Launching our NEW Skatewood Hatchet

Three Axes with Skatewood Handles available at Tinker and FIx

It’s been months in the making, but we are chuffed to launch our latest Tinker and Fix project – the Skatewood Hatchet.  Each axe is completely unique, and brings together the talents and skills of four British makers:

  • The head: designed by Alex Pole and made at The Forge, Somerset.
  • The haft (handle): made by Sam Morris, The Axe and Edge Tool Co, Powys, Wales.
  • The skatewood: made by Ben Footlit, Afterlifebf, Lincolnshire.
  • The sheath: designed and made by Edd, Tinker and Fix, Rutland.

So – why have we brought together these makers to create what we reckon might just be the first axe to be made using skatewood*? Well, rewind to over 20 years ago when Edd bought a 1lb hatchet whilst on holiday in Canada. Whilst he’s got other larger axes, this is his go-to tool - as it's a great size for everything from kindling to camping.  So we wanted to make our own version, in the same eminently useful 1lb size, with our own Tinker and Fix aesthetic.   

The head + sheath:

Alex Pole axe head and sheaths by Tinker and Fix

Alex Pole and his forge are renowned for making exceptional quality kitchenware and tools. Alex designed us a head with a strong Elwell influence, with distinctive asymmetrical lugs, to create the easy to use weight and feel that we wanted. Each head has been hand forged from a single piece of EN9 carbon steel by Alex and his exceptional team of blacksmiths at The Forge. The EN9 head means it'll hold a great edge that you can use and sharpen over the years.

Edd then designed the sheaths to reflect the shape of the axe, and they have been made to fit each individual head using 3mm veg tanned leather.  

 

The skatewood + handle:

unique Skatewood axe from Tinker and Fix

Integrating skatewood into tools enables us to produce one-off designs, as no two handles are ever the same. Ben salvages skate decks and meticulously reworks them into new wood, keeping a keen eye on how the coloured laminations will work in the finished handle.

Sam takes making axe hafts to an art form. His signature style of using contrasting woods in a handle's palm swell enabled us to bring our skatewood handles into being. The Ash handles are 13" long and feel great in the hand thanks to Sam's beautifully designed oversized shoulder, curved belly and palm swell.

The Skatewood Hatchets are now available to buy online and we’ll also be taking some to shows over the coming months and in the lead up to Christmas. They are, however, one of a kind – so if you like a particular design, please don’t leave it too long to buy it for yourself or as a gift – as we’d hate for you to be disappointed!

 

* We may be wrong, but we’ve certainly not seen anything like these before, and neither has anyone who’s been involved in the project!

 


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