from time to time. It has the cheeks of a more modern hatchet to give a slim line to the hatchet but still protect the sides. It's fairly lightweight at about 1.5 pounds. It's still a work in progress, I etched it for a quick picture to see the hamon created on the edge. Axes and hatchets are normally forged from softer steels, typically 1050-1060 or the like. I do the same with mine but after the basic shape is forged in I split the cutting edge and forge weld in a piece of high carbon steel for the cutting edge. In this case it's 1084. The head is then differentially heat treated to make the cutting edge harder than the body of the hatchet. When it is etched you can see this dividing line in the steel clearly. I don't normally finish these down to a high polish, this one was just a fun little side project. I am working on a nice hewn handle from a piece of scrap hickory handle I had laying around. When the oil on it cures I will do a half leather wrap to make it more comfortable to use for long periods carving out staves. ENJOY!

[YosemiteBen]

Nice work! Forging is another hobby I would like to do, being a full time working stiff not much time for it.

[dylanholderman]

nice! did you forge weld the body or drift a hole? if you drifted it what size stock did you start with?

[Hawkdancer]

Nice!  How would spring steel work for something like that?  Got steel - got no forge!
Hawkdancer

[Handforged]

nice! did you forge weld the body or drift a hole? if you drifted it what size stock did you start with?

This is a fold over, meaning that it started out as a flat piece of steel. Folded over a drift to make the eye in this case. For my drift all I did was take a piece of 4140 and grind it to the shape of a standard hatchet eye. This one is bullet (oblong) not round. For smaller thin hatchets starting from flat stock is much easier than forging down a larger piece of steel. In my case it makes more sense as I planned to forge weld a higher carbon cutting edge anyway.

[DC]

Is the deep cut out so you can get your hand up closer to the centre of gravity of the head for 'detail' work?

[Handforged]

Nice!  How would spring steel work for something like that?  Got steel - got no forge!
Hawkdancer

If by spring steel you mean "leaf spring or coil spring" steel most consider that to be 5160.  5160 makes a damn fine hatchet or axe but it has a good bit more carbon than something like 4130 that has more chromium in it for corrosion resistance. I would think after years of use 5160 would work harden and start to crack unless it was only heat treated on the cutting edge. Then again this will also cause a few problems.

[Handforged]

Is the deep cut out so you can get your hand up closer to the centre of gravity of the head for 'detail' work?

Yes, it makes it so that you can choke up on the bit of the hatchet. It also reduced weight and resistance.

[Pinewood Archer]

Nice work,I've wanting to make one of those myself only mine is going to have an adze on the back.

[Handforged]

Nice work,I've wanting to make one of those myself only mine is going to have an adze on the back.

I have made a few adze recently and I'm not sure that one on the back of a hatchet would be worthwhile.  Unless it was elevated higher than the spine of the hatchet it might get in the way. I think they would be best as two separate tools.

[Pinewood Archer]

For a carving hatchet you're probably right.

[PaulN/KS]

Nice work,I've wanting to make one of those myself only mine is going to have an adze on the back.

That's called a Pulaski tool. We used them in fighting wildfires.

[gifford]

And a right handy tool it is. I still have mine. Carried it on quite a few fires when I was a youngster with the USFS.