I have an ax to grind

Literally.

I got this ax I think from my grandmother in 1998. Grandma used to have a big house heated with wood stoves. I got it then some one left it out side for a year or 2 while I was in Japan.
Last time I cleaned it up when I put the last handle on it in 2009 or 2010.
All it took was a flap wheel paint stripper wheel and one of those "work sharp" knife sharpeners.

It's a little better and sharp enough I could slice a deer open with it now.
Needs a little more work before I put another handle on it.

 

You have an electric sharpener? Have you ever done it by hand? Nice job, that edge is shining.

 

You know, At one time a double bit ax was worth more than a Winchester octagon barrel 22lr.

 

You got that right! I got the three Felling Ax's that belonged to my grand dad, all double bit's and all super sharp! Thankfully I learned as much from him as I could, and he taught me every thing I would ever need to know about ax's! I have no idea how old they are. but he used them in the 20's and I still use them today! Yup, worth every bit as much as a good .22!

 

Was a time that people built very successful log cabins with nothing more than an axe. Me thinks that might be a little hard to do with a rifle. On the other hand an axe does not do well at reaching out and touching someone who wants the cabin. All tools have their purposes and limitations. Personally think if it all failed, axe, froe, hoe, grub hoe, cross cut saw, good stone hammer, planes, hammer, few chisels, some good knives, etc would let you create most of what you needed to rebuild your life. The females among us might want a loom, spinning wheel, sewing machine, few good pots etc. instead. At least that is what they took with them when they went west over the generations. Beautiful functional axe head and it in its simplicity has 100,000 years of development in it. Stone, copper, bronze, iron, steel, and what you see is all the thoughts put in over the generations to develop the perfect tool for removing wood chips from a tree. Isn't so simple as it seems is it?

 

For non electrical tool sharpeners I have used are files, soap stone, the V style knife sharpeners.

 

Great change to your avatar, Moto. Love it!

 

Have used a spinning wheel and a loom to make cloth and while it works well, it takes a lot of time and effort. If we have to go back to the old ways, we won't have time to miss TV etc. My grand dad said that his father thought he was lazy as he all kinds of time in winter and bought shoes that he could have made. He said the only shoes he had store bought as a kid was for church. Wore mocs in the summer time and high top laced shoes in the winter.

 

I hard faced the flat side with high chromium and manganese alloy rod. Has very good abrasion resistance and good impact resistance.
I had some that are even harder than this, chromium carbide, but figured it might be too hard and brittle.
My 8 inch grinder barely does anything to this stuff.



If anyone makes knives they should try infusing some of this stuff into the edge.

 

Yeah it's quite a bit harder than tool steel.
The pack of rods is pretty vague on exactly what the hardness should be. It didn't even have suggested polarity.
I guess I can look it up on the Hobart site.

 

I can chop thought a 2x4 in 4 or 5 hits.