A Democratic Axe

(Page 3 of 3)

February/March 2005
By Bill Coperthwaite 
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Another value this experience had for me is the breaking of mental and social barriers, which we need to be able to do if we are to solve our problems and create a decent society that works for all people. At times, the outlook appears dark — it would seem our problems are insurmountable. As with this little hand axe, I was quite sure that I would never make my own. And yet, without consciously focusing on the problem directly, unconscious forces were at work and discovered a solution.

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This gives me hope that if we can continue searching for solutions, caring and supporting one another, we may be able to find the solution to even our worst problems.

P.S.: The broad hatchet from Shikoku finally arrived. It is a veritable gem. Actually, two came — a left- and a right-handed one — polished to a mirror finish and gently wrapped in small white towels.

Bill Coperthwaite lives in his handmade yurt on the coast of Maine. To order his eloquent book, A Handmade Life: In Search of Simplicity (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2003).

To Make a Broadaxe:

1. Enlarge the pattern so the grid sections are 1-inch squares and trace the pattern on annealed (temperable) steel, five-sixteenths of an inch thick.
2. Cut out the axe head with a hacksaw.
3. Smooth all edges with a file, and file the bevel to make the cutting edge. (For a right-hander, the bevel should be on the right, for a lefty on the left.)
4.rill two rivet holes.
5. The face should be slightly hollowed, like a shallow gouge. To do this, carve a hollow (6 inches long and a quarter of an inch deep) in a chopping block. Heat the axe head until it is glowing red, then hammer it into the hollow with the bevel side up.
6. To harden the steel, heat it to glowing red and plunge it into cold water.
7. To temper the steel, put the axe head in an oven at 475 degrees for about 30 minutes and allow to cool slowly.
8. Carve a handle of hardwood in the form shown in the photograph and rivet it to the axe head. You can customize the handle’s curve and weight to your own preferences.

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Comments

  • Tracy Luegge 7/16/2008 6:29:42 PM

    Under article tools (in the top right corner) click on image gallery and go to the second image.

    Hope this helps.

  • Barbara Kerbs 7/16/2008 8:14:55 AM

    Where is the pattern located for the "Democratic Axe"?

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