Hewing hatchet

[cwarner]

Bride and I spent some quality time hitting up some local antique places this morning. I've been really itching to try some spoon carving but have none of the tools needed so I was keeping an eye out. This Keen Cutter broad hewing hatchet followed me home:

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At $40 I don't feel like I stole it but am.happy with my purchase. The cutting edge is 5 1/2" long. Now I need to sharpen it up and start practicing with it.

[Timberwolf]

You might not think you "stole it", but I can tell you that you did extremely well at 40 bucks...I call that a $75.00 tool if it's a nickel!! Keen Kutters are collectible!!

And they are danged good users, that one in particular!!

[Steve Friedman]

I love the little axe. Great offset. Is the handle bent as well? I would probably try to fix the handle. Depending on how solid the wood is, you may be able to get away without a new handle, but I would get replace the nail with a proper wedge.

Price is relative. It looks to be in terrific shape. I have an axe problem and have not seen many like that one before.

Steve

[cwarner]

Well I guess maybe I did a little better than I thought.

The handle is straight and I planned to replace the handle from the outset. There were 2 nails and a brass screw in place of a metal wedge. When I took the handle off the end was pretty mangled from the nails.

I did notice while taking the handle out if you look at the third picture a very faint vertical line where the head narrows. That is a very fine crack. I think whomever rehandled this didn't fit the handle and just pounded it in as it was extremely difficult to remove, probably causing the crack. The way I intend to use this hatchet, this shouldn't affect use at all.

[Alan S]

Are you sure it's a crack, not a line where it was forge welded? I would think an actual crack that long would be a problem.

[Phil S.]

Looks like a good hatchet in good shape. I have a similar one, an Everkeen, but found it too heavy for me and ended up getting a smaller hatchet from Robin Wood. Did a right-up on that here. A lot easier for an OF like me to use and be able to hit what I'm aiming at.

[Jonathan S]

I have that same hatchet. I sometimes use it for removing stock to bring a board to rough width. You think a scrub plane is fast, try a broad hatchet!

Jonathan

[Bibliophile 13]

Very nice!

I have a very similar hatchet, and I use it all the time for roughly squaring up split billets before running them through my bandsaw.

You're a woodworker. Replace the handle. It's not hard.

I will say, however, that you may not find this hatchet as useful for spoon carving as you might think. The broad blade is suited to making a (relatively) flat surface, and you might that find a regular double-beveled camp hatchet is just as good (or better) for hewing out spoons. But this hatchet is definitely worth a try.

[JustinTyson]

Bibliophile is correct - a single-bevel hewing hatchet is not what you want for carving spoons. If you're looking for an inexpensive way to get started, just pick up an Eastwing hatchet for $30 or so. That's what I used when I started carving spoons. They have fairly short bevels that are good for carving curves. The steel isn't the greatest, but it's easy to sharpen.

If you don't mind a bit of work, pick up a carpenter's/roofer's hatchet (their doesn't seem to be a consensus on what these things are called) and turn it into a dedicated carving axe.

[cwarner]

Thanks for the info guys. I just thought it was really cool so I nabbed it. If I end up using it for squaring up billets or making kindling for the wood stove so be it, it's still cool to me.

Justin, you did a number on that hatchet, and I really like the looks of yours. I'll have to keep my eye open at sales for an oldie for cheap and make something similar to yours. Thanks for the idea!