The taiga ax is special kind a tool that has many differences from ordinary carpentry tools that can be found in every owner’s home. Good tool It is very difficult to find and it is expensive, so we will make the best ax with our own hands from ordinary materials. Next, we will consider the main differences, features, characteristics of the product and step-by-step instructions for its manufacture.
Characteristics of the taiga ax and what it should be like
Since the parameters of the ax and blade are very different from the usual sizes of “household” axes and will seem unusual to many, you first need to decide what problems can be solved with this miracle device:
- Tree cutting. Felling in a sawmill, sanitary felling or preparing firewood for a log house - this is exactly what this ax was made for.
- Rough work with logs (that's right, rough!). Suitable for removing branches, making grooves, removing thick bark and similar works.
- Ax for survival. A lightweight hunting tool, suitable for quickly creating bags and animal traps.
- Construction of huts, decking, wooden houses « instant cooking" A hut will not be built without an axe, but with its help you can do it 4 times faster than when working with a carpenter's ax blade.
- Working with firewood. If accuracy is a secondary concern, then this tool is perfect for the job.
If you would like to make a tool for precision work, then it would be better to consider forged axes with a straight, long blade. They are of little use when cutting down trees, but the accuracy is very high. In addition to the quality of the “cut,” there are many differences between a taiga ax and a regular one.
Shorter rounded blade . The ax is much lighter than a regular one, and small area work surface allows you to bury it much deeper into the wood, suitable for cutting wood across the grain. The tool is much easier to carry (the ax and head together weigh no more than 1400 grams).
Presence of a long beard
. Its main task is to protect the wooden part from breaking under strong impacts. Up to 60% of the impact force is absorbed. But it does not protect against impacts from logs - this is a misconception, because special shape the blades already perform this function. 
Special ax sharpening
. The rear edge of the blade is almost 2 times thinner than the front. This is done for the purpose of using the ax as a cleaver (if struck correctly). In a conventional tool, the edge has the same thickness for high precision works 
Special angle of inclination of the ax
. The head of the taiga ax forms a much smaller angle with the ax handle. This allows you to increase work efficiency, relieve hand fatigue and increase productivity when cutting trees. The blow becomes much stronger than that carpenter's ax, where the head and blade are placed at a 90 degree angle. All taiga axes self made they try to do it with an angle of 75-65 degrees - this is their main difference. 
They use ordinary sharpening wheels, since they can be very diverse. The main thing is to observe the difference in the thickness of the leading and trailing edges, since it is this that affects the productivity of the forester.
Do-it-yourself taiga ax - making the tool head
It won’t be possible to forge or cast a metal part at home, so let’s take the simplest route and in a few steps make a taiga ax out of an ordinary carpenter’s axe.
STEP 1: we take an old metal head from an ax, the weight of which is approximately 1400-1600 grams (the best option) and cut off the front protrusion of the blade flush with the butt. Protrusion of 5-8 degrees is allowed, but it's better to remove it if you need the right axe. 
STEP 2: we make the back of the blade round, we cut off the metal so that the entire touching surface is without corners. This can be done using an ordinary grinder or a medium-grit sanding wheel. 
STEP 3: cut out a semicircle in the inner part of the blade. It is necessary for a comfortable grip of the ax when it is necessary to trim something or for more precise work. With this form of an ax you can pull up small logs or hang the ax on a tree branch. In addition, you can reduce the weight of the head by 150-200 grams. 
STEP 4: cut off the upper corners of the butt. This will reduce weight and increase the maneuverability of the tool. This operation can be omitted if you are satisfied with the axe. 
Now all that remains is to choose how to sharpen the ax. It is very important to use a low-speed tool (a grinder cannot be used!). Sanding machine with large wheel and medium grit - perfect option. The sharpening must be double-sided and have a moderately sharp edge (a very sharp one will die on the first tree).
Making an ax handle with your own hands
You should not neglect the ax handle, since it is this that affects the comfort of work. The holder must be balanced, comfortable, well polished and with correct geometry so as not to injure the worker’s hands.
The first step is to choose the right wood for the ax handle. The first and simplest option is pine. It is very easy to sharpen and polish, but is unreliable due to its high fragility. You can use birch - the best option and very affordable wood that is quite easy to find. Maple and clear - ideal option, but making a handle from such wood is very difficult in some latitudes.
The size of the ax can be at your discretion; a handle with a length of 50 to 70 centimeters (universal size) for the cleaver is recommended. A hiking option is 40 centimeters, but cutting down trees and chopping firewood is quite difficult with it. If working with an ax only involves splitting logs, then the handle can be increased to 120 centimeters - excellent impact power and productivity, but you lose in comfort of use. Next, let's look at step-by-step instructions for making an ax handle.
STEP 1: We select a wooden blank. The log should be 20 centimeters longer, and its diameter should be at least 12 cm. Without knots, rotten areas, deformations and other defects that may be present on the tree. 
STEP 2: drying wood. First you need to clear all the bark and split the lump in the middle. It is advisable to withstand for a couple of months at +22-25 degrees and 15% humidity. You should not heat it or keep it damp - this will only worsen the properties of the wood after drying, and it may become deformed. 
STEP 3: we shape the ax handle. First, you can remove all excess with a hatchet or a large knife, and all “jewelry work” is done using a chisel and a small hammer. If this is your first hand-made pen and you don’t yet know how to make an ax, then the process will take several hours, you need to check the drawings. A more experienced person will be able to cut an ax handle by eye in 20-30 minutes. You should end up with a handle something like this: 
STEP 4: Now you need to attach the ax handle and secure it. You can use gauze and epoxy resin - a proven option. After 2-3 days the instrument is completely ready for use. To be sure, after mounting the ax you can hammer in a wedge - this will be more reliable. 
STEP 5: sanding and opening with varnish. The ax handle needs to be properly processed sandpaper and open with anti-corrosion mixtures so that the wood is not damaged over time. Now the instrument will also be beautiful! 
Now all you have to do is find out what do-it-yourself sharpening is. You need to sharpen the ax handle on a machine or do it manually and you can go test the tool. True connoisseurs can also make a leather case with their own hands. A piece of leather 30 by 30 centimeters, an awl and nylon threads is all you need. Now the tool will look respectable and you won’t be ashamed to give it as a gift!
Details on how to do it taiga ax You can take a look with your own hands here:
Hi all! This summer I went on a 5-week trek in the Alps with some friends. The time spent left a lot of positive impressions. But during this trip I discovered that I had forgotten one very important tool - an axe. After a long day in the mountains, it's nice to sit by the fire and drink beer. But in order to start a fire without an ax, we had to spend a lot of time looking for small branches that could be broken by hand.
Therefore, as soon as I arrived home, I had the idea to make a tourist hatchet, in which, like 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 hammer on the butt. The ax blade will be glued to the handle and secured with rivets.opener
First, as an opener, I wanted to make a suitable hole in the blade. As a result of test drilling, it was found that a regular drill It's impossible to make a hole, so I changed the type of opener. Both options can be seen in the image. New type will be made in the form of a specially shaped hook.Saw
I wanted the ax to come with a saw and thought it would be nice if it could be hidden like a jackknife. From the handle and it can be unfolded using the finger groove. The saw will be hidden between two pads. The shape of the metal part of the handle will allow the saw to be locked in both open and folded positions.Once the design was chosen, I tried it on a circular saw blade to get the dimensions to fit.
Materials and tools
This ax is made from a used circular saw and hardwood that I had. I only had to purchase 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 about safety equipment!).
- Rasp.
- File.
- Sandpaper.
- Drill.
Let's make sparks!
I transferred the outline of the ax and the metal part of the handle onto circular saw and cut them out using an angle grinder with a thin cutting wheel. Then using grinding wheel, corner grinding machine and files I completed the formation of the elements. The final shape of the metal part of the handle can be given later.
Making the handle
You can glue the template to wooden blank and cut out two overlays. I took advantage of mine milling machine with CNC.
Drilling hardened steel
I didn't have a carbide drill bit, so I wasn't sure how the process will begin working with a hardened axe. I came across a video where it was said that you can use a sharpened concrete drill bit to drill hardened metal. That's what I did, and everything worked out pretty well.
Adding an opener
This is probably the most irreplaceable 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 a regular bottle opener onto the ax blade and cut a recess into it. Works great :)
Drilling the handle
Next, I drilled holes in the handle and checked that everything fit. The metal part of 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 to make the holes. Then I fastened the two pads together with clamps and then drilled them out. through hole. This way 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
Once the blade's bevel outline was traced, I used an angle grinder with a sanding disc for a rough finish. Then, for finer work, a file and grinding machine(use water to cool the blade). The final sharpening was done using grinding wheel sharpening machine.
I'm not an expert at sharpening an ax blade, so you can do this another way.
The ax will primarily be used to split wood into smaller pieces, so I did a little testing of its functionality.
Gluing and riveting
“Come on, give me back my stone axe” - there is probably no person in our country who has not heard this song. Yes, the first axes were made of stone. But this time passed many thousands of years ago, and now they use quality wood and steel.
During the development of civilization, many varieties of this tool have appeared (construction, throwing, etc.) which have not yet lost their relevance. Moreover, on the market you can find many varieties of this product, which are designed to solve certain problems, for example, those facing a hunter or tourist.
Classification of axes
In practice, many types of axes are used, which are designed for working with wood. Conventionally, they can be divided into three types:
- cleavers;
- for logging;
- construction or universal.
Accordingly, there are various designs designed to solve specific problems, for example, a firefighter is equipped with a pick, with which you can pull beams and other structures away from the source of fire.
By the way, the size of the ax can be determined based on the height and physique of the person who will work with it.
Making a blank
A block is hewn out from a block that has been dried. Work must be carried out along the fibers. The size of the bar should be 100 mm larger than the size of the finished product. The size of the part where it will be installed, and the blade itself should be 2 - 3 mm larger than the size of the eye.
The template prepared in advance must be laid on the surface of the block. At the same time, leave allowances for processing. From the front its size is 10 mm, in the tail it is 90 mm. This allowance is necessary so that the handle does not crack when pulled onto the ax itself. Upon completion of work, this allowance is removed.
Hewing out an ax
To bring the details to required sizes, two cuts must be made in the upper and lower parts of the workpiece, but their depth should not reach the contour of 2 mm. Excess material can be removed using a chisel. After this, using a file with a large notch, the corners, transitions and other surfaces of the handle are leveled. Abrasive sandpaper is used to finish the surface.
Impregnation with waterproof compound
To increase the resistance of the handle to moisture, use special compounds. But it is permissible to use drying oil or linseed oil. The handle is covered with this liquid until it stops being absorbed into it.
The handle for the tool should not slip in the hand and therefore, it is not recommended to cover it with any paint and varnish materials or use some kind of pads.
By the way, it wouldn’t hurt to add a coloring pigment to the waterproof coating, for example, orange color. Then the tool with a bright handle will not disappear on the site.
When choosing a piercing part, you must definitely find out what steel it is cast from. Our country has adopted GOST 18578-89. It defines the grades of steel from which it is permissible to make the blade parts of an ax. These are steels - 8ХФ, 9ХФ, 9ХС, ХВГ, У7А, У8, У8А, У8Га, У9, У9А and many others similar in properties to the named grades.
Landing the ax on the handle
Fitting the blade onto the finished handle should be done using markings. To do this, draw a sketch of the eyelet on the upper end. Then you need to mark the length of the piercing part on it. And after that you can begin installing the blade on the handle.
After choosing a tool, the owner is faced with new task- how to sharpen it. Yes, the manufacturer supplies this tool in a ready-made condition. But sooner or later, the sharpening done in the factory workshops will become dull and the need for independent editing will arise. Practice shows that it is better to spend some time on editing it than to do the work with a blunt instrument. It is advisable to perform turning of a product using a template. It is made independently. To do this you will need a small piece of tin. After choosing the sharpening angle, you need to mark it on the sheet metal and cut out the angle. After this, attach the template to the blade. The angle of deviation from the required one will be immediately visible. Using a marker, apply to cutting edge corresponding labels.
When sharpening, the master must consider the following factors:
Characteristics of the wood he will have to work with. What kind of work will have to be done, harvesting lumber is one thing, cutting out locks on logs installed in a log house is another. Of course, the material from which the blade is made must also be taken into account.
How to make a battle ax
Not all axes can be purchased in the store; for example, it is impossible to buy a battle axe. And therefore, if you want to get such a product, it’s easier to make an ax with your own hands.
You can take an ordinary construction tool as a basis, see Fig. 2, and use it to make a combat blade.
It has certain disadvantages:
- It has an irrational form.
- It has excess mass, which will interfere with manipulations during the battle.
Viking battle ax
It should also be noted that the upper ledge will create difficulties during chopping and striking. That is, it gives the ax an unnecessary torque directed counterclockwise, thus causing increased wear on the ax handle. It won't hurt to grind off the protrusion located below. In addition, straight sharpening is not entirely suitable for a battle axe.
How to make an ax from wood
How to make an ax from wood? To do this, you need to prepare a wedge-shaped blank from which you will need to make a blade. On the surface of the workpiece, you need to draw the outline of the future toy with a marker. Excess material can be removed using an abrasive sharpener.
At the next stage, on the end surface of the workpiece it is necessary to mark the outline of the hole for the ax handle. The technology for obtaining the handle is described above, but it is necessary to correct the dimensions.
Bringing the blade and handle to the required shape can be done using a sharpener or file. In a fairly short time, the children's ax will be ready.
What product does a hunter who spends a lot of time in conditions need? wildlife how it can be done. Yes, no one argues, in specialized stores you can buy a product for every taste. But not all of them meet the needs of hunters.
In order to make the cutting part of a product for hunting, you need to use a solid piece of metal. But somehow it’s more common to hold an ax with a wooden handle. For the manufacture of the blade, grade 1040 steel is used, this is a structural alloy steel, the Russian equivalent is 40G.
You can make the cutting part by ordering it from the village smithy. The master is able to forge the necessary blank for the blade. He is also able to make and install a steel handle. If such a handle does not suit you, then you can install a wooden one. When making it, you need to take into account some simple rules:
The handle cannot be varnished - the hand will slip.
When choosing its shape, it is necessary to take into account the width of the grip of the palm; it is necessary to make stops that will allow you to hold the ax in your hand.
How to make a taiga ax
Before you make a taiga axe, you need to understand how it differs from a traditional one? It has a different blade shape and ax handle parameters. That is, you can take an ordinary ax as a basis. Change the shape of its sharpening, remove excess material in the upper part, by analogy with the combat one.
You can use an angle grinder to remove excess material.
The ax handle can be made from birch. To secure it more securely in the blade, you can wrap a bandage impregnated with epoxy resin. It makes sense to soak the handle itself with linseed oil.
An ax made with your own hands will satisfy all the wishes of the master. Without this important tool, like an ax, a carpenter and a lumberjack, and indeed any owner who has own house. The ax will help in the construction or repair of buildings, cutting down trees, and preparing firewood.
An ax is an important assistant in the construction or repair of buildings, cutting down trees, and preparing firewood.
What ax to make?
In terms of purpose, shape and degree of versatility, there are many types of axes that differ markedly from each other. We can distinguish the main types of this important tool.
A carpenter's ax is used for wood processing, joinery and carpentry work. It is characterized by its light weight (so that it can be held in one hand) and the convenience of an ax. Its blade has a straight cut and the sharpening angle is 35º. The most convenient length of the ax is considered to be 44-45 cm. The weight usually does not exceed 1.5 kg, and for lightweight versions it is 0.9 kg.
For cutting down trees or splitting firewood, other axes are used - lumberjacks. They have a rounded blade and a longer ax handle. Particularly noteworthy are the splitting axes designed for working with large logs. They have wedge-shaped, thickened, narrow blades and long, powerful axes.
The taiga ax is in quite high demand. With such an ax you can carry out rough work with wood (cutting trees, splitting firewood, cutting off branches), primary wood processing (log cabins for the winter, splitting logs), manufacturing hunting gear and devices, constructing temporary dwellings (huts, floorings) and many other works.
Read also:
Read more about the bottle jack.
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Preparing the ax head
The question of how to make an ax is solved primarily at the stage of preparing the tool head. The head is the metal chopping part of the ax and consists of sections such as the blade (the pointed part), the blade (the wedge-shaped part), the butt (the back of the head) and the eye (the attachment area on the ax handle). The shape of the blade and blade determines what the ax does in the future.
In the process of creating a head, it is first given required form the blade and it is sharpened. A carpentry tool has a straight cut blade and a sharpening angle of 35°.
The taiga ax must have a rounded blade, so its convex shape is selected or the corners are ground off and the cut is rounded. The blade is sharpened using an emery block with grains. average size. Final finishing is carried out with a grinding stone.
The blade of a carpenter's ax (like most others) has a fairly regular trapezoidal shape. To make a taiga ax with your own hands, you need to align the upper cut of the blade with the cut of the eye and butt along the same line. Usually the top edge of the blade is simply cut off to the level of the eye.
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Making an ax
The second most important step in solving the problem of how to make an ax is making an ax handle. This element is made of wood. Birch is most often used. The taiga ax is typically used for high humidity. In this regard, it is recommended to use wood with less rotting under the influence of moisture. Maple has proven itself quite well in these conditions. The most optimal is ash.
The first step is to select or make a wooden chock with a diameter of about 15 cm and a length exceeding the length of the ax by 15 cm. Such a chock is split exactly in half and stripped of the bark. Then it must be dried well at a temperature of 20-25ºC and at a humidity of no more than 10%. A diagram is applied to the flat part of the workpiece. The longitudinal axis of the element must coincide with the direction of the wood fibers.
The initial processing of the chock is done with a small hatchet. Further shaping of the body of the workpiece is done using a chisel and knife.
IN cross section the workpiece should have an oval appearance (correct round form tires your hand). The lower end of the element must be bent and widened to avoid the hand slipping when chopping. The upper end should be hemmed to fit into the hole in the head eye.
After the head has completely settled on the ax handle, the protrusion of the wooden part above the cut of the eye should be about 10 mm.
The surface of the workpiece is carefully sanded with emery cloth.
Do-it-yourself hatchet, drawing and detailed description products.
For the ax handle, types of hardwood wood are used; the best ones are:
Ash
Jatoba
hickory
oak
beech
birch
maple
The fracture strength of the product is ensured by the position of the wood fibers in the workpiece from which the ax handle will be made.
Let's look at the picture, which shows the position of the workpiece relative to the cutting plane of the barrel or chock. As you can see, the workpiece is placed outside the center of the tree trunk.
When choosing (chocks), you must remember that the area is free of chips, knots, cracks and rot.
We chop off a piece of the required size from the chock and send it for drying.
The best option, if drying is carried out under natural conditions, in a ventilated area and for a long time.
The moisture content of wood after drying should be 8...12%.
Let's start making the ax handle according to the drawing:
1. Let's prepare a workpiece of the required size.
2. Let's transfer the outline from the drawing to the workpiece.
The deviation of the fiber arrangement from the longitudinal axis along the workpiece should not exceed 5°
3. Let's cut out the outline of the product according to the dimensions of the drawing.
4. Smooth out the sharp edges and round the corners.
The handle of the product must be perfectly smooth and oval
the bottom of the ax is thickened and rounded
the top of the ax is adjusted to the eye of the attached blade.
5. We will treat the product with an antiseptic.
