I would consider picking up a council boys axe just to get something in your hands ASAP. they are 2 1/4 pound and around 27 inches, which is a great size. they dont come sharp, but a few minutes with a file and a quick honing off the wire edge is all it will take. It will fill a spot in whatever eventual axe arsenal you put together too.
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Need AXE (possibly multiples) selection help...
- Thread starter Survivormind
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I would consider picking up a council boys axe just to get something in your hands ASAP. they are 2 1/4 pound and around 27 inches, which is a great size. they dont come sharp, but a few minutes with a file and a quick honing off the wire edge is all it will take. It will fill a spot in whatever eventual axe arsenal you put together too.
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An often neglected purchase for someone planning to use a big one-man saw in two-man (woman) mode is a decent second handle. Those little auxiliary handles are ok for occasional cutting, but if you plan to cut in two man mode a lot, you should buy a good western handle for it. Biggest drawback in using the aux handle is getting your finger pinched after crossing the halfway point on the log. A western handle has a finger guard. Depending on where the handle hole is though, you might need to drill another one closer to the tip of the saw.
Saw below is a topper - broken end of a longer saw made into a 4' one-man. Blade is heavy, single bucks well, and takes a big handle. These are fairly common on Ebay.
Thanks, Trailtime! Good to know info.
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Yep, just a misunderstanding. It happens on internet forums. Ott is good people.
A wise way to start the new year. Good on you.
That's how I roll, dude. I don't prefer confrontation so I'd rather just bury the axe (pun intended) unless there is real reason to make a war over it.
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G-pig, my wife and I were talking about this thread yesterday during my day off and I believe that is what we are going to do. Here's is my thinking on it after all you and everyone else has said. Please let me know if it sounds like I have my head up my keester...
We get these items...
A heavier 3.5 to 4 pound vintage axe. I imagine that a 4 lb head axe would be good for splitting with a wedge-shaped head. Is that right?
One of the Council Tool Boy's axes (good working weight for long periods and it would be a good work-sized axe for my wife).
Get a smaller axe, either a carpenter's axe or hewing axe for more of the clean up work on hewing.
Get a good vintage one-man saw, 4' plus, and have the option of adding an additional handle for my wife to work on the other end.
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By the way, I have to say that this task of picking out axes and a saw has probably been the most enjoyable part of this whole project. I literally have an excuse to buy some good tools. Love it.
I'd opt for a 3 1/2 for the big one. 4 pound will split a little better, but for scoring timbers, hewing etc the half pound will make a big difference. I have split 20"+ rounds of dry red oak with a 3 1/2 pound axe, so dont worry about that too much. Learn the Tom Clark/barefoot girl/sparrow method of hitting the end grain at an angle and levering the wood apart. makes a 3 1/2 pound axe split like a maul with way less energy expenditure. The council boys axe will probably suffice as a finishing tool for the timbers once you get a good edge on it. I would probably choose to invest in a nice little hatchet, they can be had on ebay for under 20 dollars. gives you better control than a boys axe (although that would suffice) but carving pegs, new handles, spoons, all manner of things really. in my electricity free wood shop the hatchets get used almost every day.
Just want to touch briefly upon profiling for splitting vs. chopping. The difference from one to the other is not really contingent upon the shape of the head from the factory. Ten or twenty minutes with a file could turn an axe either way. It has more to do with the first 6 or 8 MM of edge. The conventional mantra of thin=chopping thick=splitting is not entirely true (except for that initial point of penetration).
Here is an example of a wedge pattern, that flares out a lot but tapers into a very thin edge. I use these for bucking and scoring green pine and they penetrate almost as deep as a thinner axe, but wedge the chip out much better. A few minutes of filing at a more obtuse angle would reduce the penetration and turn it into a splitting axe. The same procedure can turn a comparatively thin axe into a splitting axe as well. A good file is all you need to turn one either way.
And for fun, here is a few hours work with a plain tooth and a double bit axe
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Sounds like good advice. I probably wouldn't bother spending a lot of money on a carpenter's axe. If you can find a great deal it would be worth it. However, a boy's axe and a good hatchet will be super versatile in comparison to a carpenter's axe. Personally, I wouldn't worry about a carpenter's axe unless I already had a good range of all purpose axes from 3.5 or 4 pounds down to 1 pound or so.
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OK, got it. I will definitely start looking for a good hatchet then. Vintage. That's great information guys! Thanks! And if that much firewood can be prepped in a few hours with those tools, I am definitely good to go as long as I get them and put in my time honing the skill. That's good to know. About how much firewood is that? Close to half a cord?
probably closer to a face cord. That was all cut a few years ago, I would say bucking, splitting, stacking etc probably 5 or 6 hours to be realistic. if you are cutting a ton, you can hone your system and cut back on the wasted time. It's more about how much energy goes into it as opposed to time. To saw through a 10" green pine like that with the plain tooth probably took 35 or 40 seconds (I wished I had timed it now), and at that pace you can saw for a long time. Keep in mind I am 5,5 125 pounds without any crazy muscle mass or anything.
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Nice! This is very good news. This means it should take me much less time than I thought to cut all the wood I will need. Awesome!
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I've seen that. Pretty cool.
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One option for a hewing axe that can also serve other purposes is the Jersey pattern--it has a wide bit with a fairly flat profile. The classic American feller with a high center cheek does not make as good a hewer as a Jersey pattern. I have some vintage axes similar to the one in the link.
http://counciltool.com/DisplayCategories.asp?pg=displaycategories&category=13
A dedicated hewing axe with a bent handle has very little usage for other things. I think the hewing axe was more the tool for carpenter/timber framers by trade than for the average frontiersmen. A flat Jersey pattern is pretty decent feller in some woods as well as a hewer.
http://counciltool.com/DisplayCategories.asp?pg=displaycategories&category=13
A dedicated hewing axe with a bent handle has very little usage for other things. I think the hewing axe was more the tool for carpenter/timber framers by trade than for the average frontiersmen. A flat Jersey pattern is pretty decent feller in some woods as well as a hewer.
I've attended many auctions at old farms here in the upper midwest over several years and hewing axes were quite common. Most of the settlers here were Finns or other northern europeans and typical homesteads contained several buildings of squared logs.
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That seems like a good idea. I have found myself steering away from my Jersey because of the flat cheeks. For chopping, I would much rather use a Connecticut.
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That's great information. guys.
Halfaxe, are you talking about estate sales? What kind of auctions are you talking about?
Halfaxe, are you talking about estate sales? What kind of auctions are you talking about?
Sometimes when the owners die the heirs just want to get rid of the stuff. Estate sales are common but sometimes the heirs hire an auctioneer to auction off the material. Used to be more common than estate sales here but now estate sales are more common where the prices is set.
I've found bargains at both but better bargains at auctions. The only downside is you have to wait while all the crap is sold until the auctioneer gets to the good stuff I want. It also helps if you are the only guy there that likes old tools.
I snapped a video of one of my plaintooths going. This is really dry pine, its better to cut it with a bit of moisture in it, it wont skip like I did a bunch of time. Also sawing on the wrong side of the sawhorse, and was tired from carrying the 16' log home on my shoulder. Hey, at least im not bullshatting you and trying to make it look glamorous. This is about the least fun as it gets cutting pine on a mostly sturdy saw buck.
[video=youtube;TPkU39o6w30]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPkU39o6w30&feature=youtu.be[/video]
Notice the caked on mud on the toe on the saw. Thats from using this saw in lots of weird angles during mud season
[video=youtube;TPkU39o6w30]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPkU39o6w30&feature=youtu.be[/video]
Notice the caked on mud on the toe on the saw. Thats from using this saw in lots of weird angles during mud season