Hatchet Restoration

Ahh... The hatchet, a useful tool and ancient weapon. Where would we be with out it? Well, the book Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen wouldn't exist. It is such a small and handy tool to have. So today I made an indestructible about restoring an old hatchet.

I was at a hope gospel/goodwill like store and i ran across this old hatchet. It was 5 bucks and i thought what could go wrong? (quite a lot actually) It is pretty pitted with rust so i probably won't be able to sand the pits out. I started with a flap wheel in a drill, but switched to a flap wheel in an angle grinder for faster rust removal.

ALWAYS WEAR EYE, EAR, AND DUST PROTECTION!!!!!!!!

-filings and sawdust can get in your lungs and it never comes back out. Plus if you get something in your eye you risk going blind!

The handle that was on it was an old rubber handle that left your hands black after you touched it. I ended up using a knife to remove the rubber. It was just like whittling. :)

I had a scrap piece of maple (that otherwise would have been burned) to use as the handles. I started by ripping it down to 2 inches wide on my small band saw. I then took the hatchet and removed the bark as best I could. On the flat side, trace the profile of what is left of the handle. I did this twice, once for each side.

Using a rotary tool with a routing stand and HSS burr bit i went to work taking shallow passes and building up to a depth of about 3/16 of an inch. I am honestly surprised my rotary tool still runs after this, as it was quite warm when I was done:) You could use a normal router for this but you can get more exact with a smaller bit-plus I don't have a router.

You probably notice that I have a "cap" on top of the handle. This was to cover the gap left on top. I later removed this as I ran out of epoxy (great planing) and the top of the handle wasn't flat where the halves meet.

Alright, I didn't show this part cause i didn't want epoxy on my camera:)

Overall its pretty straight forward, you mix the epoxy and spread it on all surfaces that are being stuck together.

TIP-put tape over your clamps in case you get epoxy on them you can still pull it off.

Your almost to the end!

OK, to shape the handle i basically drew the rough outline of what i wanted it to look like. Then using a flap sander wheel thing and belt sander i shaped it to that profile. In the end it was what i really pictured, but it fit in my hand and was comfortable.

To sharpen the blade you hold it at about a 30 degree angle and make a few passes on both sides. You could also use a file, angle grinder, of bench grinder too.

I needed to fix the handle because I sanded through to the channel in one spot. I used a Zar brand wood filler that dries hard, and is sandable and stainable. I left it a little proud of the wood and then sanded the excess off.

I am waiting until summer to stain the handle because its cold out and it wouldn't dry properly.

I left the pits of rust in it because i want it to be a working hatchet-not just for show.

Things i may change.

I might add brass pins to the handle if it becomes loose. i am avoiding doing this because it has a weird finish on the tang that is really hard.

I think it would be cool if the handle was rapped in leather for grip and to cover up the gap on the top of the handle. I would have done this but I am not sure where to go to get leather-menards or my local sewing shop didn't have any. So... maybe in the future sometime:)

I also want to make a new leather belt sheath for it for when I go camping so I can carry it on my belt. -maybe a future ible?

Feel free to ask any questions you have. This is also and entry in the trash to treasure challenge so please vote if you think its worthy:)