This dates back to August 2014. I scored a beat up but fascinating New Haven Edge Tool Co #3 Cleaver. It was quite large measuring approximately 21-1/8″ long and 3.187 pounds. The exact age was hard to say – it could be anywhere from 100-150 years old given the way it is made. After doing some digging, one person doing research said that “New Haven Edge Tool Company” was a Sargent Brand and the listed it discontinued in their 1911 catalog so that would mean this cleaver is likely older than that. Regardless, you would never know it now.
It would appear to be cast iron and is just a big no nonsense brute of a cleaver. It’s either ready to go to work or to be one heck of a conversation piece. Let me tell you a bit about what we did after we bought it:
The handle was cracked and we stabilized it internally with a special Cyanoacrylate glue that penetrates wood very deeply. We also used glass reinforced epoxy to seal the front of the handle where the blade is inserted. The blade is actually secured via rat tail tang that goes through the whole handle and is peened over at the pommel to firmly secure it. Once we had the handle all fixed up, we sanded it and then applied four coats of a penetrating combination of boiled linseed oil (BLO) and turpentine.
The blade was actually in very good shape and most of our work was cosmetic. We did some sanding to shape it, abrasive blasted it and then used an acid etching based on apple cider vinegar and phosphoric acid (click here to learn more). Once it was all set, we applied a thick coat of engine oil to stop the rusting. If you plan to use this to cut meat, and it definitely will do the job, be sure to was the blade and then apply a cooking oil to the blade. This will avoid making your food taste funny plus it will prevent rust.
So, here’s how it turned out before it found a new home:
Approximate Dimensions
Overall length: 21-1/8″
Blade length: 9-5/8″
Blade height by the handle: 3-7/8″
Blade height at its tallest point: 5-1/2″
Handle at its thickest point: 1-5/8″
Handle at its thinnest point in the middle: 1-1/4″
Weight: 3.187 pounds
By the way, the BSI Super Thin glue is fantastic for taking care of cracks.
Back before I had the AK-Builder trunnion drilling jig, I needed a quick and easy way to locate where to drill the holes for the front trunnion. A fellow showed me the PostIt note method and boy was it simple and it worked.
The front trunnion is drilled for the rivets from the first kit so those holes need to be located and drilled on the receiver.
Simply take a standard PostIt Note, stick it to the side of the clean receiver and then rub a dirty finger or pencil lead over the PostIt to see the outlines of the holes appear. By the way, if the trunnion and receiver are clean, your Post-It adhesive will hold the note in place, which is what you want.
So line the PostIt note up on the receiver’s top and right edges.
Center punch the holes. I like using an automated punch so I have less to juggle.
You then have your holes to locate your drill.
Use a hole finder to be more accurate and/or start with a small bit and work your way up in case you need to move a little bit one way or the other.
That’s it. Easy as pie and pretty fool proof. Lessons learned for me was to clean the parts to protect the adhesive, make sure the edges are aligned and then that nothing moves when you punch each hole. You do one Post-It note for each side and you can write the trunnion serial number on it and safe the Post-It for future reference.
I get one or two emails a year from a purist telling me that what I did was evil, that I am a clueless half-wit, etc. Folks, innovation happens by trying new things. I have built more AKs than most – using rivets mainly because they do work best. There are a ton of reasons why rivets are best for joining forged blocks to sheet metal.
In terms of welds, do I understand the risk of destroying the heat treat in the locking lug area, the risk of causing embrittlement around the plug welds, that the Soviets explored this and dropped the idea due to cracking? Yes, I do and tried it anyway because I wanted to explore how to compensate. So, don’t send me hate mail me because I will not bother responding.
If you want to try and experiment, go for it. Should you do this with an AK build that you want to be historically accurate or plan to use heavily perhaps even under full auto, then the answer is “no – don’t do it”.
Yeah, these things were like $79-99 in June 2006 so I did a lot of playing around including experimenting with weld builds. I still have this one and it runs just fine. The welds were done with a HF 120 Volt MIG welder running an ArC02 shielding gas. Basically I did plug welds in place of rivets but did some extra welding on the back trunnion as I expected more stress there. The lower rails were installed with a 120 Volt Harbor Freight Spot Welder with an AK-Builder tong installed.
My basic conclusion is that welding is fine for casual use rifles but rivets are the way to go with hard use. The tricks are to take your time, do plug welds and watch your heat. Your not trying to weld the heck out everything – just to get a decent plug weld to lock the parts into position in place of a rivet. You’ll notice that for the critical front trunnion, I actually drilled the holes in the receiver and plug welded into the trunnion that had the rivets drilled out.
I use a flap sanding wheel on my angle die grinder to smooth everything down.
A drill bit with the right diameter to line the lower rails up with the front trunnion is used to position the lower rail for spot welding in place.
I went for overkill welding in the rear and put in a few extra beads to take up stress.
Welding in the center support and sanded it down too
This is the rifle ready for testing.
I did Duracoat on this build and two big recommendations I would make to folks who choose to use the air dry Duracoat are to at least abrasive blast the surface and absolutely wait the full amount of time indicated for curing, which is 1-2 weeks or something like that. If you don’t do these two things, when you move the selector lever, it will scratch the finish off right to the bare metal. I only use bake on finishes now. I’ve had great luck with blasting, parking and then applying Molyresin on top but this last step could be whatever finish you want. The parkerizing is a terrific surface for a finish to really grab a hold of. A bake on finish is really the way to go with the top coat.
If I new they were going to go up so much in value, I would have done rivets. Heck, I would have done all the rifles using rivets had I known. I was just having a lot of fun and learning a ton.
Ok, so I wind up clearing brush pretty regularly. Usually its pine, vines, scrub oak and junk like that. Back in June 2014, I bought a Ken Onion designed Half-A-Chance machete (CRKT K920KKP) from CRKT that has served me well (click here for my review). On my last trip to clear brush this past fall, I accidentally left the Half-A-Chance at home and had to get a replacement machete. Thankfully SMKW was on the way so I stopped in and tried out a bunch of different ones in terms of heft and balance. When I got to the Gerber Golok, I was really surprised. It’s surprisingly thick and that mass makes a big difference when taking out saplings so I bought it and used it to clear the small stuff.
It seems like an opportune time to compare the two and share my thoughts. In the next photo, the top is the Half-A-Chance and the bottom is the Golok.
What really surprised me was that the thickness of the Golok’s blade. Why Gerber doesn’t make a big deal about this, I don’t know because there are fans of knives with big blades. The blade is 12″ long and made from MN65 steel, which is a spring steel that is roughly equivalent to 1065 steel, which is fairly common in machetes. The blade comes in at 0.2566″ when I mike it and weighs 1 pound 10.8oz (26.8 oz). That is a lot of steel! It’s like you are moving the design from being a classical machete more towards a chopper with that kind of width. When I was hitting some dried oak and ash, the Half-A-Chance bit deeper than the Golok and I think it reflects the relatively thin blade of the Ken Onion design that mikes at 0.1147″ which is less than half the Golok. The Half-A-Chance also weighs 20.3oz.
The blade on the left is Half-A-Chance and the right is the Golok on a piece of dried ash.
You can definitely see the the thicker Golok blade right away. It’s the top blade on the left photo and the bottom blade on the right photo:
Just a closer view of the Half-A-Chance on top vs. the Golok on the bottom. The Half-A-Chance’s handle is more ergonomic but the rubber coated Golok isn’t too bad.
The Half-A-Chance’s sheath is fancier while the Golok is simple and to the point.
Folks, in the end, the Golok is a chopper. It’s heavy but too thick for the traditional fast slices you are doing with a machete. I’d recommend the Half-a-Chance for thin stuff like vines and stuff under 3/8″ ballpark and the Golok for thicker vegetation where you need to chop but you are also starting to cross over into where a heavy khukuri or hatchet might serve you better.
While clearing the lot I did put a nick in the Golok and used my Work Sharp Ken Onion edition sharpener to take it right out when I got back to my shop. [Click here for my post on the KO sharpener.]
Bottom line, the Half-A-Chance machete is still my favorite and the first one I would grab to clear brush but the Golok is a keeper also because I like its mass and balance. It’s a lot of blade for the money and I do like big blades. You ought to take a look when you get some time or even pick one or both machetes up from Amazon.
Folks, the first time I saw a cordless screwdriver, or power screwdriver, it was a little Black & Decker Quantum 3.6 volt model – probably 15-20 years ago. Do you remember Quantum? They were the green and black line of tools that B&D introduced to try and be a step up from their basic black and orange B&D line. My dad had bought it for me because I had been diagnosed with carpal tunnel and my hands were in tremendous pain and stiff. For folks who have carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), you know it sucks. For those of you who do not have it but use your hands a ton, you do need to worry about it. Let’s talk about this injury known as CTS that totally sucks for people that use their hands a lot. By the way, did I mention it sucks?
This definition is from Wikipedia“Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a medical condition due to compression of the median nerve as it travels through the wrist at the carpal tunnel. The main symptoms are pain, numbness, and tingling, in the thumb, index finger, middle finger, and the thumb side of the ring fingers. Symptoms typically start gradually and during the night. Pain may extend up the arm. Weak grip strength may occur and after a long period of time the muscles at the base of the thumb may waste away. In more than half of cases both sides are affected.”
As your tendons go through your wrist, there is this sheath called the carpal tunnel (CT) that they go through. As the tendons pass, they rub the ligament and can get irritated and swell thus reducing space and compressing nerves, which then causes more irritation, more swelling and more irritation and more swelling, etc.
For me, manual screwdrivers suck. My hand is bent and fingers closed and then I am twisting my hand to turn the screwdriver. This really puts strain on the tendons going through the CT. Whenever I do a lot of work with a screwdriver, boy do I feel it later or the next day. Guess what, because of all the stuff I do in my shop, typing on the computer and what not, I can’t escape it. I’ve had CTS for 22+ years but opted to manage it vs. have surgery. Some days, I manage it and others it manages me might be a better way of putting it but I have learned a lot.
To be clear though, when you have carpal tunnel, it really pays off to learn what you need to do differently to put less stress on the tendons going through the carpal tunnel that causes the inflammation. It used to be that after working on something, I would definitely feel it but by trying to reduce the manual twisting as much as I could, I didn’t hurt as much later that night or the next morning. I also learned how to stretch my hands and the benefits of Aleve (naproxen) and Advil (ibuprofen). It wasn’t “one” thing that had to change – it was changing as many things as I could – even how I typed on a computer. Using a cordless screwdriver was one of many changes that helped.
So, back to the story. My dad gave me the cordless screwdriver and I immediately scoffed at the notion of a cordless screwdriver (manly men don’t need them, right? I was wrong!) but the fact of the matter was that the twisting motion used to set and remove screws was tearing up my hands. So, almost reluctantly, I gave it a try while questioning my man hood! What I found out was that it actually made a big difference. By using the cordless screw drivers as much as I could, I found that it made a big difference with my hands because I did not need to do the repetitive twisting motion when I needed to do a lot of screwdriver work — I was going to say screwing but that really looks funny in writing 🙂 It made such a big difference that I was a convert to power screw drivers. Sure, I still have dozens of screwdrivers and nut drivers that I use when I must, but when there is a lot of work to be done, I grab the power screw driver.
In addition to reducing wear and tear on my hands, there was another big benefit too in regards to productivity – I could set and remove screws way faster than before. Granted there were still times where I needed more torque or needed to “feel” the screw that made me do stuff by hand or break out one of my big cordless drills. In case you are wondering, cordless screw drivers are smaller, lighter, easier to maneuver and can turn slower for hand work than a drill. Bottom line, I did a lot less manual twisting with my hands.
My dad had the foresight of getting me a unit with removable batteries and over the years with many cordless tools, I’ve found it pays off to have more than one battery so you aren’t dead in the water waiting for the battery to charge.
I also found out that using the magnetic quarter inch bit holders allowed tremendous flexibility for driving all kinds of screws – philips, blade, torx, hex, small nuts, etc. Over the years, I have tried tons and tons of them. Cheap bits break or wear faster – for example, the sharp edges of a philips bit rounding over, the magnetic bit older cracking, etc.
I eventually wore out the Quantum and bought a B&D Vp810 Pivot Driver that used the same Versapak 3.6 volt batteries and both had a clutch and the handle that could pivot. I used the heck out of that thing for a few years (and it is still on a shelf in my shop) but wanted more torque as I really wanted the tool to have broader use so I dug around and bought my current cordless screwdriver, which is an 8 volt Dewalt DCF682 that I’ve had for probably at least two years and use it constantly – probably at least once a day on average.
Being a tool geek, this unit has a gyroscope that senses the direction your hand is turning and by how much. It then turns the motor in the same direction and boosts the speed up according to how much you turn your hand. It’s a bit weird at first but then it becomes second nature. There have been a few tight spaces where I wished there was a switch but 90% of the time, I am pretty happy. It’s also faster at speeds up to 430RPM than the old VP810, which was up to 180 RPM and it does have more torque as you’d expect given the higher voltage.
My exact model is no longer being produced but you can find it on eBay and other secondary markets. Dewalt now has a new model – the DCF682N – that also gets great reviews. From what I can gather, it has two notable improvements over my model, namely a handle that can pivot and a 15 position clutch. I’ve never really missed having a handle that angles but a clutch comes in handy to prevent over-driving a screw. It’s the DCF682N1 and it gets great reviews. You can get it with just the driver, battery and charger or a better deal with the driver, charger, two batteries and a carry bag. I would recommend the kit because for the price of a second battery you can get it and you absolutely want a second battery to avoid delays.
I hope this helps you some. Over the years, I’ve gone from scoffing at these cordless screwdrivers to absolutely being a user and defender of them. Like all tools, they have value when used at the right time for the right task.
I hope this helps some. Bottom line, if you have CTS or are worried about CTS due to a lot of handwork including driving screws, get yourself a power screwdriver. It’s another tool that has a time and a place to help you out.
At the bottom of the page I will have links to the screwdriver and bits on Amazon.
If you want to learn more about CTS and how to manage it, check out:
Definitely learn about stretches that can help. There are a ton of videos on youtube and it pays to actually see how to do them. Here’s one example:
Please note that I am not a doctor and the above is not medical advice – just my experiences and opinions. See a doctor if you are having pains and get the problem properly diagnosed.
I like to heat treat my entire lower rails before I install them. Some guys just heat treat the tip but I go for overkill. When I would get flats and rails from AK-Builder for whatever I was doing, I’d do all the lower rails at once and store them oiled in a bag for later use.
The process is simple, I heat them up with a torch to dull to medium orange, which comes out to around 1500-1600F. Some guys use magnets and stop the heathing when magnetism is lost, some use marker/applied heat indicators – there are many ways to do it. I tend to use my sheet metal/jewelers oxy-acetelene torch. It is known as a Meco Midget and the thing is awesome for sheet metal work. I’ve had mine for over 10 years and never had a problem. I have a giant Journeyman II set but find it too big and cumbersome for stuff like this.
Tin Man Technologies (TM Tech), who I got mine from years ago and you will need to search around for it or find what some call a jeweler’s torch
Next, quench the parts in room temperature used engine oil. It works great for me. I have an old navy fuse can with a lid glued to a piece of wood that I use for this purpose.
After that, I anneal them by putting them in a flat pan, pouring in some brake fluid with some paper towel exposed, lighting the towel and then letting it all burn it off, which is about 500. It’s messy and you want to do it outdoors for sure – I let it all burn off and then air cool. Some guys put them in a toaster oven at 500F for 5-10 minutes and let them slowly cool down by turning the oven off. That works too.
Here the rails right after the brake fluid is finished burning off – you can see some of the soot that is generated:
When you weld the rails in with a spot welder, just be careful not to ruin the heat treat by letting a tong get up against the ejector tip and heating up. I’ve done it twice over the years. One time I didn’t notice and had to repair a peened over ejector and the other time I saw the discoloring of the tip and did a spot hardening of the ejector tip while it was in the receiver.
At any rate, I’d then oil everything and put them in a ziploc bag for future use. I would sand the backs of the rails prior to installation to get good spot welds.
While I use OA for a lot of my work, MAPP works just fine too.
Okay folks, I’ve just spent the last few days and some money replacing equipment blown by an apparent power surge through Netgear Powerline AV500 equipment. What these units do is to transmit ethernet network signals over the AC wiring in a building and are billed as an easy shortcut to pulling wire. Our house has a lot of solid ceilings and is a bear to pull wire through so I opted for these to try and save some time. I have used these for a number of years now up until we had thunderstorms with plenty of lightning last week. One day by daughter told me the TV no longer was connected to the Internet. Then we found out about her room’s wifi access point not having Internet access either and the same for the access point in my shop plus a TV android appliance that we use to watch Netflix and other things. What was the common element? They all worked except their ethernet ports were blown. The little converter units said they were connected but no signal came through and even directly connecting new wire did not solve the problem. In the cases of the TV and android appliance, I switched them to wifi and they worked fine. For the access points, I could log into them but I could not get anything from the ethernet ports. I am convinced a power surge went through these devices and blew the ports in the attached devices. All other ethernet devices in our home were fine. The powerline repeater is in the trash too as I am done with this stuff. I don’t think it is a coincidence – the surge must have gone through the adapters.
So you can see, the next two photos are of the Netgear powerline stuff that is going in the trash along with the two fried network access points (the third photo) that are also history.
In short, I have tossed the four power line adapters and installed much better hard lines going to decent TP-Link 450 access points. We have excellent coverage again but I will never use the powerline stuff again. I’m very happy with these TP units – they get great reviews, were easy to install and have great reception. I’ll link to these access points at the end of the post.
By the way, in digging I found a great Android WiFi signal strength utility that is great and, surprisingly, free. Check out Wifi Analyser by Keuwlsoft. It’s very useful to help you see the signal strength and understand the best place to put an access point.
While I was at it, I also replaced two old 10/100 ethernet hubs with Gigabit switches. We’re definitely seeing a lot better speeds now.
Back when AK-Builder flats didn’t have the top rails cut to size, we had to do the work. I’m talking circa 2006 and then late that year he came out with a simple layout tool that was so awesome. You applied Blue Dychem do your flat, clamped the layout jig to the rail, used a scribe to mark the profile and then you came through with your mill (or Dremel) and cut out the shape. It was faster than doing it all by hand and the one plus was that you could get the exact spacing between the upper rails that you wanted.
