Cliff Stamp
BANNED
- Joined
- Oct 5, 1998
- Messages
- 17,562
The first thing that is obvious is that NIB you are not going to be cutting anything with this blade. The edge bevels are not fully ground meaning that they don't meet. It is impossible to do any light work with it, and even chopping is not practical as you compress more than cut the wood.
In order to enable it to cut, a decent amount of steel needs to be removed, a loose estimate, I would say about .25 - 0.5 mm (the width of the actual edge). The head however is soft and files easily. I ground a decent edge on it in about 5 minutes, going above the factory bevel a few degrees to speed the process up.
I did some chopping with it (some felling, limbing and some scrap chopping) and it was readily outperformed by the smaller Granfors Bruks Wildlife Hatchet. Most of this was due simply to the much more obtuse edge on the Norse 'Hawk. The Gransfors Bruks hatchet has about an 11 degree edge bevel. The Norse had about a 25+ degree bevel on top of one about 18-20 degrees.
I then used a belt sander to put an even 16 degree bevel on the Norse 'Hawk, lowering it a little from the factory bevel. It now cut decently well, but was still easily outperformed by the Gransfors Bruks hatchet even though it has a shorter handle. Again, simply because of the significant difference in the edge grinds.
There is also a huge difference in the primary grinds. The Gransfors Brux hatchet has the traditional convex/hollow profile which reduces binding while still allowing good penetration. The Norse Hatchet has a much thinner head and binds readily in larger wood. Spitting with it is next to impossible. I had some rounds of fresh cut pine (easy to split), about 4-8" thick and the Norse 'Hawk would just lodge in them, the Gransfors Bruks hatchet easily split them apart.
I loaned it out to a few friends, one of who is currently clear cutting some land (building lots). I also gave them the Brux hatchet. There was strong agreement across the board that for felling and limbing the Wildlife hatchet outperformed the Norse 'Hawk by a large margin. However even the Norse 'Hawk was preferred to the Cold Steel Trailmaster (with NIB edge profile), which is decent large chopper for a blade.
The edge holding on the 'Hawk was also much less than with the Hatchet. But a large part of that was simply because I never put a lot of effort into sharpening the 'Hawk. It was left fairly rough (pretty much right off of the belt I used to shape the edge with only minor refinement) as the people I lent it to don't have much of a clue (relatives) and I didn't figure that a razor edge was going to be of much benefit considering the kind of use that was likely.
The Bruks Hatchet also has a more comfortable and secure handle, and the head comes attached, glued, wedged and metal cross wedged. The Cold Steel 'Hawk comes unassembled. The handle is straight and a little thin, which is not great for cutting but does work much better than the Hatchet handle for throwing.
In regards to throwing, the handle is smooth and uniform and the 'Hawk releases easily. I would want the edge a lot thinner than it currently is to increase penetration, but it sinks in decently on soft wood (pine). You do need a very forceful throw compared to the Hatchet which will readily sink in if you just drop it.
I will leave the edge at 16-17 degrees for awhile and do some work comparing it to the Bruks Hatchet and a decently large knife, probably the Battle Mistress in some detail. Chopping and fine cutting, examining edge holding, cutting performance, durability, handle issues etc. . I will also lower the edge angle later on (to about 10-12 degrees) assuming the head stays in one piece and the edge does not get heavily damaged on knots and such.
The Brux Hatchet has a 20 year warrenty, assuming you follow the advice in the "Axe Book", the 'Hawk has Cold Steels warrenty or lack thereof. There is a significant difference in the price. The 'Hawk can be found for less that $20, the Hatchet is about $50.
-Cliff
[ 03-26-2001: Message edited by: Cliff Stamp ]
In order to enable it to cut, a decent amount of steel needs to be removed, a loose estimate, I would say about .25 - 0.5 mm (the width of the actual edge). The head however is soft and files easily. I ground a decent edge on it in about 5 minutes, going above the factory bevel a few degrees to speed the process up.
I did some chopping with it (some felling, limbing and some scrap chopping) and it was readily outperformed by the smaller Granfors Bruks Wildlife Hatchet. Most of this was due simply to the much more obtuse edge on the Norse 'Hawk. The Gransfors Bruks hatchet has about an 11 degree edge bevel. The Norse had about a 25+ degree bevel on top of one about 18-20 degrees.
I then used a belt sander to put an even 16 degree bevel on the Norse 'Hawk, lowering it a little from the factory bevel. It now cut decently well, but was still easily outperformed by the Gransfors Bruks hatchet even though it has a shorter handle. Again, simply because of the significant difference in the edge grinds.
There is also a huge difference in the primary grinds. The Gransfors Brux hatchet has the traditional convex/hollow profile which reduces binding while still allowing good penetration. The Norse Hatchet has a much thinner head and binds readily in larger wood. Spitting with it is next to impossible. I had some rounds of fresh cut pine (easy to split), about 4-8" thick and the Norse 'Hawk would just lodge in them, the Gransfors Bruks hatchet easily split them apart.
I loaned it out to a few friends, one of who is currently clear cutting some land (building lots). I also gave them the Brux hatchet. There was strong agreement across the board that for felling and limbing the Wildlife hatchet outperformed the Norse 'Hawk by a large margin. However even the Norse 'Hawk was preferred to the Cold Steel Trailmaster (with NIB edge profile), which is decent large chopper for a blade.
The edge holding on the 'Hawk was also much less than with the Hatchet. But a large part of that was simply because I never put a lot of effort into sharpening the 'Hawk. It was left fairly rough (pretty much right off of the belt I used to shape the edge with only minor refinement) as the people I lent it to don't have much of a clue (relatives) and I didn't figure that a razor edge was going to be of much benefit considering the kind of use that was likely.
The Bruks Hatchet also has a more comfortable and secure handle, and the head comes attached, glued, wedged and metal cross wedged. The Cold Steel 'Hawk comes unassembled. The handle is straight and a little thin, which is not great for cutting but does work much better than the Hatchet handle for throwing.
In regards to throwing, the handle is smooth and uniform and the 'Hawk releases easily. I would want the edge a lot thinner than it currently is to increase penetration, but it sinks in decently on soft wood (pine). You do need a very forceful throw compared to the Hatchet which will readily sink in if you just drop it.
I will leave the edge at 16-17 degrees for awhile and do some work comparing it to the Bruks Hatchet and a decently large knife, probably the Battle Mistress in some detail. Chopping and fine cutting, examining edge holding, cutting performance, durability, handle issues etc. . I will also lower the edge angle later on (to about 10-12 degrees) assuming the head stays in one piece and the edge does not get heavily damaged on knots and such.
The Brux Hatchet has a 20 year warrenty, assuming you follow the advice in the "Axe Book", the 'Hawk has Cold Steels warrenty or lack thereof. There is a significant difference in the price. The 'Hawk can be found for less that $20, the Hatchet is about $50.
-Cliff
[ 03-26-2001: Message edited by: Cliff Stamp ]