A different kind of respect for tools
Buy good tools... then break them
The more I make things the more I'm adapting my philosophy of using them. Before I go any further I am not advocating careless or reckless use of tools. Respect them and they'll help you make awesome stuff for a long time. They become friends and collaborators. Just like friends, though, they change over time.
A broken haft presents an opportunity for personalization and improvement.
One of my favorite carving tools is a Gransfors Bruk Swedish Carving axe. I seriously spoiled myself with this one and it has been a sort of One Ring since I got it. You know. Preciousssssss.
Well, the other day I was using it to start the split on a gnarly piece of hickory I wanted to make into a froe handle. It got stuck. Not just a little stuck, but immovable. Arthur himself couldn't have gotten it out. In the process of proving that point, I broke the handle.
I was surprised at how unfazed I was. I remember thinking "Crap. When am I going to find time to fix this now?" That was it. The more a person makes things, the more obvious it becomes that few things are so precious or perfect that they can't be fixed. Or, maybe improved?
The stock haft on the Swedish Carving axe is a thing of beauty to be sure. However, I've never quite come to terms with its curvaceousness. When it came time to replace that sultry haft I took the opportunity to straighten it out a bit. I even had a piece of my favorite hafting wood on hand. Osage Orange or or bois d'arc. I love the color even if it is destined to turn brown. I love the grain. Mostly I love how tough and springy it is. Dang that's good handle wood!
A couple of days ago I found myself with a free morning and some shockingly pleasant weather. So, I dug into the wood pile and got to work. The one downside to carving a new haft for your carving axe is you can't use your carving axe! I eventually located an old camp hatchet that wasn't completely ruined and reinforced the lesson that good tools can't make bad craft good, but they can make good craft much more pleasant.
Eventually I arrived at a shape that was ready for the knife. Five minutes with the axe can be worth half an hour with the knife. In the picture above the lover end of the haft has been rounded and contoured into nearly final shape with the knife while the top half is right off the axe. I think this middle phase is my favorite. You can see massive improvements from just a few minutes work. This is where the real design work comes in for me too. During this rough carving phase I do most of the iterative design. The piece is close enough to finished that I can hold it in my hand to judge comfort. I can look at the different angles to make sure they are all pleasing. I can start to see spots I might (gasp) decorate it!
Since this wood was still relatively green I carved it down to about 90% finished. Then I set it aside to air dry in the house. It took about 4 days to dry to the point I was ready to mount the head. I just cut a quick slot in the head of the haft, cut myself a wedge to fit and inserted tab A into slot B followed by wedge C into slot D. Et Viola a newly hafted carving axe. For a finish I might put on some boiled linseed oil, but I'll probably stick with my favorite tool finish of all - dirt. I'll use it a bit before I do the last 10% of the shaping. I'll learn about this new haft as I use it and that new knowledge will guide my final shaping. As it should be.
Newly hafted carving axe ready to make even more awesome stuff!