Large Chopper vs. Ax

Ben Dover said:
A small Western belt hatchet and a Bark River Northstar. In the summer, I have no need for firewood larger than that which I can break wirh my boot. and there is no need to split firewood in the summer when it's dry.

In the winter, I strap a 30 inch bow saw to the pack as well, so that I can have squared ends to split with the hatchet.
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That sounds more reasonable :D...how do you like your BR Northstar? Those look like nice knifes....I really like A2: That's what they're made of right? Look like awesome small bush blades. With the high polish they use they look like they'd be pretty rust resistant for the steel used. Maybe I could move away from Moras with one :D I like having a "disposable" blade for some things. I have no problem with lending or giving Mora's away. I might order a couple at a time every year or so. For $20 who can complain? :thumbup:
 
I prefer an ax and a 5"-6" fixed balde my self and even if I used a large chopper I would still want a smaller knife. Whatever works for you.
 
I agree, whatever works for ya :D Different people DEFINITELY have different tastes. I enjoy using my knives and like carrying them when hiking and camping. I've found a 9-10'' blade of 1/4'' stock to be pretty versatile when it comes to an array of chores. It's not perfect for anything but does well enough or is passable at pretty much everything. That's what I feel at least. There's nothing like a large axe for ease of splitting and such though.
 
I sometimes carry a big knife, mostly because I have it and want to use it. A hachet can be used as other tools as well, ie using the back as a hammer instead of the butt of the knife like a lot of ppl want to.

A sharp hachet can also be used to make wood shaving and such as well. NOt to mentioned it's a LOT cheaper than a big knife.

That being said, I'll chew off my own leg for a Busse, but my leg aint worth much.
 
Mmmmpf. These threads show up regularly, but I think nobody ever discusses the real advantages and disadvantages.

The following is only my opinion, of course:
A good axe has a lot more power (a LOT more) depending on size and weight. If you compare a 20" hunters axe with a 10" bladelength chopper, there isn't even a comparison. But a long chopper is much, much faster. On anything that doesn't give resistance to the blade, any branch up to 1.5" diameter for example is much easier cut with the chopper. The axe is in many cases too slow to cut it free hanging, so you need to put the branch on a support which is inefficient. The difference in efficiency is huge. On the other hand, any target that gives sufficent resistance to the blade, any larger branch, any branch close to the trunk, a tree etc. is much easier chopped with an axe.

There are the cutting competitions where choppers appear not far behind an axe, but the problem is that these tests and competitions are severly time limited. In 10 seconds or even a minute a good large chopper will come at least close to an axe or hatchet because it is faster and you can take more swings in the same amount of time. But it will cost you much more strength. Try the same, chopping continuously for 30 min. Fatigue will set in and you will take approximately the same number of swings with the axe as with the chopper and due to the much greater power delivery the axe will pull WAAAAAY ahead. But again that applies only to "hard targets". On soft targets always the chopper.

I have tested the RD9 and the Wetterlings hatchet against each other that way, they are almost the same OA length and weight. On heavy chopping the RD9 doesn't stand a chance. RD9 against 20" Wetterlings hunters axe and the comparison becomes useless, because they are so unevenly matched. But cleaning out a tree I have the RD9 always close at hand. It will cut cleanly through 1-1.5" freehanging branches, and is many times faster for that job than any axe.

Splitting, I usually prefer batoning the chopper.
 
Ben Dover said:
and a full size double bit 8 lb axe
Ben
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Just curious: is that a typo? I have never heard of an 8 lb double bit axe. 8 lbs is even heavy for a splitting maul and they are never double bit. A fullsize axe (double bit or single bit) is usually around 3.5 lbs (always head-weight of course).
 
A factor that has not been mentioned here is the skill of the person chopping. Some folk can hit their target each time, others just flail about like a caught trout.

Many a skilled woodsman has ventured into the wild with a double bit axe and a pen knife. The double bit axe had one edge which was keenly profiled to a razor sharp edge, the other was thicker to facilitate splitting. A good axeman would have never needed (or carried for that matter) a ten inch bowie knife. I doubt that many here have ever seen how sharp a properly reworked axe can be. The art of sharpening is a skill that can transform a store bought axe into a veritable chopper. When you combine a super sharp axe with strong set of skilled arms and shoulders, you've got a winning ticket.

The ten inch bowie comes mainly from a fighting heritage and the lore behind such a weapon has been the ingredient for many a fantasy wilderness tale. The axe is another matter. It can be argued that the US was fashioned with an axe, hammer and a saw. I am inclined to teach the proper use of tools, in other words, use the correct tool for the job at hand. These days, some have seemingly missed the notion of proper tool selection. Can a SAK cut down a huge pine tree? Sure, but why waste the energy?

Most of this comes down to personal taste, which seems obvious to me. If you need or require true chopping power, the axe is king. The smaller knives and bowie blades have their place even if they are just to make us feel like we had a stint in the Alamo.

And yes, I have an eight pound axe in my collection. They are rare, as most normal american axes top out at 5 to 6 pounds. Trojan and Tuatahi axes as well as some custom pieces can be heavier. A smaller hand axe from GB should fill most of your camping needs.
 
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