Broke my Fiskars hand axe today

i would suspect that batoning your axe is a violation of warrantly

afaik, most axes are not designed to be used as wedges. many don't even have functional polls.
 
welp, that happens occasionally to axes. especially when you are pounding them thru a log with some other striking device.

it sounds like you were trying to split wood with a hatchet-- if you have the means to buy a maul, they tend to work quite a bit better. you shouldn't expect a refund when you abuse and utilize a tool for something it is not supposed to do.
 
If they don't need you to send the axe in, remove the rest of the polymer from the the head and you have a splitting wedge! :D
 
Thanks for posting this, because it is a good data point on Fiskars handles. It looks like that Fiskars served you well while it lasted. I have the same hatchet; if it breaks, I will get one with a wooden haft.
 
Batoning shouldn't void a warranty for an axe of this style (keeping in mind I know little of Fiskars' warranty, knife warranties just shouldn't apply). It seems the impact of force is localised in this area though, and when trying to correct the axe pulling up towards the heel through pressing down on the handle there is an extreme amount of force just below where the eye would be on most axes.

I also suspect axes like this develop small fissures in the handle over time. Fiskars and Estwing are not indestructible, despite the claims - and their downfall is that you cannot repair them. But it is nonetheless terrible to lose a tool you've put many hours into.
 
batoning something not made for it is not a good idea

a froe is made for it

most knives are not

axes as a rule, the poll is not to be used for hammering, so i'm told, so i've read... it's just there for balance

hammering on most axes is right out!

maybe hammering wedges - plastic ones at that - no metal on metal

a MAUL is for hammering... built for it! goto town

though i've read (lately) that one should not use a maul as a wedge

oddly enough, my google-fu won't find the Fiskar's axe warranty... though they seem to warrant any claim so far. good on them.
 
My understanding is that batoning is always wood on steel. That should not be a problem for axes or knives if you are careful. Pounding on steel with wood can still damage an axe, but it is a separate category from hammering steel on steel because the poll of the axe is relatively soft.

It's the same principle as hitting wedges really, and given the narrow profile of most polls there really should not be a lot of force exerted to the handle.
 
collim1 said:
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Judging by the way it broke, I'm imagining that the head was being resisted by the wood (or a tough part of the wood) in the upper/toe half of the bit. As a result, when the head was batonned, it wanted to tilt backward, but holding the handle (with some upward force) prevented it from tilting back. The resulting impact forces on the handle eventually fractured it.

Seems that batonning like this can be more severe than normal chopping. Depending on how the edge is contacting the wood, the axe can essentially be supported at both ends while the impacts affect the handle between these two supports.

When batonning with knives, the handles usually don't break unless there's not enough steel in the handle to resist these forces. My personal conclusion is to not baton with a Fiskars axe.

Anyhow, that's just my theory (and I'm sticking to it :) ).
 
Bladite said:
though i've read (lately) that one should not use a maul as a wedge
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Depends on the eye type. Sledge-eye mauls have very thick eye walls and so can stand up to two-person splitting with the maul used as a "wedge on a stick" and the poll being struck by another fellow with a sledge hammer. Wear hearing and eye protection and keep your eyes peeled for any mushrooming of the poll so it can be ground away. Chipping can seriously injure people.
 
I've batoned wood handled hatchets like this extensively and never broke one. That handle is either defective or Fiskars handles are flawed by design. I challenge anyone to break a sound hickory handle by batoning on the poll of a hatchet. I don't believe it can be done.
 
I have Fiskars. When I opened the wooden box Fiskars broke, do not stand the load side (I know that this can not be done, but another tool I did not have). My ax should be universal Instumenty. I choose a wooden handle.
 
hey, people, send me your broken Fiskars heads :D
 
Square_peg said:
I've batoned wood handled hatchets like this extensively and never broke one. That handle is either defective or Fiskars handles are flawed by design. I challenge anyone to break a sound hickory handle by batoning on the poll of a hatchet. I don't believe it can be done.
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I agree. And when batoning the poll I don't use anything but a wood baton, which has not damaged the poll on any of my axes.
 
The handle was probably damaged before it broke on the OP. Clearly, the picture shows evidence of handle being scraped up for whatever reason. The number one reason for handles breaking, that I have seen, is from overstrikes.
 
Still no word back from Fiskars on my warranty claim. It's way past the 12-15 business days they said it would take to process my claim, but I am thinking the holidays might have set them back a a week or two.

Good news is I made out good this Christmas. The wife surprised me with a Gransfors Bruk Wildlife Hatchet. I am going camping this weekend with my cousin to do a little huntjng and am excited about trying my new toys out setting up a campsite.

Here it is with my two other gifts this Christmas, a Bahco Laplander and BK9:



As excited as I am about my new hatchet I am hoping Fiskars resolves my claim by replacing the hatchet I broke. It has lived in my truck for years and has come in handy many times.
 
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I really wish they would fill the hollow handles with expanding foam or something. I would think it would have to help absorb impact vibrations, as well as strengthen the handle for minimal weight gain.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
If they don't need you to send the axe in, remove the rest of the polymer from the the head and you have a splitting wedge! :D
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Actually, I was wondering about this....is that what they are like under the polymer? Is there an eye in the head? Would it be possible to turn the head into a new hatchet/hawk project?
 
Silverthorn said:
I really wish they would fill the hollow handles with expanding foam or something. I would think it would have to help absorb impact vibrations, as well as strengthen the handle for minimal weight gain.
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I have an older one like the broken one above, and a newer X7. Was doing some work on my gutters a while back and had a lot of seam sealer left over, so scuffed up the inside of the handles and filled both of them. It did not take much material and added approx 1/4lb (just under) to the overall weight. I have no idea if its any tougher but does make the balance a little more neutral.
 
Bo T said:
The handle was probably damaged before it broke on the OP. Clearly, the picture shows evidence of handle being scraped up for whatever reason. The number one reason for handles breaking, that I have seen, is from overstrikes.
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Agreed, I have batoned extensively with both my Fiskars and have no issues. On a recent trip I split a 7-8 ft log lengthwise with my X7, a few wooden wedges, and a length of beech to do the pounding. I love my wood handled hatchets too, but so far my Fiskars stuff has performed very well.
 
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