another day hike: axe chop-off.

[JV3]

i took a quick day hike last week to take in the last of the fall colors...been here plenty of times but it was the first time i've seen this wasps' nest (i thought it was a bees' nest...thanks nematocyst for the id!)...never seen it on a tree either.

...and another different style wasps' nest inches away from it? good tinder for next time if it's still there.

this tree looks like it's on fire with those colors.

my main water source for overnighters has been stagnant for several weeks now 3 yrs ago, it was flowing so fast/deep that i couldn't cross it without getting all the way up to my knees wet.

...so i stashed a couple of liters under this brush pile for future overnighters while i still can.

checked in on one of my spots...haven't overnighted here in over a year and my firewood pile is still there untouched.

looks like a hornets' nest (thanks again to nematocyst for the id!) nearby.

 

[JV3]

this hike was mostly so i can do an axe chop off between the gransfors bruks small forest axe and hunter's axe to determine which i like better...and sell off the other. see this thread for more details on the hunter's axe: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1120090-gransfors-bruks-hunter-s-axe.

used this roughly 6" diameter dead fall (i think it's oak)...these two axes made me miss my scandinavian forest axe but my ocd wants a size between it and the wlidlife hatchet though...hence this chop off.

prior to this trip, the hunter's axe was ahead but chopping this log evened things out...the sfa's longer handle, heavier head, and mostly that hook-shaped pommel area felt better/more secure for me when i really wailed on it and put all my power into the chop.

i checked, both my legs are still intact and no blood anywhere (kidding...i followed proper axe technique and was kneeling down the whole time)...round two!

...i still preferred the sfa over the hunter when it came down to pure chopping.

time to try the smaller stuff...held this piece vertical with one-hand (to prevent the axe from hitting the ground) and chopped one-handed...this is when the hunter's handle design shines - single-hand use like the wildlife hatchet but more power.

...splitting was about even.

when it came time to use the axe one-handed while holding the wood with the other hand to split kindling-size (see ray mears' axe video on the technique) then the hunter started to inch ahead again.

...and the hunter's more knife-like handle ergonomics pulls away when it came time to doing feathersticks...despite their similar handle length/head weight specs, they're very different axes in my experience...what i found is that for pure chopping and a belt knife to do the finesse stuff, i'll take the sfa...paired up with a folding saw and/or no knife at all, i'll take the hunter's axe.

i'll take a folding saw and a machete over any axe anyday though!

 

[JV3]

these birds were everywhere...strange, i've never seen them here before in the 3 yrs i've been hiking the area.

wandering around i saw this tree i've never seen before...poplar? i think i remember mistwalker posted a pic of this flower/bulb/leaf/whatever it is before and saying it's poplar.

also, i think i remember squirrel posting a pic of a leaf similar to this before and saying it's poplar too...if it is poplar, i just got closer to achieving bow-drill success with only on-site found materials! the only wood i've had success with (from the 4gotn sending me some and store bought) are poplar, cottonwood, and cedar.

deer antler rub? i'm always on the lookout for sheds for firesteel handles but so far haven't found any.

anyway, last of the fall colors for me...the overnighter next weekend will mostly be all brown.

 

[liamstrain]

Birds look like Robins. And yes, that looks like Poplar.

Nice photos, nice chop-off. Thanks for doing the review of the two axes with the detailed usage notes.

 

[WILLIAM.M]

Another Great set of photos and review

Thanks for posting Bro

Dr.Bill

 

[lmalterna]

JV3,
Your pics are amazing not only for clarity, composition and amazingly vivid color but also depth of field.

I like the chop off as well. For choking up and detail, I like a more oval haft but for swiging away, hard to beat a slender haft with good flare. I am experimenting with old hatchet heads and resued handles of different profiles now. They are ugly for sure but I am finding surprises in use.

And that Wildlife model is still next on my "nice" axe list.

Thanks,
Bill

 

[Bigfattyt]

Great photos. Thanks for sharing. I need to just take off for a solo overnighter some time.

 

[Hammer67]

Nice review! I've been really happy with my Husqvarna Forest Axe, and it does everything I want it to very well, but someday when there is some extra cash burning a hole in my pocket, I'd like to pickup a GB SFA as a smaller, more portable option.

 

[matthew krissak]

Awesome pictures! And those are tulip tree, not poplar. Very nice tee, look amazing in full flower.

 

[mete]

Matthew, unfortunatey the tree has more than one name . Here in the Catskills it's sometimes 'tulip tree', sometimes 'tulip poplar', sometimes 'poplar' . It's proper name is tulip tree named after the flowers that look very much like tulips ! It's related to the magnolia tree. It's a soft 'hardwood' and a big tree growing to about 125' .Used to make molding and furniture. The green color in the grain will quickly turn to brown when light hits it.

 

[Mistwalker]

Great post Jay, and awesome photos as always. Yep, the hornet's nests make great tinder material. I like the looks of both axes. I need to pick up an axe, and have been looking at the Husqvarna Carpenter's Axe, as it is infinitely more affordable for me, and I'm getting older and not wanting to hump a full sized axe through the woods

 

[Shotgun]

Cool review. For me personally I find it awkward to swing any axe with a shorter then ~24 inch handle with two hands. Is that how you're leaning?

 

[JV3]

Birds look like Robins. And yes, that looks like Poplar.

Nice photos, nice chop-off. Thanks for doing the review of the two axes with the detailed usage notes.

thanks! wikipedia states they're protected...and a known carrier of the west nile virus

Another Great set of photos and review

Thanks for posting Bro

Dr.Bill

thanks, dr. bill!

JV3,
Your pics are amazing not only for clarity, composition and amazingly vivid color but also depth of field.

I like the chop off as well. For choking up and detail, I like a more oval haft but for swiging away, hard to beat a slender haft with good flare. I am experimenting with old hatchet heads and resued handles of different profiles now. They are ugly for sure but I am finding surprises in use.

And that Wildlife model is still next on my "nice" axe list.

Thanks,
Bill

thanks, bill! the camera does all the work.

i like the wildlife hatchet a lot (might even be my favorite over the sfa and hunter), never thought i'd be into it before trying a friend's a few weeks back...surprisingly light for such a powerful chopper.

Great photos. Thanks for sharing. I need to just take off for a solo overnighter some time.

thanks! i tend to go solo as well - i can stay quiet and watch the animals or make noise whenever i want...with groups, there's always that urge to talk...until it gets dark and everyone stares at the camp fire and the silence is no longer awkward

Nice review! I've been really happy with my Husqvarna Forest Axe, and it does everything I want it to very well, but someday when there is some extra cash burning a hole in my pocket, I'd like to pickup a GB SFA as a smaller, more portable option.

thanks!

Awesome pictures! And those are tulip tree, not poplar. Very nice tee, look amazing in full flower.

thanks! i'll be sure to check out that tree in the spring/summer months...never noticed it there before since it was hidden among the mostly oaks and maples in the area.

Matthew, unfortunatey the tree has more than one name . Here in the Catskills it's sometimes 'tulip tree', sometimes 'tulip poplar', sometimes 'poplar' . It's proper name is tulip tree named after the flowers that look very much like tulips ! It's related to the magnolia tree. It's a soft 'hardwood' and a big tree growing to about 125' .Used to make molding and furniture. The green color in the grain will quickly turn to brown when light hits it.

thanks for the info!

Great post Jay, and awesome photos as always. Yep, the hornet's nests make great tinder material. I like the looks of both axes. I need to pick up an axe, and have been looking at the Husqvarna Carpenter's Axe, as it is infinitely more affordable for me, and I'm getting older and not wanting to hump a full sized axe through the woods

thanks, brian! if you're carrying a folding saw anyway look into the hatchet size too...i never paid much attention to them (i'm used to swinging a full-size axe) until i tried a friend's weeks ago...surprisingly powerful enough for most of my splitting needs.

Cool review. For me personally I find it awkward to swing any axe with a shorter then ~24 inch handle with two hands. Is that how you're leaning?

thanks! it is awkward for me too...my gb scandinavian forest axe has a 25" handle and that for me is the perfect length for two hands/full swinging...that's still my favorite axe and the wildlife hatchet for light duty since i almost always use my emberlit to cook...i like the sfa and hunter mostly for playing around.

 

[cchu518]

JV you have some stupendous photo composition ability! that looked like a super trip!

 

[brewcitymike]

Great post. I thought of getting one of those two axes myself but the extra length on the Scandinavian's handle has made me decide to go with that one.

 

[plue]

Awesome review and pics as always. I am again tempted by your pictures of your FB 12" machete. Every time you post it I start thinking it might be a good alternative to my GB Wildlife Hatchet.

 

[JV3]

JV you have some stupendous photo composition ability! that looked like a super trip!

thanks! it helps to have photogenic subjects to hide my many mistakes

Great post. I thought of getting one of those two axes myself but the extra length on the Scandinavian's handle has made me decide to go with that one.

thanks! the scfa is still my favorite - it's a true workhorse...with that said, the wildlife hatchet is a great addition for day hikes and when cooking with a wood burning stove like the emberlit.

Awesome review and pics as always. I am again tempted by your pictures of your FB 12" machete. Every time you post it I start thinking it might be a good alternative to my GB Wildlife Hatchet.

thanks! i like using the fiddleback 12" too but i think i prefer the wildlife for a one-tool solution for fire prep (from chopping all the way down to feathersticks). due to the fiddleback's handle design, it's not very comfortable for me to really choke up on it to get my hand as close to the edge for feathersticks. it can do it but just not as comfortable as with the wildlife.

 

[NoFair]

Great pictures and write up. GBs are very nice.

Lots of specialized ax designs with subtle differences that aren't really noticed until used for a while. I think we have something like 20 slightly different axes on the farm ranging from 100 years old to new. Trying to save the ones that are in good shape and putting new handles on them.

 

[JV3]

Great pictures and write up. GBs are very nice.

Lots of specialized ax designs with subtle differences that aren't really noticed until used for a while. I think we have something like 20 slightly different axes on the farm ranging from 100 years old to new. Trying to save the ones that are in good shape and putting new handles on them.

thanks!

"Lots of specialized ax designs with subtle differences that aren't really noticed until used for a while" is definitely spot-on! a friend brought his council tool velvicut on this past weekend's overnighter and i was able to chop with it...the velvicut's slightly more wedge-shaped head definitely felt different compared to my gb sfa that i brought on that trip...i can easily see why you'd have 20 or so axes!

 

[NoFair]

Some are for carpentry, some for limbing, a few for felling, a couple for splitting, a few hatchets (most are in bad shape from 30-40 years of neglect before we took over the farm) and a couple of strange ones for marking trees (farm symbol on one end, hatchet head). I don't use the specialized axes much since I'm not building log houses and usually mark the trees I'm going to cut down with marker bands

I mostly use a few older limbing and felling axes that I've restored and a newer Wetterlings splitting ax and hatchet. Since I can hand pick them that compensates for their lesser QC when compared to more expensive GB axes (I also regrind most of them to get the edges I want)