Greetings to fans of knocking on red-hot pieces of iron. Today we will look at how to make such a useful thing as a pick. With this tool you can chop stone and other hard rocks, a pickaxe is useful in construction, agriculture and other fields. The author makes the tool out of carbon steel by forging, so that the tool is reliable and sturdy. If you are interested in the project, I propose to study it in more detail!
Materials and tools used by the author:
Material List:
- carbon steel (the author has a blank in the form of a bar);
- bar for the handle;
- iron rod (for rivet);
- linseed oil;
- carpentry glue.
Tool List:
- ;
- ;
- drilling machine;
- a planer;
- planing machine;
- vise;
- blacksmith furnace and forging tools;
- files, sandpaper;
- brace;
- a pencil.
Manufacturing process homemade:
Step one. Primary profile. Forging
We start manufacturing the tool with forging, and this is how the main profile of the pickaxe is formed. First of all, we need to punch a hole in the workpiece where the handle will be inserted. For such purposes, the author has a special wedge. Next, you can gradually delay the working part of the pickaxe. Gradually, step by step, we form the profile we need. Of course, the product is quite massive, so it is useful for such purposes to have an electric hammer. At the final stage, we normalize the steel so that it does not deform during hardening and is malleable for processing.
Step Two We are finalizing the profile. Grinding work
After forging, the pickaxe needs to be improved, it will need to be well sanded in order to remove bumps and other defects. For rough work, you can use a grinder with a thick grinding disc. The author carries out grinding work on a belt sander. We need to finish all work with the working part of the tool, since hardening awaits us ahead.
Step Three Quenching
Next, the pickaxe needs to be hardened, so the steel will turn out to be very durable, it will be able to break stones.We will temper only the nose of the instrument, heat it to a red glow and lower it into water. After hardening, it would be nice to release a little steel so that it is not brittle and can withstand shock loads. Properly tempered steel should be covered with a straw-colored film.
Step Four A pen
We make a pen for the pickaxe, for this we need to use strong, but not fragile wood species. The source material can be a bar or a thick board. We walk through the material with a planing machine, if you need to level the plane. Well, then draw the desired shape of the pen with a pencil.
Now the handle can be cut, here comes to the rescue a tape cutting machine. If desired, you can cope with a jigsaw. After cutting, we refine the profile with a brace and proceed to grinding. Here such a useful tool as a belt sander comes to our aid.
We make the front part of the handle, which is inserted into the steel part of the pickaxe. We draw the desired shape and work with a staple. At the end, the entire handle is carefully sanded to a smooth state. To make the tree look beautiful, the wood must be sanded as thoroughly as possible, to a perfectly smooth state. We also make a cut with a hacksaw for a wedge.
Step Five Tool assembly
We press the handle into the pickaxe, then we need a wedge, we will have it from wood. Coat the wedge with wood glue and hammer into the slot. Then you can trim the excess, and after drying we grind this place to a smooth state.
The handle will have to withstand large shock loads, so we need to fix it additionally. For such purposes, the author drills a hole through steel and wood, and then installs and uncovers an iron pin. The result is a reliable pin rivet that will never let the handle pop out.
At the final stage, the author impregnates the wood with linseed oil, it will protect the wood, and also emphasize the beauty of the wood.
That's all, the instrument is ready, it remains to sharpen it and you can test it. To demonstrate reliability, the author drags large logs and boards with his homemade product. The tool turned out beautiful, high-quality and reliable. I hope you enjoyed your homemade work and found useful thoughts for yourself. Good luck and creative inspiration, if you decide to repeat this. Do not forget to share your ideas and homemade things with us!
