There are so many choices. Different lengths, different heads, different styles and weights. I am mostly looking for an overall forest tool; good quality, lasts forever, easy to strap to the pack sort of thing.
Suggestions?

Snow and Nealley Kindling Axe

Nice axe, convenient intermediate size, great quality.

Tom A.

I'm a big fan of Gerber or Fiskars axes (they're pretty much the same company these days)

You can get several different pack sized axes with either a narrow head or a wider splitting head. The smallest in the Fiskars line is the 8" hatchet and range up to big splitting mauls 28" long. The smallest splitting axe is only 17" long...pretty compact.

All have lightweight but super strong hollow handles and come straight from the factory with a good edge on them. A friend of mine has the 28" super splitting axe and can turn a whole log into a pile of pencil thick kindling in no time with just the one axe.

I'm not a big fan of axes for backpacking due to the injury risks but for car camping I don't think I'll ever buy a different brand.

http://www.fiskars.com/webapp/wcs/stores...ategoryId=10277

Check wisementrading.com and look at their Wetterlings hatchets and axes. I bought the two littlest ones. Less than $30 each and on par with GB's without the finer finishing. I bought them to try and realized I don't want to carry them in the field but put one each in our vehicles. I prefer a small pruning saw and my Fallkniven F1 for the types of tasks common for me. Lighter, cheaper, and safer.

Depending on your needs, give some thought to the BAHCO 396 LAP. I keep one snapped to a ring on my belt and stuffed into a BDU pocket.

It is hard to recommend an ax without more specific detail as to your intended use. The smaller Gransfors Bruks like the Wildlife (shown below) is a fine choice for small fire building etc use.



The next sizes up, Small Forest Ax, Hunter's Ax or Scandinavian Forest Ax, is a better choice for more intense ax work.

Gransfors are worth their extra cost in my view....particularly if you can select the helve.

Wetterlings are much less expensive and not too bad a choice, but they do require some work to get them in ready-to-go shape.



Wetterlings Falling and GB Scandinavian Forest Ax.

Another fan here of the Gerber. I have the sport axe myself. At just over 14" and around 2lbs it is hard to beat from a carry stand point. If it's to big and heavy that you don't want to tugg it along, why bother. They sharpen up nice too, my thumb found that out while putting it back in the sheath one day.

As soon as I find 'bout $100 I don't know what to do with, I will have a Gransfors Bruks Small Forest Axe. To me it seems to be just about the right size/weight for anything other than felling trees or splitting large rounds...

an axe is a hard tool to master..all the ones suggested above
are of the best quality and could last years..BUT--unless you
have a source of standing trees to work with for practice you
could end up with something like this..



every so often i find that the Jr Woodchucks have had a go at
a snag in a camp site and get about this far before they find
that it involves a lot of work and skill to bring down a tree
with an axe..even splitting calls for a good eye and the right
kind of axe....there are some websites devoted to just this
subject--good luck--watch your toes

Yeah, a lot depends on what you want to do.

For splitting wood I find a maul does the best - whether full length or a smaller short-handled one. I found a great one fiberglass handled one at my local Ace Hardware.

For cutting logs that can't be broken by hand I find a saw cuts much faster & easier.

About the only thing I use an axe/hatchet for is to remove small limbs from branches.

Other than that my knife does the trick.

Personally, I like the cold steel riflemans hawk.
It's not the lightest on the market, but it sharpens
well, has good steel, and stands up to abuse.

http://www.coldsteel.com/axes.html

Mogg--i was thinking about a hawk as a light weight ax for
working up firewood on camping trips..i have seen others at
Ragweed Forge but they all seem thin in the handles and made
for throwing --have you done much chopping with one of these??

I have an Estwing campers hatchet . I don't remember for sure but I think it cost me about $20 . It came with a sheath to attach it to a belt . Maybe not the best hatchet around but it will last forever . I've had Estwing hammers for over 30 years and they've seen a lot of use and abuse .

I don't like the price, but I like the hatchets and axes: Granfors Bruks.

A GB is definitely worth the coin. They are essentially ready to go right out of the box. I have probably invested 2-3 hours in my Wetterlings falling ax and still do not have it quite the way I want it. While I do not begrudge the time, that effort has to be spent and if I was getting paid for that time would bring the price up to or above the GB level.

Most of the other axes available are nearly pure junk and the amount of effort to get them functional is just way too much or even impossible, it makes the investment in a GB a bargain.

The Fiskars are decent however utilitarian, the Eastwings.....hum….how should I put this….durable, but a Gränsfors is just a pleasure to use.

I bring the very same Estwing with me when camping with my son's Boy Scout troop. It was recommended to me during Scoutmaster training, and indeed it is indestructable enough that I feel comfortable loaning it out to the Scouts.

Schwert summed them up real well.

Ken K.

There is a myth beginners in any endeavor should start out with cheap equipment.Learning with junk produces junk; both in the end effort and education of the user. Axemanship is hardly a skill you can sign up for at the local Adult Education office. A first time axe user needs to buy Mnor's Kochanski's book. Only then should they consider what, like a knife or firearm will be cut,shot or chopped is needed.

http://www.undercurrents.org/visionon/bushcraft.htm

you can find more of these on itunes. I love them, the knife one is great also!

I am in total agreement Chris. A fellow can spend upfront to purchase a properly made and sharpened ax which makes the learning a joy. Or they can buy cheap, and not knowing how to remake the ax into a perfomer, they never learn how a proper ax should work and give up in frustration.

Buying quality up front is always a better option for someone learning in my view.

Cheap project axes are much better for someone who knows how to properly tune them....not for a beginner.

Its actually more a matter of self-preservation rather than cost avoidance when they try to drive the hatchet through a rock, or they slam the handle into the log rather than the head. Scout leaders tend to try to buy really tough gear rather than the "best" gear since it takes a beating.

If I had one I wouldn't loan out a Granfors Bruks axe only to get it all ripped up by Scouts who don't really care about other people's gear. THAT is why we teach them to bring their own gear AND to take care of their own patrol's gear.

Very true Ken,

Our youth group axes are plastic handled clubs with no life or quality in them at all, but they do survive from one outing to the next.

I keep my personal equipment safely hidden away but sometimes my teenage son and his buddies still find it. I cannot complain too much as I was very tough on my fathers gear at that age. After a few occurences my Dad started to write the value of an item on it in black marker (e.g. axe handles, waders, boots, rifle shells, fishing rods ...), that way if I used it I was forewarned of the replacement cost.

Not a bad idea.

Mike

Depends on what your trying to do.

If your goal is a usable tool for short term survival, until you can get found or walk out, I would go for a hatchet of some type. Light and compact but still functional for light work. For my BOB I slipped in a Fiskars, same as the Gerber except the Fiskars has an orange handle, because it fits the requirements and they say the handle is indestructible.

Now the key to this is to understand that such a light hatchet isn't going to be very efficient for felling anything but a small sapling, limbing, and pounding a stake suitable for holding down a tarp.

If your goal is to homestead a site where you will need to fell full sized trees for cabin construction, fences and firewood you need a full sized axe. You will pay a penalty in weight and bulk but your homesteading and not going too far.

If you want a tool for light chopping, recreational camping, the odd disaster and general use around the house and garden you might consider one of these:

http://www.forestry-suppliers.com/product_pages/View_Catalog_Page.asp?mi=8174

Plumb and Sears sell a similar design that has a slightly longer handle that I like a lot. We called them a 'rigger's hatchet' but most seem to sell under the name 'half-hatchet'. The longer handle and half-hatchet head are great for building pole barns. We used the blade to chop out flats after sawing the ends for 2x10s with a bow saw. The hammer head is good for hammering in heavy spikes.

It is also good for shingling and taking the head off chickens and other jobs around house and farm. But it is still light and handy enough for camping use. A bit heavier than the Fiskars but not too bad. In return you get a bit more heft and chopping ability.

Between the Fiskars light-weight and a half-hatchet you could get a shingler's or drywaller's hatchet. I have seen these used by hikers.

The axes you see as the hardware stores are pretty poor compared to the highly adapted models an axe aficionado uses. They aren't too bad for occasional use but compared to the better models you spend twice the time and effort getting getting half the job done. The more time you spend with an axe, and the closer you are to maximum effort surviving, the more your going to like the finer models.

That said fine axes are thoroughbreds. They are designed for a single narrow job. They aren't suitable for rough handling, abuse and inexpert application. You don't use a $400 custom built felling axe to cut roots and chop clay. You wouldn't use it to convert a pallet to kindling. You wouldn't use the blade to pry boards apart. For that sort of use the hardware store models with fiberglass reinforced handles are what you want.

I don't know what Schwert is looking for in getting his Wetterlings where he wants it but I spent about 5 minutes each on my two Wetterlings getting them razor sharp. They were very sharp to begin with.

the other thing about an axe is you need to carry the right
kind of file and stone to keep it sharp..unlike a knife
they are more of a "tool"

Yes, I've done some chopping and other chores with mine, and it works quite well.

One modification which helps hand use is to tie a turks head knot around the bottom of the grip. Makes the tool a
bit more secure in the hand.

In spite of all the excellent advice I have seen, I will go back to the original question -- The Short Answer -- A SAW!! (-;

All kidding aside, there are many axes and hatchets for many different purposes. So I must ask, what do you see doing with this? I have many of each and they all have their place. If you want to cut wood, then my first answer is the best. If you wish to split wood, make tent poles and stakes, etc. then a light axe is the best choice. The hatchet is not a good choice for general use if you have any intention of cutting wood (especially dry) or splitting it. In most cases, if you are in the real woods, you need an axe if you want this capability.

The axe need not be heavy, but it should have a longish handle. The 1 3/4 pound Hudsons Bay axe (mine is a Snow & Neally) is designed for this type of use, but works MUCH better with a 28 or 30 inch handle. The cutting requires force. In order to let the axe provide the force, you need a long handle, a heavy head or both. A lightweight head with a long cutting edge (the Hudsons Bay design is one of the most well known) on a long handle will do 80% of the work of a heavier axe.

Many axes (especially great ones) are left with extra material near the edge so that the owner can shape it to his own desire - for his needs. A long, slim taper will cut deep, but can become trapped by the log, a shorter taper will not cut as well but will split better (a wedge shape - like a maul is best). The short taper will also not be damaged as easily if you hit something hard. The different types of wood require different shapes for optimum use.

Respectfully,

Jerry Fountain

I have to agree with Jerry. A saw is a great idea for general use and for survival use, especically if one is not too experienced with axe use, and their hands are not strengthened up yet.

It is very easy to make a survival situation much worse with inexperienced misuse of an axe. If your hands get tired... which they will...and you don't have sufficient skill and experience built up, you may be wearing your axe as a foot ornament.

If you are not experienced with using an axe I recommend getting a saw for the trail and a small steel wedge for splitting. Buy a good quality axe like a gransfors bruks and practice with it when you are alert and not tired from a long trail. Grip it too much and you get blisters, grip it too little and it will glance off the tree and you may be wearing it in the leg. Only once you are practiced with the tools use, should you take it on the trail or put it in your survival kit.

I own a GB forest axe for camping and softwood, and two 4lb old Kelly axes for hardwood use. The major thing that most axes need done to them, is smoothing and oiling the handle until it is like silk, if you use it much it prevents the blisters that a rough handle makes. It is a balance because too rough a finish and you get blisters, and too smooth a finish and an inexperienced user can lose control of it. I wouldn't make the axe razor sharp until you have developed suficient skill to not injure yourself.

All the best with your choosing. It is a persnal choice, most people who are very experienced with axes, want them as sharp as possible and as finely tuned as possible. They also tend to hate poor steel quality in axes.... and knives too, as do I.

Cheers,
Tim.

Of course, if you pack leather gloves (or any gloves), blisters aren't much of an issue. Still, I prefer a saw too.

There is no reason why your axe shouldn't;t be as sharp as your knife, I recently read somewhere that you can use you axe for everything you use your knife for. wait found it!! go down to the near bottom of this site and you should find a file called Woodsmanship (1954)" and like on one of the last few pages there is a thing about knives and how and axe can replace them. Hope this helps someone!

The only problem with most gloves and using hammers or axes is that they don't grip the tool at all and in the end you fatigue your hands much quicker, it also makes it much easier for the tool to rotate in your hands when it hits. That means that there may be a general introduction between your axe and your feet. The only gloves that I would use is what some blacksmiths use with their hammers, those cotton gloves that have rubber grippy surfaces on them.

Axes should be as sharp as a knife only with experienced users, generally you don't swing your knife around your head with a stick attached. Remember in preparing for a possible emergency/survival situation learn to become proficient with your tools or only take the ones that you are proficient and safe with. In other words make sure you can hit what you are aiming at every time, even when you are tired and your hands are weak.

Most good axes (Gransfors etc.) are sharp enough for the average joe, straight out of the wrapper. I just wouldn't sharpen them like a sharp knife or razor until you have had the axe dive at your feet a few times and you are sure that it won't happen again. Most people use really bad techniques with axes and are an accident waiting to happen, especially when splitting wood.

Remember to keep your feet well away from the axe, keep the handle stopping as close to horizontal as possible at first, and the blade of the axe as close to the line of your swing as you can. Also keep good control on the rotation of the axe head as it hits the tree. Always remember to be aware of where it will go if the head glances off the tree and make sure that you aren't there.

If you are splitting wood make sure that the axe handle will stop in a horizontal position and if you miss, that it won't hit your feet or legs, this is one of the most common axe injuries. Keep the end of the handle down and you are much safer.

Cheers,
Mac.

There is never a reason to use a dull tool. Inadequately sharp tools are one of the reasons people insure themselves while using them. Kitchen knife, pocket knife, drill bit, I don't care what it is.

A person trying to take branches off a felled tree with a dull axe is going to swing a lot harder. It will be harder to maintain control, and THAT is the situation that is most likely to cause an injury.

Hacksaw, I agree within reason. I am not advocating using a dull axe just not a really sharp one. Using a really sharp knife is different to using a really sharp axe. Safe axe use requires certain muscles to be developed for adequate control that people normally do not have developed. Until they are developed, one should not use a really sharp axe or they will possibly get into a world of hurt.

I have acknowledged that most good axes come sharp enough straight from the manufacturor, just not as sharp as a good sharp knife... at least not like mine. The problem with an axe isn't so much how hard you swing, with some hard wood you will swing really hard even with a really sharp axe, it is how you swing and how you stand.

Learn how to swing and how to stand safely, and then sharpen your axe right up. Not the other way around.

The major thing is instruction, and there are not many people who can share good axe techniques out there.

If you hurt yourself with a sharp knife, you seldom severely hurt yourself. At worst a few stitches are needed. If you hurt yourself with a really sharp axe you are usually going to the hospital and fast. If you can't get to a hospital it could be reallllly bad.

I am advocating training and practice, then razor sharp. The Japanise masters would have just given the trainee a weighted handle and told him to practice, once the muscles were trained, they would have then and only then given the student a sharp instrument, it is the same as sword training.

Only an unwise person gives a guy with no training a really sharp axe and then says practice away.

I started using an axe at age seven and even with good training I have had a few near misses. Only let someone who is inexperienced use a sharp axe under tight instruction and supervision, even more than you would with a knife.

Anyway that is my 5 cents worth,
Mac.

Sound reasoning.

that's why I don't use them when I don't have to LOL.

Well now, let's see here. If we have a less-than-sharp axe and we hit ourselves (due to inexperience), we are hoping it won;t cut us (because, using plain English, it is DULL). But if we have a sharp axe, razor sharp (as it should always be) we must be experienced or we might cut ourselves.

I can understand your opinon, Macgiver, each to his own, but I can;t quite grasp the logic and reasoning behind it, despite the long post. It's like adding two whole numbers and still coming up with a fractions in the sum.

An axe, or a hatchet, like a knife, is either sharp or dull. Each user must choose his poison. Their choice might be based on efficiency, accuracy, and safety, in which case they would most assuredly choose the sharpest of each.

The problem with starting with a dull tool is that it only gets more dull with use. IF we aim for dull tools, then starting with one we're already one step ahead.

Not being one for "disclaimers", I'll make one this time: this post is only my opinion. THat opinion is: start with a sharp tool, it will get to your desired dullness before you know it.... and the danger factor will then increase.

A razor sharp knife will get you a few stitches. An ax or hatchet sharpened similarly may get you an amputation if you miss. It's like the first time I used one of the short handled 4lb sledgehammers. I ended up with barked knuckles and was wondering if I'd managed to break a couple of fingers. Using either a claw hammer or 12lb sledge probably would have had a better result. The claw hammer would have taken longer. The full size sledge would have been quicker and kept fingers out of the way.

Well yes, I won;t argue that a sharp axe isn;t dangerous. If you look into the barrel of a loaded gun, and pull the trigger..................

You see, there are inherent risks in everything we do and everything we use to do with. The point is not that an axe can;t kill you or de-limb you, rather the point is: like using a gun or driving a car, or using a knife or an axe, you use it with the understanding that there are risks.

So now that we know that axes are dangerous, why would we ever use one? Why, to chop things of course. So we pick up this dangerous tool, since we chose to, and we want it to help us do something. An axe is a cutting and chopping tool, so we want it................ sharp.

If we are afraid of these inherent risks, especially if the tool is sharp, then have we decided we'll make it safer by keeping it dull? (or maybe just a little less-than-sharp which, as I said earlier, is DULL). Or maybe we should just use a saw which is safer than an axe. But then, when sawing with a saw with very sharp teeth.....well, I'm tired of explaining this.

I would pass a law that anyone who uses a cutting tool must endeavor to keep it sharp, or at least endeavor to start out with it sharp. I mean....sharp as in very sharp.

Hey Stretch, I'm not saying that a just sharp enough axe won't cut you, it will just do less damage than a razor sharp axe. My main point is don't put a really sharp axe in the hands of someone who has not been trained how to use it.

I guess that we are talking about definitions of sharp. To my mind there is Shaving sharp, Very sharp, sharp enough to do the job, not sharp enough to do the job--- aka Dull, and very dull meaning it should have been sharpened long ago. Sharp enough to do the job won't go through jeans and flesh as easily as Shaving sharp, where you won't feel it as it slices through an artery.

This is coming from a knifemaker who likes to have all his knives shaving sharp and considers a slightly less sharp knife, kitchen or otherwise, as a tool which is very dangerous to the user.

A person learning good knife habits will learn what not to do by cutting themselves a few times. We do not have that luxury with an axe.

If one insists on using a razor sharp axe when inexperienced, at least have someone show you how to do it and point out some of the mistakes that can be very damaging. Five minutes of instruction can save much trouble down the road.

I agree. I don;t want my daughter using an axe until she's had the proper training. But once she does, I don;t want her using an axe the will glance and skip either (not that a sharp won;t either sometimes).

Anyway, since I was dreaming again of becoming King and passing laws that cutting tools must be sharp, I stepped out just several moments ago and........

.... touched up the edge on my already razor sharp HB hatchet! ((( )))

P.S. If anyone knows who makes the HB Svedish hatchet, I'd appreciate the information.

Good question about the HB hatchet Strech.

I have a 2 1/2 lb HB Swedish axe head but can find no information on it. It looks of good quality, has a nice ring to it and is of the Hudson Bay pattern.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Mike

Well put!!!

You must have been quite lucky.

The first thing I did was strip off the shellac on the helve, then started sanding it. I started with 220, then 320 then 400 grit. I then soaked in a heavy coat of flaxseed oil and sanded that in with 400 grit.

After the helve was set I started working on the head. First I trued up the cheeks and edge with a double cut file. I had quite a bit of work to even up those grinds. I then started working them on a mousepad with sand paper. I started with 150 and worked down to 320. I still have 400, 600 and green paste work to do to get the edge truly sharp and the cheeks polished.

My Wetterlings falling ax was adequate for work out of the box, but it was not sharp or true, and the rough cheeks would not toss out chips like it will now.

That is exactly why many ax manufactures can sell such junk....most people do not know what the tool is capable of if set up and used properly.

Old Jimbo has a number of articles that cover ax work.

http://www.oldjimbo.com/survival/axes.html

The Forest Service files that Jimbo links to are essential reading.

http://www.oldjimbo.com/survival/aatg.html

Others...

http://www.oldjimbo.com/survival/hatchets2.html

http://www.oldjimbo.com/survival/hatchets3.html

http://www.oldjimbo.com/survival/hatchets4.html

http://www.oldjimbo.com/survival/tinyhatchets.html

http://www.oldjimbo.com/survival/gransfors.html

http://www.oldjimbo.com/survival/aas.html

Just tour around Old Jimbo's site for more articles of interest

http://www.oldjimbo.com/survival/

An excellent ax book is Dudley Cook's, "The Ax Book" or "Keeping Warm with an Ax"

I have a review of these books here:

http://outdoors-magazine.com/spip.php?article259


A well tuned ax is an excellent tool....off the shelf axes, particularily hardware store goods require a load of work to tune. GB's as long as they have a good helve require a minimum of tuning. That is why they are worth every penny.

Great site. It's too bad he doesn't put any Gerber or Fiskars models up against the old school models.

Your hatchet is most likely made by Hults Bruks, today known as Hultafors Tools:

http://www.hultafors.se/default.asp

I could not find any vendor who is selling HB in the USA, but Hultafors axes are available in Canada and Europe (UK, Germany).

For a similar quality axe or hatchet I recommend Wetterlings (S.A. Wetterlings), they are about 1/2 - 1/3 the price of the Gransfors Bruks ones. Fit and finish not so good as on the GB, but good heat treatment.

I cannot find much on them either. I have a Fiskars and honestly do not consider it much of an ax. I find it way to thin, it is not ground properly and the hollow handle gives it a weird balance. The wrap around head join also does not allow much tuning of it either. It is indeed durable and as a ax shaped object better than nothing but I cannot see any way to turn it into a decent hand ax. Good for tent pegs and some casual fire prep I suppose but not really an ax I would ever carry to use seriously.

Here's my HB. You can;t see it, but the edge is as sharp as nearly any knife. It won;t whittle hair, but it'll certainly shave it from your arm.... at any place onlong the length of the blade.

Hi Strech,

That is the same Brand stamp as on my axe head except the weight is 1.1kg - 2 1/2 lbs.

I only have the axe head, that is why I wanted to find out some information on the quality before I took the time to put a handle on it.

What is your opinion of your hatchet as they are proabaly the same steel?

Thanks,

Mike

Well, my opinion is high. It chops well and holds an edge like an axe or hatcher should.... until continued use begins to dull it

I have a large axe from Sears I think. A couple of small hatchets that I inerited. One is a Stanley and the other, who knows? This HB is my favorite by far. I picked it up at a knife and gun show for $10. The old fellows who were selling it had tried to grind it down with something as evidenced by the grind marks. All I did was invest a couple of hours work on the edge. It'll take a very fine edge but I can;t say how long it holds it because it's all relative to use, in my opinion. It's 15" long.

If I get another, I would like a Gransfors Bruks small forest axe I think.

Thanks for the info Strech, on your good recommendation I will take the time to put a handle on the 2.5lb HB head I have.

I also am thinking of a smaller axe but think I am going to go with a Wetterlings Long Hunting Axe just due to the cost savings and because I can buy them locally.

I like shopping garage sales for old tools and picked up an Iltis Oxhead Felling axe for $2.00 because the handle was in bad shape behind the head, another project I need to finish.

Later,

Mike