LETS TALK AXES

[northmanlogging]

So I have my eye on a new axe. Looking at a Gransfors Bruk. Want the axe to drive wedges with and everything else you need a axe for. So I started looking at the small forest axe that has a 19 inch handle but now I'm looking at the Scandinavian forest axe that has a 25 inch handle.
What do you all think about the length and ever the brand your self?

Ignore the hype on fancy "hand forged" axes, they are actually drop forged, only they got some monkey turning them through the dies instead of a machine, then wack em with a hammer a couple times to give em that authentic look, so they can charge 10 times what they are worth.

Look at quality made tools for reasonable prices such as Council tools, Gerber or Estwing etc (You cant go wrong with a Council)

You probably should look for something with a hardened poll to avoid damage to the axe head. Most GBs don't have a hardened poll. The GB carpenters axe is the exception.

There are very few axes with hardened poles, the pole is simply not meant to be a hammering surface, there are hammers with hatchet sides to em, but no axes with hardened poles. Why you should never use an axe to pound a splitting wedge or any other steel surface.

However any flat poled axe will work just fine for beating wedges.

Also the hard faced wedges should probably be avoided, but that is just an opinion. (they are expensive and not really worth it, instead just use 2 regular wedges and save your axe head)

 

[Mr Black]

Antique markets have lots of axe heads needing handles, usually very inexpensive. Worth checking them on occasion, I hate walking through them, but it can be worth the effort. You never know what you'll find.