Wentworth Students Create Horseman's Axe for 'Cast in Steel' Competition
The horseman's axe features a short, sturdy haft for one-handed use on horseback, a curved blade on one side, and a thick spike or hammer on the reverse, engineered specifically to pierce or crush plate armor and helmets (Image courtesy of SFSA)
Wentworth Institute of Technology brought home a podium finish from this year's Cast in Steel competition, with one of three Wentworth teams securing 3rd Place in the Technical Report Category at the American Foundry Society (AFS) Metalcasting Congress.
Students Jacob Forrette, Robert Stewart, Luis Leins, Brady McDonald, and Joshua Hofer of the winning team, "31in. of OSHA Non-Compliance," took on the formidable challenge of casting a historically accurate and battle-ready horseman's axe, the centerpiece item for the 2026 competition.
Housed within the School of Engineering and guided by Faculty Advisor and Associate Professor Serdar Tumkor, the project represents one of the most immersive, hands-on engineering challenges available to students. Wentworth fielded three teams in total, with additional students Kannon Behrens, Jeffrey Caldwell, Joseph Colella, and Aiden Chu also taking part in the competition.
This year's item of choice, the horseman's axe, presented a unique set of design and manufacturing hurdles. Historically used by cavalry during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, the axe was developed as a direct response to the advancement of heavy plate armor.
While traditional swords proved ineffective against such defenses, the horseman's axe was designed to deliver a concentrated, high-impact blow. It features a short, sturdy handle for one-handed use on horseback, a curved blade on one side, and a thick spike or hammer on the reverse, engineered specifically to pierce or crush plate armor and helmets.
This marked Wentworth's third year participating in the national Cast in Steel competition. In previous years, students have successfully forged a Halligan bar and a George Washington sword, all created on Wentworth’s campus. Hofer and Tumkor recently participated in the 2026 Academic Showcase held by ATLAS.
For the seniors on the team, the experience went far beyond a typical classroom assignment.
"All of us on the team are in a position where we're going to be applying for jobs in the next six months," said team member Hofer, Electromechanical Engineering '26. "Having this on our resume puts us way ahead. This has been one of the most hands-on projects that you can do here at Wentworth."
The competition emphasizes collaboration, testing, and practical application, mirroring the exact environments these students will soon enter in the manufacturing and engineering industries. Heading into the final stretch, Forrette, Electromechanical '26, was ready to put the axe to the test.
"I can't wait to actually start physically testing the axe," Forrette said in March. "Once we test it and it performs to our standards, the other teams better watch out, because we're ready to perform."
The team's success was supported by industry partner Jeffrey Burek and DW Clark, who provided mentorship and technical support during the project, along with sponsors Wentworth Institute of Technology, the Steel Founders' Society of America (SFSA), and Will Shambley and the New England AFS Chapter.
To see the team's progress and hear more from the students involved, watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQvCdS68u40&t=51s
