Preferences Poll

[Curt Hal]

I am conducting a little informal poll. What are people's preferences?
1. Hatchet weight and handle length?
2. Felling axe? Preferred weight and handle length?
3. Splitting axe? Preferred wight and handle length?

 

[Square_peg]

Too much variety in hatchets to answer that one. If you mean camp hatchet or boy scout hatchet then 1.5 lb., 16".

Felling: 3.5 lb., 36"
Splitting: 4 lb. or greater, 36"
Bucking: 3-4 lb., 32"-34"

 

[Woodcraft]

I do not often reach for a hatchet. I suppose I may bring a boys axe when others would bring a hatchet. I am pretty happy with a 3.5 lb head for bucking felling and splitting. If I need more than 3.5 lbs splitting I would rather use a maul. I like 36" for everything. If it is a dedicated bucking axe then a shorter handle is in order.

 

[Hickory n steel]

For hatchets I prefer a 1lb or less head on a 12-14" handle , anything more like a 1-1/4lb head deserves a longer 18-20" handle turning it into a mini axe. For some reason I just find 1-1/4lb to be too heavy for a 14-16" handle.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Really depends on the context for me. I mix and match head weights, profiles, and handle lengths dependent on what I'm doing so I don't have a strong preference other than within certain contexts. Crafting hatchets I like around 16" but otherwise I put hatchet sized heads on handles ranging from 18-22". I have a number of axes that in American terminology would be closest to "boy's axes" but don't quite fit neatly in that classification that I use for limbing, brushing, and scouting around in the woods that are on 18"-28" handles, and then full sized axes of various sorts on handles 28"-36". Some of those axes use slip-fit handles so I swap the handles out on the particular head depending on what I'm doing with it. For splitting I use a 5.5lb maul that uses such an eye and use it on a short 24" handle when splitting kindling but on a full sized handle for rounds. On hatchets I use heads ranging from a little over 3/4lb to about 1-1/2lbs, and boy's axes to full axes ranging from 1lb 2oz to about 4lb. I generally don't like going over 3lb unless the situation mandates it.

 

[Bugiberto]

Hatchet 18in 1.5lb head
Splitting 36in 4lb head
Felling 28in 3lb head

Multitudes of sizes I have available but this is what I primarily reach for. Sometimes I'll need a 14in hatchet or an 8-12lb maul or a 36in felling axe but my most used are the ones listed above.