Gerber Hatchet modded to include....an edge.

[M3mphis]

I've had this Gerber hatchet for a few years. It really has never seen a whole lot of use. Why? I couldn't seem to find any sharp areas.

I actually think that the saw in the handle performs well for its size, which seems to be different than the common opinion. Back to the hatchet. The factory edge was so obtuse that I could hardly believe it. It actually split fairly well for kindling (around here its mostly pines, firs, and spruces which tend to split pretty easily due to the long straight grain). Chopping? Forget it. Totally useless. Even with the edge "sharpened," the angle was so obtuse that I got more bounce back than penetration.

Well, a few weeks back I put the hatchet to the belt grinder. Here's the after shots, I forgot to take any before shots.

Now that I have had a few weeks to use the hatchet, I have to say the difference is huge. I am actually quite impressed with the tool. I have been sharpening with sand paper and a leather strop. Its easy to get shaving sharp, and it holds the edge quite well. It really bites into wood now. The mod was definitely a good move. It didn't take much time, and the difference is outstanding. This hatchet hasn't been carried along much the past couple years because it never seemed worth taking. It's a whole different story now.

I still have these complaints with it:
-If you want to carve, you can't get a very low angle because of the wedge shape.
-I don't like the idea of the plastic wrapped around the head. Although, I have yet to encounter a problem in actual use.
-The saw is not totally secure in the handle.

This is the first time I've "re-profiled" a bit before, so give me your feedback!

Thanks, Matt.

 

[Ookami]

It is hard to give any feedback, since you forgot the before shots. I have a Fiskars hatchet, which looks less obtuse and has ot been reprofiled...


Ookami

 

[bearhunter]

looks good! i've got the backpacking gerber like that. it was given to me by a good friend years ago for my B-day. never really cared for it much. all it's really good for is to throw it at a bear to give you a head start
i even sharpened it to shaving sharp. still not much good. i can break sticks much faster than to split kindling with the BOS...!
thus it hangs in my wood shed with no use except to take up space. it was givin to me so i'll hold on to it, just because...
maybe i should learn to throw it? hummm...!!!
i'm sure the larger ones are better.

 

[M3mphis]

looks good! i've got the backpacking gerber like that. it was given to me by a good friend years ago for my B-day. never really cared for it much. all it's really good for is to throw it at a bear to give you a head start
i even sharpened it to shaving sharp. still not much good. i can break sticks much faster than to split kindling with the BOS...!
thus it hangs in my wood shed with no use except to take up space. it was givin to me so i'll hold on to it, just because...
maybe i should learn to throw it? hummm...!!!
i'm sure the larger ones are better.

I actually used it yesterday to start a fire. Chopped up kindling and did shavings for tinder. Then I chopped about half way through a log about 15" in diameter just to try it out. I also used it in conjunction with a full size axe to get a huge chuck of pitch wood out of an older rotting stump. I thought it worked quite well. However, you can't tell since I didn't get a before pic, but I took a lot of steel off that formed a major shoulder at the bit. I did it on a 2x72 belt grinder and it still took me awhile to do it. The factory edge was not just dull, it was blunt. I bet the grind was 30 degrees. Sooooo...I don't know if you did any reprofiling, but it might be worth a shot. At any rate, I agree that as it came-even sharpened-it was worthless.

 

[HandAxeProMan]

Looks good. I had to do the same thing to my grandson's buck camp axe. Now, it cuts well. Before the face lift, it was of little use.