How to put an ax on a hatchet and do it right

Experienced hand tool users know that the iron blade of an ax will loosen over time on the ax. Using it in this state is inconvenient and unsafe. The flew off metal part is capable of crippling the cutter himself or people who are next to him. To prevent this from happening, we will learn how to properly plant it on the hatchet and secure it with wedges.

How to properly plant an ax on a hatchet forever

Blade loosening occurs due to the loss of moisture in the wood. Gradually drying out, it narrows, and the ax no longer sits as tightly as it was originally intended. Although the wedges remain in place and do not even move.

To correctly choose a hatchet on the market, you need to circle the contours of the blade attachment on a thick sheet of paper. Then they are simply cut out with scissors and sent to shop. When examining wooden products, the template is applied to their end part. You need to choose the one that repeats the drawn contours as much as possible.

After purchasing an ax, send it to a battery or in direct sunlight. It will dry out completely in a few days.

Step by step guide

Next, we act according to the instructions, observing safety measures and accuracy so as not to get hurt. We do not throw away the template cut from paper. It will still be needed for marking.

Chopping tool preparation

Since the hatchet is usually sold in a larger size than necessary, it is trimmed. This is done with a sharp knife or a small saw, depending on which tool is more convenient for you.

Lay it on the table and measure the parameters. With a pencil, markings are made to what depth the ax will be planted, and where the wedges will be inserted. The size of the holes is always smaller so that the blade fits snugly.

Making cuts

These are vertical grooves into which wooden or metal spacers will later be inserted to securely fix the blade. They are located at the top of the handle. It is enough to place one along the end of the wooden part.

Please note that they should fit tightly into the holes without dangling. However, making too small is also not worth it, this can provoke a crack on the ax.

We make wedges

It is easy to find ready-made wooden spacers in hardware stores that are perfect for our task. But making small details yourself is also not difficult. Dried birch or metal, for example, hard tin, is taken as a material. As experienced specialists note, even shovels are suitable as a material for cutting wedges.

We hammer

Having prepared everything you need, we proceed to install them in the grooves. This is a simple process that even a beginner can handle:

• First, we align the metal and wood parts, laying them on the same plane.
• We seat the blade with a blunt object. Don't damage the wood!
• Tightly and gradually put the ax on the wooden handle.
• If necessary, remove the excess with a knife with a sharpened edge.
• Having pulled the ax to the indicated level, we proceed to wedging.
• We drive a wooden or metal wedge tightly into the cut: it should not be freely removed back.
• Remnants protruding above the surface are cut off.

The process is painstaking, but does not present serious problems. Especially for an experienced craftsman.

Closing events

After that, a metal wedge is driven in, if the master decided to fix the result. It is sure to cover the wood, protecting it from above. Then all that remains is to sharpen the ax and start cutting.

Many also ask the question of which side to insert the blade. As a rule, when all the components fall into the hands of the master, such questions disappear by themselves. The wide side of the blade is placed against the hatchet, and the narrow side is placed against the wedges.