Sharpen a Hatchet - PEP BB tool.sand.hatchet

Please look at my pictures & video of my very Dull hatchet transformed to a Sharp killing machine a.k.a. useful food provider!!    

Edit: I think I can do a lot better job so I'm gonna resubmit later when I have more time.

 

Sorry, I'm trying to make sure I don't miss anything, I was missing the action picture of me sharpening the Hatchet. I just attached the video, I'm trying to figure this BBs publishing still LOL, sorry, getting much better every time.

Alex Ordonez wrote:Please look at my pictures & video of my very Dull hatchet transformed to a Sharp killing machine a.k.a. useful food provider!!  

 

Okay, I have never done anything like this before and I am not sure if I got the angle completely right. But the good thing is, it is way sharper than it was and can be used on what it is supposed to be used on.

I'm editing this post to remove it as a submission for this BB.  This is actually what was called a "Boy's Axe", meaning a small axe rather than a hatchet.  It would be a better fit for the BB to sharpen and axe.  I will resubmit it there and then see if I can't find a hatchet in a second hand store to purchase and sharpen for this BB (and then add to my collection of tools).

It was interesting learning about the proper way to sharpen a hatchet/axe.  I wasn't aware of the thing about the different angles based on how the tool is to be used.  Makes sense though.  I also found it personally interesting that I was just recently explaining more or less the same thing to students taking a chasing and repousse workshop I was teaching regarding going at something with different angles as a way to shape the overall form.

While my small axe wasn't horribly dull it was getting rusted.  I applied the new found knowledge of the angles to redo the angles and make everything better.

I used a dual grit sharpening stone in a circular motion.

Edited to add: I was at Wheaton Labs, Grey and I were learning from Daniel how to sharpen tools. I was instructed to do a circular motion with the whetstone and aim for a 22.5deg angle at the tip. I don't know how long I was sharpening the hatchet for but I was assured by the guys that the hatchet was sharp enough for hatchet things so I wrapped up and took some pics. I wonder if the lighting could have been better or if the picture could have been more focused on the blade to change the perception. It seemed like a good close-up photo on my phone but the resolution isn't very good when I try to zoom in on the computer. I also added a photo of a piece of paper cut test, which wasn't required for this BB so I didn't originally include it but perhaps it's a better picture for evaluating how sharp the cutting edge is. I'm also reporting this post for renewed attention?

I just finished cleaning and sharpening our old hatchet that we haven't really taken care of, but now it's nice, sharp, and shiny!
Ps: It's identical to the one in the 2nd video lol.

Today I sharpened my hatchet that I use primarily to rough out wooden spoons. The hatchet's name is "Norlund".
It had developed a few small nicks in the edge since I last did a comprehensive sharpening last month on it. I could do better at keeping it fiendishly sharp before each carving session, but as it currently stands, I sharpen it when I notice it getting miserably dull and taking more effort to rough out spoons and being less able to bite on the shaping cuts, which is about once a month with my usage level.

My sharpening method is to clamp the hatchet to the porch railing, and make one pass on each side with each of:
- 1 file
- 4 grits of diamond stone xtra-coarse through extra-fine, applied to the edge like a big file
- 1 leather-on-wood strop with green crayon-type honing compound

I colored the edge and cross-hatched the bevel with a permanent marker before each pass to ensure that I was roughly matching the existing angle and sharpening up to the edge, and felt for the existence of a continuous burr on the back side on each pass. The strop removed the remaining burr on the final pass.

The hatchet was then sharp enough to shave a strip of hair off of my arm.

Here's my listing.