Ye Olde Englishe Machette

[tombear]

Wishing to combine my midlife crisis with a interest in history and chopping things up outdoors I recently aquired a 20" bladed longseax in the frankish style from this chap

http://www.knivesbynick.co.uk/weapons_axes.htm

I asked for something at the farmers not the Thanes end of the spectrum and was very pleased with what I got especially for the money. Unlike the small seax I got at the same time I wanted to leave some of the hammer marks on this one so just removed the black scale (?) and the most raised lumps and bumps from the forging. With the advice of some members of this parish i have put a 40 degree edge on it and in the future will be using whetstones to keep it sharp. The steel is EN45 and since it was too shiny when I had finished polishing it I went over with a grey Garryflex block to dull it down some.

Since the yew I've aquired is cracking as it dries out and I lack the patiance to wait to see where I can cut a good piece from I have decided to use the hawthorn that I made a couple of walking sticks from which I know is seasoned. It just happens to have a nice difference in colour from the heart wood to sap and distinctive flecking so will look pretty as well.

So now I have the joy of drilling the pilot holes for the tang to go into the wood. The rest of the hole I will do with very thin chissels and files.

ATB

Tom

 

[Zingmo]

That looks great. Are you going to use something historically sympathetic to glue the handle on with?

Z

 

[tombear]

Cheers! I havent decided yet, I could make up a pine resin based hot glue, add in a little charcoal and dried horse poo. But part of me is thinking I'll be using this thing to cut brush, no ones ever going to see the glue inside the handle and its not made from a period correct iron anyway. I may cheat and have the peace of mind good old 15 min epoxy gives.

Its a little acedemic at the mo'. The tangs about 5mm thick and much longer than I am used to, 5 inches and thats longer than the reach of any of my 3 or 4mm drills. I've got the pilot holes in straight as deep as they will go but its going to be a pain to get down those last two inches unless the local shops have some extra long thin drills.

 

[tombear]

in the end I dug out a 1/4 brace bit and have done a slightly too wide hole the full length i need and
i will use a 5mm square file to clear out the rest. Its not going to be quick but it will be tight.

ATB

Tom

 

[British Red]

<chuckle>

I was going to offer to post you a Jennings bit in the right size - too late!

 

[tombear]

Cheers! I will have to keep my eye open for th smaller sizes of long bit. I actually paid full wack for a new Bahco 6mm Jennings for a specific job ( wanted to peg all the tennons on the kitchen chairs as they kept becoming unstuck despite using the aircraft grade glue ).

gawd this filings taking a long time!

atb

tom

 

[HHazeldean]

That looks like a sweet blade! Keep us updated on the progress

 

[tombear]

Will do! I cleared out the slot for the tang last night, it's a very tight fit width ways but I overdid it a bit fore and aft at the blade edge as I was using a file and lost concentration. It's a 8 th of a inch so to make it solid I will be using 15 min epoxy as glue and filler so there's no air gap to weaken the structure.

i then ground down ( wearing a filter mask ) a piece of horn, that was just big enough, into a flat plate, rough shaped it and then very carefully drilled out a slot for the tang. I used progressively wider files to shape it and craft knives and bone saws to cut the sloping grooves fore and aft the blade will sit in. Now I'm off to buy some 15 min epoxy as its very marginal I have enough of the good stuff left to do the next stage. Will do some pics when I get back.

ATB

TOM

 

[ozzy1977]

Looking forward to seeing this finished

 

[tombear]

Dont get ya hopes up this is just the 4th blade Ive put a handle on ever!

I sanded the wood down as far as I dared, I wanted to leave plenty on to remove when the blade was on so i could correct any skiwwiffness (squiwiffness?) during the final sanding.

Similarly I didnt go mad on the horn guard/face plate as i would be shaping and polishing that in situ with the same wet and dry sticks I use on the kids models.

I then cleaned the life out of everything, roughed up the surfaces to be glued and apllied liberal amoubt or Araldite Standard. I then tapped the wood on with a mallet, taking care not to split the horn by over doing it, then cobbled together a clamp rig to hold it in place. It says its completely dry in 14 hrs so I am leaving it until then. yes I know I should have used blocks to protect the vice jaws but they are due skimming on the belt sander anyway to get rid of the general ware and tare dinks. I'm glad I left so much meat on the parts as the slot for the tang was far from perfect. A bit longer with the bench sander is worth the peace of mind for a newbie like me!

And thats your lot for today, lots of cleaning up to do before the family get home.

ATB

Tom

 

[British Red]

Interesting clamping arrangement there (without the blade in place) Tom - I'm sure you know much more than me about this stuff! Looking forward to watching this develop

 

[tombear]

Nope the blades in place, the white line pointing down is the masking tape covering the cutting edge. I would have taken the pic from the otherside but then you would have seen the huge piles of cr@p on my workbench left over from various projects which I am now cleaning up!

ATB

Tom

Got wet snow here, no chance of it settling.

 

[British Red]

Ahhh got it now - the seax was the other way up in my head

 

[tombear]

Heres a pic of it out of the clamp. Technically I can start shaping it on the belt sander at 4AM so I think it will wait until tomorrow...

ATB

Tom

 

[British Red]

Given your normal impatience, I would have expected it done by sparrows fart!

 

[tombear]

It is physically painfull waiting. Will sew a tunic Ive cut out insted to take my mind off it.

ATB

Tom

 

[tombear]

I had to be up with the kids anyway so i bashed on and got the handle done by about midday.

First I trimmed it down with a saw and the bench belt sander

Then I used a small surform, various carving knives and sanding blocks to shape it to fit my hand. It looks chunky cos I am. The wood is the hawthorn I made my walking sticks from (still have 3/4 of the 3 foot trunk section left, I think Ill save it for handles as I'm realy pleased with how it looks when its had a few coats of oil.

And a shot with the yew handled 4.5 incher I did.

The handles are a lot more rounded than they look in the pics! Very nice to hold, feels right like the first time you pick up a D cell maglite....

Thanks for all the advice and help. There will now be a pause while I obtain materials for the sheaths.

ATb

Tom

 

[British Red]

Looks good that - the hawthorn has come up very nicely. Not over done and poseur...but...purposeful

 

[ozzy1977]

Cracking job, what plans for a sheath?

 

[tombear]

When I have the spare cash I'll get some 3mm Veg tan and make a typical simple fold over horizontal hang sheath like they dig up on soggy sites for the small seax. I need to score some suitable wood (I'll have to look up again what sort I decided was right) I will then make a split wood sheath for the longseax, chiselling out indentations for the blade. I got a old copy sheepskin flying jacket for 3 quid and the sleaves will make great liners which I'll rub with lanolin before the halves are glued together. I need to do a bit more research as I havent decided whether to cover the wood with thin leather or wrap it in linen.

I also need to do some research to see what sort of sheath would be right for a 1st/2nd C Germanic type.

ATB

Tom