Info Favorites Register Log in
myArmoury.com Discussion Forums

Forum index Memberlist Usergroups Spotlight Topics Search
Forum Index > Historical Arms Talk > axe: suitable head weight Reply to topic
This is a standard topic  
Author Message
Steffen S




Location: Norway
Joined: 30 Oct 2009

Posts: 12

PostPosted: Tue 05 Oct, 2010 3:28 pm    Post subject: axe: suitable head weight         Reply with quote

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.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Jean Thibodeau




Location: Montreal,Quebec,Canada
Joined: 15 Mar 2004
Likes: 50 pages
Reading list: 1 book

Spotlight topics: 5
Posts: 8,310

PostPosted: Tue 05 Oct, 2010 6:27 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

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.

You can easily give up your freedom. You have to fight hard to get it back!
View user's profile Send private message
Audun Refsahl




Location: Norway
Joined: 15 Feb 2006

Posts: 82

PostPosted: Tue 05 Oct, 2010 10:30 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

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?

just bacon...
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Arne Focke
Industry Professional



Location: near Munich, Germany
Joined: 13 Mar 2006
Reading list: 34 books

Posts: 204

PostPosted: Tue 05 Oct, 2010 11:53 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

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. Wink

So schön und inhaltsreich der Beruf eines Archäologen ist, so hart ist auch seine Arbeit, die keinen Achtstundentag kennt! (Wolfgang Kimmig in: Die Heuneburg an der oberen Donau, Stuttgart 1983)
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Jared Smith




Location: Tennessee
Joined: 10 Feb 2005
Likes: 1 page

Spotlight topics: 3
Posts: 1,532

PostPosted: Wed 06 Oct, 2010 10:15 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

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.
Absence of evidence is not necessarily evidence of absence!
View user's profile Send private message
Steffen S




Location: Norway
Joined: 30 Oct 2009

Posts: 12

PostPosted: Wed 06 Oct, 2010 12:38 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Audun Refsahl wrote:
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?

i want it scary sharp.
and if they don't have a website, i can't see what types they make.
and if they're simarly priced as a Danish guy(ildsmeden.dk)1600-2100DKR for the types i am interested in, its too expensive.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Audun Refsahl




Location: Norway
Joined: 15 Feb 2006

Posts: 82

PostPosted: Wed 06 Oct, 2010 2:39 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

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.

just bacon...
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website


Display posts from previous:   
Forum Index > Historical Arms Talk > axe: suitable head weight
Page 1 of 1 Reply to topic
All times are GMT - 8 Hours

View previous topic :: View next topic
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You can download files in this forum






All contents © Copyright 2003-2024 myArmoury.com — All rights reserved
Discussion forums powered by phpBB © The phpBB Group
Switch to the Basic Low-bandwidth Version of the forum