Thread: Sharpening an adze?

Hi seanz,
I'm no expert either, seanz, but the way Stewey told it, is the way we used to Sharpen them, with the file & then stone them.
We used them on the State Electricity Commission of Victoria, for Scarfing a pole to take the Crossarm.
Unfortunately we had to cut the Handle so it would fit in the Wooden Tool Box provided.
It made no difference though.
I also own about 4 Adze.
Regards,
issatree.

Right. Well the adze is as shap as I can make it and it's fitted with a handle.
I suprised myself by achieving a bevel that is very close to 25 degrees...it may be 26 if I'm being picky.
The handle was purchased from Bunnies and sad to say, I can't really recommend the handles as they appear to be seconds, they're a lot rougher than the axe handles made by the same company. So I complained...and got a 20% discount ....that just never happens. So I'm sortof happy with the purchase. What's the handle quality like over on the Big Island? Took a bit to get it all smooth and fitted but it looks OK now.
Any opinons on weather the handle should be flush with the bottom of the blade or not? I've left 20mm hanging out as a margin for error with the fitting but I'm a bit worried that it might cause errors of a different sort....
So it's good to go.
I'll use it just as soon as it stops raining.
Maybe.....

I'm not scared.

Honest.





Lignin; it's not worth talking about rugby to me as I'm just a resident in Aotearoa....really I'm a Victorian.

Once you're sure the handle is well "settled", trim off flush. You don't want anything hindering that fluid follow-through. I suppose I'm preaching to the converted, but take very seriously your feet's well-being, and adopt the knee-to-elbow safety-barrier. I guess that makes a joke of talking about "fluid follow-through", but if you get used to the lower forearm (I'm left-handed on the axe/adze) being blocked by the leg immediately over the knee, you develop a gentle rebound action that also prevents unintended follow-through to the back foot.
Good luck; don't be afraid to cut across the grain, or leave a chip, attached if that's what it takes to get out of trouble

Good Luck,

Bill

Originally Posted by seanz

...............The handle was purchased from Bunnies and sad to say, I can't really recommend the handles as they appear to be seconds, they're a lot rougher than the axe handles made by the same company. So I complained...and got a 20% discount ....that just never happens. So I'm sortof happy with the purchase. What's the handle quality like over on the Big Island? ...............

Same batch I reckon. Picked one up today but didn't think to try for a crap-quality discount. Haven't even had time to see if it's big enough for my good adze head yet - looked a little on the skinny side. I'll fit it up tomorrow and give it a sand and oil and let you know if there's any problems.

Adzes are just big chisels that you swing, so bevel angles can follow the same rules - steeper for hardwoods etc.

And were traditionally sharpened only on one side, the inside of the curve.

The handles were loose fitted so the heads could be removed to be sharpened on a grindstone, the files in the old days not being hard enough.

My adze style sound very similar to Bills, if you find its digging in too much remember the little bevel on the under/flat side literaly one pass with the file or a couple of rubs with the oil stone (tiny) and you will find you have more control.

Forgot to update this thread. Ended up taking the cruddy handle back to Bunnings for a full refund - too small to fit either of my standard sized adze heads and it had a twist in it just to top it off. Looks like I have to find the right shaped tuit now so I can make one myself - bugga

Here's what I do. I sharpen the sole of the adze flat with sandpaper, and the bevel with a dual grit axe stone. Essentially, I'm using the "Scary Sharp" technique. If you've ever tried filing an adze with a mill file, you'll find it slow and frustrating. The steel in an adze is extremely hard, files have a hard time cutting the metal. It's much easier to use an abrasive like stones or sandpaper.

For the flat side, I use successive grits of sandpaper mounted to a glass and wood sanding block I made myself. I made a bunch of these in different sizes so it's easy to grab one, slap some sandpaper on and go to town. To make one, just take a piece of 1/4" glass and glue it to a block of scrap wood. 2x stock gives the glass a firm backing, but 1x stock works fine too if you need clearance for tight spaces.

Get several grits of sandpaper from the auto supply store. They have aluminum oxide sandpaper that works great on metal. I just cut a piece of sandpaper to cover my sanding block, then spray the paper with 3M 77 adhesive, and slap it on the glass side of the sanding block. You're going to want to brush the paper periodically so it doesn't get gummed up. Once the paper is used up, peel it off with a razor. Clean off the adhesive with acetone, it works great at removing 3M goo.

If I'm restoring an adze I keep sanding until I have I remove any pits. Once I get a nice evenly sanded back, I move onto the next grit, 220 grit. After the 220 grit, I move to 400 grit. That's about as far as I go. Since the adze is really a giant chisel, you could go on to higher grits like I would normally do for a chisel. But I don't think you gain much beyond 400 grit for this type of tool. Maybe for other finish tools, but an adze will be fine at a lower grit finish.

For the bevel, I use my axe stone to set a bevel of about 25-30 degrees. I use the course side until I get a nice continuous burr across the bottom of the adze. Then I switch to the fine side of the axe stone and polish the bevel further. I use a leather strop or a piece of wood to remove the burr. If you restoring an adze with a really bad bevel or camber, rework the edge with sanding blocks using rough grits until you get the proper shape. Draw a line with a permanent marker and grind to the line, checking your progress often, making sure to not remove too much metal. Don't use a power grinder unless you know what you're doing. You'll ruin the temper. I don't buy used tools that look like they've been sharpened by a power grinder... too much chance the metal will be shot.

If you follow the steps above, you'll end up with a razor sharp adze with minimum work. BTW, my adze is fixed on the handle, I don't remove it for sharpening. I'm able to get my axe stone in there just fine.

Originally Posted by billrule

Once you're sure the handle is well "settled", trim off flush. You don't want anything hindering that fluid follow-through. I suppose I'm preaching to the converted, but take very seriously your feet's well-being, and adopt the knee-to-elbow safety-barrier. I guess that makes a joke of talking about "fluid follow-through", but if you get used to the lower forearm (I'm left-handed on the axe/adze) being blocked by the leg immediately over the knee, you develop a gentle rebound action that also prevents unintended follow-through to the back foot.
Good luck; don't be afraid to cut across the grain, or leave a chip, attached if that's what it takes to get out of trouble

Good Luck,

Bill

The knee to elbow is a good safety rule. In a previous life I would adz 20 ft. of an 10x8 beam or corbels or the bottoms of large tables. This would be done first thing in the morning because you wouldn't have the energy at the end of the day.
This was early California and Mexican furniture and joinery. An old guy Yucatan would spend 6 mos. of the year living with the boss, teaching him and building furniture.
To do this and not lose a toe is backbreaking work.
Start with bent knees, elbows resting on the knees, raise the adz 6,7,8 in above the work and with 3 chops make a "Pozo" , a well , overlap the pozos and you have an early California or Mexican patteren. A pozo is a round 3-4 in. dia.
I would sharpen with a file and stone before and about 1/2 way through. I should add it was always sharp and never took much to touch it up.

I use a Stubai sculptor's adze. The front is curved, the back is curved and there's about a #5 sweep to the 75mm edge. I use some 1500 grit automotive finishing W&D paper on the inside face (5 swipes) and a gentle rub on the outside.
I think I'm getting the angle down below 30 degrees which makes the swing (shortened handle) easier to pace with my heart beat. If I can start at the bottom, just kiss the wood and work upwards in rows, it's all good.
Purpose = in the field, to hog the normal rotten core out of western red cedar log sections. To clean off sap wood in prep for carving. To start the rough shaping of a carving in a WRC log piece. Just as effective, right or left-handed. BUT, you can sure see the difference in the patterns!