Best grind right from the factory?

W

WayTooSharp

Joined
Aug 18, 2014
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85
Gransfors Bruks hand hatchet

I only use it for whittling pine. This thing can easy shave paper thin curls off of the stick.
 
every swedish axe i've owned has come sharp, but hults bruk takes the top prize. you can dry shave with them straight from the factory.
 
Just picked up my first hatchet from Amazon. the Condor Scout Hatchet and I'm not happy with it at all..... the grind was not sharp at all. it had a burr on the edge. I stropped it and it doesn't cut paper. I would assume you want it hair popping sharp just like my GNS Scandi knife. any recommendations???
 
Condor axes will yield a quality work horse but do require some work from the start. Take a quality file, watch some You tube vids on axe reprofiling and the give it a try. You have a lot of room for trial and error. After filing I finish of with wood backed 220,400,600,1500,2000 grit wet-dry with some WD40 on it. Afterward If you have it, some green compound on a buffing wheel, CAREFULLY and with common sense to your approach.

The handles are a bit on the thick side but you can rasp, file and sand them down as well.

It is a satisfying undertaking.
 
Learning how to sharpen axes is not unlike learning to brush your teeth. Many folks prefer to set up (edge profile plus sharpening) their own blades rather than trust a hurried factory worker to do it for them.
 
The best grind from the factory I've seen is Rinaldi. They convex grind them thin and to a full apex. The edge itself is left with a huge coarse burr on it so you need to knock that off it and finish the final honing yourself, but the actual geometry of the factory grinds is superb.
 
^^^ I'll second what he said.... My Rinaldi axe cost me 6 stitches in my knee less than an hour after unboxing it ( joyfully adverted with use of super glue and butterflys... when one loves sharp things like I do but is as clumsy as me, these are skills you must learn ) ..... you wanna talk about shaving sharp, that one of mine easily does push cuts on newspaper......

From a full size axe with an 8 inch primary edge on a 3.5lb head.....that's scary....


Simply the most under rated and best value axes I've ever seen....I'd run em side by side quality wise with GB or anyone else on todays market
 
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All of my Axes came with a pretty good factory edge. However, my Svante Djarv Small Viking Axe came with a very keen edge. In fact, I would say it's the sharpest Axe I have straight out of the box. The only thing I did when it arrived was hone it with a little Green Oxide and it was scary sharp. Since it's arrival (August '2015) including an intensive weeks worth of spoon and bowl carving at Country Workshops, the only thing I have had to do is hone the blade. It's still hair popping sharp!

SJ
 
I really want to try to Sharpen it myself and give it a great edge. but I don't want to mess it up. i will watch youtube for tips. i have the compound and strop for my blades, but an Axe is just personal preference. how thin? how thick? 20 degree should be perfect. Recommendations for a sharpening service you trust? should i just return it and upgrade to a GB or Wetterlings?
 
NYCFLY said:
. . .an Axe is just personal preference. how thin? how thick? 20 degree should be perfect. . .
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FWIW:
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Bob
 
Recommendations for a sharpening service you trust?
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The ONLY sharpening service I trust is me! Hand your 'Fluffy the pet Axe' to someone else and they're liable to put it on an electrical Grinder and ruin the temper of the Bit. Besides, sharpening a blade is a skill you should learn. I'm 61 and I'm still learning. :D

SJ
 
I hesitate to ask this question but will go ahead at the risk of suffering some abuse. What is the reason for putting a scary sharp edge on an ax or hatchet? I used an old hardware store ax to split firewood for 20 years to heat my home and now use a vintage Collins hatchet to split firewood for my campfires. I have always sharpened my tools with a file and never put a scary sharp edge on one. In fact, I'm afraid that I would hurt myself if I did. What work are others doing that requires such sharp edges?
 
Chopping. Splitting just requires an edge that's brought to an apex, but it's not really contacting the wood after it initially enters. In chopping, you're actually cutting the wood, and a sharp edge is much more of a requirement.
 
Making an edge sharp enough to shave hairs without scraping skin is what earns you your man card. If, by the time you're 12, and can't do it, might as well carry your hatchet in your purse. Just sayin'
 
NYCFLY said:
I really want to try to Sharpen it myself and give it a great edge. but I don't want to mess it up. i will watch youtube for tips. i have the compound and strop for my blades, but an Axe is just personal preference. how thin? how thick? 20 degree should be perfect. Recommendations for a sharpening service you trust? should i just return it and upgrade to a GB or Wetterlings?
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So long as you keep power grinders away from it, it's hard to mess up an axe. You could wear it out sharpening it and have to buy a new one, but by then you'd know more about sharpening than all the videos on youtube could teach you.

I may be a bit odd - axes and knives are working tools to me. I go for quick and easy when sharpening since that gets me back to work quicker. For axes I prefer an angle grinder with a scotchbrite wheel on it (and a light touch - absolutely required with power tools, they are about the best way to mess up an edge if you haven't experience using them). That will give the axe a polished cutting edge in about 10 seconds. But then I'm not cutting paper with it :D
 
What is the reason for putting a scary sharp edge on an ax or hatchet?
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I should have qualified my statement. While I do 'try' and keep all my edged tools as sharp as I can, my Axes are primarily 'Carving Axes', hence the reason to keep them 'scary sharp'. Though, I also keep my Gransfors Bruks Scandinavian Forest Axe hair shaving sharp. I guess it's a matter of pride.

SJ
 
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