Question About Double Bit Axes

[Molly Hatchet]

I've never owned a double bit axe, but I'm looking at them now. I was wondering--are the two edges on double bit axes generally exactly the same, or are they different in some way? It seems to me that it would make sense to have one edge set up for one purpose and then have the other edge set up differently for another function. Can anyone speak to this?

 

[Operator1975]

You can have the 2 bits set up however you like. Both be for felling, limbing, etc. Or you can have one setup for felling or chopping, and the other for more "grub" work - stumps, splitting, etc, where that bit will come in contact with the ground. That side is usually sharpened differently, different angle back into the cheek, thicker, etc to take the abuse.

However you want to do it is up to you.

 

[Square_peg]

The common wisdom is to have one bit set up with a finer edge for felling and bucking and the other set up with a more durable edge for chopping knots, roots, etc. But I've read that many loggers kept both edges sharpened for felling. That was their primary work and it made more sense to have a backup bit for that work.

 

[Double Ott]

It is common around here to have finer bit for felling and a thicker bit for grub work. Or chopping near the ground. We live in a sandy area and I have actually seen sparks fly (at dusk) when using a chainsaw near the base of white pines. They seem to draw up the sand from the ground. I don't know what else could produce sparks using a chainsaw.
You can't see them during daylight hours.

Tom

 

[M3mphis]

I agree with the other guys. I like to keep one robust but still able to chop cleanly. I avoid the ground, but the thicker side I use for debarking, limbing, and when I'm just not sure what might be in the wood. When I have established a nice clean area to chop, I switch to the the thin, "performance" bit. Last February I put some really bad chips in one of my very favorite axes (a Legitimus Connecticut pattern) when trying to chop a big pitchy stump out to burn. It was a super stupid move, but if I had been using one of my double bits set up as described, I would have been much better off.

ETA: The reason I got such bad chips was because I chopped right into a rock that had been carried up into the base of the tree. I was really pissed off at myself, and my dad was looking at me like I had lost my marbles for throwing such a tantrum. It wasn't funny at the time, but sometimes a grown man has to have a little melt down.

 

[jpeeler]

My doubles are ground/sharpened for felling on both bits. When I'm dropping trees, I use a different axe if I think I could mess up the bit. I usually take 2-4 axes out with me if I'm doing a lot of work.