Ax - a device used for processing, chopping wood. The tool can have a different shape, weight, size.
The main parts: a pointed metal blade, an ax, a fixing wedge, rigidly fastening two other elements to each other. The handle is made of durable wood. In the manufacture of the stitching part, hardened tool steel is usually used. The better the metal blade, the longer the service life. When choosing an ax, it is necessary to study its technical characteristics. Marking in the form of the letter A indicates that the metal is of high quality, contains more than 0.7% carbon.
The operation of the ax depends on the sharpening. It can be carried out manually or using special equipment.
Kinds
Before buying, you must determine the purpose of the ax.
- Multifunctional, from several tools. Butt products are made in the form of a pickaxe, nail clipper or hammer. Suitable for small household work.
- Carpentry. Has a direct chopping part or a rounded blade. The angle of sharpening may be different.
- Joiner, or Tesla. This is an ax weighing up to a kilogram, with a straight cutting edge. With its help, wood is trimmed, finishing workpieces are carried out.
- Cleaver with a thickened wedge-shaped blade. Used to split logs into segments. The chopping part does not jam in the logs, the elongated powerful stalk helps to strengthen the blow.
- Ax lumberjack. For felling forests. Weighs 1 kg or more.
- Tourist. For use in traveling conditions. Compact, lightweight.
An ax can be made from a chopping segment of factory production using the template of a wooden handle. The main thing is to put the ax on the ax correctly, fix it with a special wedge. It is difficult to make a blade yourself. It is required to choose a suitable metal, form a blade, and harden to provide it with the necessary technical characteristics.
Sharpening rules
Different types of axes are sharpened differently. This primarily relates to the angle of sharpening.
First make a template. To do this, a cut is formed on a piece of tin at the desired turning angle. The part is applied to the blade being machined. The angle of deviation from the specified parameters is determined. Marker marks the marking on the blade.
When sharpening the tool yourself, it is necessary to take into account the type of metal, hardness, moisture of the wood to be processed, the nature of the work to be done.
The sharpening angle for the construction tool is 20–30 °, the carpentry angle is about 35 °.
The smaller the angle, the sharper the blade, the faster it becomes dull. The thin cutting element is not intended for splitting logs: it will get stuck in the wood fibers. It is better to use heavy samples with a sharpening angle of 35–40 °.
You can make the ax sharp again by electric sharpening or mechanically.
Electric sharpening
An electric apparatus consists of an abrasive wheel and an engine driving it. In the process of working on the grinding machine it is necessary to be in safety glasses. The device should stand on a flat surface. An ax marked with a marker is fixed opposite the grindstone so that the circle rotates towards the blade. The cutting element is lowered to the donkey, the angle of sharpening is adjusted with a special nut. If the slope is selected correctly, the marked surface will be completely erased. If there is insufficient slope, part of the marking will remain untouched. With excessive exposure, sharpening will go beyond the painted area, to the side where the handle is located.
The procedure is repeated until the desired result is achieved. The abrasive needs to be moistened with water, after receiving the given angle to eliminate nicks, to form a new cutting edge. For symmetrical sharpening of the blade, the ax is turned over to the sharpener on one or the other side. At the final stage, the ax is corrected with the help of a leather circle, having previously lubricated it with a paste for finishing. The blade is held at an angle of 45 ° relative to the machine, smoothly moved along the surface of the circle. After all procedures, the material of the cutting element is protected from rust by a special tool.
This sharpening method is suitable when carrying out a large amount of work with an ax. In other cases, you can limit yourself to manual sharpening.
Mechanical way
Manual sharpening is performed in the following sequence:
- The ax is cleaned of rust with a metal washcloth or a special cleaning agent.
- The blade is ground in one direction over the entire surface. For this, emery with large grain is used.
- Grinding continues with fine sandpaper.
- A polishing paste is applied to the fabric. The tool is polished.
- The ax is sharpened with a draconian file. To do this, the tool is laid on the table so that the blade is outside. Better to use a vice.
- By translational movements from the shoulder, the cutting part of the ax is processed to a width of 12–13 cm from the edge. This corresponds to a sharpening of 25 °.
- Brush removes metal dust. Sharpening continues with a double-sided donkey soaked in water or oil.
- If necessary, dressing is carried out on a leather belt.
- A tool is applied to the sharpened blade to protect it from corrosion.
In order for the ax to be able to chop wood for a long time and in high quality, it is necessary to observe the operating rules, use the tool as intended. Keeping the sharpening will help keeping the ax in a protective case.