Do-it-yourself circular ax. Hatchet of a survivalist from a saw blade. Bonding and riveting

Hello to all! This summer I went on a 5 week trek in the Alps with a few friends. The time spent left a lot of positive impressions. But during this trip, I discovered that I forgot one very important tool - an ax. After a long day in the mountains, it's nice to sit by the fire and drink beer. But in order to make a fire without an ax, we had to spend a lot of time looking for small branches that can be broken by hand.

Therefore, as soon as I arrived home, I had the idea to make a tourist hatchet, in which, like in a knife, a saw is hidden and there is a beer opener.

In this master class, I will tell you how you can make such an ax yourself.

Ax design

The design of this ax consists of three parts.

ax blade

The shape of the blade was borrowed from the tomahawk, an ax used by Native Americans and European colonists. But you can change its shape by adding some spikes or a mallet on the butt. The ax blade will be glued to the handle and fastened with rivets.

opener

At first, as an opener, I wanted to make a suitable hole in the blade. As a result of test drilling, it was found that conventional drill it's impossible to make a hole, so I changed the look of the opener. You can see both options in the image. The new type will be made in the form of a specially shaped hook.

Saw

I wanted the ax to come with a saw, and I thought it would be nice if it hid like a jackknife. From the handle and it can be expanded using the finger recess. The saw will hide between the two pads. The shape of the metal part of the handle will allow the saw to be fixed in both the open and folded positions.

Once the design was chosen, I tried it on a circular saw blade to get the dimensions right.

Materials and tools

This ax is made from a used saw blade and hardwood that I had. I had to purchase only a folding saw blade. It was already hardened, so it did not need heat treatment.

Materials:

Old circular saw blade.
Hardwood timber (approximately 50 x 40 x 300 mm).
Epoxy resin.
Large nails for use as rivets.
Folding saw blade (I used 200mm).
Bolt, nut and washer.

Tools:

Angle grinder (don't forget your protective equipment!).
Rasp.
File.
Sandpaper.
Drill.

Let's make sparks!

I transferred the outlines of the ax and the metal part of the handle to circular saw and cut them out using an angle grinder with a fine cut-off wheel. Then with the help grinding wheel, angular grinder and files I completed the formation of the elements. The final shape of the metal part of the handle can be given later.

Handle making

You can glue the template to a wooden blank and cut out two overlays. I used my milling machine with CNC.

Drilling in hardened steel

I didn't have a carbide drill, so I wasn't sure how the hardened ax would work. I came across a video where it was told that a sharpened drill bit for concrete can be used to drill hardened metal. So I did, and it worked out pretty well.

Adding an opener

This is probably the most indispensable part of the ax! Whenever I go camping, my friends and I usually have a couple of beers around the campfire in the evening. Opening them with stones and tree branches is very inconvenient. So I thought this detail would come in handy. I transferred the outline of an ordinary opener to the blade of an ax and cut a recess along it. Works great :)

Handle drilling

Next, I drilled holes in the handle and checked if everything fits. metal part the handle should act as a spring that will fix the saw blade. If it is too elastic, it can be made thinner. First, I used the metal part of the handle as a template for making holes. Then I fastened the two linings with clamps and then drilled a through hole. Thus, all the corresponding holes were in one line.

To connect the parts of the ax without gluing, I used bolts. This way you can check whether all the parts of the ax fit and whether the saw folds correctly.

Blade sharpening

After the contour of the descent of the blade was drawn out, I used an angle grinder with a grinding disc for rough processing. Then, for finer work, a file was used and grinding machine(use water to cool the blade). The final sharpening was done using the grinding wheel of the sharpening machine.

I am not an expert in sharpening an ax blade, so you can do this in another way.

The ax will mainly be used to split the tree into smaller pieces, so I did a little test of its functionality.

Bonding and riveting

It is believed that in terms of its parameters, any multifunctional tool is worse than a tool designed to perform a single job. Despite this statement, the inventor from the USA, Glenn Klecker, decided to improve the well-known ax and turn it into a multi-tool. Moreover, all the new functions of the ax should not go against the main purpose of this tool - cutting wood.

According to Glenn, being an avid traveler, he has repeatedly encountered a situation where it was necessary to chop branches for a fire, unscrew or tighten a nut, open a bottle with a metal cap. Carrying a whole arsenal of tools for this is not an option: it is both heavy and inconvenient, and there is no extra space in the backpack.

On reflection, Glenn decided that the ax, with some modifications, could be turned into a multifunctional tool. The inventor decided to get rid of ... from the ax handle.

Glenn thought this: “Why carry an extra piece of wood with you if any stick that is suitable in thickness will fit for an ax handle?” As a result, having drawn several sketches, the inventor developed the design of a universal metal sheet for an axe.

The canvas can be planted on an ax handle in a couple of minutes.

To do this, the canvas is equipped with a special screw clamp and swivel "legs". All the traveler needs is to find a stick of a suitable length, wedged one of its ends, score and then fix the canvas with a screw.

Due to the wedging effect and the paws clasping the ax handle, the canvas is securely fixed and does not fly off during operation. Those who do not want to search for a suitable stick are invited to purchase a particularly durable wooden ax handle with a ready-made slot at the end.

The versatility of the tool is achieved through special figured cutouts in the canvas. With an ax, you can open bottles, tighten hex nuts and bolts, turn screws, plan wood, hammer nails. Also in the blade of the ax there is a mounting hole for the holder of bits, and on the butt there is a notch with numbers, which can be used as a ruler.

In total, the inventor developed four types of canvas. They differ from each other in functionality and the method of fixing the canvas on the ax handle. In the cheapest model, the canvas, which does not have a special screw fastening, is attached to the ax handle with a thin nylon cable - paracord. In the most expensive model, the ax blade is laser-sharpened and made of titanium. To carry the ax in the canvas there is a hole for a lanyard.

Another versatile tool is the multitool, which combines three tools at once: an ax, a hammer and a saw.

In fact, the tool is an ordinary ax, in the handle of which a case is made for storing a saw blade about 40 cm long.

In case you need to cut a tree, a protective plastic cover is put on the ax blade, which has a screw for fastening the saw blade. Thanks to the cam clamp, the blade is stretched between the ax handle and the blade and brought into position. The ax turns into a saw.

The handle and cover of the ax are made of high-strength plastic, and all metal parts are made of of stainless steel.

This hatchet combines three functions, it is an ax itself, and there is also a small sharp hacksaw, as well as a beer opener. The author calls this device a survival ax, although it is rather just a small assistant in tourism.

A hatchet was made for mountaineering and, in general, outdoor recreation, with the use of beer, so an opener is provided here. As for the hacksaw, it is convenient for her to cut moderately thick branches, and then prick with a hatchet on chips for kindling. An ax is made easily; we use a saw blade as a material.

Materials and tools for homemadethat used

List of materials:
- saw blade;
- wood for the manufacture of handles;
- nails for the manufacture of pins;
- epoxy adhesive;
- washer, nut and bolt;
- hacksaw blade Sawzall (the author used 200 mm).

List of tools:
- marker;
- ruler;
-
- ;
- a good set of files;
- sandpaper;
- it is highly desirable to have a vise or clamps.

Hatchet making process:

Step one. We invent and cut out the main profile
First of all, you will need to come up with the shape of your hatchet. Always remember that the main chopping characteristics of an ax depend on its weight. The more metal there is, the heavier the ax will be, and the better it will cut. Decide also on the shape of the blade, it all depends on the purpose for which you will use the hatchet. We draw the profile of the ax on the cutting disc. Or you can first do it on paper, and then cut it out and transfer it to metal, this is a more professional solution.

In addition, you will need one more detail that needs to be cut. But it will be needed if you install a saw blade in your hatchet. A narrow steel plate must pass through the entire length of the handle, as a result, a groove is formed in the handle in which the hacksaw will hide. Of course, the shape of this steel plate should be such that the hacksaw blade comes into place unhindered. Since the author’s handle is quite long, it will not work to cut these two parts in one piece, we cut out the ax and the long plate that goes through the handle separately.

As for the tool, you can cut the whole thing with the help of a grinder. Try not to overheat the ax blank, as this causes the metal to be tempered and becomes soft. However, this problem is solved by re-hardening. This work can also be done with a hacksaw, however, in this case, the metal is usually released by heating, after which it is easy to cut. Finish the remaining fragments on a grinder or the same grinder.

Step two. We make a pen
This step will be pretty easy if you have a CNC. But this pleasure is expensive and few people have such a device. But all this work is quite simply done manually. We draw the profile of the handle on the tree and slowly cut it out. It’s good to have a jigsaw, if not, it’s not scary, everything can be done and hand tools. You will need to make two halves. Keep in mind that the handle is not too thick. Then sand the blanks well so that they are smooth and uniform.

Step three. Drilling holes in metal
The metal of the saw blades is hardened, it is made of high carbon steel. Just drill it out conventional drill you won't succeed. For these purposes, you will need a special drill with a carbide tip. Usually this can be done with the drill that is used to drill concrete.
There is another option, you can always heat the metal to red, and then let it cool for outdoors. As a result, it will be drilled without problems with a conventional drill. Don't forget to drill two holes in the long metal plate that runs the entire length of the handle. However, you can release this metal without problems, hardening is not required here.

Step four. beer opener
It just so happened that our author is a fan of having a beer around a campfire with friends. Of course, you can open the bottle with a knot, but it is much more convenient to do this with a prepared tool, in our case it is an ax. It’s not difficult to make an opener, just cut a clove with a grinder that will cling securely to the lid. According to the author, it works great.

Step five. Trial build
First of all, you have to deal with the locking mechanism. hacksaw blade. That thin metal plate, which runs through the entire handle, works as a spring and retainer. First, the author collects everything on the bolts and checks if everything works well. To do this, we drill holes in the right places, where exactly, look at the photo. If something is wrong, it's still not too late to adjust everything. Try to pull out the canvas and cut something, it should be fixed securely.

Step six. We sharpen an ax
The most crucial moment in the manufacture of an ax comes - this is its sharpening. Since the hatchet is made without subsequent hardening, it is important for us to sharpen it correctly. When sharpening, the blade will heat up, which means that metal tempering can occur if the temperature gets too high. After tempering, the metal will be soft, and the ax will quickly lose sharpening. Before sharpening, stock up on a bowl of water and constantly cool the blade in it. The author sharpens carefully with the help of a grinder and a grinding disc. This creates a bevel, as well as rough sharpening.

For finer sharpening, we take files, as well as sandpaper. If desired, with the help of sandpaper, the hatchet can be sharpened to the state of the blade. But since we will chop wood with it, we don’t need it very sharp, besides, it’s not safe.

Step seven. We glue the hatchet
We use epoxy as glue. It will be convenient to use a double syringe that simultaneously applies resin and hardener. The glue must be applied carefully as there are moving parts inside the handle. Before mixing the resin with the hardener, prepare the pins. The author used ordinary nails as pins. We cut them to the desired length so that they protrude a little from the handle on both sides.

We apply glue in the part where the hatchet is attached, and also glue the upper half of the steel plate. lower part You don't need to glue it, it works like a spring. We tighten the whole thing with clamps and leave it for 24 hours, this is how much epoxy glue often dries.

Step eight. We form the handle
When the glue is completely dry, take a file and carefully process the surface of the handle, remove the excess. After rough processing, we take a large sandpaper and continue grinding. Finally, by gradually reducing the graininess of the paper, we make the handle absolutely smooth. After that, the hatchet is almost ready, try it in action!

Very useful project With detailed video the process of making a knife from the canvas of old circular discs. All stages of manufacturing are present here, including hardening and sharpening. I especially liked the horn from an ordinary hair dryer. The persistence of the author is surprising - the entire manufacturing process was carried out without the use of electrical tools. Well, he had this fantasy. On the other side good experience. With a certain amount of perseverance, such a knife can be made practically “on the knee”.

My friend and fellow YouTuber wanted to make a joint video. We bounced around some ideas and eventually decided to shoot ourselves in knife making. The catch was that I would do it by hand (except for the drill and oven) and he would do it with power tools. We both started out with the same blade, the same steel, but the rest of the design aesthetic was left up to us. I also wanted to do this because I read many times all you have to do with a knife a few files and a drill or something like that. I was wondering how long it would take me to make a knife by hand and to see if I could do it without cheating and using my tools. So I realized that this is a great opportunity to try it. It was fun to build, took much longer than I expected, and gave me a whole new appreciation for people who make knives entirely by hand. Overall I'm very happy with how the knife turned out and I hope it helps someone out there that wants to give it a try.

Step 1:

I tried to increase the size of the knife with the designs that are used for the saw as much as possible. I made a paper template using card stock, which is just a heavier weight paper so I could easily trace the paper template onto the saw blade. I used a thin tip marker, although this is a small thing in my opinion, it is very important. Fine marker tip leaves fine lines to cut or file too unlike conventional marker tip. The cut line can become ambiguous if it's too wide, which can affect the overall shape and lead to breaks in shape and more problems down the road.

Step 2:

With the saw blade clamped onto the worktable I started by cutting out the rough shape of the blade using straight line segments. If you have never used a hacksaw, first make sure the blade is correct, the direction of the teeth should be forward or away from your body. The cuts are on the cut so make sure to set the blade correctly.

Step 3:

In order to cut out the curved parts of the handle, I made several perpendicular cuts in the relief along the entire length of the curved part of the handle. Then, using a hacksaw at a slight angle, I would cut out a small section from each. Reset reduction make it easier to follow the curve as you cut.

Step 4:

I needed to refine the shape of the blade, so I attached a 2x4 piece of crowbar to my workbench and clamped the blade into a 2x4. This allowed me to work forms from my file, and the blade was nice and safe. I also used the file to evaluate what areas are required extra work. The spine design was slightly tilted and I could use the flat part of the file to check progress on the curve. If the spine has a flat spot it will be visible.

Step 5:

I used multiple files to get the shape or as close to the line as possible. At this point, it starts to look more like a knife and the flaws are harder to spot by eye. If I notice that a zone needs work, I would use the marker to re-draw the shape and then file with that new line. It served as a guide, so I'm not in favor of correct and mess up the design. The last picture of the blade after it has been filed and sanded down. I don't have any pictures of me sanding the blade, it's last step to a formation that removes any file marks. I would start with 150 grit and work my way up to 220.

Step 6:

I originally planned to dip with a nice high bevel, but my modest skills weren't up to the challenge. The saw blade is pretty thin material and I don't think I can extend the blade to reach the takedown line and the slope I was after. More on this subject later. At this point I also measured the placement of the pin center and punched and then drilled the holes with my drill.

Step 7:

Using a marker, I marked the entire length of the blade. Then, using a drill with the same thickness as the blade I scored a line down the center of the blade. The last picture shows, on the line it is not visible well in the picture, but it is there. This line will come in handy when filing a blade tilt, it will keep me from crooked and lopsided edges.

Step 8:

I used the bastard file to define the bevel just then I realized that I didn't have the skills to make a nice dip line by hand. So I chose a smoother angle and filed the working blade my way from edge to spine. I'm new to this and inexperienced, so I took the more conservative route in terms of pickup. Once I was happy with the bevel, I sanded the entire blade to 220 grit.

Step 9:

Here is the blade after all shaping, filing and sanding ready for heat treatment.

Step 10:

Before I leave I would like to say that while you can heat treat a blade with an open wood burning fireplace I personally don't recommend it. This is one of those cases where I really don't feel safe doing the operation. And I wasn't sure about the heat it took so I ended up using my mini forge (here's my Instructable on how I made my mini forge http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to- Make-a-Mini-Forge/) to heat instead of healing the blade. If you don't have a mini forge you can actually send your blades from their heat treatment. There are several companies that offer this service for a fee, of course. With that said, I'll explain my setup. I built a fire. Then, using a hair dryer with a tube attached to it to act like bellows, I turn on the hair dryer and eat the coals red hot. It does not take a lot of time. I put the blade on the fire and warm it up until it was magnetic and then quenched it in a container of peanut butter. The last peak shows what the blade looks like after hardening. Although it is possible to heat treat open flame Not recommended.

Step 11:

Now it's time to harden the blade, but first I sanded all the scales from quenching. Then in my oven I set the temperature to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (in my oven, setting it to 375 degrees Fahrenheit will reach 400 degrees Fahrenheit). degrees Fahrenheit) and placed the blade in the oven for 1 hour. At the end of 1 hour I turned off the oven and let the blade spin inside the closed oven door until it was cool enough to process. You can see the blonde-ish or light bronze-ish color that the blade is obtained after hardening. After tempering I sand the blade to clean it using 220 grit and work up to 400 grit. The last time I use rice wooden block With 400 grit sandpaper wrapped around it and sand from the handle to the tip of the spatula in one direction only. This leaves a uniform sanding line on the blade.

Step 12:

Using the blade as a template, I trace the shape's handles onto the wood. This piece of walnut was given to me by one of my neighbors, a piece was cut off which he ground down. Here again using my 2x4 piece of crowbar and clamps I sawed two 1/4 thick pieces. In my excitement, I threw myself into wood cutting, if I took some time to think about my operation I could do it easily and with the best possible results. My first mistake was to cut off the waste material. I could use this material to pinch a piece down and then cut out two handles. Here again my inexperience, in this case with hand tools, rears its ugly head. I managed to make two useful pen pieces, but I'm sure I worked a lot harder than smarter to make them.

Step 13:

In order for the handles to attach to the blade with a snug fit I made sure to sand one side of each handle as flat as possible flat surface and sandpaper. This will ensure that there are no gaps after gluing. At this point I decided what the handle shape would be and drew a reference line on the blade to make sure I liked the look. I then traced the blade handle back into the woods. Using a jigsaw I rough shape on one handle and then take the handle and track it on the other handle. This will ensure that they are roughly the same shape that will come in handy when gluing on the handles. The last peak is a test fit to make sure they cover all tang.

Step 14:

Time for more polishing and refining the shape. It is important at this point to finalize the shape to support the section, or rather the top of the handle, because once it is glued to the knife, it will not be easily accessible. And any further work on this area after gluing can lead to scratches on the blade. So I sanded down to 800 with sandpaper and made sure that special section was finished in terms of grinding and processing.

Step 15:

When drilling dowel holes through wood, I made sure after the first hole was drilled that I used a bit the same diameter as the hole to index that hole. In other words, this keeps the blade from moving or getting mixed up when drilling another hole. I used the same indexing process for the opposite side to make sure all the holes would line up when inserting the pins.

Step 16:

I used a 3/16 inch stainless steel pin that I cut from a stainless steel rod. Before sealing the mask blade and clean everything with acetone or alcohol to remove any dirt, dust or oil.

Step 17:

After everything is dry from cleaning. I mixed it up epoxy resin and slathered by a generous amount on pens and pins. Then I clamped everything together and let it cure for 24 hours.