Jack of all trades axe

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DangerZone98

Joined
Dec 7, 2019
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Hey friends. I’m more of a knife person and know very little about axes. Just out of curiosity, is there a jack of all trades axe out there? Or at least a generalist versatile axe. Sort of like the Becker BK7 of the axe world. Thanks folks.
 
 
Yeah, that or the Fiskars X17. There are a lot of axes in the 2lb 24inch range, go longer if you are taller, and adjust the weight to your build. A lot of using that sort of general-purpose ax is in the technique, so if you have too heavy of an ax, you'll tire before you get dialed in. With more specialized axes it's more about the ax doing the work, so it's better to just have one you can swing, but that applies more for felling axes or splitting mauls. In either case, that mid-sized ax will be far easier to use and more effective than a hatchet, while also being far lighter and handier than a full-sized and more specialized ax.
 
It may seem paradoxical but there's so many all-purpose designs out there that "all purpose" needs specific ranges described to match you up with what best meets the spirit of what you're looking for. For most folks something ranging between a boy's axe and a full-sized 3-1/2lb axe is going to fill that need best, but of all the axes out there, which one to pick? That's where knowing the intended contexts of use will come in. Fortunately there's lots of functional overlap in that spread of axes, and if you have to you can use any of them to get the job done, and picking one as "best" comes down to the one that best balances its features across those task ranges.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
It may seem paradoxical but there's so many all-purpose designs out there that "all purpose" needs specific ranges described to match you up with what best meets the spirit of what you're looking for. For most folks something ranging between a boy's axe and a full-sized 3-1/2lb axe is going to fill that need best, but of all the axes out there, which one to pick? That's where knowing the intended contexts of use will come in. Fortunately there's lots of functional overlap in that spread of axes, and if you have to you can use any of them to get the job done, and picking one as "best" comes down to the one that best balances its features across those task ranges.
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Thanks for the insights. I won’t be using an axe soon unfortunately as I live in the city. Just started this discussion out of curiosity, and perhaps it might help someone out there get started with axes. Will keep this in mind. 😀
 
DangerZone98 said:
Thanks for the insights. I won’t be using an axe soon unfortunately as I live in the city. Just started this discussion out of curiosity, and perhaps it might help someone out there get started with axes. Will keep this in mind. 😀
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In which case I'd say just start with either a Council Tool boy's axe or a Fiskars 28" chopping axe and take it from there. Either will be a good intro to the tool and you can use that as your baseline of reference. Just take note during use any time you find yourself thinking "I wish this was more ______" or "I wish it was a little less _______" and that will help steer you in the direction of a more optimized tool. Also, once you actually find yourself in circumstances where you're using it, you'll start getting a better idea of what you need it to do well enough, better, and best.
 
Just for the sake of discussion, wouldnt something along the lines of a Saddle/Crusier be considered more of a jack-of-trades axe? IE the Council tools saddle axe?
 
Specifically the recently revised version of it. The previous version didn't have one.
 
Well I have a FortyTwoBlades-designed 28” Woox Forte coming, so I’ll be happy to stack it up against some of my favorites.

Finally, someone (my mother) got me one for my Birthday. Love that lady.

I’ve had great luck with the council tools boys axe. It punches above its weight class, and I’ve found it can do pretty big jobs if you’ve got a little experience.

Also a Council Tool Flying Fox Hatchet rehafted on a 28” handle is really fun to use.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
I'll be doing the Special Grade work on it tomorrow, in fact!
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Thanks for being kind to her- she’s a tough lady to deal with on a business level sometimes, with slightly unrealistic expectations. Tonight at dinner I had a great time telling her about how I know of you and how many cool things you have your hands in. (Somehow you’ve ended up dealing with many family members of mine. 🤣)

It looks like a solid design and I really can’t wait to use it. I’m gonna take that sucker camping in late April, but it’s going to chop wood as soon as I get it.
 
Hickory n steel said:
The hardened poll should be nice, but the HB pattern is a very light duty pattern.
The narrow poll allows the heads to prematurely loosen.
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The Hudson Bay in question could be best referred to as an "Improved Hudson Bay" pattern based on a tall-eyed variant that was produced for L. L. Bean for a time. Council Tool only just recently released them, to replace their old model.

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I think a boys axe is the best jack of all trades axe. There are also hatchet sized jack of all trades tools that are handy but can't do axe work because of their size.
42Blades is correct to ask for a set of tasks you want the tool for. That's the only way to match a tool to your needs.
 
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