Axe/Hawk/Hatchet sharpener?

J

J2X

Joined
May 5, 2013
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I recently picked up a Cold Steel 'Trench Hawk' at a garage sale for the low, low price of ten dollars. Its new, but DULL. I've never sharpened an Axe/Hawk/Hatchet in my life. Can anyone suggest a good and affordable sharpener that can also be taken out in the field? I'd like to use the same for an Estwing I've been meaning to get for some time now.

Honestly, I don't know if technique is the same as when I sharpen my knives and machetes. Totally in the dark on this one.
 
get a metal rasp and strop each side of the ax until the pitting is gone, then use a coarse wetstone to sharpen it up like a knife. that's as far as I go but there are some folks who mirror polish theirs but i see no need for that on an ax

ya its similar to a knife but with very hard steel
 
Get a good quality 2nd cut file, 8" to 10" long and a file card to clean it with. First profile/sharpen the edge with the file then hone it with whatever stones & sharpeners you have available. I have found that a highly polished edge cuts deeper and more efficiently than an unpolished edge, though the difference may not be worth the effort for some.
 
I shape the bevel with a file, even it out with a coarse DMT Diafold, sharpen with the fine side of the Diafold then if I feel like it take out the scratches with a ceramic rod. I have to get more experience with the tools to make the process fast and efficient but even as a rank beginner the results I get are fairly reliable.
 
I start with a file to get to the preferred shape, then it's sandpaper from 80 up to 2000. If I polish it well keeping the edge in mind and the shape I've filed, it will be just about shaving sharp after the 2000, as well as a few inches from the cutting edge looking like a mirror.
 
Get a file,lay it on its side stroke down to the edge, you can "feel it" when you have the stroke correct. Flip and repeat. This alone will get you sharp enough to cut, or skin the bark off projects. Also a hockey puck shaped stone will get you a nicer finish. Most places that sell axes sell the puck stone. I use a mill file.
 
For major re-profiling, nothing beats a 10 or 12" file (I prefer a mill bastard). For simple maintenance and sharpening, I recently picked up the combo pack of DMT credit card sharpeners (325, 600, 1200 grit) and made a leather wallet setup for it that doubles as a strop. Whole thing weighs 5.5oz and can be set opposite my wallet in my back pocket to even out the weight distribution. The plates are also just the right size to where they can be cupped in the hand and used similarly to a lansky puck while removing metal faster and staying flat indefinitely..
 
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