Charpening

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koli615

Joined
Jun 1, 2006
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Mods: if this belongs elsewhere, by all means.

Any advice on sharpening an axe? I have a pretty run-of-the-mill felling axe (Collins, I believe) and was wondering about sharpening. I ran it over a bench grinder and finished with a file and it cut noticeably better than when I bought it.

Can I expect any significant increases in performance from a different sharpening regimen? I'm on the brink of buying some DMT duosharp stones and stropping compound for my knives... I guess I'm wondering if they could be used for an axe as well.

Just gotta keep it performing until I can afford a Wetterlings

...and then keep THAT performing until I can afford a Gransfors Bruks.

Thanks in advance!
 
Koli615, you may want to try a google search for "An Ax to Grind: A Practical Ax Manual" You can read it on line through some US government web sites. It has a very good section on sharpening axes. With that said, bench grinders are not really the best tool to use as you can easily burn your temper, or make dips or gouges in the edge. With a file you have more control but you have to be carefull of your fingers, and should add gaurd on the tang. If you keep your file clean with a file card, it should do a smooth fast job for you. And finaly, if you sharpen your ax properly it can significantly increase its preformance. I have old axes that I bought re hung and sharpened that can hold their own against my wetterlings and my gransfors brucks. good luck!
 
try draw filing the edge. its safer and works better. you can sharpen it on a belt sander if you have one but just like with a grinder, you have to make sure you dont overheat the axe
 
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