Gransfors, 'High Centerline', and the Efficient Ax

[Square_peg]

Those experiencing binding during chopping with thin flat bits are largely using too strong of a blow. The penetrating ability of thin bits allows them to bite so deep that they become difficult to withdraw...so don't swing them so hard that they bite that deep.

Try going back 100 years and convincing a timber baron that his men just need to stop swinging their axes so hard. He'd laugh in your face. Or better still, try convincing an axe racing competitor that he needs to stop swinging so hard.

The object was to get as much work done as possible. The axe was designed to accommodate hard working men. There was great experimentation done with the shape of axes. And they were put hard to the test by 1000's of men every day. It was in this environment that the American Felling Axe (in its numerous shapes) was developed. No such laboratory exists today nor will one ever exist again.

The only 'innovation' these days comes from the marketing department. And it is focused on reducing production costs and increasing curb appeal and sales.

 

[Chignecto Woodsman]

Don't think those are good examples. The racing competitor is hitting specially selected wood that does not have the force of a tree bearing down on it, and none of those guys can hit like that all day. They train to be able to exert the maximum amount of energy within the thirty or so seconds it takes to cut through the log.

As for the lumberjacks, they really didn't hit all that hard. And there's no way they could hit that hard all day. Guys often worked in three man groups as well where they rotated out and even then they used technique and not force. So it's a whole different situation from the one guy going in to test on a single tree today. This is aside from the problem that guys with better technique are not going to get their axes stuck as much, as angle and point of impact really changes the risk of getting the axe stuck. The more experienced guys can hit harder because they know where to hit, how hard to hit, and what technique they have to use to 'punch' or cause the axe to spring back or twist. It becomes muscle memory for them.

So, saying to hit less hard only means in regards to your technique. If someone is sticking the axe too much then they are simply hitting too hard in relation to their technique. There are more factors than just material, grind, sharpness, and hitting hard. If that makes sense.

People also tend to copy the racing grinds because that is all the information that is left on grinds, not because it is necessarily correct for long hours of work.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Try going back 100 years and convincing a timber baron that his men just need to stop swinging their axes so hard. He'd laugh in your face. Or better still, try convincing an axe racing competitor that he needs to stop swinging so hard.

The object was to get as much work done as possible. The axe was designed to accommodate hard working men. There was great experimentation done with the shape of axes. And they were put hard to the test by 1000's of men every day. It was in this environment that the American Felling Axe (in its numerous shapes) was developed. No such laboratory exists today nor will one ever exist again.

The only 'innovation' these days comes from the marketing department. And it is focused on reducing production costs and increasing curb appeal and sales.

Circa 1867:

Circa 1866:

If your axe is sticking, you are driving it too deeply for it to release with ease. To avoid driving it too deeply, use lighter blows. Or use a different axe that's more appropriate for the work at hand, but that may not always be a convenient or available option.

 

[chuxwan]

Bingo, personal control is a huge factor. My GB Scandinavian has a very thin edge. I can still fell small trees and buck no problem, with light, easy, well-placed blows. When limbing, the thin bit allows for a harder blow to cut fully through the limb, striking parallel with the tree trunk rather than chopping down at the limb as I've seen countless youtubers demonstrate.

 

[Chignecto Woodsman]

Circa 1867:

Circa 1866:

If your axe is sticking, you are driving it too deeply for it to release with ease. To avoid driving it too deeply, use lighter blows. Or use a different axe that's more appropriate for the work at hand, but that may not always be a convenient or available option.

Excellent quotes. Said it better than I could. I'll have to try to find another book now.

 

[SC T100]

I would assume, based upon my amateur/backyard axe use, that you would need to spend a *lot* of time with all the differing patterns, weights, and geometries to get really proficient with all the different heads out there. Power, angle, weight, handle length, bevel, geometry, etc all would seem to play significant roles in the overall ability and/or efficiency of a person's axe work. Heck, you would have to even include a range of wood types to get really good with all of them. I guess from my perspective, you should use what you are most comfortable with, and then modify your approach as you get into the wood. It seems the "simple" act of chopping wood isn't as simple as many would think. I guess I need to gather all of mine and head out to see what I prefer to use best!

 

[Chignecto Woodsman]

I agree with you. I am trying to get enough this winter for attempting a cabin, along with trail clearing and gathering some firewood. I think that's only really a start to knowing which one will be best for me.

And for the record, I am actually liking the feel of a heftier axe that punches a little more than it cuts. I guess I just don't agree on what part of axe geometry is doing this. Square Peg is quite right to say that there is really no innovation or development in the new axes, the Americans really advanced the axe to a point where it was a perfected tool, and we're just trying to relearn that knowledge. (And maybe the Canadians helped too, considering they had more axe makers than anyone, I think.)

 

[Chignecto Woodsman]

Was out for around 3 hours this afternoon. I decided to take two axes and do some side-by-side testing. Here's what I found with felling and bucking:
Dry balsam fir: Emerson & Stevens seemed better to me, the Gransfors didn't cut as well.
Green balsam fir: Gransfors cut a little better here. No real sticking from either axe, but had a glance from the E&S.
Green and frozen grey birch: Very close, noticed that the Gransfors begins to stick in the harder would just very slightly, not a problem though, cuts deeper. E&S pops a bigger/thicker chip, but after an extra couple swings.
Red maple: E&S cuts better here, but still quite close. The Gransfors did stick once.
Red spruce: This one was the only clear winner for me, and it was the E&S. Popped crazy chips. The Gransfors pops very good chips (thinner) as well but I guess with this wood being a harder softwood the grind on the Gransfors is just not as good.

I plan to do some measurements on the grinds, but just eyeing them it seems to me that the Gransfors is thinner at the edge and its bevel continues at a minor angle for longer. The E&S is slightly more steep at the edge but the primary bevel does not ride as far back as the Gransfors. I suspect this is the reason why it pops chips better rather than any difference in the 'high centerline'.

It wouldn't be a lot of work to reprofile the Gransfors either, it would simply require angling the edge back slightly and thinning out the bit in the 1/4" and 1/2" area. I think this would give a better general purpose profile rather than what seems to be a grind for very soft woods.