Performance in COLD! weather

[Boattale]

-41 C is fairly cold no matter what kind of axe.

 

[crbnSteeladdict]

I too live in a similar climate (i'm not hiding from anyone so here: 64.73715° N, -156.93066° E ).

There's plenty of broken Eswings around (i likes the remnants,make for some nice bottom-tooling at the forge),but not from the cold*.

As 42 says it's largely a hypothetical problem as the tool warms up rapidly from use. We had this discussion before,more than once,and the consensus was that given a modicum of care the issue is avoided easier by just paying attention to what you're doing vs seeking some Unobtainium as head material.

There's more danger the further South you go as the species get harder,and Square_peg had always wisely warned about them Doug fir knots on a cold morning...

But South or North it'd be an accident that would likely chip your axe,like here in a desperate situation if you whack the edge into that sno-go ski carbide ,why you're likely to bugger up that blade no matter what the T outside!

So if you just use your head and take care with where and what and how you aim that axe it'd probably work better than the fanciest of alloys.

* i'm sure that if you Wanted to you can slam an Estwing flat enough on a cold-enough day to fracture it,however all breaks i've ever seen were from the vapor trapped and corroding the thin metal of the handle at juncture with shank.
Pi$$ poor design,that,with all the force concentrating there as well,but the worst about them things is how hard the handle rubber gets in the cold. Lethal-slick in certain mitten/glove palm material...

I hope you did not answer Matushka Rossiya's call to arms and meant to type 64.73715° N, -156.93066° W, instead of 64.73715° N, -156.93066° E

 

[jake pogg]

I hope you did not answer Matushka Rossiya's call to arms and meant to type 64.73715° N, -156.93066° W, instead of 64.73715° N, -156.93066° E

Good eye!

I don't own a GPS and can never remember my long/lat,and so have shamelessly copied that off google...i wonder why it was E instead of W?!!!

But since it came up-the answer is f*** NO!!!

Slava Ukraine!

 

[Ernest DuBois]

I have been paid professionally for axe design work

I've been paid with great satisfaction, instruction and a very fine axe.

(Call it banter, call it palaver, a bit never did do harm.)

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

I've been paid with great satisfaction, instruction and a very fine axe.

(Call it banter, call it palaver, a bit never did do harm.)

Truly the greatest reward of design, though. What you learn in the process and being able to bring an idea to reality.

 

[Danke42]

Truly the greatest reward of design, though. What you learn in the process and being able to bring an idea to reality.

For me it was all the friends I made along the way.

 

[Planterz]

Honest question: Do the colder temperatures actually matter and make the steel more noticeably brittle, or is it more a matter of the wood being chopped more solidly frozen? Or both?

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Honest question: Do the colder temperatures actually matter and make the steel more noticeably brittle, or is it more a matter of the wood being chopped more solidly frozen? Or both?

Both. The degree to which steel is rendered brittle depends on the ductile-to-brittle transition temperature of the particular steel/its inherent toughness and the method/circumstances of use. The range at which this usually occurs is normally only in extreme cold, however.

 

[Square_peg]

There's more danger the further South you go as the species get harder,and Square_peg had always wisely warned about them Doug fir knots on a cold morning...

Actually it's Western Hemlock you have to watch out for. The knots can be glass hard. They're a danger even in warm weather but especially so in cold weather. Western Red Cedar knots can also be hard enough to chip an axe though it's knot as common as with hemlock.

True Temper warns us about using an axe in cold weather in their 1938 catalog.

 

[Ernest DuBois]

Once you look attentively at a surface of a hewn log construction invariably the ridge from a nicked axe blade will show up Which can even be traced back to the particular spot where the nick occurred, typically a knot as opposed to something foreign embedded in the wood, but that happens too. It's apparent that this happens regularly in the course of normal work with a. Variety of wood species which is not to say that every knot encountered results in nicks, that would be pitiful.
I remember a prominent example inspecting an old horse stable in Sweden. Stacked construction, two sides hewn parallel, spruce, naturally. At about two thirds of the height of the wall this distinct pattern in the hewn surface began and continued for the next few courses even increasing in number as other nicks occurred. So many things can be read into these tracks left by the axe. One, knots cause nicks causing ridges. Some will stop work and whet out nicks, some will continue on their way regardless.

 

[d762nato]

Titanium axe head.

And a Big Ti Knife as well.

 

[jmarston]

I did not read this whole thread so forgive me if I am beating a dead horse.

Living and working in the bush in Yukon Territory, temps would drop to negative 40 on the regular in winter.

I did notice the edge on my modern Gransfors Scandinavian forest axe would chip out more easily, especially when limbing trees while clearing trail or working on trap sets. Just very small chips but they were certainly there.

I liked to carry a cheaper, softer axe for this reason. It did the job just as well and I wouldn't cry if it bounced out of the toboggan into 6 ft of snow, never seen again.

One of the most popular brands used was Iltis Oxhead. Highly respected there. Otherwise, hardware store special was very common. For most, an axe was a backup as a chainsaw was often not too far away.

I did see my Ka Bar Cutlass Machete chip in those temps. It was being used by a very inexperienced user and I am guessing he had a full power glancing blow so the energy of his swing went completely into deflectingthe blade.

I am guessing these tales come from trappers whose lives relied on their axes and were unable to get another until spring breakup. To damage your axe to the point of being unusable could make your life either extremely difficult or could lead to your demise as you are unable to get your work done. To someone like that, an axe would be protected at all costs and any tricks to keep it from damage would be used. I am sure it has happened that axes have shattered. Maybe due to acceptable factory blemishes in the head leading to weakness in the right spot to lead to a head cracking.