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No I have not read that. I thought I had read just about everything there is on axes. I will order that one ASAP :thumbup:
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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
High Performance Hand Axe - A Photo Essay
- Thread starter Brian Andrews
- Start date
No I have not read that. I thought I had read just about everything there is on axes. I will order that one ASAP :thumbup:
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I am assuming that is due to the fear of distortion of the eye area. IMO, that stems from people using it as a hammer, and hammer stuff that is not wood. It the battle between metal and wood, metal should always win
I would not be afraid to baton any axe head. Have you ever seen some of Old Jimbo's work? Check out the link I provided. It is amazing what he did with that little axe. He has TONS more axe work there as well.....so poke around a bit.
In the linked article, I would classify his baton as a LOG
I have been experimenting with axes for a good long time. Old Jimbo is the Godfather, IMO. I consulted him heavily on this particular set of modifications. I appreciate his insight.
If you are already not using it, why don't you go ahead and beat the heck out it then
B
I wish I would have have read this before I bought a splitting axe(fiskars) :grumpy: They are useless unless the wood is perfectly strait, with no knots. And the big splitting maul gets wayyy to heavy after a few hours of splitting.
Cool pics, and thanks for the review! I might need to get me one of those.
Cool pics, and thanks for the review! I might need to get me one of those.
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This is a very cool write up. The drawings and narrative really helped my understanding. I know the polish isn't about cosmetics but it certainly looks gorgeous. I own the next size up Snow & Neally (Hudson Bay). It has the same 1 3/4 lb head, just a longer handle (24"). I've been wanting to get another and I think you've convinced me that the 19" is the way to go. I live about 10 minutes north of where Snow and Nealley and there is a local retailer that carries them.
Jon
Jon
Brian that is awesome I can hardly wait to do that modification on my axe. now seeing those pic, Thanks. I have been using my axe alot more the last couple of months going slow and making every chop count. I sure feel alot better about using it. I am now more than ever can see why the axe is so talked about by the old timers as the king of edged tools to carry. I was just using mine this evening sitting out by the fire pit here at the farm and every time I use it (LOL I have had a fire every night for the last 7 days I start it at 6:30 pm and go till around 10 pm then call it a day. ) I get more comfortable with it and have started carrying it on a few hikes that I have gone on.
this week I am going to make a new sheath for it and add some pouches for a sharpener and a and fire steel and a sheath for the new BOS knife
that I am making up. ( by the way your 11 knives you ordered are going out Monday to you ) I am going to make mine with a 2.75" long by 3/32" thick blade and a 3.75" handle with the osage wood for the handle scales. This way I will have axe, knife, sharpener and fire steel all in onw nice little package.
When I am done with it I will send a pic to you.
Thanks again for the info on this.
AXES RULE :thumbup: LOL
Bryan
this week I am going to make a new sheath for it and add some pouches for a sharpener and a and fire steel and a sheath for the new BOS knife
that I am making up. ( by the way your 11 knives you ordered are going out Monday to you ) I am going to make mine with a 2.75" long by 3/32" thick blade and a 3.75" handle with the osage wood for the handle scales. This way I will have axe, knife, sharpener and fire steel all in onw nice little package.When I am done with it I will send a pic to you.
Thanks again for the info on this.
AXES RULE :thumbup: LOL
Bryan
I love a nice high polish both for looks and performance and also because it is repairable
by anyone with time and some sandpaper. I have a Busse Steel heart ergo that I bought as a beat up user and put a really nice edge and polish on but am not afraid to use it because I can always fix it. A polish also makes it rust slower and go through wood or other materials better.
However I think that the action of a fast hit from an axe is substantially different from the slow speed baton hit. I just watched a show where they hit a side of beef with swords and axes and the flex when a sword his was shocking seen in slow motion.
An axe does not flex nearly as much but there is still a lot more going on there than we can see. I would love to see axes chopping wood in slow motion. In really good slow motion like they use in labs with very accurate digital photography you can see things that show you what happens and how the axe can be improved.
I saw where they showed how when they popped a balloon that there were actually 2 layers and for a very very short period of time the inner balloon got a fair bit bigger then collapsed.
I have a feeling that part of the GB's that is to wide may actually work as a splitting maul
and "crack" or "pop" the wood open more than the other smoother axe.
This is pure theory though.
by anyone with time and some sandpaper. I have a Busse Steel heart ergo that I bought as a beat up user and put a really nice edge and polish on but am not afraid to use it because I can always fix it. A polish also makes it rust slower and go through wood or other materials better.
However I think that the action of a fast hit from an axe is substantially different from the slow speed baton hit. I just watched a show where they hit a side of beef with swords and axes and the flex when a sword his was shocking seen in slow motion.
An axe does not flex nearly as much but there is still a lot more going on there than we can see. I would love to see axes chopping wood in slow motion. In really good slow motion like they use in labs with very accurate digital photography you can see things that show you what happens and how the axe can be improved.
I saw where they showed how when they popped a balloon that there were actually 2 layers and for a very very short period of time the inner balloon got a fair bit bigger then collapsed.
I have a feeling that part of the GB's that is to wide may actually work as a splitting maul
and "crack" or "pop" the wood open more than the other smoother axe.
This is pure theory though.
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Brian, thanks for useful and interesting post with beautiful pics.
I'm pretty much interested in the length of handle (20")
because it's the same length of my beloved ice axes.
I'm pretty much interested in the length of handle (20")
because it's the same length of my beloved ice axes.
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Re: batoning. i think people have been poo-pooing batoning with hatchets because people were using another hatchet to baton with. In other words, striking the poll of one hatchet with the poll of another. This will certainly warp the eye of both, and is a no-no. It'd be like batoning your knife with an engineer's hammer.
Re: the polished finish. I really like the polish, and I've no doubt that it slides through wood the easiest. If I had a mechanical means of polishing, I'd do it. However, I don't. I did, however sand the head down to smooth it out. Most of my chopping is in soft, sappy wood, and I'd need to repolish every time just to clean it off. Instead, I wash off the sap ASAP, and then scotch-brite the head. Give a satin finish that seems to work almost as well as a polish. Case in point: A couple months ago I tested the hatchet by splitting some logs I had cut. The rounds were about 12" diameter by 18" long. With one good swing, the Pen Bay made it through the complete length of the log. Now with the width of the log, the hatchet only split that one side, and a second swing cut the round in half. But it really suprised me with the penetration I got. This was on live oak.
Re: the sharper transition on GB axes acting like a maul: I'm sure that is a good point on a full sized axe. However on a small axe/large hatchet, IMO the tool simply doesn't have the mass to power through wood with an abrupt transition like that, and it tends to just stop at some point in the penetration.
Re: the polished finish. I really like the polish, and I've no doubt that it slides through wood the easiest. If I had a mechanical means of polishing, I'd do it. However, I don't. I did, however sand the head down to smooth it out. Most of my chopping is in soft, sappy wood, and I'd need to repolish every time just to clean it off. Instead, I wash off the sap ASAP, and then scotch-brite the head. Give a satin finish that seems to work almost as well as a polish. Case in point: A couple months ago I tested the hatchet by splitting some logs I had cut. The rounds were about 12" diameter by 18" long. With one good swing, the Pen Bay made it through the complete length of the log. Now with the width of the log, the hatchet only split that one side, and a second swing cut the round in half. But it really suprised me with the penetration I got. This was on live oak.
Re: the sharper transition on GB axes acting like a maul: I'm sure that is a good point on a full sized axe. However on a small axe/large hatchet, IMO the tool simply doesn't have the mass to power through wood with an abrupt transition like that, and it tends to just stop at some point in the penetration.
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Thanks for all the comments and the interesting discussion. Keep it coming.
It is easy to argue either side of it words. But, in my experience, it just doesn't work well. I mean, I have one. If everything were great about it, I would have not went to all this trouble to find and make something to perform better. I realize I am probably only one of a handful (yes I do know others) that will actually say something non-positive about a GB. I guess because it is so expensive that everything must be great about it, otherwise why would it be so much
Just trying to be completely objective. For me, the GB SFA is now sitting second fiddle. If one of the vintage axes I have performs better yet, it might just keep getting bumped on down the line.
Of course, there is a lot of personal preference, what do you do most, what type of wood is in your area, etc.
It is easy to argue either side of it words. But, in my experience, it just doesn't work well. I mean, I have one. If everything were great about it, I would have not went to all this trouble to find and make something to perform better. I realize I am probably only one of a handful (yes I do know others) that will actually say something non-positive about a GB. I guess because it is so expensive that everything must be great about it, otherwise why would it be so much
Just trying to be completely objective. For me, the GB SFA is now sitting second fiddle. If one of the vintage axes I have performs better yet, it might just keep getting bumped on down the line.
Of course, there is a lot of personal preference, what do you do most, what type of wood is in your area, etc.
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Brian, This is a fantasic article.:thumbup: very informative
I have used hatchets and axes quite a bit, I have also abbused some by chipping the edge cutting sprouts when clearing land or mushrooming the poll by pounding thing I probally should, but I have never to my warped the eye, although I have seen some that others managed to crack.
Pat
I have used hatchets and axes quite a bit, I have also abbused some by chipping the edge cutting sprouts when clearing land or mushrooming the poll by pounding thing I probally should, but I have never to my warped the eye, although I have seen some that others managed to crack.
Pat
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Oh yeah....I forgot to mention. I was camping last weekend, and I kept hearing a metallic "tink" "tink" sound. I walked by to see what the heck it was and it was a younger boy (around 12) batoning a small hatchet will a ball peen hammer! CRINGE
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It is easy to argue either side of it words. But, in my experience, it just doesn't work well. I mean, I have one. If everything were great about it, I would have not went to all this trouble to find and make something to perform better. I realize I am probably only one of a handful (yes I do know others) that will actually say something non-positive about a GB. I guess because it is so expensive that everything must be great about it, otherwise why would it be so much
Just trying to be completely objective. For me, the GB SFA is now sitting second fiddle. If one of the vintage axes I have performs better yet, it might just keep getting bumped on down the line.
Of course, there is a lot of personal preference, what do you do most, what type of wood is in your area, etc.
What I was talking about is a sharp transition migth work on a full-size axe, like a 3.5 pounder with a 36" haft. I consider axes the size of the Pen Bay or SFA to be "small", and such a transition is bad on a small tool, IMO.
But then, I don't know if it's a good thing on larger axes, either, as I don't own a GB. I have a single bit Collins Jersey axe, and a double-bit S&N. For splitting I usually use a full-size maul, leaving my axes for felling and limbing.
Thanks for all the comments and the interesting discussion. Keep it coming.
It is easy to argue either side of it words. But, in my experience, it just doesn't work well. I mean, I have one. If everything were great about it, I would have not went to all this trouble to find and make something to perform better. I realize I am probably only one of a handful (yes I do know others) that will actually say something non-positive about a GB. I guess because it is so expensive that everything must be great about it, otherwise why would it be so much
Just trying to be completely objective. For me, the GB SFA is now sitting second fiddle. If one of the vintage axes I have performs better yet, it might just keep getting bumped on down the line.
Of course, there is a lot of personal preference, what do you do most, what type of wood is in your area, etc.
well, you'll here it from me. After reading and looking ALOT at them, I agree %200 (not 100
) about the profile of the head. I personally have gone for the wetterlings side of ax's. the profile heft and handle profile is awesome. If you get a chance to mess with one you should.Now that a think of it, I could try your method on my wetterlings and see what the out some is.
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I wasn't disagreeing with you. I was quoting because it was the topic I was talking about.
Bad form I guess. Bad thing about written communication. But, we are thinking the same thing. I was more referring to the earlier post that the sharp transition ledge to wedging action, which sounds good in theory, but I have found the opposite true in practice.
This is the point I was making in the original post. Me too. I head with wood, so I split a lot of wood every year. I use a 6 pound maul for that. Not a general purpose axe, a limbing or a felling axe. A splitting axe. When at home or in a large camp where weight is not an issue, we have that luxury.
When you pick one small tool to carry, and expect it to do all the things I listed, it has to be a much more versatile tool. Hence all my experimentation.
B
Bad form I guess. Bad thing about written communication. But, we are thinking the same thing. I was more referring to the earlier post that the sharp transition ledge to wedging action, which sounds good in theory, but I have found the opposite true in practice.
This is the point I was making in the original post. Me too. I head with wood, so I split a lot of wood every year. I use a 6 pound maul for that. Not a general purpose axe, a limbing or a felling axe. A splitting axe. When at home or in a large camp where weight is not an issue, we have that luxury.
When you pick one small tool to carry, and expect it to do all the things I listed, it has to be a much more versatile tool. Hence all my experimentation.
B
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You should do it, I would love to see another.
If you get a chance, could you take a picture of the head profile? Looking straight on? I would like to see how different it is from the GB, and see if I think I can make a go of it before picking one up.
Comin' up:thumbup:
Yet another great mod!
:thumbup:
I bought a Snow and Nealley Penobscot bay this summer, i love it!
Of the axes i own it has the best fit and finish, the grain is straight and it was pretty much useable out of the box.
All my axes (barring the fiskars) required medium to major file work to be "useable".
I love my little Wetterlings but the S&N has it beat for fit and finish and build quality.
Of course merely useable is not good enough so i filed the S&N and then used my sharpening stones on it and now it can shave arm hairs.
Brian looks like you took an good axe and made it great!
You threads are starting to give me a "polished axe" fetish!
I have a little Norlund hatchet that i though i had polished up, that is until i saw your truly polished doublebit and now your S&N!
Great work!
Kinda off-topic but have you picked up a Martindale Golok yet?
I love to see your modding magic applied to one of those.
:thumbup:
I bought a Snow and Nealley Penobscot bay this summer, i love it!
Of the axes i own it has the best fit and finish, the grain is straight and it was pretty much useable out of the box.
All my axes (barring the fiskars) required medium to major file work to be "useable".
I love my little Wetterlings but the S&N has it beat for fit and finish and build quality.
Of course merely useable is not good enough so i filed the S&N and then used my sharpening stones on it and now it can shave arm hairs.
Brian looks like you took an good axe and made it great!
You threads are starting to give me a "polished axe" fetish!
I have a little Norlund hatchet that i though i had polished up, that is until i saw your truly polished doublebit and now your S&N!
Great work!
Kinda off-topic but have you picked up a Martindale Golok yet?
I love to see your modding magic applied to one of those.