Hatchet project for my boy...Hatchet Jack!

[OutdoorEnvy]

Well some of you may remember my sons' name is Jack.  And I have called him "Hatchet Jack" since he was born...most of you know the great movie that's from.  He turned 10 last month and will be hitting the deer woods for the first time.  I didn't carry a hatchet with me in the woods till I was almost 20 and couldn't believe I didn't start sooner.  So the plan was to have him one when he hits the woods...and be fitting for his nickname!  This won't be sharp yet as I'm not confident he won't lose a finger so the edge is not sharp.  It's almost as sharp as a soup spoon.  So no worries there.

So a couple years ago I came across this old Sweden hatchet at an antique store and put it away for him.  So the time is now.  It's just a basic 1.25lb head.  The steel is good quality and knew it would clean up nice.  Here's the start





Rust removed and edge cleaned up.  But not sharp





For handle fitting I do like to bring the head to the shoulder and thin it down.  Most of the ones today are way too thick.  This one turned out nice and got it where I like it with the draw knife and a rasp.  I fully sand and take it to 1000 grit.  I find it gets less splintering and is more comfortable for choking up on.  Found a nice dark hickory handle for it.  You can afford to wait out a nice one when you have a couple years to plan for it.



that's the fit we're looking for!



Wedge set it nice with lots of curling.  Then let a couple rounds of boiled linseed oil soak in and wiped it clean.



Turned out pretty nice!  Should last him his whole life.  We'll get it sharpened up when he's ready.  But for now it should clear out a sitting spot against a tree just fine and help with other camp chores.







I've lost an axe sheath before so thought a bright colored one would be better to start out with.  Had some yellow leather from a scrap pile so we decided that would do the trick!   


 
Not sure if this will be the last axe project post I get to make here or not.  But Jack will have a fine user and will build up his axe collection as he gets older.

thanks for looing

[boomer]

Very, very well done. That hatchet will mean a lot to both of you and more as time goes on. Congratulations to you and Hatchet Jack.

[crashdive123]

Great Father/Son project.

[Moe M.]

 Nicely done OE, and a great gift for a growing boy, I'm sure it will go a long way into getting him even more interested in the outdoors (Until he finds out about girls anyway) , my dad didn't believe in dull cutting tools and raised me to believe as he did, when I gave my boys (five of them) knives or hatchets I made sure they were sharp (Dull cutting tools are usually the ones that cause accidents and drew blood), but I did take extra time to teach them about how to carry and use them safely.
 Of course that's just insurance, it's not a guarantee that they won't end up cutting themselves, anyone that says they've never cut themselves with a cutting tool has either never used one or they are lying, but it's been my experience that good coaching usually mitigates serious injuries where more than a band aid is needed.
 But Jack is your boy and I'm sure you'll do what you think is best for him, as it should be.

 Again, great job breathing new life into a vintage hatchet, I sure he will cherish it for years to come, and also, good luck in the deer woods this season to both of you.   

[wsdstan]

Nice job.  Great to see this kind of work.

[OutdoorEnvy]

Thanks guys!  And Moe I do agree on sharp tools being safer.  The hatchet right now is basically a glorified hammer.  I plan to work with him on wood chores and see how he handles sharp axes while I'm there to observe.  Once he seems competent with the tool we'll get it sharp.  Dad just wanted to get the head start on the project    

[wolfy]

Nice job on the hatchet, OE!    I have to agree with Moe on this one....sharp tools are the only way to go.  You mentioned that Jack is now ten years old....that's old enough to join the Boy Scouts of America.  As a former Scoutmaster, I taught dozens of boys that age how to sharpen and use hatchets, knives and axes.  Did some of them cut themselves?....sure, but nobody died and they learned the hard way how to avoid accidents.  It's inevitable & bound to happen, but on the other hand, that's part of the learning curve.....YOU went through it, didn't you?

[Moe M.]

Thanks guys!  And Moe I do agree on sharp tools being safer.  The hatchet right now is basically a glorified hammer.  I plan to work with him on wood chores and see how he handles sharp axes while I'm there to observe.  Once he seems competent with the tool we'll get it sharp.  Dad just wanted to get the head start on the project    

     

[xj35s]

I sharpened up my old plumb and rehandled it. It and my silky outback saw are my goto tools now. It won't take him long to learn proper usage. Don't let him suffer with a dull axe for too long. Ya know he's got some forts to build and stuff!

[crashdive123]