Better axe sharpeners today?

Unicorn161 said:
Why the puck shape? Is it just for convenience and ease of use in the field compared to normal rectangular whet stones? Or folding diamond sharpeners?
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The Puck fits into a pocket in my jeans so much easier than a block. It fits my hand better to 'freehand' an edge as well.

While I don't dip tobacco (aka Skoal), there are also a ton of tobacco can holders that fit a puck just fine to put the puck on a belt too!

A home, on a bench or a good table, a rectangular stone is better, but how do I use one out in the field when my bulky kit is back at home? Bingo, that puck in my pocket will do the trick much better than one of the those simple flip fold teeny tiny diamond hones!
 
DocJD said:
Not an expert here , but I think that the puck shape simply fits the hand and is easy to carry and use freehand .

I don't think it necessarily works any better otherwise .
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Fits the hand, is easy to carry and use freehand, suits a circular scrubbing action for doing the work quickly, and is a durable shape not prone to chipping or damage when carried in the field.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Fits the hand, is easy to carry and use freehand, suits a circular scrubbing action for doing the work quickly, and is a durable shape not prone to chipping or damage when carried in the field.
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Ok cool. I was wondering if there was something special about the shape that made it particularly better than a normal stone. Sounds like it's mostly convenience and wouldn't be a true upgrade from my normal field carried sharpening devices. The Worksharp Field is a bit more limited. But a simple folding dual sided diamond sharpener has worked for me.
I was just wondering if I was missing out on something that would make me wish I'd have changed over years ago. The only experience I have using these is the one that came with a Woodsman's Pal, and a garbage one that was a cheap impulse buy. That second one I know is not a good indicator of the style... junk is junk and very often stands out as such.
I'll probably pick up a good one just to see if I like it better. Might be easier to use for both hatchets and longer blades.
 
I actually like the canoe shaped stone. Although, I will admit that I have actually used a city sidewalk to grind off rolls and chips on Cold Steel machetes after hurricanes, when nothing else was available. Don't laugh, a sidewalk is a surprisingly good, low-grit grinding platform in a pinch. Get er done!
 
FIUman said:
I actually like the canoe shaped stone. Although, I will admit that I have actually used a city sidewalk to grind off rolls and chips on Cold Steel machetes after hurricanes, when nothing else was available. Don't laugh, a sidewalk is a surprisingly good, low-grit grinding platform in a pinch. Get er done!
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Yes, continental pattern scythe stones are excellent, as they're able to be used much like a file. They're a bit more delicate than pucks are, but so long as that's not a constraint in how you're packing them they do an excellent job.
 
FIUman said:
I actually like the canoe shaped stone. Although, I will admit that I have actually used a city sidewalk to grind off rolls and chips on Cold Steel machetes after hurricanes, when nothing else was available. Don't laugh, a sidewalk is a surprisingly good, low-grit grinding platform in a pinch. Get er done!
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I've used the canoe shaped stone with my scythe.

On knives and especially machetes, I've seen people use everything from the bottom of a ceramic mug or plate to a brick. If it works, it works!

EDITED because I realized my sentence made it look like I've seen people use bricks on a scythe.
 
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While most folks call 'em "canoe stones" these days they were always originally scythe stones, so that's the intended use! I consider the continental pattern scythe stone (the canoe shaped sort) to be THE most versatile of freehand tool sharpening stones, and it forms a "holy trinity" with American pattern scythe stones and axe pucks that will sharpen most tools effectively.
 
Unicorn161 said:
Ok cool. I was wondering if there was something special about the shape that made it particularly better than a normal stone. Sounds like it's mostly convenience and wouldn't be a true upgrade from my normal field carried sharpening devices. The Worksharp Field is a bit more limited. But a simple folding dual sided diamond sharpener has worked for me.
I was just wondering if I was missing out on something that would make me wish I'd have changed over years ago. The only experience I have using these is the one that came with a Woodsman's Pal, and a garbage one that was a cheap impulse buy. That second one I know is not a good indicator of the style... junk is junk and very often stands out as such.
I'll probably pick up a good one just to see if I like it better. Might be easier to use for both hatchets and longer blades.
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Norton and Lansky pucks are pretty widely available for ~$15 at most Agricultural stores and some mass market shops. Try one with some circular passes on the edge, and then a few "straight" back and forth passes, and I think you will be surprised how well it works to keep a "fresh" edge on your axe or hatchet. Just two days ago, I tuned up a machete while using one with a few straight passes to keep its hair popping edge with no muss, no fuss.
 
Unicorn161 said:
I've used the canoe shaped stone with my scythe. I've seen people use everything from the bottom of a ceramic mug or plate to a brick. If it works, it works!
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Smooth river stones work well for mild steel edges! Hardened steel, not so well.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
No one uses mild steel for edged tools.
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Simple local made knives and machetes are often mild or, perhaps more accurately, only partially hardened 'lower carbon steel' outside of the modern nations most of us are from. Mongolia, Nepal, and similar places often use simple steels that are not fully hardened as we know them in the USA. In terms of agricultural tools, or garden tools as we would generally call them, overseas are often mild steel and at best only partially hardened.

I have run across Central American sourced tools from low-carbon steels, probably 1045, that were not fully hardened too.

Granted, in the USA, finding an edged tool that is poorly hardened is relatively rare. I have seen cases of overly soft tools and had a Benchmade over-hardened so bad the ATS-34 Tanto edge fractured with mild use.

Normal and easily found in the USA? No. Possible? Yes, especially at local flea markets.
 
Sid Post said:
Simple local made knives and machetes are often mild or, perhaps more accurately, only partially hardened 'lower carbon steel' outside of the modern nations most of us are from. Mongolia, Nepal, and similar places often use simple steels that are not fully hardened as we know them in the USA. In terms of agricultural tools, or garden tools as we would generally call them, overseas are often mild steel and at best only partially hardened.

I have run across Central American sourced tools from low-carbon steels, probably 1045, that were not fully hardened too.

Granted, in the USA, finding an edged tool that is poorly hardened is relatively rare. I have seen cases of overly soft tools and had a Benchmade over-hardened so bad the ATS-34 Tanto edge fractured with mild use.

Normal and easily found in the USA? No. Possible? Yes, especially at local flea markets.
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1045 is classed as a medium carbon steel and is fully capable of reaching a very respectable 55 RC post-tempering. Mild steel would NOT make a usable machete in any sense of the word and even the suggestion that it could is laughable. Differential hardening is usually what's used in India/Nepal and they're often using automotive springs for the job, which are fully able to be hardened and tempered. Mild steel is a completely different material and cannot be meaningfully hardened for edge tool use.
 
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