The top one is a Norlund. $10 The bottom says "made in Sweden." Banco? $5

Good deal, it looks like the top one at the least needs to be rehung.

Yeah. It needs a new handle. I can salvage the Bahco handle. I really want to find a nice short hatchet handle like the one it has now.

The Norlund is a Voyager.

I got this Plumb Boy Scout rafting pattern head for $10 today. I'm going to use Quick Strip to remove the paint and vinegar. Then I will polish it up a bit and blue it. I might blue the Norlund too.


I stopped to buy a couple handles for the Plumb and Norlund. I went through a half dozen to find two good Link handles with correct grain orientation.

I had my way with the Norlund today! I started with polishing up the head. The grinding marks were very, very rough so I used my fancy 1 x 30 belt grinder to remove the terrible grinding marks on the top and bottom. I took the top, bottom, and back side to 220 grit. I used a 5" random orbital sander to take the sides to around 1500 grit, but I didn't remove every stitch of the original grinding marks.  I just wanted to make it look good after bluing.

I decided to use one of the hand picked Link handles for this project. The handle was a bit fat for the head, but it came out feeling and looking great. I used my favorite Red Mahogany stain. In the pictures below it only had stain. I put the first coat of Tung Oil on it right after. A second coat tomorrow afternoon and maybe another next weekend will have it looking great with a nice low gloss sheen and a nice tacky feel.

I put one of my patented shallow convex edges on it. The blade was not perfectly even so the convex shows a bit of that, but it came out very nicely. I went way out of my way to keep the bit cool as I ground it. It didn't even need any further sharpening once I stropped it. It is very, very sharp off the belts.  

This is how it ended up.







I can't wait to cut something with it!!!!!

I put the new Norlund next to the one I bought for my step son a few years ago. They are obviously different profiles. I wonder which one is older?

You couldn't stop if you wanted to could you?

I passed on about 20 hatchets and another 10 axes to buy the Plumb today. I really am pretty picky now. I only buy stuff that is unusual or interesting.

Looks awesome

The first edge I put on the Norlund failed. It very lightly rolled on the edge under hard use. I put a slightly steeper convex on it and it worked wonderfully. It cuts plenty deep and pops chops nicely. It doesn't stick at all.

I bought a nice True Temper carpenters axe for $10, a Dunlap hatchet for $5, and a chisel for  $3.



The Dunlap was on upside down!  It took about an hour to flip it, remount it properly, and put a good edge on it. The grind shows the imperfections in the forging. I don't mind though.  

The True Temper Kelly Perfect came out very well. All it needed was to be sharpened and hung on the wall. The patina is the nicest of all my axes and the octagon handle is a great touch. This is a keeper for sure!

My wonderful wife bought me an axe at the flea market!  I only have pictures because I'm on a flight home right now. I think it might be a Plumb.