A Bearded Hewing Axe in the Viking Style
On March 11, 2012 by jaustinI just completed my first woodworking axe. It is a hewing axe meant for smoothing flat sides 0n a work piece which was previously shaped with rough strokes into approximate but oversized dimensions. This particular axe is “right-handed”, meaning that its flat face is on the left side when held held in a normal working
A Black Axe from 2011
On March 7, 2012 by jaustinAfter I got proficient at forming axe eyes by the symmetrical Y-wrap method I had worked out in 2010 I started to push the envelope of edge length. One nicely proportioned piece was this forge-finished axe for a re-enacting customer.
Viking-Style Axes Done the Old Way
On February 25, 2012 by jaustinLast year I began to figure out how most Viking axes were probably originally forged. The main mystery revolved around the shaping of the eye. Surviving Viking axes usually show that the eye was formed by the “asymmetric wrap” technique. Here the axe billet was drawn out to a longish tang on the eye-end and
Now Available: The Viking Bearded Axe DVD Tutorial
On September 6, 2011 by jaustinJim’s DVD tutorial “Forging a Bearded Viking Axe” is now available! The price for the DVD is $39 (includes $4 shipping and handling in the US – CA residents add sales tax). The DVD comes in a slimline case with a handsome slip cover. “Forging a Bearded Viking Axe” will teach you how to use traditional

The July 10th Smelt…..Worked!
On July 8, 2011 by jaustinThe July 10th smelt was M.C.’d by Jeff Pringle and Jim Austin. The All-Day event was attended by about 20 people and produced a bloom of about 20 lbs which has since been forged into small bars. These bars will be used for small, historical metalworking projects in the waning months of the year. Many