What Axe(s) Do You Use?

[ccpastork]

After a year, we are finally feeling settled into the new house. It took a bit longer because we also moved my folks in with us in June, requiring a few changes and adjustments.

Now we are past that and I am moving into building a fire pit and resume outdoor activities once the rains ease up. This of course required some clean up and evaluation of my wood cutting/chopping tools. Some of them ended up a bit worse for wear as we had to build a new shed and things got damp and such.

After some cleaning and evaluation, I purchased a few vintage heads to replace a couple that were cheap junk and not worth repairing.

Picture is a vintage Collins 2 pound Hudson Bay axe on my hand carved Osage Orange handle with a walnut wedge, this will replace my camping axe. The other is a restored Norlund Voyageur hatchet I did up for Christmas for my 9yo daughter(my camping, fishing, hunting and outdoor buddy). Re-hung on the original handle with a mahogany wedge.

I am working on rehafting a Plumb hatchet, Plumb Connecticut pattern and also a double bit. The Connecticut and hatchet will be used for the back yard fire pit while the double bit will be used up in the woods when camping.

The search continues for a Plumb Jersey pattern head to round out the wood cutting arsenal.

What axes do you use and how do you use them?

 

[ajkel64]

Nice axes. I love a good axe but I am hopeless with them. I only use cheaper axes when I need them. I have a gas log fire at home and split system A/C as back up.

 

[Legion]

I actually quite enjoy splitting wood, but I don't have a fireplace at home, and most campsites these days make you bring your own wood, and the bought stuff is already chopped.

I have a antique hatchet that I use for camp chores and kindling.

 

[nemo]

I mainly use my Husqvarna 20" Carpenter's ax when I'm stripping limbs while felling trees. I keep its Swedish hand-forged head super sharp and mainly use it with one hand.
Husqvarna Axes Carpenter's axe - https://www.husqvarna.com/us/accessories/axes/carpenters-axe/596271201/

I've got some vintage camp hatchets I rarely use, they seem kinda useless for me. I heat with a wood stove so I split a lot of wood, I have three mauls, two eight pound round eye handles and a six pounder on an ax style handle that sees a lot of use. I've also got an older Snow & Nealley 3lb. mini-maul for kindling which is really dull right now.

My chainsaws and axes are seeing a lots of use right now clearing burned trees in the wake of the huge CZU Complex Lightning fire here in Santa Cruz County last August.

 

[Ad Astra]

Ax, hatchet, hawk... A small Norlund hatchet I rescued goes hiking a lot. Pleased to see its value!

CRKT Nobo hawk is new, but has great design. It wants to go.

I still favor a boy's ax I used for "limbing and loading" duties a lifetime ago. It's gone underwater in hurricanes at least twice.

AA

 

[SharpieB]

I mainly use a small Estwing camp hatchet.

I use a big ESEE fixed blade knife to baton wood, so a small hatchet is all I need For everything else.

 

[razorboi]

My every-day "go to" axe is an Epiphone Les Paul, but the Epi Casino spends a lot of time in hand as well.

 

[McBlade]

Fiskars X7 for camping. The light weight is a plus if you're carrying all your gear long distances. Scandi grind is easy to sharpen.

 

[Basil]

I have a splitting maul, felling axe, a smaller axe for small trees and cutting off limbs. Also have a mini belt ace that I use instead of a knife for most outdoor chores or splitting kindling.

I live in the city but use them quite a bit and do a lot of wood chopping too.

 

[GeronimoWSB]

Grand fors splitting maul large, small forest axe, a few random found axes and a makita chainsaw that is wicked.

 

[Doc4]

I heat with a wood stove so I split a lot of wood, I have three mauls

For splitting wood, nothing beats a good maul!

 

[Basil]

For splitting wood, nothing beats a good maul!

Totally agree. The gb Maul makes easy work of anything I throw at it.

 

[Doc4]

The gb Maul makes easy work of anything I throw at it.

It work even better if you don't throw the wood at the maul, but swing the maul into the wood!

 

[Basil]

It work even better if you don't throw the wood at the maul, but swing the maul into the wood!

Lol true. But I mean it’s really fun to pick up a huge round and throw it at the axe. Lol. Kidding. That’s not safe at all.
Only once was I not able to split a round, it was about 3 feet across. I had to use a wedge to get it started.

 

[FloppyJoe]

9/10 it is my Gransfors Mini-Hatchet. I can use it as a knife, scraper, carver and chopper all in one. Even figured out how to split 8-10" logs with it (knock off a wedge from the outside, carve it, baton the hatchet about 1-2" into the center to start the crack, drive the wedge to do the rest). Not elegant but it works.

If I plan on anything really big, I bring a bigger axe or a saw, but that is unusual as most of my camping is with the scouts.

 

[Eveningcoffee]

I have a Stanley carpenters axe useful for camping. Also have a unmarked beveled axe that I think was made by Plumb. Have used to break old roots during excavations and plantings.

Here a couple on the workbench. A Collins boys axe and a Sater Banko from Sweden ready to rehandle.

 

[Basil]

9/10 it is my Gransfors Mini-Hatchet. I can use it as a knife, scraper, carver and chopper all in one. Even figured out how to split 8-10" logs with it (knock off a wedge from the outside, carve it, baton the hatchet about 1-2" into the center to start the crack, drive the wedge to do the rest). Not elegant but it works.

If I plan on anything really big, I bring a bigger axe or a saw, but that is unusual as most of my camping is with the scouts.

Agreed the mini hatchet is the perfect camp knife. With a baton you can get through almost anything.

 

[Bhugo]

I love most things vintage, so this may be sacrilegious, but I have switched to Fiskars for everything. Hatchet, camp axe, woods axe and splitting axe. Wonderful even in comparison to several vintage axes and mauls I own. Cheap enough to treat it like a tool and the steel is great. Plastic handles lack the beauty of hickory, but....... are really way better. Indestructible and moisture proof. I don’t even mind if someone else uses them while camping and such.

 

[razorboi]

...I have switched to Fiskars for everything...Cheap enough to treat it like a tool and the steel is great. Plastic handles lack the beauty of hickory, but....... are really way better. Indestructible and moisture proof. I don’t even mind if someone else uses them...

Interesting...but can we really trust tool handling advice from a gent with your avatar?

 

[Acmemfg]

Depends on the job.
It‘ll be something in this group or a few others living in the shed.