How To Hang An Axe Head Single Bevel Hatchet 

Thanks! I have a hatchet head that I have had for fifty years. The handle has rotted away. With the treatment and care which you described and showed, I expect that the next handle will last another hundred years, and that I will be able to give it to my great-grandchild.

I winced every time you nearly chopped your ankle. Raise the log to knee height and then chop on the far side of where you're standing. That way you'll preserve your legs and feet.

6:12 Its like a drummer twirling his sticks while rocking out on the drums 😃

Hello, Mr. Wright; I have 2 hewing hatchets & from the little experience I have I offer this info. A hewing hatchet or broad axe is designed to be used a bit differently than the usual kind. You already know about the blade offset, the edge out of line w/ the handle. But many hewers will also have another offset, so the handle is above the poll. With that offset the hand will be above the work when the edge strikes the work. Both offsets can work together, in effect allowing a reduction in the offset from the handle center line. It is supposed to make a broad axe/hewing hatchet easier to use & reduce fatigue. I have experimented w/ adjusting the handle offset & less offset does help me. Since many times a hewer works a horizontal work piece the secondary offset helps keep the hand from striking the work. Its not as useful for chopping vertical work but it depends on the work. Just wanted to share this, hopefully helpful. Have a GREAT day, Neighbor!

One detail about this type of hand axe. You can use it as either a right-bevel or left bevel by mounting the head with the other side up. My grandfather would just flip the head and work In the other direction.

Woo new video! Update: My plane iron home heat treat worked!

I had a chance to by one of these axe heads today but not knowing what it was I passed. I may go back for it as this does seem like a fun little project to pursue. Thanks for the video.

I prefer a longer handle as I have found the added head speed aids the cut and the distance my hand is away seems to build my confidence and I'm actually more accurate. Wonderful tool if you've done a series of depth cuts or chops, hack to the line in a hurry.

Great video. Funny I found this, this summer I made a few handles out of some old growth live oak that was windfallen. And one is wearing a Plumb broad axe 😀 There is more to the world of tool handles than Hickory and Ash. Oak works great

Watched the first WBW version of this and wondered why you made the handle cockeyed... but as usual you have a reason. Love the handle - great job.

Great looking ax

This is a great video I love how you only use hand tools

Perfect for me. I recently acquired a carpenters ax but the handle was straight. I wondered if an offset handle was carved or steamed or what. Your solution, using a blank with a natural bend, was right on. "Duh". I always over think things. Thanks.

Very cool!

Black or darkgreen for your line paint

If you want to see those "primitive" tools used take a look at mr. Chickadee. Timber frame post and beam,

Very nice!

I like that you painted inside the carving was wondering when we were going to see it happen. Will say that I was kind of sad it wasn't the wood by wright blue that we are used to. Looked good but doesn't really stand out after the finish.

Great job!! Transition turned out awesome!

I just made my own axe handle, which bent as it dried and stumbled upon your video. Was worried about the bend but maybe it's not so bad :)

Could you talk more about the shape of the handle? e.g. How much is the offset? How long is it? How wide is it? How thick is it? I realize one should make it comfortable for the user, but I’m guessing there are “rules of thumb” that can help a first timer. Thanks for a great video.

6:36 Again one of those moments when you think to yourself: Why didn't I have that idea?! Instead I ruined my fingertips on the beltsander. XoD

Great video James! Thank You.

I like the tape trick. Fun video

Thank you for wearing wooden shoes. That is awesome!

Never seen one of these before, didn't know hewing (or broad) axes came in hatchet size... but of course they do. Broad hatchet sounds like an oxymoron. I've got a big broad axe head been meaning to handle for a long time but I don't have any conveniently shaped wood been drying for years, looks like I'll wait some more.

Looks good. Was thinking lamp black for the carving

Nicely done ✅

Okay, so I watched a Townsend video not too long ago where he explained that single bevel axes were used more like chisels. He demonstrated how one might drive it with a mallet rather than swing it like an axe.

Maybe another Daniel Boon in our presence, all you need is a raccoon cap!

Nice axe!

If someone years from now were to say thus whatever was made by the "Wood by Wright" and it did not have Celtic Weave on it somewhere, i would call them a lier.

I also have a single bevel hatchet like yours, wish I had seen this video before putting a new straight handle on. Guess there is always next time.

Great VT but please stand on the other side of the log if you like your current height 😝

Great handle, I enjoy making them myself. My single bevel hatchet has a straight handle, and I usually use it for hewing with the work vertical on a chopping block. I have a single bevel axe with 28" straight handle, for hewing beams, but haven't done much of that. How do you like the hatchet with the angled handle?

Hi, James, I found this video as I am making several handles for axes, hatchets, etc for a friend and one of his hatchet heads is more or less a twin of the one in this video. Coincidentally you are using a Millers Falls #1 spokeshave. One of these arrived in my mail today. This brings me to my question: how the heck do you sharpen it? My best guess is that you flatten the outer surface and then sharpen the small inner bevel in some way. Any advice? Thanks, Stu

I keep telling myself I'm going to make a shave horse

I wanted to axe you a few questions. But, the pun got the best of me.

Really useful ! I have two to do - a conventional axe and a lump hammer - so your general "handle" comments are very useful ! Interesting that you use a wooden wedge - in the UK we're ( still ) on the metal ones. Are wooden wedges "the norm" in Canada, or is this your admirably inventive way of doing things ? Yes, another really useful video - thanks for making it ! PS The neighbours must get a good deal of entertainment from what happens on your front grass "...Oh he's chopping bits out of a log now, and she's filming him,,," HA HA

beautiful job! what would you estimate is the degrees that you bent the handle?

Pity the grain runs the wrong way, but very nice handle.

Curious to see how the "perfectly flat" on the back, straight edge works out. Reading this blog by Peter Follansbee he expresses a preference for a slightly convex profile. front, back and edge, to facilitate popping out the chips. pfollansbee.wordpress.com/2012/12/13/the-endless-look-at-hewing-hatchets/ Also my first exposure to these was one of Richard Maquire's videos where he used it to quickly remove material from the side of a board rather than sawing it off. This will most likely be my usage too, so I am thinking the cranked handle won't be necessary for me.

2:49: a cigare smokeshave?! Hahaha

Exceptional work! Is it an Elwell axe?

@Wood By Wright How 2: 05:12 Is this a Shinto rasp?

so that is a "Hewing" hatchet head, it's used for turning Round logs into Square logs. they come in left and right sided and whichever side that is You should have that foot up on top of the log and let the hatchet fall to your side so it swinges lower than your foot, along the side of the log. than you wont be striking towards your leg as you were. a little longer handle would be better. I bought a Bearded Hewing head few years ago and made a quarter cut Ash handle.

07:52 How do you avoid dinging the chisel while doing this?

A Hachet doesn’t need a bent handle You won’t be hewing a log with it It’s for roughly shaping wood In a large broad axe yes you don’t wanna bang your knuckles

Hey, I know you did a collaboration with Rex Krueger a while ago and I really enjoyed it. He just put out a video on making an "instant shave-horse" from a pipe clamp and some scraps. I imagine you want to build a traditional one, but for a quick solution it seems to work really well. The video is here if you want to take a look: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-FDvGxa_kDaE.html I love the work that you do, keep it up!