Bow building tools (hatchet) ?

[Stiks-n-Strings]

I have aquired some nice hand tools over the years of my woodworking career and have recently aquried a nice drawknife and already had some rasp and scrapers.

I need to get me a good hatchet for roughing.
I would like one with a thinner head.
What do you guys recommend for a good one specifically for roughing out bows?

[ALW]

I have a couple of simple and relatively inexpensive ones that I use.  One is an Estwing with the hammer head on the back.  The blade is pretty wide and straight and it works well.  It holds a good edge.  It is a bit heavy and will wear your arm out pretty quick though.  The other one is a Fiskars hatchet.  They make them with different length handles.  I think mine has something like a 14" handle.  It is really light and is hollow ground and will sharpen up like a razor.  The head is a little small but I've been using it more lately since it doesn't wear my arm out.

I don't think you have to have a high dollar hatchet to do the job so long as the one you have will sharpen up nicely and hold an edge.  But then again, I've never had a high dollar hatchet!  LOL....

Aaron

[4est trekker]

I second the Fiskars hatchet.  It is by far the best I've owned.  I, too, have an Estwing, and the thing weighs 900 pounds after about ten minutes of swinging!

[bigcountry]

I suggest a hewing axe.  Or one that is beveled only on one side like your draw knife.  That way, you can rough in short order and not dig in excessively.

Another useful item is a Froe.  Both sorta difficult to find but I like using em.

[Osagetree]

Don't know what you call it but, I got it from my Great Grandfathers shed and it works for me when I use it. Mostly, I use the drawknives,,, big one for bark and white wood and a smaller one for chasing and shaping to my profile lines.

[4est trekker]

Looks like a shingling hammer, Osagetree.

[Osagetree]

I knew it was for something just didn't know what for! Of course I had to add the osage handle.

[Paul/KS]

The hewing hatchet is very handy and , because it's a single bevel, you can set it up for right or left hand use.
I've been thinking about getting a froe too. Lehman's has them as well as some traditional hand tool catalogs.

[Stiks-n-Strings]

I was thinking along the lines of hewing hatchet but I like the looks of That one Joe has.

[ALW]

Not to get off the topic here but I had a question on the single bevel hatchets.  I have some heavy weight steel from an old cutting blade I was thinking of making into a single beveled cleaver/matchete/chopper type knife.  I'm right handed and hold the stave in my left hand while reducing it.  If I'm looking down on top of the back of the blade (like I was holding it while in use), which side of the edge do I bevel?  The right or left?  I was thinking I should bevel the right side and leave the left side smooth.  Probably a novice question but if I make this I don't want to bevel the wrong side then heat treat it and have to start over again.

Again, sorry to get off topic.

Aaron

[Stiks-n-Strings]

Sounds about right to me Aaron, I would think you want to bevel the right side.

[Paul/KS]

When I use my single bevel hatchet I have it in my right hand with the bevel side away from the stave. which is in my left hand...
Had to think about that for a bit... Guess I need to get started on a bow.  

[faustus]

I got myself a Gransfors Carpenter's Axe recently .... and it works nicely ....


  http://www.gransfors.com/htm_eng/produkter/new_prod/p_litensnickaryxa.html

[WOUNDED EAGLE]

Its a shingling hatchet used on cedar shingles.