Axe/Hatchet/Camp axe?

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Mar 7, 2007
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I recently had to split some firewood for a cooking fire in one of those pedestal mounted grills that are about 18" wide. So, on the age-old advice of my father, I went into the woods to look for some standing dead-wood. I found a 30' chunk of maple that was about 6" in diameter at the base. It looked, to my inexperienced eye, to have been dead for a year or more.

I dragged it back to camp, busted it into smaller chunks, and set to work on it with my brother-in-law's hatchet(which was quite sharp). 15-20 minutes, and about a gallon of sweat later, I had enough firewood to cook our stinkin' burgers.

My question is, is there some alternetive to a full size axe when it comes to chopping seasoned hardwood? It was WAY too much work with that hatchet. And let me add that I am no small fella. I can swing a hatchet. The wood was braced firmly against a tree root, so there wasn't much bounce.

I'm not afraid to spend some coin on a good axe/hatchet. I would like to have something relatively portable.

Any/all help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
 
Thanks, Dusty. I do like those Gransfors Bruks, the 19" Hunter's Axe in particular, but I guess what I'm really looking for is info - like Ideal blade curvature for chopping(vs. splitting), and practicality of a large axe in camping/hiking situations. I realize that the larger the axe one has, the easier chopping would be. So where would the happy medium lie?
 
There is a huge difference between a hatchet and a small axe which is light enough to work one handed when necessary, but can also be swung with two hands. In general, the only reason to ever carry a hatchet is that you want to use it for a lot of detail carving, otherwise, get a small two handed axe.

If you ar doing a lot of splitting then a small wedge can often be more efficient, plus you can get a truely optomized chopping axe and not have to get a dual purpose head which is not overly good at chopping nor splitting as it has to handle both.

-Cliff
 
I think this is where the 3/4 axe, or Hudson Bay style axe comes in.
A little bit bigger than a large hatchet, with a heavier head, but still fairly portable lashed to a pack.

Two great choices would be the Snow & Neally Huidson Bay Axe
24" handle, 1 3/4 pound head (about $50):
snow_nealley_hudson_bay_camping_ax_sm.jpg


And the Gransfors Bruks Scandinavian Forest Axe, 25" handle and 2 pound head (about $100):
mvc-031f409-2.jpg
 
My question is, is there some alternetive to a full size axe when it comes to chopping seasoned hardwood?

here are some:

* Shake the tree until it collapses ( /!\ Warning /!\ just be careful as this often cause parts of the tip of the trip to break and fall down, use at your own risks -but has worked pretty well for me so far)
* Use a saw to cut, hatchet to split.
* Use a medium size hatchet such as "famous" GB "Small Forest Axe", or any equivalent axe that fits your needs (general specs are: 20 inches long, about 2lbs total weight, "thin" head -as opposed to most hardware store axes that are often meant for splitting)
 
Excellent advice, using a saw. I feel kinda stupid, now. My bow saw packs away pretty easily, too. As far as the folding saws, I haven't had a whole lotta luck with them -- They're just too small. I have to admit only cutting green wood with the bow saw, though(Christmas trees, pruning, etc.). Will a standard bow saw handle seasoned hardwood? I have a couple tool box saws that handle lumber pretty well, maybe I should try those. They're fairly compact, as well

I still want an axe, though. They are more manly, just not as smart in this situation.
 
For the use you describe, a good bow saw all the way. It will handle seasoned hardwood just fine, better than the axe will, and 20% of your wood won't wind up as chips on the ground. A carpenter's saw might actually work but the aggressive teeth on the bow saw will be much better and faster.
 
A sharp hatchet is a wonderful tool for some light chopping and other camp chores, but it lacks the weight to handle bigger sections of trees etc. I carry a full sized four pounder with a proper edge configuration for such tasks. A decent saw is also a must.

It all boils down to having the proper tools suited for the job at hand.
 
Smaller head ,longer handle is what you want for a pack axe. I like the Hudson Bay axe as a nice compromise.
 
Thanks for the tip, sounds like a place I'd like to visit. About two hours away, not too bad. A nice ride on the bike, if I ever get a chance. :D
 
I've been looking at the Gransfors small forest axe for what you're describing. Something that's portable but still can do bigger stuff a little easier. It's basically the same as the hunter with a more traditional bit. Of course I'm also looking at the mini for backpacking.
 
check out the pocket chainsaw, should make short work of most trees. Im not sure how effective it would be with a tree laying on the ground.

pocketchainsaw
 
There is a huge difference between a hatchet and a small Axe which is light enough to work one handed when necessary, but can also be swung with two hands. In general, the only reason to ever carry a hatchet is that you want to use it for a lot of detail carving, otherwise, get a small two handed Axe.

If you ar doing a lot of splitting then a small wedge can often be more efficient, plus you can get a truely optomized chopping axe and not have to get a dual purpose head which is not overly good at chopping nor splitting as it has to handle both.

-Cliff


Detail carving??? Whaaaaa????

your talking out of your posterior again cliff...Pray tell how much wood splitting have you done...if ever...

I split quite a bit of wood and its hard work.. and a dual purpose head on a Axe is very nesecessary...chopping and bashing both split wood..

Hatchets are needed to gather kindling and for smaller chopping duties where a axe is too heavy...where do you get carving from that..

I find it annoying that you spout like your the claim all and know all...Im guessing you have not been in the woods since you were a boy scout..
 
Ren the Devil's Trailboss,
If you could only carry one axe to "do it all" with, what kind of head design would you have, how much would the head weigh, what would be the geometry of the edge, and how long of a handle would you have on it? Serious question...I'm looking for an axe like this. Incidentally, I plan to have a 24" bow saw along with the axe.
 
Ren the Devil's Trailboss,
If you could only carry one axe to "do it all" with, what kind of head design would you have, how much would the head weigh, what would be the geometry of the edge, and how long of a handle would you have on it? Serious question...I'm looking for an axe like this. Incidentally, I plan to have a 24" bow saw along with the axe.


The axe I use is a common one found at every hardware store with a combination of sledgehammer and axe...guessing at the handle length but the longer the better...3 ft.? often I will set the log on end and beat it two or three times with the sledge end then split it right in two with the axe end..

R
 
I dragged it back to camp, busted it into smaller chunks, and set to work on it with my brother-in-law's hatchet(which was quite sharp). 15-20 minutes, and about a gallon of sweat later, I had enough firewood to cook our stinkin' burgers

I would have
A) Used a saw to buck, then split the chunks.
or
B) Carved wedges and quartered the tree, then broke or cut into sections

Will a standard bow saw handle seasoned hardwood? I have a couple tool box saws that handle lumber pretty well, maybe I should try those. They're fairly compact, as well

Yes. For compact, if you don't need it in a hurry, you can carry a bow saw blade and fashion the frame in the woods. Kochanski gives instructions in his book.

Detail carving??? Whaaaaa????

A hatchet is very handy for roughing out a general shape when carving.

If you could only carry one axe to "do it all" with, what kind of head design would you have, how much would the head weigh, what would be the geometry of the edge, and how long of a handle would you have on it? Serious question...I'm looking for an axe like this. Incidentally, I plan to have a 24" bow saw along with the axe.

Do a Google search for "Old Jimbo". He has a lot of good axe info on his site.

The axe I use is a common one found at every hardware store with a combination of sledgehammer and axe...guessing at the handle length but the longer the better...3 ft.?

A maul? As a "do it all"? Maybe I'm misunderstanding.
 
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