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Council Tool axes

Bolt-action bultema said:
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...
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I think its more about getting a really good knife or axe for 50-100 bucks. I think that for the most part, after 100 bucks you are gettin diminishing returns (my opinion only.) GB are hand forged correct? I don't need a hand forged axe to go into the woods, and I am paying a premium for labor and travel time on a boat for what? A better edge out of the box? Just not worth it to me, but worth it to some? Sure. We do love our toys around here, but to be honest anything more than a decently drop forged head and a good handle is guilding the lilly a bit.
 
Not disagreeing or anything (in fact I agree 110%) but one could use the exact same argument about knives. We could go our whole lives using nothing more than $50 or less knife--and yet SO many knives sit above that mark. Why? Because people like them and are willing to buy them. It is rather interesting to note, though, that while there is a promulgation of high-end custom "art knives" out there (and 'hawks too) I don't think I've ever seen an "art felling axe" or a damascus splitting wedge or anything. :p

I'm pretty sure I could get through life with nothing more than a Mora and a good machete. Oh, and a good axe too. ;)
 
RE Ox Head axes, If you go on the net you see that several woodworking sites carry them. Less $ than GB but still pricey. Ox Head makes the axes for Stihl. Same axes only with some orange paint and Stihl marked on it. The woodworking outfits sell to recreational types, the logging supply guys sell to pros and the axes are less expensive as they are working tools for guys who don't care about fancy names, only performance and cost. We are in the tree care and removal and firewood business. We do business with Penn Holo in Schwenksville PA.610-584-0877. They don't have a website. They do sell Stihl (Ox Head) axes at real good prices. The felling axe is best for bushcraft, survival and outdoor pursuits. The Forest axe is more of a splitting axe. The big maul is the best splitter I have used. They mail all over the US. Ask for Paul.
 
gunknifenut said:
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.
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That's kinda where I'm at too.
 
I picked up a Council Tool Hudson Bay because of the thread in the Axe forum. I haven't given it a workout yet. My initial impression of it is favorable but time will tell. If I have a gripe with it, it's that it didn't come very sharp. But I like the handle, weight and shape. If I had to guess on the RC... I'd put it inbetween the sweet spot on my khuks and a Tram bolo. 50-52 maybe? Just a guess.

Frank
 
Joezilla,

Yes, around here the show on how axes are made was under "Modern Marvels" on the History Channel. I was actually pretty impressed with Council's manufacturing and quality control, despite the fact that they can't state their edge hardness with the kind of accuracy Gransfors does. At the SHOT Show, the Gransfors guy told me "about 57".

DancesWithKnives
 
DWK2 said:
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
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I found that thread, I will read it. Thank you.

Marion
 
Never used a Council axe- but back in school we used their Pulaskis and fire rakes in our wildfire fighting class. Every cutting edge on those tools except the axe-blades of the Pulaskis seemed soft to me. Later, when I took a welding class I found out why. If a student didn't have a welding project of his own, he could select from among many that the school needed, such as repairing a trailer or building guard rails. I discovered that, when the fire tools got dinged up, students in the welding class could elect to "straighten" them out using a coke forge and a hammer. Small wonder there was no temper left after an annual cycle of random annealling and quenching. :rolleyes:
 
Hey Woodsmoke,

Can you do a short comparison between the Ox Head felling and small forest axe and the closest GB products?

Also, would the felling axe still perform well for making fires if you have to split wood with it?

Thanks,

Geoff
 
Geoff, My first use of the Ox Head axes was at a log building school in Ely Minnesota 1n 1984. It was the choice of the pros at the site. This was pre GB coming on to the scene in a big way. GB had always made a great axe but were not as well known until 10 years ago or so. The GB axes are ground thinner. Makes for a great chopper but limits splitting. GB axes get hung up in the logs and that gets old. The Ox Head have a slightly thicker, more convex grind. Still a fantastic chopper AND a better splitting tool making it a better all- round axe. The felling axe my logging supply guy (Paul at Penn Holo, 610-584-0877), carries is slightly heavier than the GB Scandinavian forest axe. I know the bushcrafters love that GB axe and it is a great tool. However, the Ox Head is stouter and more versatile. The Ox Head Forest axe is heavier yet and a better splitting axe but not as good a chopper. For serious woods work and survival the Ox Head Felling axe and and a Mora knife would about do it.
 
I'd love to own/try an Ox Head type of felling axe, but I just can't justify the weight on the trail. I think that this is where the GB wins. You can get some modicum of efficacy without the huge increase in weight.
 
Spook, The Ox Head is *slightly* heavier. As far as carry goes, in a pack I doubt anyone would feel a difference. What you gain in utility is worth the small increase in weight.
 
SpookyPistolero said:
I'd love to own/try an Ox Head type of felling axe, but I just can't justify the weight on the trail. I think that this is where the GB wins. You can get some modicum of efficacy without the huge increase in weight.
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Iltis/Ox Head makes a whole range of axes, so, if you really wanted one, you could probably find one if your size range.

Marion
 
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