Fjellborg Vikings

Lodin's Axes:


My first axe My first axe To the left is an axe I made to represent a Viking age axe I have seen in many museum photos and drawings. The axe has a handle made of European Beech and is stained with pure pine tar. The axe handle is made so the grain of the wood is on the same plane as the blade, to insure maximum strength of the wood while striking. I included a ball grip end, as my personal embellishment though that style was not unknown in the period. The length of the handle is 29" long and the blade is 6 3/4" in length and 4" across the blade.

 To the right is one of the museum originals that gave me the inspiration. Also the axe pictured below, is not the same axe but I included the photo to give reference to the proportion of the axe head to the length of the grip. Other handles have been found with their blades and this is a consistent blade to handle ratio.

 I have numerous photos of similar such axe heads. This was a common style, used for both woodworking and in battle. It does not have a hammerhead poll, (Hammerhead on the reverse side.) which would have specialized the head as being a carpenters tool as it's primary use. For examples of woodworker's axes I have made for my carpenters kit, go to: Lodin's Toolbox

 Tucked near the neck of the new axe (left.) is a fire striker I made at the same time, placed there to give scale. The striker is 2 1/2" long and throws a good spark when struck against flint.



My first axe  To the left is my first attempt at forging an axe. Styled after a Viking war axe, this axe is a generalized design of Viking age axes. It has a handle made of tiger stripe maple and is treated with bees wax and linseed oil. Though there were similar axes made, I do not have a specific axe that was used as a reference.

Note* Currently, the axe is waiting to be re-hafted. This happens when you throw them, unless your really good.





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