Small forest axe head with scandinivian handle- crazy or crazy awesome?

A

ASharpCanadian

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Sep 12, 2011
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does this sound feasible-lighter axe with longer, safer handle. wont have as much bite as a scandi but might be better for some people
anyone tried this?
 
I've never done it with a Gransfors, as I don't own one. I'm sure someone has, and hopefully he'll be around soon with the answer to that.

It's likely that you'd have to remove a significant amount of wood to fit the haft though.


I can, however, tell you that my 24" Cold Steel Trail Hawk will outperform my 18" Trail Hawk in chopping. There's no reason that the SFA would work any different. The physics is the same, so it will work better, but be a little less convenient to carry.
 
It would take some getting used to I would think, but theoretically you'd get a better swing. If however you're used to letting the weight if the head do the work, I would think that the benefit curve flattens out a bit with such a light head. Visually, It would be like looking at a big dude with a small head.
 
a longer handle is not any safer it just changes which body part gets removed if you don't know what you are doing . However, I have done this to a SFA. I lightened the head and gave it a longer handle. I'll try to get pics tomorrow for you. What it does is give you speed and reach for limbing. Makes it less fatiguing for repetitive light cuts. Does not make it any safer to use unless losing your foot instead of your knee equates to increased safety;)
 
For 2 1/4 lb axes, I like a 25-26" handle. For anything 3 1/2 - 5 lbs, I like 28-32" handles. I'm uncomfortable with anything longer then a 32" handle (and I'm tall - 6'4").

I'm not sure how heavy the SFA is but a smaller axe on a longer handle will sometimes just not look right. For me handle does not equate safety - it's how you are swinging / handling the axe. I just go by fit and look.
 
I put a wetterlings hatchet on a 20" or so handle I had, it has a terrible fit in the eye, that hickory was tough, but it hold up solid from my use so far.
It looks better with the long handle then it did with the short one, imho.
376015_10150458600268470_517668469_8613846_2066079958_n.jpg
 
I've been running my 26 inch Wetterlings head on a 31 inch haft the last few weeks, it's not crazy. More leverage without adding much weight... makes sense to me! Just don't overswing if you're used to the short balance
 
Liam Ryan said:
I put a wetterlings hatchet on a 20" or so handle I had, it has a terrible fit in the eye, that hickory was tough, but it hold up solid from my use so far.
It looks better with the long handle then it did with the short one, imho.
376015_10150458600268470_517668469_8613846_2066079958_n.jpg
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Not sure about myself. I am not sure what you are really getting with this.

cooperhill said:
For 2 1/4 lb axes, I like a 25-26" handle. For anything 3 1/2 - 5 lbs, I like 28-32" handles. I'm uncomfortable with anything longer then a 32" handle (and I'm tall - 6'4").

I'm not sure how heavy the SFA is but a smaller axe on a longer handle will sometimes just not look right. For me handle does not equate safety - it's how you are swinging / handling the axe. I just go by fit and look.
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I am 6'3" and I insist on a 36" handle for anything over 3 lbs. But we all have our preferences I guess.
 
Well, this was the alternative.
wetterlings_small_axe.jpeg

I found that thing pretty much useless. It feels pretty lively in the hand, I picked up a standard hatchet handle for it but I think I may leave it the way it is.
 
adam0321 said:
May be a stupid question but what makes an axe worth $100.00??
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Before I answer, let me ask you a similar question. What makes a knife worth $100? What makes a rifle worth 10,000? What makes a car worth $100,000? What makes a house worth $1,000,000? It's all in the details.



The simplest answer is the combined total of materials, labor and shipping plus the markup (everyone's gotta eat, right?). Then there's more subjective things. A Gransfors axe, while more expensive than an Estwing, is built by hand. To some, that still counts for a lot. They are even personalized with the makers initials. The attention to detail allowed in hand forging and fitting each handle allows a much higher average quality than what comes out of a mass production outfit. This goes back to labor in my original formula, by the way. Then there's the market. The market is open to a $100+ axe, so they can sell them there. If they couldn't, they would either reduce the price, reduce the quality somewhere along the line or stop selling them all together.


The short-short answer is that they are better axes.
 
I look right past any new manufactured axe that costs less than $100. The vast majority of what is out there is junk. Sometimes you can find well made heads in the hardware store. Garant comes to mind but the handles usually need to be replaced when brand new.
 
I have many quality users that I paid 20-30 dollars for. The Swiss Kitchen Hatchet at 20 for example, is probably the nicest hatchet I own-it's of the same manufacturing and material quality as my norlund and sandvik hatchets, which cost significantly more. The fact of the matter is Gransfors has been the industry standard for a hundred years, and their steel is specifically tailored for the head geometry and combination of impact/cutting edge. Apparently you can't expect a good even edge for that price, but hey... after using and abusing Swedish axes for a few years now, I'd go on a limb and say they are among the highest quality hand tools in human history. Between the ergonomics, design and performance 100 dollars is easily justifiable. I've become more efficient at carving many things with an axe than I am with a carving knife, and can use the same tool for cutting down trees. If you swing a mexico-made True Value Collins axe and a similar sized GB axe, the differences are obvious. Then, when you throw packing the weight in there, and extenuating conditions like freezing temperatures, it becomes obvious that one is a tool you can trust your life to.
 
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