Hello everyone up here.

I and my friend (master blacksmith) made chisels and a slick for my upcoming Timber Framing project. He made the steel parts. I made handles and leather tip guards. In my opinion chisels and the slick came out very high quality. So the idea was born - to start my Timber Framing hand tool company and export them worldwide.

Is there anyone who can give me some advice or some dealer/manager or craftsmen who are interested to take apart in my new idea.

Chisels ar made from high quality carbon steel.

The steel is fully hand forged, we don't use a pneumatic hammer. The facture of the tools looks antique.

Handles are made from ash tree and then linseed oiled.

They come with handmade leather tip guards.

Chisel width: 2" and 1 and 1/2"

Slick width: 3"

Thank you.

Jacob

Here is a link to flickr photostream:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/64220150@N06/sets/72157626991499540/





[img]http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5311/5845851423_0da2649bc4_b.jpg[/img]

These look good, if the price is right I am sure you could find a good market for them.

Where are you located? I might have a proposition for you.

DLB

Hi Bahler.

Thanks for your assessment.

I am located in Europe - Latvia (Baltic States). Last autumn I was in Sweden/Gransfors Bruks axe factory. So that gave me more inspiration of hand tools.

About the price. There are similar hand forged TF chicels and slicks:

http://www.caribooblades.com/framingchisels.html

I think that this price is too high.

What do you think - what would be the best acceptable price for this kind of hand work?

Jacob

Can you manufacture axes as well?

My framing is largely dependent on axes, I find I can cut a mortise faster with an axe than with a saw, and enjoy the work better. I have learned a lot from Central European traditions, especially Swiss and Austrian (and have bought a number of old tools from Hungary)

Yes, those chisels on the link are outrageously expensive! Ei der Jammer!

http://barrtools.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Store_Code=BT&Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=FBC
this might be a little more accurate of a comparison, and this company is often held up as the standard to go by.

I ask about axes, because there are a number of axes that I use (and a few that I need) that are only available to me through 1 manufacturer, which is in Austria.

Hello,
Many close-up and detailed photos asking for serious, considered and constructive critique so I would say, for one thing, that an important feature for a good slick is to have a rounded over top side where the user can lay a hand and exert pressure and not have sharp edges digging in there. Conversely, the bench chisels should have somewhat sharp edges up the sides to aid in cutting clean sided mortices. While linseed oil is the right finish for the handles, absolutely no finish is even better.
I think if you were to ask your Swedish blacksmith he would tell you that laminated blades are better quality. This would make these chisels and slicks something special in relation to what is generally available.

Greetings,

Don Wagstaff

We could make axes as well. I have Gransfors log building axes - so we can make similar too. We can make them from the same Swedish steel they (Gransfors) use to make their well known axes.

If you could send me some pictures and measurements of axes you would need - we could make them.

The Barr Tool chisel prices are user friendly, but I think they are not fully hand forged. For that kind of manufacturing - they use pneumatic hammers. In Gransfors they make some of the tools only by hand - and their prices are third higher than for machine manufactured.

Later I will post here some pictures of the axes we have made.

Hi Don.

Thanks for your critique. To make the best tool at first I think in the beginning we will make some good tools. It is an evolution. The tools you have seen in the pictures we made just from pictures and information we found over the internet. Before starting serious tool making - I will definetly collect information from serious craftsmen and blacksmith.

Nebruks,

I would like to see the axes you have made, and I will also try and make up some diagrams with measurements for the axes I mentioned. These axes are specifically adapted to cutting joinery on a timber frame, which is how they are used in Germany and Central Europe.

DLB

Here you can see some of the axes.

Hand Forged Axes

Most of them are hunting axes. The blacksmith makes also Damascus steel swords and knifes.

Those look good, and the twisted adze is curious.

Now, as for the specific types of axes I am speaking of,

The first is the Bundaxt (also Bandhacke, Zimmeraxt)

It has a very narrow bit, 2 to 3, 31/2 inches wide, and the head is very long, maybe 8 inches, with a handle about 31 or 32 inches long. This log is used to cut notches, for hewing, log building ,tenon shaping, etc. and excels at the task.

The head is usually straight, but some older examples have a slight bend downward along the length. Also some older examples are a little bit shorter.

These axes may at times have a nail puller on the pol, and a strengthened pol capable of driving pegs and spikes. But these features are not universal.

I will have more later.

Hi.

Do you talk about something like that?

The bottom one looks like what I am talking about. The top looks to long in the head, with too short a handle. A similar tool, but slightly different. But again, the bottom looks like examples I have seen of the Bandhacke. Something like that with a very long (80 cm) handle.

The top one to me looks like a particularly old example of a tool known as a Stichaxt. This tool is used to shape and clean mortises and joint faces and for similar tasks. Modern examples of this tool have no wooden handle on them, and are used more or less like a chisel.

So the top one without a handle in my experience is called a Danish slick.

For precise making of the axe you want, the best would be a drawing with measurements or even better a SketchUp 3D model of an axe.

Maybe you can also take some pictures of the similar axes you work with.

It would be easier to communicate trough email. My email is: logjacob@gmail.com

Here I found some versions of the axe with handle. Should the handle be straight as seen in the photo?

Source: Google.ch "Bilder" (images)
I just went to Google.ch (google Switzerland) and typed in "Bandhacke" and "Bundaxt"
similar results can be had with goole Germany (google.de)

and of course the examples made in Germany, Switzerland, or Austria tend to be very highly decorated as well.

How many axes you will need?

We can make one prototype at the beginning from the measurements that you gave and from the photos.

From what tree you would like to have a handle?

We can make from apple, cherry, ash, oak, maple or any other...

Would you like to have any ornaments on the axe head? Similar to Austrian and German style?


What price (+shipping) you would be ready to pay for an axe?

If the axe you will not like - you could send it back and we will return the money back.

for hewing, a pair would be nice. so 2 is what I would want

Ash or oak for the handle. I believe that ash would be more durable, and in addition would be traditional.

German style ornaments would be nice too. I have an old German goosewing with ornaments on it, it would be nice if these could have similar work on them to match.

There is a company in Austria, Muellar und Soehne, that I can get these axes from, I believe the price I can get them from their American distributer is $180 or something similar to that, with maybe $20 shipping or so. That is the only thing I really have to compare to. Would you be able to make it for less than that? (before shipping)


here is the goosewing's decoration
This tool was either made in Austria or Pennsylvania, and is somewhere in the order of 250 years old. It has a forge-welded blade with an iron (not steel) body. The metallurgy is excellent, and it just about won't rust.
DLB

Hello.

We could make an axe with ornaments and leather seath for 140 $ + 26$ shipping.

If you agree with that axe would be ready in 1,5 weeks and shipped in 1 week.

Jacob

my email: logjacob@gmail.com