Is the Axe outdated?

[upnorth]

Another cool thing about axes re: being outdated, is if you look at the shape of heads through history, they really haven't changed. The materials they are made of have, but the shapes haven't.

You could say the axe is the one tool men got right the first time.

Yup, and I find the odd fur trade axe head up here while metal detecting, over 200 years old and basicly the same. Those guys didn't
fart around with knives because they could freeze and starve, being the first and only non aboriginals up here back then. I have lived in the far north and presently live on the edge of the Boreal. When you are turned around, it is getting dark out with a cold drizzle, and you are many miles from the nearest settlement, it all gets intensely real. I fool with the Becker Brute or tomahawks when I car camp or go lightly into the bush. But, my experience in deep isolated bush scared me several times, enough that I don't take it as a lark. The natives on lake Athabasca ALWAYS packed an axe on their snowmobiles in case the chain saw crapped out. And you die there quite easily without fire or shelter.

 

[oldpinecricker]

At one point I was an small folding saw and GB Mini ultralight person, until I actually used them.

These days I'm a little older and safety and getting the job done are my highest priorities. Now I carry an GB Scandi forest axe teamed up with an 24" Pole and paddle folding bucksaw and some form of 4" fixed blade.

The longer handle on the axe allows me to process wood safely and with more power, and the saw just makes sense everytime I use it and it bites into wood.

It's hard to think of the axe as being antiquated when I'm sitting in one of my wood heated tipis and I'm comfortable and warm.

The axe, saw, and knife. They compliment each other, and used together they can make for an pleasant existance in the woods when it's raining, snowing, or frigid on an clear cold night.

Gotta love those axes.

 

[A.L.]

Im my opinion,
axe is not outdated but the skills of the users. If you look at old or experienced people with axe you can see why it has been used for ages.

 

[NoFair]

No no you're all wrong...

A couple of years ago I watched youtube and there's this man who says....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-M78KIy19E

"Some armchair critics and car campers, sometimes inexperienced in backpacking, will tout the axe as a much better wood chopping and splitting tool than the survival knives I review and show in use.....but rarely will it make a good backcountry woods tool.....As Nutnfancys proven in real world, wilderness videos, theres just better, more efficient systems to use".

he was horrible with an axe.

Don't US kids use them as kids

Mid sized axe is an incredibly useful tool that works great together with a sharp 4" knife. Everything except delicate carving and food prep can be done with a good axe.

I like saws as well, but they aren't as versatile. They just cut.

Sverre

 

[j williams]

hell no the axe isnt outdated......lol.

 

[Fonly]

Haven't been on in a while, But I will throw in my two cents.

I have spent almost the last month in the bush. Many nights in the middle of now where and actually had a chance to get that need for the woods out of my blood. I have been kicking around with my Wetterlings LHA, if thats what its still called, and my master hunter, when you get this far north, and realistically, not that far north but far enough a machete really doesn't cut it.

I teach arctic survival, through the Canadian forces, and Local SAR groups, I in all ways incorporate the axe into my presentation. For the simple fact of how versatile it is once you fully understand its characteristics. Good edge geometry and proper design in an axe make it an invaluable tool in these woods, making stakes, traps, shelter, fire, signaling devices and anything you need a sharp edge tool for, its exactly what you need.

Think what you will, but if you can, find someone who has used an axe for years and spend some time with them in the bush, learn its proper uses and you will understand, and that question will not enter you mind. I didn't check your location, but it is possible that your in an area where other tools are more suited for your environment. If thats the case, try to find some survival instructors in the area and get some time out to really practice.

 

[Moosez45]

Thanks for all the post guys(gals). I never said that I didn't own an axe, use it and think it is well suited for the job at hand. I merely asked a question. One that would provoke thought. There is no better tool than an axe for chopping wood. Watching the evolution from the flint, to duo steel swedish, to modern metallurgical phenoms, axes are and will always be the best for chopping wood. That's what they are made to do. I really enjoyed reading about all of this, please excuse my OP for the method in which it was worded, but I was wanting to provoke some discussion. Thanks again. Moose

 

[cgd160]

Moosez45, I understand where your coming from. The axe isn't outdated and will not be until some one invents a light saber .

What is outdated is our need for the axe. An axe is a wilderness living tool and for most wilderness outings, isn't necessary.

 

[dannyboom18]

only thing i gotta say is that if i was going to live in the northern forests or mountains i would rather be left with an axe and not an knife, not a knife without an axe, but both would be well appreciated

 

[Yorkshire Boy]

All of these would do in a pinch!

GB Small Forest and Mini

Little big choppers

Just hanging out...

Johnny

 

[jeverettk]

"Nothing hurts like splitting a metric ton of hard wood while still green with a dull splitting axe!"

No kidding! Seriously, this is the true etymological origin of the term splitting headache.

 

[PDE]

No, the axe is as useful today as it was the moment it came into existence.

Especially vintage axes, which were designed in the days when almost all wood was
processed with axes. I think that many companies have forgotten how to make a great
axe since the chainsaw came about(minus GB, Wetterlings and a few others, of course.)

Axes just don't receive the praise they should.

 

[Erasmus]

I think it's easy to dismiss axes when people only seem to have experience with the horribly cheap ones.

My cheap axes are (subjectively) only about half as effective in processing firewood as my Gransfors Bruks, no matter how sharp they are made.

The money spent on a quality design gives you a well thought out tool which is ready to cut in an optimum manner. The materials, form, balance and execution are all first rate, and can be used well, to do a good job, with as little effort as possible.

Cheap axes are often badly shaped, have bad handle grain, come unsharpened, the heads are more than happy to fly off the handle, handles are shaped for deformed monkey paws instead of homo sapiens and suffer from bad wedging and geometry, inferior grades of wood and crude fat head profiles. They feel bad and clumsy in the hand.


By contrast, Gransfors Bruks got all important details right the first time, and is a positive joy to swing.

I've got a Kukri, and is by no means in the same class as a good axe.

This has been an interesting thread, and I've followed the remarks by our peeps in the colder, more Northern areas with some little interest.

 

[EMT_Lee]

I don't think they're outdated. But, I don't find them very useful for my purposes. If I wanted to process a large amount of wood, then I would certainly want an axe. If I'm just messing around in the woods, I'd rather have something that can deal with the mountain laurel, and briers.

 

[RedbeAR15]

There is a difference between an axe and a maul. My axe and maul will never be replaced by a knife

"Nothing hurts like splitting a metric ton of hard wood while still green with a dull splitting axe!"

No kidding! Seriously, this is the true etymological origin of the term splitting headache.

 

[WILLIAM.M]

Thanks for all the post guys(gals). I never said that I didn't own an axe, use it and think it is well suited for the job at hand. I merely asked a question. One that would provoke thought. There is no better tool than an axe for chopping wood. Watching the evolution from the flint, to duo steel swedish, to modern metallurgical phenoms, axes are and will always be the best for chopping wood. That's what they are made to do. I really enjoyed reading about all of this, please excuse my OP for the method in which it was worded, but I was wanting to provoke some discussion. Thanks again. Moose

I wish more people would look at the # of posts someone has made before giving advice.
Moose has over 4000 posts and knows the answer to the question better than most
It is just a question to get YOU thinking--Not him.
He probably has more axe experience than 90% of the people giving him advice.

 

[jeverettk]

There is a difference between an axe and a maul. My axe and maul will never be replaced by a knife

True, but either will give a green splitter a headache splitting green wood. After that first time, I learned that if I needed to split green, only split what I needed right then and finish off the rest when it's dried out some. Sad thing was my F-I-L was there and the old fart totally showed me up BAD. It was nice for him, though. Nowadays, I could probably beat him and a hydraulic splitter working together at the same time (mostly because they'd both still have to use more than one stroke to split a round into quarters ).

 

[ROCK6]

I wish more people would look at the # of posts someone has made before giving advice.
Moose has over 4000 posts and knows the answer to the question better than most
It is just a question to get YOU thinking--Not him.
He probably has more axe experience than 90% of the people giving him advice.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking...this is a thought provoking question. Where I currently live the axe is more of a niche or seasonal tool than necessity when outdoors. What I think many haven't considered (but it was already mentioned here) is that it's not so much the axe that is outdated, but the skills to use it are almost non-existent for most. I would consider myself one of those ignorant even though I grew up using a limbing axe and splitting maul in the PNW. Using an axe around the house is different when using the axe as a “bush” tool…the versatility is usually limited by skill and imagination.

One substitute for my area that I've going to experiment more with this summer is the heavier parang. I have both a Valiant model and the awesome Diving Sparrow version. These won't replace the axe as a heavy duty splitter, but will do well at processing a lot of wood for various projects. So far, I'm impressed with the chopping capabilities and it will also do well at clearing heavier brush. The blade profiles allow battening, use as a draw knife and the ability to choke-up for smaller tasks.

For me the axe is pretty much a seasonal tool, but I will keep them in my inventory and rotation as they are effective tools and I need to continue working on my own skill set and I'm amazed at what some experienced users can do with a decent axe.

ROCK6

 

[SouthernCross]

G'day Moosez

.....Is the design of the Axe outdated?

IMO, it depends on whether or not you believe the "condom approach to life" applies to life outdoors (i.e. one size fits all)

Axe, splitting maul, wedges & sledge hammer, hydrolic splitter, hatchet, tomahawk, big knife, kukri, folding saw, cross cut saw, chain saw, etc, etc, etc...

I hope I haven't missed anything.

Just some questions that I would consider, that would help me determine which is the more appropriate choice.:thumbup:

Are you going to be able to drive to your "wilderness campsite", or will you have to carry it "off trail"?

If car camping, then a chainsaw would be the obvious choice for felling & sectioning trees (assuming of course the authorities that manage these public accessible campsites will allow you to use it)

Does the public accessible "wilderness areas" see that much human traffic that all the natural deadfall has been picked bare? If they are, I guess they are not genuine wilderness areas to start with

If "off trail", remember you will have to carry the weight of the tool that is choosen. :thumbup:

BTW, does off trail to you mean flat topography with little undergrowth or does it mean steep mountainous areas with undergrowth that needs to be scrambled over?

What's the vegetation like in the area you are venturing? Is it soft woods, or softwoods?

Is chopping & splitting the only task you will require from your chosen tool?

Do you know of any techniques that can be used to break up wood that doesn't require an edged tool?

What about also using your chosen tool as a hammer, or as a carving tool for making campsite utensils, or to be able to strip bark for shelters?

Is your chosen tool viable to use as a replacement for your knife (in case of loss, breakage or other "typically internet SHTF scenarios" that can see you without your knife)?

I hope this helps, but then again maybe it hasn't




Kind regards
Mick

 

[Mannlicher]

change to whatever blade style you want Moose, your reasons seem sound, at least to you. <grin>

Personally, I like an ax, and will always choose that tool for felling, splitting, bucking up and limbing, as ac1d0v3r1d3 so aptly put it.