Foldable Ax

For our school we had to make a flat pack product. I had this crazy idea to make an ax more flat pack and portable.

here you can see the final result:

Materials you're going to need:

• access to a welding machine
• old axe head
• square tubing 16 x 16 mm
• hardened shaft diameter 8 mm
• flat iron stock 5 x 25 mm
• flat iron stock 2 x 20 mm
• 2 bolts M8
• some wood

Tools needed:

• welder
• angle grinder
• assortment of files
• sanding paper

I found this big old axehead that was perfect to grind up into a perfect blank for this project. the axe head must have minimal the dimentions shown in the diagram.

Cut the square tubing into two pieces one 26 cm long and one 16.5cm long. now cut eight pieces of 6 cm out of the flat iron stock 2 x 20 mm. and weld them onto the end of te square tubing.

cut four pieces of the flat iron stock 5 x 25 mm with following lengths. weld them together folowing the drawing.

Drill the holes trough the pieces according to the diagram. Al the holes need to be diameter 8 mm

Weld the two smaler pieces together to get the right thickness and then weld them to the ax head

Folow the drawing and weld the pieces together Into a U shape.

Slide this over the end of the shorter tube section and weld it in place.

Cleaning up the welds and grind al of the pieces to size.

Weld two little pieces on to the bolts.

Cut two small strips of iron stock and weld them to the ax head. use the correct angle.

Screw the bolts in the tubing and use a dab of epoxy so it can't fall out. Make sure it can still rotate.

Cut a slot into your piece of wood 16 mm wide and 8 mm deep. Make the slot so it is aproximatly 6 mm from the long edge.

Saw this into four pieces two need to be 26 cm long and two 4.5cm long

Glue the short one onto the shorter peice and the longer onto the long piece using some epoxy

Now sand the handle to a more confortable shape