Council Tool axes

For that price, get a wetterlings or spend more on a gransfors bruks.

America axe manufacturers have a different view of how an axe is used than the Swedes (and it shows)

If you are planning on getting anything smaller than a Polaski tool, get it from Sverge
 
I don't get that assumption. Most of the swedish forests are hardwoods, not conifers. Also, the bevel on the bit is the most important part when dedicating an axe for hard or soft woods. I use mine on Aspen, Mountain Mahogany, and Cottonwood (the only hard woods around here) with no problem. With the same grind, it eats Pine, Spruce, and Juniper like none other. I have even used my GB axes on oak in California with no problems.

What is it that you people consider hardwoods that are so specialized. Remember if it has needles, it is a SOFTWOOD, if it has leaves, then it is a HARDWOOD
 
Bolt-action bultema said:
I don't get that assumption. Most of the swedish forests are hardwoods, not conifers. Also, the bevel on the bit is the most important part when dedicating an axe for hard or soft woods. I use mine on Aspen, Mountain Mahogany, and Cottonwood (the only hard woods around here) with no problem. With the same grind, it eats Pine, Spruce, and Juniper like none other. I have even used my GB axes on oak in California with no problems.

What is it that you people consider hardwoods that are so specialized. Remember if it has needles, it is a SOFTWOOD, if it has leaves, then it is a HARDWOOD
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Well, broadly (in the US), yeah, although there are exceptions. Balsa, for instance, has leaves, but is generally an evergreen. It is a very soft wood yet, because it's deciduous, it's classified as a hardwood.
 
I use the Council axes and find them to be a better all around axe than the Gransfors. The Gransfors are great for chopping and limbing but are ground too thin to split with. The Council can do the job of the Gransfors Forest axe and small splitting axe. As a handy do- all tool the Council tools are great. I do agree that most American axes (If you can find them amongst the Chinese made stuff at the hardware store) have sunk to new lows with regard to quality. My Snow and Nealy axe from 15 years ago is way better than what you get today. Best all around axes U.S. and foreign are the Ox Head axes from Germany.
 
Those axes in the original post have a wide range of hardness: RC 45-55. I don't see how an edge so soft could ever hold an edge long. They seem like the typical blunt-momentum splitting type of axe from the description. Ive never used one though, so take my advice as a grain of salt =)
 
I am looking forward to a day when America has a good axe product...

And, maybe Council has succeeded.

But, I find it really hard to believe that, when I see statements like this...

"*Heat treated cutting edge produces fine grain structure and RC 45-55 (Rockwell Hardness Value) for safety, edge holding and toughness."

The internal discrepancies in that statement are vast. Which demonstrates something.

Marion
 
Marion David Poff said:
I am looking forward to a day when America has a good axe product...

And, maybe Council has succeeded.

But, I find it really hard to believe that, when I see statements like this...

"*Heat treated cutting edge produces fine grain structure and RC 45-55 (Rockwell Hardness Value) for safety, edge holding and toughness."

The internal discrepancies in that statement are vast. Which demonstrates something.

Marion
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It really doesn't mean much of anything except that the copy writer didn't do any research and doesn't know what he or she is talking about. I am an advertising copy writer (and illustrator), and I've seen this too many times when someone is writing short blocks for a catalog or website. They're trying to do a number of products, and don't devote the time to finding out the truth. I'd be willing to bet that if you checked with the manufacturer they'd groan, then become angry with the copywriter, then give you the actual specs. The copy writer got lazy and ran out of time.
 
I am gonna go on a limb here...having more than just a few axes;)...I love my GB and Wetterlings..but mostly I see them as great camp hatchets..not full blown timber tools. I own both the GB and Wetterlings full size felling axes, and they work great..but I have several american made axes that can chop as well.
The axes the OP ask about, look good, infact, I intend to try a couple out. I believe most of the performance is in the operator and the edge. Granted, a GB comes with a great edge to start, but its overall performance against another axe, with a good edge, isnt anything to note. JMO.
 
dawsonbob said:
It really doesn't mean much of anything except that the copy writer didn't do any research and doesn't know what he or she is talking about. I am an advertising copy writer (and illustrator), and I've seen this too many times when someone is writing short blocks for a catalog or website. They're trying to do a number of products, and don't devote the time to finding out the truth. I'd be willing to bet that if you checked with the manufacturer they'd groan, then become angry with the copywriter, then give you the actual specs. The copy writer got lazy and ran out of time.
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I hope you are right, I would love to find that an American company is making a good axe.

M
 
Marion David Poff said:
I hope you are right, I would love to find that an American company is making a good axe.

M
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You and I both. I hate seeing what were once American made goods — once considered the finest in the world — only produced offshore. I won't get started on that one, but I, too, would like to find a good American made axe for a decent price. It used to be simple, but no more.
 
dawsonbob said:
You and I both. I hate seeing what were once American made goods — once considered the finest in the world — only produced offshore. I won't get started on that one, but I, too, would like to find a good American made axe for a decent price. It used to be simple, but no more.
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Well, I think the trends forecasters who are saying that we will start to see higher quality products more readily available, are right. With the collapse of the funny money cycle, which I hope will not return... If people start to shell real green-backs out of their wallets, I think the buying public will start to really demand quality.

I think it is just a matter of time, before an American company starts to make a serious axe. But, along with that, they will need to effectively communicate that. ; )

M
 
Marion David Poff said:
Well, I think the trends forecasters who are saying that we will start to see higher quality products more readily available, are right. With the collapse of the funny money cycle, which I hope will not return... If people start to shell real green-backs out of their wallets, I think the buying public will start to really demand quality.

I think it is just a matter of time, before an American company starts to make a serious axe. But, along with that, they will need to effectively communicate that. ; )

M
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Now, see, that's the kind of account I would like to work on: telling the story of a good American axe company. I know enough about steel, and things that cut, to do that better than some others. I may be semi-retired now, but once an ad-man, always an ad-man, I guess. Some jobs are more appealing than others, and that would be one of them.
 
I just had a thought: Why is it that many people have no problem paying 150-250 dollars for a really good knife, but are afraid to pay the same for a nice axe?

Just wondering...
 
There's a thread in the Axe & Hawk forum called "Best USA Made Axe". One of the guys bought a Council axe and had a couple chats with them.

As I noted in that thread, there's a TV show on axes that shows the Council manufacturing process in some detail.

DancesWithKnives
 
The TV show is "how its made" and it has my good buddy Steve Watts in it as well. The council manufacturing plant is here in NC, I'll be visiting them in the future for a woodsmonkey video.
 
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