Vintage Axes and Garden Equipment

[sime42]

1 hour ago, organic guy said:

Do you have plans for the shave horse or just from your head?

 

Bit of both really, as above. Something I've been thinking about for a while. 

 

I've got this book also. A bit overkill, but I wanted to support efforts at keeping old crafts alive anyway. I've met the guy at a couple of shows.

 

Shaving Horses, Lap Shaves and other Woodland Vices - Sean Hellman

SEANHELLMAN.COM

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Shaving Horses, Lap Shaves and other Woodland Vices This is a practical, instructive book with plans, diagrams, and...

 

 

 

 

[openspaceman]

2 hours ago, sime42 said:

 

 

Thanks. I've not tried it out yet, but I was thinking to myself exactly the same re. ankles. I've got some sections of split Ash that I want to flatten and true, (to an extent), with it. To make a Shave Horse.

 

 

 

 

I never did get adept at mine, I bought the head new, 40 years ago, a shipwright one with a poll for knocking nails down. Two brothers had a workshop called "Handles" locally and they made a lovely handle for it in exchange for a load of ash boards, cut with the woodmizer. 

 

I had it razor sharp but never had the nerve to swing it hard across the grain. When my brother was renovating his house I took it down to clean up some antique oak timbers taken from it, with the intention of re using them in the rebuild.

 

As we were sorting the house for sale his widow said she had given it, and all his garden tools, to the gardener.

[AHPP]

Why are tool eyes rounded/oval? Square cornered makes more sense at every stage of production. 

[sime42]

Tradition probably. Square eyes arent as easy when hand forging maybe. 

 

 

[AHPP]

Very, very, very marginally maybe if you’re wrapping flat bar round something as opposed to punching the eye. With the gear of the last 150 years though, easier square. Likewise strong enough steel to not have stress risers at corners (which you could very easily avoid by chamfering the punch anyway). 

[sime42]

Well, that's me fresh out of suggestions. You got any ideas? It's a good question.  Punches are normally round anyway I think. 

[AHPP]

Ideas. Yes. Make them rectangular and a million times easier to handle.

[Stere]

 

Oval is stronger maybe

 

Like airplane windows and port holes

 

Quote

Portholes are round primarily for structural integrity. Round shapes distribute pressure and stress more evenly than square or rectangular shapes, which tend to concentrate stress at the corners, making them weaker and more prone to cracking under the immense pressure experienced by ships

 

The jap axes are never wedged inline with blade orientation as  it can break the weak point in the eye

 

See the adze pic as well wedges are same  way

 

 

 

 

 

Edited Wednesday at 07:43 by Stere

[Deafhead]

Still looking for a handle for my adze, it's been in the family for at least 150 years and was last used by me to cut the tenons on arris rails. They were supported in a V notch in a piece of 4x2.