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small bush axe?

dougo83 said:
I will say that the Gerber/Fiskars axes are great and probably far lighter than the other wooden-handled models. My only question is why? I had a backpaxe that I ended up returning because it was just too light and poorly balanced IMO.
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for some serious work I agree, I found the one I have works well in the garden and small work, thing I would want to beat my BK7 up on. cutting some 3" and under branches it flew right through them. on thing I admire about the gerber and fiskars axes are the heads, they are made very well. the fiskars splitter I had took a beating last year with frozen and wet wood. I held up very well.


After our dog was hit, I need to dig a grave, and not having a Gravel shovel I need to get a hole dug, and the only thing I had to get through the frozen ground was the fiskars. I took a bad beating, but I was able the fix the edge and it still worked great,
 
dougo83 said:
I will say that the Gerber/Fiskars axes are great and probably far lighter than the other wooden-handled models. My only question is why? I had a backpaxe that I ended up returning because it was just too light and poorly balanced IMO.
Click to expand...
"Cause a hollow plastic handle weighs less that a solid wooden handle?
 
i would take the fiskars backpacking when i wouldn't be able to take care of my tools as well as i like or if i knew i would be getting wet alot. i hate to see a wood handle not taken care of, so i bring the bombproof tools when i need to.
 
Vaughan and a Barkie

IMG_4758.jpg


I love tiny hatchets! :D
 
Another option could be a Crash Rat. They are pretty small and can chop pretty well. They also split wood quite well for their size because you can baton them. Only drawback is they are kinda heavy. A bonus is that you can throw them pretty well too.

DSC02994.JPG
 
akennedy73 said:
Vaughan and a Barkie

IMG_4758.jpg


I love tiny hatchets! :D
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Me too.
Finally got to use my Vaughan this week.
Neat little hatchet!
However mine needed some filework before i could put an edge on it.

And after i started using it i realized the handle is kind of "off" or angled about 8 or 10 degrees.
What i mean is its skewed off to the right when it should be pointing in the same direction as the cutting edge.
I may be able to sand/reshape the handle to fix that.
If not i have some handles and wood here, re-handling it shouldn't be too difficult.
 
How about a ATAX http://www.survival.com/atax.htm I think there was one with a hollow handle so you could make a half out of a stick. I found a old Plum brand hatchet and cut the handle down and reprofiled the head. it's not real pretty but it works and it was fun & cheap to make.
 
Anyone know anything about Ranko brand? I found an old axe head out by my barn awhile back and this thread got me to wondering about it. I got the old rotten, broken handle out of it and cleaned it up a bit and one one side of the rear of the bit it says "made in sweden" and the other side says "Ranko" under another word I can't make out.

I can't find anything when I search for it. Just wondering if anyone knows anything about this.

This thread also got me to thinking about small, very small, axes. I'm working on a couple that I'll try to post pics of soon.

Thanks,
SDS
 
DocArnie said:
Why does the Strider have a chisel grind?
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I noticed that to but and I remembered an article I read not long ago. It read
- The Chisel Grind
The chisel grind is a knife which is not ground at all on one side. So it is completely flat on one side, and has a bevel on the other. It is simple to produce (the maker need only grind one side), and simple to sharpen (it is sharpened on one side only, then the burr is stropped off the other side). It is also typically very sharp, due to the single bevel design. Whereas a blade ground on both sides might be sharpened at 20 degrees per side, for a total of 40-degrees edge angle, a chisel ground blade is often ground at around 30 degrees, making for a thin (and thus sharp) edge.

Accurate slices are very difficult with the chisel grind, due to the fact that the non-symmetrical design forces the knife to curve in the medium being cut.

Here is the link http://www.worldknives.com/info/des...ml?PHPSESSID=822b0c92552efc7c0344d73bf2732337

Someone should email Strider and ask why he used that grind. Or I will ask him If I meet him at an upcoming knife show. It is one tough looking axe.
 
that mini GB will blow your mind with irs capabilities.most versatile thing with an edge in my book.i own the little fiskars one too and it cant compare at all imo.

i'm so glad i got the GB mini
 
I've never heard of anyone that was sorry they popped for the GB Mini. :D It's a wonderful piece of gear. :thumbup:

Jeff

picture.php
 
jds1 said:
I've never heard of anyone that was sorry they popped for the GB Mini. :D It's a wonderful piece of gear. :thumbup:

Jeff

picture.php
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I start to believe that a GB Mini might be a better addition for my bushcraft gear than a Fallkniven F1. I already have a SAK Farmer, 2 Moras, a Böker Carbon Steel Hunter and a Fiskars 600.
I still need something that can be used for chopping/batoning but I think the Gränsfors will do the job much better than an F1.

Thanks for the pic BTW. The comparison with the Farmer is really helpful for me! :thumbup:
 
DocArnie said:
I start to believe that a GB Mini might be a better addition for my bushcraft gear than a Fallkniven F1. I already have a SAK Farmer, 2 Moras, a Böker Carbon Steel Hunter and a Fiskars 600.
I still need something that can be used for chopping/batoning but I think the Gränsfors will do the job much better than an F1.

Thanks for the pic BTW. The comparison with the Farmer is really helpful for me! :thumbup:
Click to expand...

I completely agree with your thinking. And you are very welcome for the photo. :D

Jeff
 
Originally Posted by DocArnie View Post
I start to believe that a GB Mini might be a better addition for my bushcraft gear than a Fallkniven F1. I already have a SAK Farmer, 2 Moras, a Böker Carbon Steel Hunter and a Fiskars 600.
I still need something that can be used for chopping/batoning but I think the Gränsfors will do the job much better than an F1.

Thanks for the pic BTW. The comparison with the Farmer is really helpful for me!
I completely agree with your thinking. And you are very welcome for the photo.

I'm not so sure. I don't usually carry an axe as they even the Fiskar and Gerber are just to bulky; heavy to. Not very heavy, but every pound counts. If I did bring it then something would have to stay as there is no point in dragging to much weight into the woods. Well I've been looking into some Swamp Rats and I think I found what I was looking for in a field Axe. Only problem is it might be a year until they release another one:( http://216.69.138.190/greenratchet.htm This Ratchet by Swamp Rat seems to be a good compromise between A heavy beast of an Axe from Striker http://www.worldknives.com/info/des...ml?PHPSESSID=822b0c92552efc7c0344d73bf2732337
And a light weight sissy axe from Fiskar or Gerber (I currently have a sissy axe from Gerber:D) The Swamp Rat actually looks to be a stronger and better chopper then those 2 groups I mentioned; but I only have experience with the Fiskar/Gerber so I can only make comparisons based on looks. I believe KnifeTest did some chopping test and discovered that A Busse Combat can out chop any field axe. So if you have a Busse then just use that in the field. Also I take into consideration where I am and where I would be going. Most of the time I camp in the West. CA and much of the west has many soft wood trees and even our hard wood trees (CA Oak) is pretty weak compared to the far North and East Coast. So I can get by with less of an Axe as I would need in another part of the country.
 
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