Simple Satruday afternoon project

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I made this nice little axe this afternoon. The head is 1/4 plate and a small piece of pipe. The handle is turned from a stick of ash that i had for the past few years, It was super hard and dry, quite difficult to turn on the lathe. My dad and I do a lot of work in the woods and fishing so this will be a very handy tool. Attached ImagesCharlesThunderbolt AC/DCRed Flames BWELincoln sp-135t
Reply:Cool. Whole armies have been defeated with axes like yours!
Reply:Nice project Charles.  A good job with nice lines.  I have a wood lathe too and like to turn stuff like that, but never combine my wood with the steel.  Hmmm, giving me some good ideas here.  Hobart 140 Handler w/ gasHyperTherm Powermax 380 Plasmaoxy/acetylene
Reply:Is that a  throwing axe?
Reply:richcharles,  I'm no expert.. Please tell us how it holds an edge? When I was young my dad made a coal forge from an old truck brake drum filled with clay and a squirrel cage blowing air through the bottom. I watched him make many knives, he would only use either leaf springs or plow steal. When he would get close to finishing he would heat the blades on the forge and drop them in old engine oil. He always said that this would re-temper the steel, and make it hold an edge longer.
Reply:I haven't had a chance to try it out yet. I didn't do anything to treat to the blade itself except to get a rough shape with the grinder and finish it with a file. But i think i'll heat the blade and quench it in water to harden it then ONLY use a File to sharpen it. My dad always told me to use a file on axes because a grinder can take the temper out of the steel.CharlesThunderbolt AC/DCRed Flames BWELincoln sp-135t
Reply:Isnt the heat the problem with grinding?  Just keep the RPM's down and keep it cool.  Ive sharpened many the ice tool like this, and never had one break yet.Cool project BTW!ThermalArc 185MillerMatic 180 w/ AutosetVictor Cutskill Oxy/AcetyleneThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 38and spite!
Reply:Find a local heat treating company...... put the best edge you can on it and get it case hardened. You can try it yourself.... using coal, that's what o.c.d.'s dad was doing. Basically, by packing the axe head in coal and heating it up, the carbon from the coal will be diffused into the steel. The longer you cook it the deeper the hardening. On a tool such as this a deep hardening on the edge is what you are looking for, this way you won't expose any softer metal when resharpening.You could quench it as well._________________Chris