- Joined
- Aug 1, 2008
- Messages
- 491
There is a widely known expression that goes as as follows. "There is not a lot new under the sun". Oh sure, that saying could be argued about technology, advancements in medicine, modern polymers and synthetics, superconductors and nanotechnology, but ultimately, many of the findings we know and discover today often stem from something already known. What is certain in the knife industry, is there are very few ways to make a knife or cutting instrument that has not already been thought of, field tested and proven.
William Scagel is a common name to many a knife collector in the world today. His knife designs are timeless and often copied with scrutinizing and replicating detail...flattering to any knife maker to be sure. Being a knife maker of the early 20th century, he had to make designs that were not only functional, but durable. In those days, a knife was as much a part of life as a circular saw is to a carpenter today. The designs were simplistic, nothing radical or dramatic. Of the many styles Mr. Scagel came up with, he also had a small ax design that is of particular interest to this review. It is what Bark River Knife used as a pattern for the new Custom Camp Ax.
I had a great opportunity to put this Camp Ax to work over my holiday vacation. For my review, I decided I would do something not ever done before in any Bark River review and use the Camp Ax to build an actual shelter in the frozen winter grounds of the Wisconsin Northwoods and actually sleep in it for one night, as well as use it to split up a good portion of the fire wood that would help to keep the evening chill down.
As soon as one puts the Camp Ax into hand, it is immediately apparent that the build is extremely tough. Having been constructed out of a thick .270" stock of 1080C steel (the "C" denoting Chromium) and weighing in at around 22 ounces (which is the same weight of a popular and indestructible framing hammer by the name of Estwing) all while being only 13 inches in length, the reaction is pretty much "WOW! Is this little bugger a powerhouse!" It is interesting to me the choice of steel. Many Lawn mower blades come with a 1055-1060 steel and many knife steels come with the tried and true 1095. We all know how tough, LITERALLY, lawn mower blades are, giving a dent as opposed to a chip out on a rock or chunk of wood, and we also know how well a 1095 steel holds it's edge when heat treated properly on a knife. With a heat treat of 54 Rc in combination with the choice of steel, it was an absolutely fantastic decision to make the Camp Ax in this manner.
The handles are well contoured and very comfortable in the hand, and what was particularly interesting to me was how well it handled when swinging with gloves on. Gloves often add slickness to a smooth, in hand grip. There was a real reason why I chose Blaze Orange out of every beautiful burled handle out there. I used to be a roofer and have actually had a hammer go flying out of my hand when swinging it. I can safely say that with the soft lines of the palm swell, and the drop in the heel of the handle, losing this ax in the same way as my hammer is a moot point. It stayed in place with every swing and was well controlled. This ax definitely has the proper ergonomics to not only stay grounded, but remain comfortable in extended use.
The handle slabs are not only epoxied, but literally bolted together as well with Corby Bolts. In the manufacturing phase, the heads are ground off and polished to make for a pleasant look to the overall appearance. I think it goes without saying that a great deal of strength and longevity has been built into this Ax. Well thought out and well designed.
The poll of the ax is generous, without being cumbersome and aids in the overall balance of the ax and will also provide a means of driving tent stakes or chipping off a piece of flint rock to use with your striker to get a warm fire going.
CLICK ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE
In the construction of my shelter, I needed to notch out a couple of supports to provide a means of keeping them together securely with lashing twine. Choking up on the ax was very controllable and even as heavy of a grind that it obviously comes with, the convex geometry proved it's worth once again to me by completing this task easily. Thanks to the very thick steel construction, there was really a fair amount to grab hold of to perform this task.
Since I was limited in my amount of leafy vegetation due to the inclimate weather, I had to rely on 2 sources of natural material...lots of various sized sticks and branches, and lots of snow. The initial task of getting the beam and supports up required thick branches...thick enough that one does not simply break them over their knee and carry on with their day. I suppose it would have been enough to whittle away and notch with a good fixed blade knife to cut these pieces down to size, but why waste time. 3 or 4 good whacks on those dead hardwood branches and I was in business.
While the Camp Ax served absolutely zero value in the collection of the large quantities of snow needed to cover the shelter, it did provide an easy way of lopping off a bunch of pine boughs which would serve not only as my bed, but also as insulation on the inside walls and would keep snow from falling through the little cracks and voids.
William Scagel is a common name to many a knife collector in the world today. His knife designs are timeless and often copied with scrutinizing and replicating detail...flattering to any knife maker to be sure. Being a knife maker of the early 20th century, he had to make designs that were not only functional, but durable. In those days, a knife was as much a part of life as a circular saw is to a carpenter today. The designs were simplistic, nothing radical or dramatic. Of the many styles Mr. Scagel came up with, he also had a small ax design that is of particular interest to this review. It is what Bark River Knife used as a pattern for the new Custom Camp Ax.
I had a great opportunity to put this Camp Ax to work over my holiday vacation. For my review, I decided I would do something not ever done before in any Bark River review and use the Camp Ax to build an actual shelter in the frozen winter grounds of the Wisconsin Northwoods and actually sleep in it for one night, as well as use it to split up a good portion of the fire wood that would help to keep the evening chill down.
As soon as one puts the Camp Ax into hand, it is immediately apparent that the build is extremely tough. Having been constructed out of a thick .270" stock of 1080C steel (the "C" denoting Chromium) and weighing in at around 22 ounces (which is the same weight of a popular and indestructible framing hammer by the name of Estwing) all while being only 13 inches in length, the reaction is pretty much "WOW! Is this little bugger a powerhouse!" It is interesting to me the choice of steel. Many Lawn mower blades come with a 1055-1060 steel and many knife steels come with the tried and true 1095. We all know how tough, LITERALLY, lawn mower blades are, giving a dent as opposed to a chip out on a rock or chunk of wood, and we also know how well a 1095 steel holds it's edge when heat treated properly on a knife. With a heat treat of 54 Rc in combination with the choice of steel, it was an absolutely fantastic decision to make the Camp Ax in this manner.
The handles are well contoured and very comfortable in the hand, and what was particularly interesting to me was how well it handled when swinging with gloves on. Gloves often add slickness to a smooth, in hand grip. There was a real reason why I chose Blaze Orange out of every beautiful burled handle out there. I used to be a roofer and have actually had a hammer go flying out of my hand when swinging it. I can safely say that with the soft lines of the palm swell, and the drop in the heel of the handle, losing this ax in the same way as my hammer is a moot point. It stayed in place with every swing and was well controlled. This ax definitely has the proper ergonomics to not only stay grounded, but remain comfortable in extended use.
The handle slabs are not only epoxied, but literally bolted together as well with Corby Bolts. In the manufacturing phase, the heads are ground off and polished to make for a pleasant look to the overall appearance. I think it goes without saying that a great deal of strength and longevity has been built into this Ax. Well thought out and well designed.
The poll of the ax is generous, without being cumbersome and aids in the overall balance of the ax and will also provide a means of driving tent stakes or chipping off a piece of flint rock to use with your striker to get a warm fire going.
CLICK ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE
In the construction of my shelter, I needed to notch out a couple of supports to provide a means of keeping them together securely with lashing twine. Choking up on the ax was very controllable and even as heavy of a grind that it obviously comes with, the convex geometry proved it's worth once again to me by completing this task easily. Thanks to the very thick steel construction, there was really a fair amount to grab hold of to perform this task.
Since I was limited in my amount of leafy vegetation due to the inclimate weather, I had to rely on 2 sources of natural material...lots of various sized sticks and branches, and lots of snow. The initial task of getting the beam and supports up required thick branches...thick enough that one does not simply break them over their knee and carry on with their day. I suppose it would have been enough to whittle away and notch with a good fixed blade knife to cut these pieces down to size, but why waste time. 3 or 4 good whacks on those dead hardwood branches and I was in business.
While the Camp Ax served absolutely zero value in the collection of the large quantities of snow needed to cover the shelter, it did provide an easy way of lopping off a bunch of pine boughs which would serve not only as my bed, but also as insulation on the inside walls and would keep snow from falling through the little cracks and voids.
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