Help identify Gransfors Burks hatchet circa

the5farrs

the5farrs

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Jan 28, 2013
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I found this gransfors bruks hatchet at an "antique" store for a steal of a deal, $20. Ive been trying to figure out the time frame it was made, 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s? Thanks for the help.
 
Looks to be one of their last production items (namely Swedes imitating n. American axe patterns) from the late 80s. I'd call it an industry transition piece in that 'the' maker actually 'signed' the piece, and that the dying era expedient of epoxy hanging was used! The tool is in great shape and ought to give you pretty good mileage and service. $20 certainly wasn't too much!
 
I think 300 pretty much has it nailed down. The epoxy is a bit of a surprise. I would corespond with GB and see what they had to say. I could speculate that it is very collectible. I couldn't vinture a guess on the worth though because we have rules here.
 
Even the handle shape, especially the bottom, looks transitional. Also it looks like the head was never painted blue.
 
Supporting what 300Six, garry3 and halfaxe already wrote:

"More painstaking and quality-driven production (1988-) ...In the late 1980s, Gränsfors Bruk took a step back to a more traditional, craft-based system of production that had been the standard long ago... The system of piecework was abandoned in favour of professional craftsmen who were allowed to take their time... Also gone were all the paints, lacquers and solvents plus the epoxy adhesive previously used for attaching the handles... None of the eight models available in 1987 were still around by 1990."

From https://www.gransforsbruk.com/en/about/the-history-of-the-company/
 
Steve Tall said:
Supporting what 300Six, garry3 and halfaxe already wrote:

"More painstaking and quality-driven production (1988-) ...In the late 1980s, Gränsfors Bruk took a step back to a more traditional, craft-based system of production that had been the standard long ago... The system of piecework was abandoned in favour of professional craftsmen who were allowed to take their time... Also gone were all the paints, lacquers and solvents plus the epoxy adhesive previously used for attaching the handles... None of the eight models available in 1987 were still around by 1990."

From https://www.gransforsbruk.com/en/about/the-history-of-the-company/
Click to expand...

Thanks again Steve. How come I never managed to come across any of this info when I was Google-ing? Lee Valley Tools began to carry 'new generation' Swede axes sometime in the mid-1990s, which is what narrowed down my guesstimate. The Permabond-like expediency was a surprise, and likely a temporary carry over in the re-booted system until the assembly line (deftly mating out-sourced handles to heads ain't all that easy!) got up to speed. So yeah, 1988 would make perfect sense as being the birthday of this baby.
 
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Neat find for $20! I probably would have picked that up too. I am not a collector or user of HB/later Swedish stuff but they do have a certain charm.

On another note, The Finnish Billnas/Early Fiskars can also be found with epoxy attachments as well as the Made in West Germany stuff.

I guess that could maybe also be a way of dating them, more or less, as well.

Very nice find regardless :thumbup:
 
the5farrs said:
thanks for all the info guys.
Click to expand...

It's not very often you are able to determine the vintage of a tool with a high degree of certainty. Usually plus or minus a decade (or even two) is best that can be achieved. There may well be collectors of these around for you to easily recoup your investment but then you've got to figure on paying lavish sums for a current Swede model since the Big Box store equivalents won't be anywhere near as good.
 
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