Flat Axe

Bill Siegle

Bill Siegle

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Oct 3, 2000
Messages
6,955
Got my latest issue of Backwoodsman and there was an article about the really big camp knives many of us love. The author labeled them Flat Axes and I like that term. I had recently traded off my personal use heavy chopper so I made another over the last two days. Big, heavy, and effective :) 17in overall with an 11 1/2in blade of 5/16 5160. Bevels are flat ground on both sides and the edge is nice and thin but not too thin. Think sweet hatchet sharp :) The scales are a CIF laminated polymer material similar to micarta. This is mostly intended as a camp tool to be kept around the firepit for firewood procurement and breakdown. The full thickness spine allows plenty od batoning surface and the lack of a false edge will keep your wood baton hammering away for a good while. It is way too heavy for belt carry(at least to me). I kinda based it on a huge Walter Brend knife I used to own. Course being made for my own use I didn't apply too much effort towards "pretty". Ugly gets used more :D
 
i love a good flat axe.looking forward to getting my NMFBM flat axe soon.i think it is 17in also.

if i had to pic between a hatchet or a large knife like the one you just showed us i would take the knife.it can chop almost if not as good as the hatchet and can also do a few other things the hatchet cant do.i'm sure this is a great debate and it is a tough choice.

great knife by the way.i love that saber grind.i use a large knife for 85% of all my fire wood procurement and i do a lot of batoning and that just looks like the perfect design for all that and the thick spine and having no swedge would really make a huge difference.
 
Inspiration for me!! Although I am amateurishly bumbling my way through a bush blade project right now, I might take a brief hiatus for a some less elegant work. I have a nice old leaf spring about 18"-20" long that just might become a chopzilla.

Nice looking blade, great work!
 
That was a cool article in BWM eh ! I'd like to see you make one a little closer in design to the one in the article with the up-turned style handle and hear from yourself how you find it works !!!
 
You need a Second opinion---Really you do :)

Send it to me--I'll test it and get back to you...

:)

Dr.Bill
 
Yep, those big knives are a HECK of a lot of fun. I am completely impressed with
the Siegle I own. It has good forward balance, no hot spots on the hand, and very good edge retention.

Included in the joys of the flat axe are the satisfying thunk just from snapping your wrist into whatever you are chopping.

:thumbup:
J.
 
I really like the looks of that blade.

I am working on a design right now myself. Thanks to a lot of input and pictures from the guys here at WSS, I designed a 15-1/2" overall chopper (rename Flat Ax). I received 4 blanks from Great Lakes Waterjet last week. This is my first knife, and after seeing yours, I can't wait to get one finished.
 

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Whoa that thing is cool! Looks more like a scandi grind the flat.

I like it alot! Great job bro!

Lets see some wood eating pics.
 
Got a Scrapyard Dogfather and a Busse FBM, and I've gotta say, axes/hatchets are the way to go. From chopping and splitting wood, right down to fine cutting tasks, I'd take my 19" axe over a chopper any day.

A "flat axe" will never out chop a hatchet you can get both hands on. Not to mention chopping with knives is hard on the hands and can easily cause blisters if the handle isnt perfect.

Splitting, well battoning smaller rounds or wood that splits nicely is fine with a big knife, but get into anything thats stubborn and your hand's going to be begging you to get the axe out. Was splitting some 4-5" thick pieces of Siberian elm, first I broke the handles off my Ranger RD7, switched to the Dog Father and finally gave up on the flat axes cause the vibrations were so abusive on my hand.

As for fine tasks, axes are better balanced, you can get your hand literally right behind the cutting edge for maximum leverage and control.

Finally the axe has a much shorter edge, making maintenance easier and quicker. Sure you could limit your sharpening of the chopper to the sweet spot that takes most the hits, but that will change the profile of the knife over time.


That being said, youve got a mighty fine chopper you crafted there
 
Bill I definitely wouldn't mind carrying that "flat axe". Looks like the perfect shape for a big chopper. I generally prefer a large knife to a hatchet too. But, you will have to switch swinging arms or your forearm muscles will get lopsided :)
 
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