That's a great looking little axe.
Darcy

I'm a huge fan of well made hand tools, that hand axe fits that discripetion to a T. It would be the perfect compainion on the hunt, trapline or for the forester cruising his trees.
Thanks for taking the time to show this project Lin. Hope you make many more. RS

Its refreshing to see something made for hard use ,That fits the bill!  

I may have misread, but I think i saw where you said you used mild steel.  Would a high carbon steel be too brittle for a hatchet, or is there another reason for using mild steel?    

Whatever the reason, it looks great.
 

Matt, I believe it's a mild steel body with a 5160 bit welded in for the cutting edge. It was the way most edged tools were made 100+ years ago, they would weld a steel bit into a wrought iron bodied tool because steel was very expensive.  They made many tools that way including hammers and anvils.

Chris

Thanks Chris.  I must have missed that little bit of info in the tutorial, but it makes a lot of sense as far as making a quality tool more affordable.

Sorry Matt. I've been away and missed your question. As Chris says, it has a 5160 bit welded in. That is one stage that is particularly prone to problems. One of those "dangerous" things I mentioned. Controlling the heat to make the weld between the mild and the high carbon is imperative.

The stuff you do ,just continue to amaze me!