Does my Wetterlings Bushman grind seem acceptable...

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dvto2

Joined
Dec 28, 2014
Messages
17
I recently purchased a Wetterlings Bushman. I like the size but the ground seems a bit uneven. One side is a bit convex and the other is almost straight. If someone could tell me how to post images I'd like an opinion about the grind.
 
Post to Imgur.com click on the image until the url is a .jpg then click on the image macro in the tool bar, looks lie a picture of a tree. Paste the url in there and it will post.
 
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Thanks, Libetatus. I'm not sure I got this right yet but I'll keep trying. I tried to post one image but when I tried to post a second one the first one keeps showing up.
 
Thanks for getting the pic posted, Steve Tall.

on the grind, I will give my opinion; my opinion is free and probably worth about what you paid for it. :) I do see a slight difference from the left to right side and since this is a hand forged axe, slight variations are to be expected. I don't think it will affect the performance of the axe at all and I wouldn't let it bother me. Your pic doesn't show the bit to handle alignment; assuming that is good, then I would put it to work.

Keep in mind that my go-to axe is a 1950 Sager Chemical DB that cost me about 1/6 of what your Wetterlings did, so I might not be the best person to ask. :)

randy
 
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Here is the other side work a rule.

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I'm trying again to post the image of the rule on the right side.

one more try.

Tv3K6yH.jpg
 
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Get hold of an axe file and keep at it until you're satisfied. This is going to take awhile. IMO disc and bench grinders are way too fast and not very subtle when it comes to creating gradual tapers.
 
300Six said:
IMO disc and bench grinders are way too fast and not very subtle when it comes to creating gradual tapers.
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A file certainly gives you more control of the process. I'll sometimes thin the cheeks with a powered grinder but the finished shape and actual edge is reserved for file work.
 
I just got one for christmas also. And I am really disappointed, because mine shows the same irregular grinding as yours, perhaps even more so.
 
Square_peg said:
A file certainly gives you more control of the process. I'll sometimes thin the cheeks with a powered grinder but the finished shape and actual edge is reserved for file work.
Click to expand...

Ditto! Keep in mind if you concentrate on the branch or tree while chopping you will never notice a very slight difference in symmetry of an axe blade anyway. A power angle grinder can really speed up an initial reprofile but never 'go to town' with one and do not ever figure on taking file work out of the equation.
 
I believe they are ground by hand after forging. I wouldn't let it bother me. I would use it and gradually get it into shape as I sharpened it.
 
Most used axes I get have asymmetrical grinds- some knife makers bank their reputation on them. I would not say a slight difference is anything to be concerned about and fixing it can be very satisfying and good practice.

Bill
 
lmalterna said:
Most used axes I get have asymmetrical grinds- some knife makers bank their reputation on them. I would not say a slight difference is anything to be concerned about and fixing it can be very satisfying and good practice.

Bill
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OK. Thanks, guys. I won't sweat it. Any particular file you might recommended?
 
If you have local flea markets- for .50 -1.00 you can pick up old Simonds & Nicholson Black Diamond files. Mill Bastard/ Smooth Bastard are my most used. Multicut and Magicut are two coarser files but I rarely use them. Larger the better for a nice long stroke. I like a small half round for cleaning up burrs at the top of the eye.

If new files- there are some quality Swiss files- Prferred I beleive they are spelled?

After file, I go to carborundum stone, then 220gr and 400 grit paper by hand. It is not a mirror finish but plenty sharp and smooth enough for litttle sticking.

Bill
 
Nicholson makes specific "axe" files (single cut on one side and double cut on the other) with wide flat handles. These implements have been good to me over the past 45 years but the ones I have say 'made in Canada' (Cobourg, Ontario) or 'made in USA' on them. Newer Nicholson versions are 'hecho en Mexico' and apparently not revered to the same degree for hardness and durability. For an investment of $10 though a new one of these will get you well on your way to discovering that perfect symmetry is not so easy to attain.
 
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To me, for the money they charge, they could get the grind right. I had the same problem with a Fine Foresters axe from them, and I sent it back.
If I want an axe that I am going to have to regrind, I will buy a used or cheap axe.
 
Silverthorn said:
To me, for the money they charge, they could get the grind right. I had the same problem with a Fine Foresters axe from them, and I sent it back.
If I want an axe that I am going to have to regrind, I will buy a used or cheap axe.
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I've thought about this a lot, and I totally agree with this statement. In fact, I contacted the seller about my axe yesterday, and I asked to be able to return it, and I am awaiting their response . I am particularly frustrated as I chose a smaller dealer, and paid a higher price, specifically so I could email with the dealer and ask that they select a well ground example after having read comments elsewhere about them having uneven grinds.

For the record, here are photos of the my axe and the uneven grinds:
https://drive.google.com/#folders/0B0uzjExuPEmIeFFOZUtCNFBjSUU

While, I do not disagree that the OP could fix his, nor that it would be good practice, I would also encourage him to return his for a few reasons:
1. At that price, as stated in the quote, one should not have to regrind it....very few would find it acceptable to buy a new car and have to change the brakes themselves, regardless of how easy / beneficial to learn that would be. Similarly, few would purchase a knife at a similar price, expecting a fully useable piece, and then be happy having to spend significant time making it right

2. Related to the price, I can get custom work (Brent Bailey / Med Chandler) made here in the US for a similar price. In fact, I have a few pieces by Brent Bailey, one a larger Hudson Bay piece, for only 25 dollars more. Essentially I am paying for the Wetterlings quality, and I am not getting that.

3. While it is hand forged, asymmetry in the bit should not be acceptable part of that price. Both of my custom pieces, forged by hand, by one person, exhibit wonderful symmetry, as do thousands of forged knives exhibited on this site alone, with blades much, much longer than this axe.

4. The very example posted on their website does not exhibit any sort of symmetry from the top down, nor does the piece supplied to rockymountainbushcraft for their review.

5. The asymmetry and uneven grinds displayed on this piece and my piece are not characteristic of the entire line...thousands of online photos indicate this so I do not feel I should have to settle for it here.

6. Between this thread, my example, and two other reviews (posted on Amazon and Dave Canterbury's store site), this seems to be a repeated problem with the Bushman Axe. By not returning such items, or at least voicing the displeasure to the sellers and Wetterlings, it allows them to continue to produce pieces of subpar quality.

I hope to hear back from the company I purchased from soon, as I also asked them for a point of contact with Wetterlings where I could voice the above statements.

Thank you
 
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