Axe recommendation for a smaller (than me) person

daizee

daizee

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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Dec 30, 2009
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Greetings, All, it's been awhile.
And yes, this is a WEIRD question from me... about NEW axes.
wuuuut?

My girlfriend may need an axe. Her undergrad degree was in forestry, but she was musing she has never owned an axe. They used to send her off into the woods with chainsaws so big she could barely start them. These days she does studies anatomy (teaches biology, but has a small property that needs woody maintenance and works in and near an arboretum... An axe may be in the cards.

My favorite axe size is a 2lb boy's axe on a 28" haft. My old restored Warren (featured here some years ago) is still my go-to, and I had it over at her place limbing stuff a few weeks back.

But I'm 5'9" with monkey arms. She's 5'2".

Question is this: Council Tool 2.25lb Boy's Axe (Velvicut version) or Woodcraft Axe (24")?

I will see if I can measure her arms and hand-distance-to-ground. This would be a gift, so some measure of mystery is important to maintain.

Part of me thinks that the Boy's Axe in her hands would be like a full-size 3lb in mine. That might be cool. But maybe the WoodCraft for her would be like the Boy's Axe to me?

Watcha think?

(and no, she can't have my Warren. And the other Husqy hatchet on a 28" haft is off-center.)
 
I'd say let her use yours and see if she has any complaints. If she does, use that to determine the next axe. If she doesn't, still use that to determine the next axe. FYI, you can seat a head way lower than they come from the factory. If you look at the pic below, you can see how I drew a line at the lowest point on the haft where the width is greater than the length of the eye. That line is noticeably lower than the haft's factory shoulder, so even if you buy a new axe with a haft that's too long you can drop the head lower on the haft.
IMG-0676.jpg
 
Indeed, I'm not sure there will be an opportunity before gifting time is nigh... I may need a plan.

That's quite an uh... "artifact finish" you've got on that axe there! :D
 
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I would go for something longer than a 24" haft: accepted wisdom seems to be that in this size range longer hafts are generally safer. Also, a really really naive calculation says 5'2" / 5'9" = 0.9, which seems to imply that something slightly over 25" is a reasonable starting point.

Also: have you considered a slightly lighter head? My guess is that a Scandinavian-style forest axe (26" handle, 1.75(ish)# head) could be a winner. Husqvarna sells one (head made by Hults Bruk, handle seemingly as well) that is a great chopper after some reprofiling. Or you could spend more on the equivalent Hults Bruk or Gransfors Bruk. In any case, you'll have to thin the handle way down, but it seems like there's no escaping that when buying new...

EDIT: you mentioned the Husqy hatchet, so maybe my suggestion is something you already considered. My reading comprehension's down today, I guess! ;)
 
daizee said:
They used to send her off into the woods with chainsaws so big she could barely start them. These days she does studies anatomy (teaches biology, but has a small property that needs woody maintenance and works in and near an arboretum... An axe may be in the cards.
Click to expand...
Buy an electric chainsaw like the Milwaukee M18. And an axe.
 
I dont think it would be a long shot to even consider putting 1.5-2lb Hudson on a 28". You still get a long enough face for good contact, or you could also consider a longer haft over all so if she needs to choke up she can but if she really needs to give it one she has the reach and mechanical advantage to do so. If over all weight is a consideration then maybe dropping the hickory handle for an ash handle might be a choice as well.
 
Hmm, so far it sounds like stick with 28" is the best idea. I kind of agree.
The 2lb head on the WoodCraft is as light as I'd go. If it came on a 28" it would be a no-brainer.
Would prefer to avoid re-working the thing after purchase. Looking for a gift that doesn't require shoptime from me (this time - she already has 3 knives and a trowel I made!).

My pref is for the WoodCraft head over the Hudson pattern due to having the ears and more contact area.

She has a light electric chainsaw, and I have a Husqy XP(340?) gas saw that she can handle, though it's a tad heavy for her.
 
Just double checked, looks like the Hults Bruk Kisa / Husqvarna forest axe *is* a 2# head after all. Sorry to belabor the point if this is just out of the question, and it doesn't solve the whole club-like handle thing anyway.

The Council Velvicut boy's axe is a great piece of hardware. Worst case it's too heavy, you kindly offer to use it instead? :p

(But: in my experience the Council FSS reissue actually had a nicer handle than the Velvicut, and equivalent grind, out of the box. So maybe that's another option, if anyone still has them in stock.)
 
daizee said:
Hmm, so far it sounds like stick with 28" is the best idea. I kind of agree.
The 2lb head on the WoodCraft is as light as I'd go. If it came on a 28" it would be a no-brainer.
Would prefer to avoid re-working the thing after purchase. Looking for a gift that doesn't require shoptime from me (this time - she already has 3 knives and a trowel I made!).

My pref is for the WoodCraft head over the Hudson pattern due to having the ears and more contact area.

She has a light electric chainsaw, and I have a Husqy XP(340?) gas saw that she can handle, though it's a tad heavy for her.
Click to expand...
For saws, if a 40cc is a tad heavy for her and if she wants her own, maybe a T version that can take upto a 16" bar would be preferable, but after the last few weeks slinging around a 394 my 445xp feels like a toy so i have to chuckle a bit when someone says a 340 is a tad heavy.
 
daizee said:
Greetings, All, it's been awhile.
And yes, this is a WEIRD question from me... about NEW axes.
wuuuut?

My girlfriend may need an axe. Her undergrad degree was in forestry, but she was musing she has never owned an axe. They used to send her off into the woods with chainsaws so big she could barely start them. These days she does studies anatomy (teaches biology, but has a small property that needs woody maintenance and works in and near an arboretum... An axe may be in the cards.

My favorite axe size is a 2lb boy's axe on a 28" haft. My old restored Warren (featured here some years ago) is still my go-to, and I had it over at her place limbing stuff a few weeks back.

But I'm 5'9" with monkey arms. She's 5'2".

Question is this: Council Tool 2.25lb Boy's Axe (Velvicut version) or Woodcraft Axe (24")?

I will see if I can measure her arms and hand-distance-to-ground. This would be a gift, so some measure of mystery is important to maintain.

Part of me thinks that the Boy's Axe in her hands would be like a full-size 3lb in mine. That might be cool. But maybe the WoodCraft for her would be like the Boy's Axe to me?

Watcha think?

(and no, she can't have my Warren. And the other Husqy hatchet on a 28" haft is off-center.)
Click to expand...

Daizee, I'm also 5'9" and my wife is 5'2" I'm a big fan of boys axes in the size range. If you're dead set on going new and not vintage. I recommend the council tool Boys axe. I've got a few and really really enjoy them. My wife's come out to keep me company while cutting and splitting wood a few times and she feels most comfortable with the 28" length handle. I've also had really good luck with the replacement handles from council tool. Obviously with being from the same maker as the head the fitting was really minimal. So should she need to rehang it down the road it would be a quick win for her. I also like the look of the sport utility finishes.

I suppose the only other question I would have is what will she be using it for most? All around camp use or more of a fallers axe where she's using it to drive wedges?
 
Duriensbane said:
For saws, if a 40cc is a tad heavy for her and if she wants her own, maybe a T version that can take upto a 16" bar would be preferable, but after the last few weeks slinging around a 394 my 445xp feels like a toy so i have to chuckle a bit when someone says a 340 is a tad heavy.
Click to expand...

Sir, this is an axe thread. 😅

I love my 340xp. The goal was to get the smallest pro saw so I could go buck large downed oak limbs at my mom's house after a huge storm about 10 years ago. Great saw, good size. but I'm no logger (but I know a Canadian logging song!). Anything too big for that and I should be calling somebody.

Re: axe usage
I don't know what she'll use it for most. Boy's axe is the most versatile for traditional axey things. I'll see if I can get some measurements today. Agreed that longer hafts are safer. It looks like the FSS special run is sold out. That would be a great selection from the Council Boy's axe options. I'd pick 5160 or 1080 over their other steel types. I don't want the super hard, chippy Swedish configuration, or their stickier geometry.

I mentioned a Husqy hatchet earlier. Some years ago I rehung a so-called 1.25lb (no way it was that light) Husqy hatchet head on a 28" haft, and it's a great little lighter boy's axe. But I think TOO light in this case. I don't want to give her something she might interpret as a "girly" axe. (FYI, I love my "girly" axe):

Hults Bruks/Husqvarna re-hang - in-use pix added

Remember the HB/Hsq promo hatchet I picked up for peanuts a few weeks ago? Oops... The head was too heavy for the handle from the beginning - felt like more than the 1.25lb advertised in the stamp. In fact it weighed right about 1.5lb on my trigger pull gauge. Turns out...
www.bladeforums.com www.bladeforums.com
 
daizee said:
Sir, this is an axe thread. 😅

I love my 340xp. The goal was to get the smallest pro saw so I could go buck large downed oak limbs at my mom's house after a huge storm about 10 years ago. Great saw, good size. but I'm no logger (but I know a Canadian logging song!). Anything too big for that and I should be calling somebody.

Re: axe usage
I don't know what she'll use it for most. Boy's axe is the most versatile for traditional axey things. I'll see if I can get some measurements today. Agreed that longer hafts are safer. It looks like the FSS special run is sold out. That would be a great selection from the Council Boy's axe options. I'd pick 5160 or 1080 over their other steel types. I don't want the super hard, chippy Swedish configuration, or their stickier geometry.

I mentioned a Husqy hatchet earlier. Some years ago I rehung a so-called 1.25lb (no way it was that light) Husqy hatchet head on a 28" haft, and it's a great little lighter boy's axe. But I think TOO light in this case. I don't want to give her something she might interpret as a "girly" axe. (FYI, I love my "girly" axe):

Hults Bruks/Husqvarna re-hang - in-use pix added

Remember the HB/Hsq promo hatchet I picked up for peanuts a few weeks ago? Oops... The head was too heavy for the handle from the beginning - felt like more than the 1.25lb advertised in the stamp. In fact it weighed right about 1.5lb on my trigger pull gauge. Turns out...
www.bladeforums.com www.bladeforums.com
Click to expand...

Snow & Nealley also makes a boys axe and I believe they use 1080 for it. I haven't gotten my hands on one yet but that may be a better option since the CT FSS version is out of stock. There is also the option of the CT velvicut boys axe.

With all that being said, I can't complain too much about the stand CT boys axe. It's easy to touch up with just a file and get back to using it quick. And with the different in price you could easily pick her up a flying fox in addition to the boys axe for less than the cost of a velvicut or Woodcraft.
 
So I went down to my local outing store at the end of the street this morning to see what they had on the wall. I knew they had a couple boutiquey things, but uncertain about current inventory.

1) Snow & Nealley Hudson 19"(?): too short, wrong pattern
2) CT Boy's axe on a 24" haft, which was odd. Definitely the wrong length for that head for this exercise. Standard model. Fine, but not gift material.

And the rest of the rack was empty, everything else on order.
(someone had bought one of my consigned knives tho, which was a nice surprise)

Anyway, the owner had a Snow & Nealley Hudson 24" that had been returned because the customer had taken a whack at a modest pine branch and the bit bent quite a bit (mfr date unknown). So I offered to rework it if it was salvageable. Took it over to my shop this afternoon. My hardness chisels read ~59Rc near the edge, which was promising, so I figured it was a thinness issue. I ground it back, reshaped the bit, re-beveled, and then hand-sharpened. But it wasn't really feeling right on the edge, tho it didn't deflect with some modest whacks against some stumps. Of course it was an appropriate thickness at this point. But still didn't feel right. So I went at the new bevel with the hardness chisels, and wouldn't you know it, the lower inch was 59Rc and the rest of it was sub-50 (as low as my chisels go). Daaaang. So I think they got incomplete hardening at heat-treat time, but the surface was hard enough for it to test out ok originally. Anyway, the thing is junk as is. It will have to come off the haft to be re-hardened, but the bit is too wide to fit in my knifemaking forge. I suppose it can go in the big kiln... At least it's better balanced now because that poll is small.
So.
Interesting axe afternoon, still no resolution. But 24" did seem short. Still haven't seen a WoodCraft model in person.
 
Ok, so my arms are ~3" longer (palm-to-armpit) than hers. Remarkably, my hands are only about 1" higher off the ground, however, despite an additional 7" in height. Hmmm. I need to make a decision soon. 3 weeks 'til the deadline.
 
I’m 6’2 with proportionately sized arms. I have a council boys axe on a 24” haft that I can use effectively. 28” would be better, and I’m even flirting with the idea of mounting it on a 36” straight haft. I don’t think anyone was ever sorry to have a boys axe laying around.
 
daizee said:
Question is this: Council Tool 2.25lb Boy's Axe (Velvicut version) or Woodcraft Axe (24")?
Click to expand...
Yes (as in both😈). And maybe some extra handles in different lengths too? And get her more axes on other occasions like: Christmas, Birthdays, Valentine's Day, Pi Day, National Bring Your Axe to School Day, etc. Afterall, nobody has just one axe.

Seriously, you have asked a sincere question and have received sincere replies. And you have done your homework. Sorry I have no answer to your specific question. However, if getting both is an option, then IMHO why not?



Bob
 
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I learned to use light axes on longer hafts, and was short up until the end of high school, so that's where I would go. Since the handle is really a consumable, a couple of heads and a few handles should work itself out in the end.
 
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