- Joined
- Jun 29, 1999
- Messages
- 9,842
Snow & Nealley of Bangor, Maine, (www.snowandneally.com) has been making high quality hand tools for a long time, five generations, and their axes in particular are held in high regard by ax aficionados. For over a decade, I have packed my three-quarter size single bit Iltis, its edge protected by a sturdy leather sheath secured with copper rivets. It's been used to cut and split firewood, pound tent pegs, and to quarter a moose. But its relatively heavy, with a 2 1/2 lb. head that is 6" wide at the face and 7 3/4" deep. While its a great tool for building a log house, when it comes to backpacking or canoeing (or flying into the Yukon back country on next summers moose, caribou and sheep hunt), less is best.
So I was delighted to find a Snow & Nealley Hudsons Bay model single bit in the local trappers supply store, there among the furs and traps and snares and skinning tools (well worth stopping in next time youre in beautiful downtown Whitehorse, Yukon). The Hudsons Bay axe evolved a few generations ago for voyagers and trappers and anyone who had to carry all their gear. The head weighs only 1 ¾ lb. and the 18 handle adds another half a pound or so. The poll is narrow, without the flare along the handle that you see on some of the beautiful hand-forged axes coming out of Sweden, and the butt extends about an inch; its made for driving stakes. Its a better all-round tool than a hatchet, although with the relatively short handle you still have to be careful to have something between you and whatever youre chopping.
There was some kind of varnish on the handle, but that came off with a few strokes of a sanding block. The grain follows the curve of the handle nicely; this one isnt likely to snap under hard use. The head is fitted with a traditional wooden wedge. Next step was to pin the head by drilling a hole (3/16) crosswise through the poll and driving in a nail. No way that head is going to fly off even if it does work loose.
Snow & Nealley drop forges their axes. Judging from the ease with which the drill went through, Id venture that the poll is deliberately left a bit softer for toughness, much like a zone tempered knife blade. The bit was definitely harder; it took a fair bit of work with a brand new mill bastard file to work the edge back, just like it advises in the Boy Scout manual. The grind wasnt bad, only a bit of a ridge on one side, but that smoothed out after half an hour. I was tempted to get out the Dremel, but, nah keep it traditional. Anyway, I ended up with a smoothly contoured convex edge that will only get better with each successive sharpening. A DMT coarse hone worked well to raise the burr and a few strokes of a DMT medium hone produced a shaving sharp edge. Two coats of tung oil shined up the handle nicely and will last longer than linseed oil.
It came with a medium weight leather sheath, not too bad, stitched, with some light rivets, and two snaps. I worked in a bit of SnowSeal and melted that in with a B&D paint stripper (much faster than a blow dryer and no complaints about fingerprints left on the grip. Just dont get it too close or itll cook the leather.) Ill make a heavier sheath out of thick sole leather and copper rivets so I wont have to worry about it working its way out of the sheath in the backpack.
For the initial test, I took a stroll up the mountain behind the town and while looking for the perfect Christmas tree, sliced off a few aspens and willows (the Klondike gold rush pioneers pretty well denuded the country for miles all around, but that was a century ago, so you can fell trees guilt-free here). Its a very efficient tool, slicing through three and four inch trunks with a whack or two. Splitting a few chunks of dried spruce proved no problem, and the light weight was a delight.
So its going into the Trapper Nelson backpack next hunting season, and will probably find a place in the daypack this winter for cross country skiing, too, if we ever get any snow. One old-time bush pilot who grew up in the Yukon told me this has been the warmest fall he can remember, that being 1943 as a kid in Whitehorse. But well get winter eventually and probably with a vengeance. When it does come, the little Hudsons Bay axe will serve nicely for fixing up a mid-day fire to thaw the sandwiches when were out on the trail.
So I was delighted to find a Snow & Nealley Hudsons Bay model single bit in the local trappers supply store, there among the furs and traps and snares and skinning tools (well worth stopping in next time youre in beautiful downtown Whitehorse, Yukon). The Hudsons Bay axe evolved a few generations ago for voyagers and trappers and anyone who had to carry all their gear. The head weighs only 1 ¾ lb. and the 18 handle adds another half a pound or so. The poll is narrow, without the flare along the handle that you see on some of the beautiful hand-forged axes coming out of Sweden, and the butt extends about an inch; its made for driving stakes. Its a better all-round tool than a hatchet, although with the relatively short handle you still have to be careful to have something between you and whatever youre chopping.
There was some kind of varnish on the handle, but that came off with a few strokes of a sanding block. The grain follows the curve of the handle nicely; this one isnt likely to snap under hard use. The head is fitted with a traditional wooden wedge. Next step was to pin the head by drilling a hole (3/16) crosswise through the poll and driving in a nail. No way that head is going to fly off even if it does work loose.
Snow & Nealley drop forges their axes. Judging from the ease with which the drill went through, Id venture that the poll is deliberately left a bit softer for toughness, much like a zone tempered knife blade. The bit was definitely harder; it took a fair bit of work with a brand new mill bastard file to work the edge back, just like it advises in the Boy Scout manual. The grind wasnt bad, only a bit of a ridge on one side, but that smoothed out after half an hour. I was tempted to get out the Dremel, but, nah keep it traditional. Anyway, I ended up with a smoothly contoured convex edge that will only get better with each successive sharpening. A DMT coarse hone worked well to raise the burr and a few strokes of a DMT medium hone produced a shaving sharp edge. Two coats of tung oil shined up the handle nicely and will last longer than linseed oil.
It came with a medium weight leather sheath, not too bad, stitched, with some light rivets, and two snaps. I worked in a bit of SnowSeal and melted that in with a B&D paint stripper (much faster than a blow dryer and no complaints about fingerprints left on the grip. Just dont get it too close or itll cook the leather.) Ill make a heavier sheath out of thick sole leather and copper rivets so I wont have to worry about it working its way out of the sheath in the backpack.
For the initial test, I took a stroll up the mountain behind the town and while looking for the perfect Christmas tree, sliced off a few aspens and willows (the Klondike gold rush pioneers pretty well denuded the country for miles all around, but that was a century ago, so you can fell trees guilt-free here). Its a very efficient tool, slicing through three and four inch trunks with a whack or two. Splitting a few chunks of dried spruce proved no problem, and the light weight was a delight.
So its going into the Trapper Nelson backpack next hunting season, and will probably find a place in the daypack this winter for cross country skiing, too, if we ever get any snow. One old-time bush pilot who grew up in the Yukon told me this has been the warmest fall he can remember, that being 1943 as a kid in Whitehorse. But well get winter eventually and probably with a vengeance. When it does come, the little Hudsons Bay axe will serve nicely for fixing up a mid-day fire to thaw the sandwiches when were out on the trail.