recommended mini hatchet

L

laurens

Joined
Apr 28, 2006
Messages
65
hi I'm looking for a mini hatchet like the gb or the brkt.I currently take my gb wildlife but would like to cut down on the weight a little. I would expect the hatchet to do the following tasks
cut logs where my saw will jam
split small diameter wood with a battern
shape wedges etc from wood.
Basically I’m not sure which to get the gb or the brkt anyone got any opinions which would better suit my needs. In case it matters when I head out my typical set of edged tools would be frosts mora or helle a opinel and a bacho folding saw.
 
Wait for Cliff to chime in but the Fiskars is good if you can get one made in Finland . How small does it have to be ?
 
Sometimes I find need to cut a small fallen tree the saw will usually jam when it reaches a certain point as it gets pinched by the log.I just assumed that the small hatchets wouldn’t have enough weight to split effectively and a battern would need to be used. I would consider a large knife like a leuku too, whatever does the job.

this is looks to be the exact saw http://www.rittenhouse.ca/asp/product.asp?PG=1840
 
Thats a great looking saw . I find cutting as large a wedge as rhe saw will cut out of one side and then cutting straight into that wedge . I also push a little on the tree with my other hand . You have to be careful if the tree gives suddenly . There might be better techniques than mine as well . I think a good technique is as important as tool selection . You might start a thread asking for different tree felling techniques using different tools . That is a fine looking saw . It should be able to handle a small tree with ease . I do think a hatchet may be a more versatile camp tool . I am about at the same place as you in regards to tool selection . Good luck .
 
Generally what happens when the saw pinches is that the wood is falling in on it. It will happen immediately if you cut on the underside or on the side of a heavy lean. What you can do is cut a small wedge and just drive this in once the cut is deep to keep the wood off the saw. This is pretty fast with another person but even by yourself it isn't as cumbersome as it might sound. If the saw is sticking heavily the wood might also be too soft/sappy and it would benefit from a more coarse tpi.

You can split wood by pounding on an axe, but generally it is more effective to just reverse the axe and slam the poll into something rigid and drive the wood into the bit. If the round is really light, or you are splitting a large log then you can't do this, but the mini axes are really small and you would want to be really careful subjecting them to heavy impacts. Plus when they have been driven eye deep into the wood they are then problematic to proceed so they don't work well on knotty/twisted wood. I tend to just chop off a slab(s) and make wedges.

-Cliff
 
Do any of you do this: when a small log is stuck in on the axe, lift up the whole axe/log and swing it down on something solid?
 
Yeah, no one taught me how to use an axe. We cut down some trees and branches in our yard several years ago, and ended up with a bunch of 4-10 inc dia logs of some sort of pine and and 3-4 inc logs of brich. We had a fairly large (2 handed) axe in the garage that the previous owner left that had nothing resembling an edge. I didn't feel it would be safe to chop the wood considering my skill, so I split them by tapping in the axe-head until it could pick up the round and then hit it down on the concrete.
 
I'm leaning towards the gb the brkt mini axe looks to have very little wood in the eye I’m not sure it would last more than a couple of months. The bacho is a pretty good saw it has a stiff blade, which would be difficult to bend if you mess up. The teeth cut on both the push and the pull stroke which can be tiring if you cut a lot. There pretty light too.
 
I like the GB very much...The Vaughan subzero for 20.00 might be the best deal out there however....the new ones are thinner than the old and don't split as well but they do cut well.

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I recently bought a BRKT which is a polished and prettied up Vaughan. They report some quality control issues with the newest Vaughans and won't be making more.

If you can handsort the Vaughan is the best bet... If you can't and must buy mailorder like most of us I'd consider the GB or BRKT(while there are still some left)

The new Vaughan handles cost 4.00 and with careful use will give you a lot of mileage. Not as strong as the mini but pretty good unless youget the Vaughan trapped and want to pry it.
 
Seriously, if you are that concerned just push a little harder on the toilet the morning you leave. The Vaughan is just too frail IMHO and the extra weight for a GB or Wetterlings is literally a good hard morning push! :)
 
I'm going to get the gb mini for above reasons. oddly enough it is slightly more expensive than the wildlife.
thanks for your replies everyone
 
More expensive because the smallest GB is very hard to make and only one smith does them. Pretty much a custom product and I really like mine. Good choice.

I obviously like the mini hatchet concept and love taking mine out of a pocket and putting them to work. Properly shaped and sharpened as they are they do far more work than the usual greenhorn full size hatchet and are safer when sharper. You need to think about what you are doing thogh as the arc of a stroke will take you in the leg every time if you don't alter your method. I assume every stroke will lead to a follow through and alter my technique accordingly.

The one place the GB really pulls ahead of the stock Vaughan and BRKT is in wood shaping and you can leave the knife at home...though I don't.
 
Out of curiousity has anyone broken a Vaughan in wood working? Temper, how much is the Wetterling mini?

-Cliff
 
Old Jimbo or one of the other guys at Outdoors magazine who uses the Vaughan all the time reports going through one handle a year. He suggests you buy 2 handles with the Vaughan.

The handle cross section on the Vaughanis more like a small hammer than an axe and a good hickory handle will last a long time on a hammer. The Vaughan handles (I have three) have good to great grain orientation.

The GB mini's have a much bigger handle cross section but they are the only GB's that often have mediocre grain orientation. Probably can't stroke the little bugger hard enough to matter.

I never knew that Wetterlings made a mini but if they do someone let me know were to buy one as I must have all the mini-hatchets,,wahahahahah:p
 
North61 said:
The handle cross section on the Vaughanis more like a small hammer than an axe and a good hickory handle will last a long time on a hammer.
Click to expand...

That is what I was thinking on exactly. I have rarely seen small finishing hammers with broken handles, but then again you don't use them the same as heavier hammers, no work on 3.5" nails for sure. Just how small is the cross section of the eye. Can anyone photograph it with a quarter or similar next to it for a visual reference.

-Cliff
 
According to Ragners the Wetterling pocket is rated at 22.5 oz which is out of the 10, 11 and 13 oz class of the BRKT/ Vaughan and GB Mini.

The Vaughan/BEKT hatchet handle fits in a socket a smidgen under 1" long (.993) and .375 wide.

The GB Mini is 1.36 long x .62 wide for over twice the cross sectional area.
 
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