[Steffen S]

hi.
for a single hand axe with a 20-22" shaft and 3,5-4 edge length:
what would be a suitable head weigh for weapon/tool axe?

since i cannot find any production heads i like, i will try to grind down a normal tool axe.
and for the fun of it.
i have searched the forums, but didn't find anything specific.

[Jean Thibodeau]

Well to keep it fast you want to keep it light in a fighting axe but a work axe could be a little heavier in the head.

I would say that 1 to 2 pounds would be enough weight.

This one from A&A does give us some idea about the total weigh but the head can't be much over 2 pounds and is probably less: http://www.arms-n-armor.com/pole213.html

Even one pound can hit hard at the end of a two foot handle with most of the weight all concentrated in the axe head.

I have one of these axes and it doesn't feel overly light.

Hope this helps.

[Audun Refsahl]

for a fighting axe that sice the head should be 3-400 gram, total around 600 gram.
It will be a lot of work grinding down a tool axe that much, and the eye won't be right, and you have to mind the heat treatment. there are people in norway doing good work, both with sharps and blunts, they just dont have webpages.. so, you want sharp or blunt?

[Arne Focke]

For a working axe the weight depends on what kind of work the axe should do. The work defines the shape of the axe head and thus the weight.
On the other hand, pretty much any axe can be a dangerous weapon.

[Jared Smith]

This has been brought up previously. A pretty big range of historical fighting and general utility/hunting/carving axes fall within a range of 1 lb to 2 lb (450 grams to 900 grams.) Small tomahawks and "mini hatchets" weighing 11 oz (300 grams) are usually described as very light. A lot of weapons were pretty near 1.3 lbs (approximately .590 grams.) Some of the heavier exceptions (iron hammer axe weighing nearly 3 kg, etc) that have ornamentation may have been ceremonial.

[Steffen S]

[Audun Refsahl]

well, I guess thats really sharp then...
you are quite right, without a webpage you can't see. you would have had to tell them what you wanted instead. but I wont quote a price for someone else, so we'll leave it at that.

when you start grinding, use as coarse grit as possible, that will help you keep temperatures down. if the steel gets so hot you cant touch it, take a break, let it cool down. rough out the profile first, then get started on the thickness. the blade part, and the walls on the eye, should only be 3-4 mm thick, thats the only way you can get it down to a good weight. it should not have a hammersection on the back. and protect your eyes.