In Need of and Axe. I like quality tools, any suggestions?

M

MRaymond

Joined
Jan 27, 2012
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My father in law dropped off a bunch of wood yesterday to burn in my fire pit. The logs are all the right size but need to be split. I could do some batoning with my BK9 for some of them but I would need to use an axe or hatchet for some of them. Can anyone give me some brands/ types that I should look into? Thanks!

Mike
 
Depends on several things:

1. Wood type
2. Splitting technique
3. What you can find in your area
4. How much work you're willing to put into it

Which means -- pine's a different deal than splitting maple and you'd want a different axe. If you've split with a maul you might have to learn to split with an axe (that's my thing right now, way more experience with an 8-pound maul).

If you have a timber supply company in your area that carries some good axes, or a good hardware store, you'll have more immediate choices that you can actually pick up and see how they feel. Little hard to do that online. In new axes, most guys will tell you that Collins today ain't the Collins of yesterday, and in my opinion they'd be right. Still and all if you buy a brand you recognize from a US maker and stay away from axes made in Mexico or China you'll be getting fair quality at the very least.

If you have time to look for axes and don't care when the wood gets knocked up, then check into Council Tool axes. Also look at the Swedes: Granfors Bruk, Hults Bruk and Wetterlings are all major brands. Some like 'em, some don't. Granfors and Wetterlings are owned by the same company now but they say they're keeping the brands separate. Hults Bruk imported a lot of axes into Canada and the US. They're OK axes (I have a 3.5# single-bit) and very good steel but the profile is not as "cheeky" as an older American axe.

If you want a good used axe then look at auctions, tool sales, secondhand stores and flea markets. Plan to buy an axe just for the head (if it still has a handle). Then buy a good handle and re-hang it for your style. Good handle makers is like good axes -- if I don't make my own from wood I've harvested I generally buy a Link handle and rework that. This is where the "how much time are you willing to spend" comes in.

Some prefer to split with a single-bit, others like the straight handle and balance of a nice old double-bit that's been sharpened enough to have a cheeky taper to it. Start with one axe, then get another one and see if you like the difference. Soon enough you'll have a wall full of axes in the shed and still be on the lookout for whatever you think is the perfect axe.

Cheers, eh!

Skiv
 
Thanks Skiv! I don't have any experience splitting wood to be honest. I just know it needs to be done and want the right tool for the job. The wood is Pine I believe. The largest diameter is approximately 8-10 inches. I know there will be a learning curve but work needs to be done and I would prefer to get it done with the right too:)
 
MRaymond said:
My father in law dropped off a bunch of wood yesterday to burn in my fire pit. The logs are all the right size but need to be split. I could do some batoning with my BK9 for some of them but I would need to use an axe or hatchet for some of them. Can anyone give me some brands/ types that I should look into? Thanks!

Mike
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Hello Mike,

Echoing Skiv let me suggest the Council Tools Boy Axe. It is a well made tool at a great price. More than one bushcrafter has raved about this product.

The weight of the head is 2.25 lbs., a good middle weight. The handle length is 28" before it is attached and probably around 26.5" after attachment.

An axe with a length of at least 25" is also much safer than a hatchet or small axe, particularly for someone new to axes.

Please consider reading through the Axecraft chapter of Mors Kochanski's book Bushcraft or something similar. Mr. Kochanski does a fine job of illustrating and outlining the hazards and axe handling that is safe and effective.

Boy Scouts of America also has a very good safety course. It includes the idea of an "axe yard", a marked space that only the handler of the axe is allowed in while axe work is going on.

There are also a bunch of YouTube videos about safe use of an axe that would be worth your while, including one or two by Ray Mears.

All the best,
Distelfink
 
I'd recommend a larger ax. 3.5 lb head on a 32-36" handle. For splitting pine a hardware store TrueTemper True American works just fine. I use a splitting block under my wood but there are some that don't. If you want a nicer ax you might try the Velvicut (?) by Collins.
 
MRaymond said:
The wood is Pine I believe. The largest diameter is approximately 8-10 inches.
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A 3-1/2 to 4 pound single bit on a 36" handle is great for splitting and will handle that size pine. Just watch the overstrikes - strike the near side of the log not the far side. Striking the far side can cause the handle to impact the log and crack. Just make sure your splitting block extends out past the log so you don't swing through the split and into your shin. Don't let the handle go past parallel with the ground and it will keep your shins safe.

A vintage North American axe with convex cheeks will split much better then a thin flat-cheeked axe. Those are for bushcraft. If you don't want to bother with re-hanging a vintage axe then look at Council Tools. They have good stuff.

For 10" or 12" pine I'd almost be tempted to add a maul. Either that or a sledge and wedges. Lately I find myself skipping the maul and going from the axe to the wedges. But my main splitting axe is a 5-pounder so the maul doesn't add much to the effort.
 
Almost any new axe from Council or Barco, or the local hardware store, will require a bit of work to get it in to usable condition. They are not ready to go, right off the shelf. A sledge (not the poll of an axe) and wedge is ready to go. I would get two wedges, depending on the type of wood. Some can be quite stubborn.
 
8 to 10 inch pine? Burns 'as is' if it's already dry, or, wander over to your neighbour's with a couple of donor cans of beer and borrow his axe. If the stuff is all full of knots (there'll likely be 4 big knots at almost every foot of trunk if these are small trees as you describe) you might just want to settle for a big bonfire anyway. Keep your legs apart when swinging an axe downwards and don't try quartering a log right off the bat; take chunks off all around first. Unless of course you can get your hands on a splitting maul and a sledge hammer. You're least likely to hurt yourself that way and you won't get a sideline serious workout from having to pry a sharp blade out of the wood every time you take a swing either.
 
Splitting mauls are the preferred tool for splitting wood. They have more weight, and a steeper angle on the cheeks to put more force wedging the wood grain apart. It's leverage. A thin faced felling axe simply can't keep up with a splitting maul for the amount of work and the results.

Any farm and home store, chain saw retailer, or hardware store carries them.
 
tirod3 said:
Splitting mauls are the preferred tool for splitting wood. They have more weight, and a steeper angle on the cheeks to put more force wedging the wood grain apart. It's leverage. A thin faced felling axe simply can't keep up with a splitting maul for the amount of work and the results.

Any farm and home store, chain saw retailer, or hardware store carries them.
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Thank you tirod3 and/but (my truck and my car only has 2 (tie-rods; tirod?) instead of 3) and we seem to agree. Axes (if well used) are a very personal thing. A new handle puts a whole different perspective on what was once just a 'unknown piece of steel' especially when you're unemployed, cold, winter is coming, and there are dead trees all about.
Heresay and opinion do not make instant experts of anybody, but experience sure does. A fella desperate to get through the winter does not go shopping for a custom decorator/Yuppie axe that may, or may not, prove to be of any use, but instead goes looking for a practical used one that has a sound handle and looks like it could still be worked.
Could be I'm old-fashioned, or stupid, but I sure do love "wood" when it comes to tool handles (and for that matter, gun stocks!). Plastics may keep insurance companies and offshore peons happy but they are cold and impersonal if you use them all day and if you learn to read the grain the vibes they impart on you cannot be improved upon. Native Americans always talk about 'being one with the Land' and this is but one small way of experiencing that very feeling.
But don't go out and practice on your neighbour's fence.
 
tirod3 said:
Splitting mauls are the preferred tool for splitting wood.
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Preferred by who? You? Well that's fine. Many people like mauls. But a good bit of wood has been split with an axe. Most of my splitting is done with an axe (I heat with wood like many of you). Where an axe will do it is faster and easier to use than a maul. Then there is some wood that responds better to the weight of the maul. Beyond that is wood that requires wedges. The only tool set that will fulfill all requirements is a sledge and wedges. For me the amount of wood that falls between an axe and wedges is minimal. I do still use a maul for that wood. I choose whatever is most efficient.

If I had to go with one splitting tool then I would choose the axe - accepting that some wood just wasn't going to be split. But 8"-10" pine would all be split.
 
I agree with Square_Peg. There are times when a maul or wedges are needed, but for the most part axes are just as fast or faster. It takes less energy to swing a 3.5 pound axe than a 6-8 pound maul or even heavier sledge hammer. You can get the lighter axe head moving much faster than a maul. This offsets the maul's weight advantage. Axes are also much less work if the wood is straight grained softwood like pine.

Another advantage to axes is when you split a round and the halves or quarters fall off your splitting block, you can sink an axe into the end and pick up the half. You can't do that with a maul, no matter how sharp it is. That way you don't have to bend over, pick the half up, and put it back on the block. You can't believe how much energy that tactic saves. Burning wood is hard enough on the back without the extra lifting.

I personally prefer a 3.5 pound double bit for splitting. You can't beat vintage American axes. Splitting a huge pile of wood is very rewarding.

Good luck, and post some pictures of what you end up getting.
 
Of course it does depend a little on the length of the wood and the type of pine. Ponderosa seems to be easier than Lodgepole. My firebox is short so I like my wood 12 - 14". At that length, for dry wood, the ax suffices.
 
bbforstr said:
I agree with Square_Peg. There are times when a maul or wedges are needed, but for the most part axes are just as fast or faster. It takes less energy to swing a 3.5 pound axe than a 6-8 pound maul or even heavier sledge hammer. You can get the lighter axe head moving much faster than a maul. This offsets the maul's weight advantage. Axes are also much less work if the wood is straight grained softwood like pine.
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"...but for the most part axes are just as fast or faster. It takes less energy to swing a 3.5 pound axe than a 6-8 pound maul..."
Perhaps you want to rethink the physics of these motions. You have to swing an axe hard to get somewhere but you only try to guide/drop a sledge or maul by using the least energy you can get away with. You let the tool do the work.
I'm not going to argue with you; you do things your way and I'll continue to do mine.
Are you the type of guy to want to use a scissorjack to lift your car only because hydraulics isn't manly or effort enough?
 
300Six said:
"...but for the most part axes are just as fast or faster. It takes less energy to swing a 3.5 pound axe than a 6-8 pound maul..."
Perhaps you want to rethink the physics of these motions. You have to swing an axe hard to get somewhere but you only try to guide/drop a sledge or maul by using the least energy you can get away with. You let the tool do the work.
I'm not going to argue with you; you do things your way and I'll continue to do mine.
Are you the type of guy to want to use a scissorjack to lift your car only because hydraulics isn't manly or effort enough?
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What you are saying is a contradiction. By strict physics, Energy = mass x velocity. You don't have to swing an axe "full power" on every swing either. You can also let them drop on a straight grained (pine) round of fire wood. 3.5 pounds vs. 6-8 pounds seems like a no-brainer to me. In addition being able to pick up pieces without bending over is a huge energy saver.

If you're splitting elm or locust, I would agree with you. Pine, not so much. I've been splitting wood for 38 years. I've used axes, mauls, wedges and sledges. Any time I'm splitting softwoods, my first choice is a 3.5 pound DB. Maybe you should try it.
 
300Six said:
"...but for the most part axes are just as fast or faster. It takes less energy to swing a 3.5 pound axe than a 6-8 pound maul..."
Perhaps you want to rethink the physics of these motions. You have to swing an axe hard to get somewhere but you only try to guide/drop a sledge or maul by using the least energy you can get away with. You let the tool do the work.
I'm not going to argue with you; you do things your way and I'll continue to do mine.
Are you the type of guy to want to use a scissorjack to lift your car only because hydraulics isn't manly or effort enough?
Click to expand...

In addition, I look at each and every round I'm splitting. Through experience, I can see where to strike the round for the most efficient split. If you just want to sit it on the block and hit it, a maul is definitely the tool for you.
 
bbforstr said:
In addition, I look at each and every round I'm splitting. Through experience, I can see where to strike the round for the most efficient split. If you just want to sit it on the block and hit it, a maul is definitely the tool for you.
Click to expand...
A lot of what you're suggesting goes without saying; I'm not new to this game either. You can do a lot of cursing and pounding and prying before you get the hang of splitting wood. I befriended a WWII vet years ago who had spent the Depression years gathering firewood for the family farm cookstove/summer kitchen/sugaring shack/home heat etc and even at age 75 (20 years ago) was still committed to a pulp axe (a Walters!) for splitting. But the way he told it to me this was all a question of efficiency; he didn't like going off into the bush for the day with anything more than a buck saw and one axe.
 
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