Council Hudson Bay or Husqvarna Forest Axe?

C

cm_bushman

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Oct 22, 2012
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I'm debating a new all-around axe to take camping as well as use around the house to process firewood for my stove, from tree to kindling.

I have narrowed my choices down to the Husqvarna Froest Axe and the Council Hudson Bay. Both axes are similarly sized, but they have a few key differences I'm wondering about. First, the Council looks to have a pretty thick bit, which I've read can aid with splitting, but hinder felling. I wonder if anyone has any comment on the comparison of the two axes in felling when properly sharpened.

The two main points I'm concerned with are the steel and the price. The Husqvarna steel has been compared to Gransfors-Bruks in edge holding and hardness, which is high praise (being made by Hults Bruks as far as I can tell), and I wonder if anyone is disappointed in the edge-holding of the softer Council in comparison to the Swedish axes.

Last but not least is price, which is the barrier for many other great axes I was considering including the GB and the Council Velvicut. The Husqvarna is double the price of the Council, so I'm just wondering if you guys agree that it is worth it in comparison overall.
 
First I cant speak for the council tool as I do not have one. But I do love my Husqvarna forest axe. 3" limbing one shot minimal effort. felling quick and easy and works fine for me for splitting but im one of those weird people who believes in twisting the bit on impact to split the wood as its the way my grandfather taught me. felled a 6" diameter tree in a few quick wacks. I did sharpen mine when I received it to shaving sharp but it took only minimal work with some Arkansas stones no reprofiling at all. I do hope this helps you decide. mine stays sharp wonderfully. cant compare to gransfors or wetterlings as I don't have any of those either. bought this first and havnt needed anything else. its been a bit over a year that ive had it. I enjoy using it but love my chainsaw when I need to cut more than a few trees.
 
I'm with Moraldilemma - I really like the Husqvarna. I took a file to it when I got it and did a minor re-profile. But nothing major - it works very well for small trees and splitting. I've never found the hudson bay pattern to be as efficient for this work... the Council Boy's Axe is a more close competitor to the Husqvarna...

For what it is worth, Council's steel is pretty darn good too. I wouldn't worry about that.
 
cm_bushman said:
I'm debating a new all-around axe to take camping as well as use around the house to process firewood for my stove, from tree to kindling.
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Those are two different axes. In any case a Hudson Bay or Husqvarna Forest Axe will be undersized for splitting or felling anything over about 6". Either would be a handy axe in camp, though a bit large and heavy for backpacking if you go that route.
 
Square_Peg: What woud you recommend for a general firewood axe, for both felling and splitting? I was also considering larger axes like the Council Jersey Axe, but I've not seen as much information on axes of that size. I just fixated on the Husky and Hudson Bay because that's the size of axe I am most familiar with.
 
A 3-1/2 to 4 pound single bit on a 32"-36" haft makes a good general purpose axe for bucking, felling and splitting. If it's mostly a splitter you can go up to 5 pounds and should stay at 36". Mostly bucking - stay close to the 32" haft. 3.5 pounds and a 34" haft is a good compromise. I have an old Marshall-Wells like this and it's one of my faves.


The axes in the post title are good axes. If you were only to have one axe then either would be a good choice. A vintage boys axe might be even better. If I had to live with just one axe then it would be a vintage boys axe.

This thread is a good read:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...only-one-axe-(or-only-two-or-only-three-axes)
 
Any specific brands I should be looking at for the larger axes?

I ended up springing for the Husky and a Lansky Puck to try and get it to its full potential, but now I'm worried that I will be left wanting for a good large axe for heavier stock. I think Fiskars may be the way to go here, specifically for splitting, but I always prefer a more traditional axe if you can recommend me a few to research in the 3-4lb, 30-36" range.
 
cm_bushman said:
Any specific brands I should be looking at for the larger axes?
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Too many to mention. True Temper and Plumb rate pretty high for me. But many other axe makers of yore made fine axes. I think the key is looking for an axe with convex cheeks and light wear on the toe.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/850453-Ax-Head-Geometry
From the original article:
http://axeconnected.blogspot.com/2011/05/notes-on-ax-head-geometry-part-2-of.html

Today Council Tools is about the only maker of a passable full size axe (other than racing axes). And Council's new axes are a little thinner in the cheeks than my liking.
 
I see, I was hoping someone out there made a good vintage-style American axe for an affordable price, I really don't have the capacity at present to restore old heads. I have looked at some of Council's offerings, I'm really thinking about the Jersey pattern. Do you think the phantom cheeks make a difference in performance?
 
Council "bad axe" boy's axe... set the profile to what you'll be using it for the most and never look back.
 
I just recieved mine, I was actually really impressed at the overall quality, though the axe is actually smaller than expected. Square_Peg is right, if you're looking for a one-axe-fits-all for serious wood chopping (such as to keep you warm through winter), a larger axe will be required. I will be ordering a Council Jersey with the 36" handle for that.

For just packing around, bucking sections of fallen branches or felling small (<10") trees for a campfire, this is really a nice choice. I wish it were a little thicker and the cheeks convexed (they're dead flat, like other euro axes), since softwood is more common around me and the blade tends to stick, but after a good sharpening, I was pleased with it's performance overall. The steel sharpens easily, it seems harder than your usual axe steel if you're used to the Chinese hardware store type like I am, but it didn't chip upon a few encounters with rocks. The handle is very nice, with dead-straight, fairly dense grain, though a little sanding will be required near the head where the transition from the handle into the eye is very sharp for some reason.

Overall, based on my experience with a few of my larger axes, I think the Council Boy's Axe would have been the better choice overall, especially at half the price. The geometry is a bit more in line with the ideal (smoother from edge to eye, larger cutting surface, higher weight, etc.; though still missing those rounded cheeks), and the quality hasn't been anything less than the Husky I received, though the handles sometimes show less than stellar grain (where the Husky was dead on).
 
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