I need some help with my next axe

[PatrickKnight]

So to give you a bit of a back story, I have always been interested in axes but never been a user in fact I just got my first ax 3 months ago. I got a Husqvarna 26 inch ax locally for 40 bucks. I finally got the chance to put some good use on it last weekend and I found out somethings I liked and somethings I didn't like. It bit very well into my local hard wood (most a mix of hickory, maple, and oak with some cedar and pine thrown in) but it didn't split well at all. All the videos I see online show this ax splitting pretty well but from my experiences this wasn't the case. So I am on the look out for an old American ax that might give almost as good chopping or just as good but with better splitting abilities. My question is what pattern would best be suited for my uses? I would really like to keep the ax portable so I am looking for a boys ax 2.25 - 2.75 lb head on a 28 inch handle.

 

[300Six]

Believe it or not competent axe use requires a considerable amount of practice. Somewhat like all the wannabe race drivers out that have this unshakable belief that a larger engine or more expensive tires will miraculously turn them into Gilles Villeneuve. This simply does not happen.

 

[Square_peg]

You've quickly discovered what many of us have learned over the years - that flat-cheeked European axes don't make very good splitters. To their credit they do pretty well in bushcrafting chores.

But a vintage American boys axe with it's high centerline will perform similarly in those bushcrafting chores while excelling at chopping/bucking and doing OK at splitting. A truly good splitter needs more weight behind it than 2-1/2 pounds. I think of 4 pounds and up as being splitting axes.

But you also want portable so a vintage boys axe is best. A True Temper Flint Edge or Plumb axe suits your needs perfectly. There are also a ton of old Kelly Woodslasher boy's axes from the 60's and 70's kicking around that are good axes at a great value. These typically have no stamp (they were sold with a sticker), the high centerline you need and usually 6 ridges inside the eye.

Search for an axe without excessive wear on the toe - the upper tip of the bit. The toe should be longer than the heel - the lower tip.

 

[Agent_H]

There are also a ton of old Kelly Woodslasher boy's axes from the 60's and 70's kicking around that are good axes at a great value. These typically have no stamp (they were sold with a sticker), the high centerline you need and usually 6 ridges inside the eye.

Maybe get one in both sizes? They take a good edge and make good users. There are no markings to claim provenance but the fir and maples here don’t seem to notice.

4lbs


2 1/2 lbs Boy’s axe

 

[PatrickKnight]

Believe it or not competent axe use requires a considerable amount of practice. Somewhat like all the wannabe race drivers out that have this unshakable belief that a larger engine or more expensive tires will miraculously turn them into Gilles Villeneuve. This simply does not happen.

Oh I agree completely and I am sure some of the issues with splitting are me as well as the axe.

You've quickly discovered what many of us have learned over the years - that flat-cheeked European axes don't make very good splitters. To their credit they do pretty well in bushcrafting chores.

But a vintage American boys axe with it's high centerline will perform similarly in those bushcrafting chores while excelling at chopping/bucking and doing OK at splitting. A truly good splitter needs more weight behind it than 2-1/2 pounds. I think of 4 pounds and up as being splitting axes.

But you also want portable so a vintage boys axe is best. A True Temper Flint Edge or Plumb axe suits your needs perfectly. There are also a ton of old Kelly Woodslasher boy's axes from the 60's and 70's kicking around that are good axes at a great value. These typically have no stamp (they were sold with a sticker), the high centerline you need and usually 6 ridges inside the eye.

Search for an axe without excessive wear on the toe - the upper tip of the bit. The toe should be longer than the heel - the lower tip.

Do you have any idea which pattern would work best. I may be making this overly simple but I was thinking a Dayton pattern simply because I live about 20 minutes south of Dayton Ohio.

Maybe get one in both sizes? They take a good edge and make good users. There are no markings to claim provenance but the fir and maples here don’t seem to notice.

4lbs


2 1/2 lbs Boy’s axe

I eventually want to get a full size axe as well as a boys axe but I am trying to figure what works for me before I get more than one.

 

[Square_peg]

Do you have any idea which pattern would work best. I may be making this overly simple but I was thinking a Dayton pattern simply because I 20 about minutes south of Dayton Ohio.

Nothing wrong with a Dayton. I have family in Fairborn. Nice area. It's a little flat for my liking.

 

[BG_Farmer]

The difference in weight and size between boys and full size is less than you might think once you get used to it, but the difference in functionality for chopping and splitting is night and day. I'll gladly carry the extra pound and a half most of the time. Limbing is the only place I prefer the boys axe, and even then, the full sized axe can do it as well or better. For splitting only, I'd go with a maul and wedge(s) or a sledge and wedges, though I recently impressed myself splitting 16-18" red oak with a 3.5# axe.

 

[BG_Farmer]

Oh, just forgot to make clear that the Husqvarna is about as good a boys axe as you will find. Some vintage axe might be slightly better, but the weight and length are the real limitations, especially splitting.