Husky372
ArboristSite Guru
i need a new axe for driving wedges any suggestions. cracked my plastic handle on the one i have now. what do you guys like better plastic or wood handles?
axe?
- Thread starter Husky372
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For splitting firewood I like those new plastic handles, they take a lot of abuse.
On a falling axe, I like a wood handle. Madsens sells almost any length rafting handle (straight ) from 20 to 36'' so you can personalize it. Soak them for a day or so in boiled linseed oil and or kerosene or what have you, keep it out of hot sun and they last forever(almost)
John
On a falling axe, I like a wood handle. Madsens sells almost any length rafting handle (straight ) from 20 to 36'' so you can personalize it. Soak them for a day or so in boiled linseed oil and or kerosene or what have you, keep it out of hot sun and they last forever(almost)
John
Husky372
ArboristSite Guru
thanks john i also have a nice splitting mual with plastic handle but the axe i use (also with plastic handle) cracked on me yesterday right up by the head. never thought it was possible but it did
i would like to get a 3.5# one for driving wedges the cracked one is 2.5/3.0# not sure.
i would like to get a 3.5# one for driving wedges the cracked one is 2.5/3.0# not sure.
Ryan Willock
Addicted to ArboristSite
I use the 5lbs falling axe from baily's.
Husky372
ArboristSite Guru
5 pounder heck if i wanted to carry something that heavy i'd carry my mual you must get one he!! of a workout carrying it huh. but then i quess when the wedges sees it comming they drive themself thanks just the same
you must get one he!! of a workout carrying it huh. but then i quess when the wedges sees it comming they drive themself thanks just the sameI keep an axe with my gas and oil but usually can do my wedge pounding with another wedge or saw a nice limb for a pounder.
You guys in the hardwood probably have nice pounders laying all over
Always get my axe or maul for the serious beatings though.
John
You guys in the hardwood probably have nice pounders laying all over
Always get my axe or maul for the serious beatings though.
John
Husky372
ArboristSite Guru
i tap them in with anoter wedge and have used an improvised pounder but i find they vibrate something awefull.
Ryan Willock
Addicted to ArboristSite
Given the fact that I mostly log hardwoods and they are almost all select cuts I have to have some thing that heavy to drive the wedges as most trees here in the mountains have leans that seem to always be in the wrong direction.
Husky372
ArboristSite Guru
aint they allways must have arms like arnold swartzneger buy now huh
must have arms like arnold swartzneger buy now huhwiley_p
ArboristSite Guru
It's cool the amount of favor you can go against with wedges, but to really pound a tree over you need a good axe, min. 3# with a 26" handle. wood is better, don't know how one goes about getting the head hung properly with the plastic setups.
Husky372
ArboristSite Guru
bought a collins with a hand made head 3.5# 36" handle nice axe. as for the plastic/fiberglass there nice enough but when something happens to handle you cant just put a new one on
I do belive that they are fiberglass, not plastic, though.
I have a 32" axe with a fiberglass handle on it, dunno what it weighs though. They say that even thought the back of the axe looks like a hammer shaped side, dont use it do pound stuff with, you can weaken the head and it may come off, that is if you dont pound too hard, and you arnt using metal wedges.
I have dropped about 5 trees with it, most of them standing dead stuff, around 6-10", and about 7 or more 2-3" saplings. Its really handy for clearing trails and such, I can drop a 4" tree with about 5 chops. Still working on my technique though
How do you get a madsens catolog? If they have one.
Fiberglass - reduced vibrations, if you over hit something, it wont break the handel, at least not on our maul we got. Cant be replaced unless its a wooden handle.
Wooden - Easier to replace, costs less, weighs more, and will whip your hands, and doesnt last forever.
Thats why I bought fiberglass.
I have a 32" axe with a fiberglass handle on it, dunno what it weighs though. They say that even thought the back of the axe looks like a hammer shaped side, dont use it do pound stuff with, you can weaken the head and it may come off, that is if you dont pound too hard, and you arnt using metal wedges.
I have dropped about 5 trees with it, most of them standing dead stuff, around 6-10", and about 7 or more 2-3" saplings. Its really handy for clearing trails and such, I can drop a 4" tree with about 5 chops. Still working on my technique though
How do you get a madsens catolog? If they have one.
Fiberglass - reduced vibrations, if you over hit something, it wont break the handel, at least not on our maul we got. Cant be replaced unless its a wooden handle.
Wooden - Easier to replace, costs less, weighs more, and will whip your hands, and doesnt last forever.
Thats why I bought fiberglass.
Husky372
ArboristSite Guru
bs most every manifacture says dont do something with there tools but i like using an axe to drive wedges. bought a nice one $20 last weekend at the westport fair (went to see logging show) i think its a 4-4.5# head wide in back works awsome to. made in portugal. the other one is a better limber.
I like axes. If I need to cut a few small limbs I'll grab the axe over a saw every time.
John
John
Husky - Its not what the axe company says, its a known fact, especially with wooden handled axes, the heads will become weak after a while. Im looking for a good hudson bay style axe with a 36" handle on it, those are beastily axes, 1 or 2 bit, it doesnt really matter.
Husky372
ArboristSite Guru
bs axe heads come loose no matter what you are doing if is the wood hanled kind. but the problm with plastic handle ones is you cant replace handle like with the wood ones.
Husky372
ArboristSite Guru
wood handles here are just $7. $25 for the axe. except the one i bought at the fair $20 bucks. nice axe too works great.
Madsaw
Addicted to ArboristSite
Well from what I was always told never pound a hard object( steel) witht he flat of a axe head do to the hardness of the head. A plastic wedge or a home made wood one will not be not problem for them or even theold soft metal wedges designed not to ruin your chain if you hit it with the saw.
So it just like the story goes of pounding 2 hammer faces together. They will shatter like glass.
Most of the fiberglass handles are plastic covered due to the fact teh fiberglass will spilnter in time. Believe me I farm and use the little fiber post for electric fences. Besure to keep duct tape around when working with them little posts to pull out the no seem splinters.
Hey BS instead of useing the axle what happened to that big ole husky you all bought. It would be much faster and more fun.
Later
Bob
So it just like the story goes of pounding 2 hammer faces together. They will shatter like glass.
Most of the fiberglass handles are plastic covered due to the fact teh fiberglass will spilnter in time. Believe me I farm and use the little fiber post for electric fences. Besure to keep duct tape around when working with them little posts to pull out the no seem splinters.
Hey BS instead of useing the axle what happened to that big ole husky you all bought. It would be much faster and more fun.
Later
Bob
Too young, and it wasnt my saw
My brother bought it, the story is over in the chainsaw thread, im his bro posting for him on here, I use the axe in the woods, Im too young to use a chainsaw, at least that big one.
I like the feel of the axe, the prestige of using one, and soon, me and my friend down the street, is going to be using a two-man handsaw, sounds like fun to me.
The only problem I have, is that Im clearing out these trails for my brothers skidding truck, and I cut down all of these 3" trees, but I dont know how to get rid of all of the stumps, chians wont bite into them, splitting mauls wont split them, and the chainsaw is too big for them. oh what to do what to do. Gettign a stump grinder is too expensive, maybe a handsaw can cut them low enough for the truck to be able to go over them without hurting the 34" $200+ a peice tires on it. Stumps will damadge tires pretty bad, and can scuff up sidewalls pretty bad as well.
Any suggestions eh'?
Neil, your logger in training.
My brother bought it, the story is over in the chainsaw thread, im his bro posting for him on here, I use the axe in the woods, Im too young to use a chainsaw, at least that big one.
I like the feel of the axe, the prestige of using one, and soon, me and my friend down the street, is going to be using a two-man handsaw, sounds like fun to me.
The only problem I have, is that Im clearing out these trails for my brothers skidding truck, and I cut down all of these 3" trees, but I dont know how to get rid of all of the stumps, chians wont bite into them, splitting mauls wont split them, and the chainsaw is too big for them. oh what to do what to do. Gettign a stump grinder is too expensive, maybe a handsaw can cut them low enough for the truck to be able to go over them without hurting the 34" $200+ a peice tires on it. Stumps will damadge tires pretty bad, and can scuff up sidewalls pretty bad as well.
Any suggestions eh'?
Neil, your logger in training.
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