axe sharpening 101; planning and realism

jp_over

jp_over

Joined
Feb 13, 2010
Messages
87
Gentlemen,

You may recall that I recently posted asking for advice on how to treat the handle of my new Council Tool FSS with boiled linseed oil. It's a "boy's axe" but it's got a special place in my tool kit for recreational expeditions.

I just recently learned that on an upcoming, highly planned, camping trip, my good friend is bringing his son and his son's friend (city boys, but more than welcome of course). Now, considering second order effects, if I bring the only camp axe, guess who's cutting wood with my precious new axe... :eek:

As such, I'm not bringing my nice new axe. I'm bringing this old red beast that I originally purchased to chop gutters into sections that would fit into my old truck!





Granted, it's not the prettiest axe but it gets the job done. However, I'd like to sharpen it. Half of the puzzle is solved for some wise members here told me about the Lansky puck and a good hardened file + card (which I have; Nicholson 06706N Axe File).

Here's the question: are there some tips or tricks to get a good edge? I understand how to lighten up pressure on the file or stone pressure as the edge gets where you want it. I've inquired about an axe sharpening "gauge" from this well referenced site: http://poleandpaddle.com/

Any other advice on sharpening? After all, I could care less about messing up my "red beast" axe head but I need to get educated before putting anything more than a leather strop on my Council Tool FSS.

Thanks!

Joe
 
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Joe, in my experience and in the interest of learning good basic sharpening skills, all you need is a good sharp file and a sharpening/ honing stone of some variety, depending on how fine you want to finish the bevel and cutting edge.
First of all, you need to consider the types of timber you want to cut. Hard or soft wood. I would class your poplars, aspen, pine etc. as softwoods so a bevel angle of say 11 to 14 degrees and for hardwoods, a bevel angle of say 17 to 19 degrees.
Also, a finer edge can be considered for the softer timbers with an edge for hardwoods needing to be strengthened or "stood up" for maximum durability.
Start by getting some electrical tape and putting it around the end of your file, 3 or 4 wraps should be enough. Next. Work out the radius of your axe edge (say 6.5 inches for a work axe) and punch a mark at the top of the head which represents the centre or radius of the beveled edge.
Put the wrapped part of the file over that point, place your file on the axe bevel and draw file along the bevel, back and forth, maintaining the taped part over the radius point. Keep filing the bevel until you get it to the length that you want, say 3/8 inch, turn the head over and do the same on the other side. What you find is you create a very flat and true bevel, one that is going to maximise the cutting ability of your axe, all by hand.
Next, it is a matter of stoning the bevel to get all or most of the scratches out and then stand the edge up ie. using your stone on a greater angle than the file and finish it off. What you should find is that you create a burr on the bevel and just keep honing the edge until the burr disappears and you end up with a very sharp, resilient cutting edge. Would be happy to provide you with more details if you are interested but from a basic sharpening perspective, that is as basic as it gets.
 
Hi Joe, I can't tell by the pictures how bad the edge is, but if it's not that nicked or has any serious damage, I would suggest going at it with a sharpening stone and then strop it with a piece of leather, maybe with some compound like Tormek-paste etc.

Here is a video from Ben Orford, a great method of sharpening an axe. I love convex profiles, they are good in both felling and splitting, also carving.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKJhhz-643k

Good luck!
 
Axe file. These fit in a coat pocket or glovebox just fine. Show city kid what a sharp blade initially looks like, show him how a file works (double cut on one side, single cut on the other) and at the end of the day if the axe is dull or nicked have him use elbow grease to clean it up. Everyone, including city kids, deserves to learn how to maintain a tool. Files are slow going and it takes an inordinate amount of time and effort to make an irreversible mess with one!
 
the Lansky puck is what I use. For a double bit axe, one bit is ground to a steeper angle for rough cutting and the other a longer angle for more fine cutting. other than that, I just use a circular grinding pattern to achieve the edges.
 
Joe, beware the "convex" bevel profile and the reason I say this is the more convex or rounder a bevel profile gets, the less efficient your cutting tool becomes. Remember that the only part of an axe that cuts, is the edge so the more efficient you can make every other part that supports the edge, the better your axe will cut. This includes the handle and all other parts of the axe.
 
For filing an axe you need 2 things, a good file and a sturdy vise mounted at navel level.
 
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