Back then, the axe head was handmade and so was the handle. The balance of an axe refers to where its center of gravity is located. Since the weight of the head is greater than the weight of the handle, an axe’s center of gravity is located just below the head near the top of the handle. Consequently, axes with heavy heads and shorter handles have the highest center of gravity, although a shorter handle will offer less striking leverage. Wooden axe handles are comfortable to hold, absorb shock well, and are reasonably durable. However, a wooden handle’s durability and short-absorption capacity will depend on the particular type of wood. Hickory wood is most commonly used for axe handles since it is robust and absorbs shock exceptionally well. For the power and velocity that only a long-handled axe can deliver, look no further. At 36 inches long and nearly 6 pounds, the Super Splitting Axe from Fiskars requires strength and fortitude to swing.
There is a protective steel collar of the handle for an extra firm grip which is placed below the head of the axe and round grooves towards the end. An axe head’s profile can be designed to serve a specific purpose or have a “general-purpose” design. Axe heads made for splitting have wide, wedge-shaped blades to split wood fibers horizontally with the grain. Felling axes, on the other hand, have thin and sharp blades to efficiently and effectively cut perpendicularly to wood fiber to cut down a tree. Multi- or general-purpose axes have a medium-thick profile suitable for both cutting and splitting. 14.25″ overall. 4.75″ axe head with 3″ cutting edge. Oak handle. Lanyard hole. SC steel blade. Brown leather belt sheath. Boxed. Made in Japan.
Hatchets are also sometimes referred to as house axes or camp axes, since they’re the type of axe you find around many homes and campgrounds. Hatchets are easy to carry and handle, so they’re ideal for activities like going camping. If your axe has a cover over the head, remove it so you can measure just the axe with nothing else in the way. As European intervention grew in the 17th through 19th centuries, the African iron market was flooded with European metals. These new materials required less effort and energy to procure than the elaborate traditional smelting process. These foreign metals, iron included, replaced traditionally made metal, but blacksmiths continued to make their stylized metal tools in traditional forms. In the colonial era of 1880–1950, European hardware entered the African markets, and this flow of cheap European goods managed to displace the traditional ways of the African blacksmith. Africans have been refining and smelting metal and making iron implements since 1200 B.C. In fact, the Iron Age occurred earlier in Africa than in Europe. Seal off the top with a wood resin epoxy or carpenter glue to ensure everything inside the eye of the axe is sealed in and tightly settled.
Using your drawknife, trim away the part that bound on the handle, and repeat the procedure. As you go, you will see larger areas that are binding. Trim off the parts that bind until the binding marks are just barely gone, and refit the head. When you pull the head off, you’ll see where your handle and eye didn’t line up. Place the tapered end of your handle in the eye and tap the other end of the handle with a wooden mallet. You can also use a regular hammer, but you will want to protect the end of the handle by holding another small block of wood against it. As best you can, use a pencil to establish a line that follows the grain down the side of your handle. It’s important to be as centered as possible before further shaping the handle. You’ll notice in the photo above that there are still some high spots on the top of the handle. At this point, rather than adjust the shaving horse for every turn, I hold the handle in place with a block of wood.
Discover how the best bushcraft axe offers a solution. Keep reading to learn what to look for, and find out why these models are recommended among the best axe options for do-it-yourselfers. Save money on your firewood supply by splitting and stocking your own with the help of an axe that’s a cut above the rest. I leave ~1/8″ – 3/16″ of handle sticking out the top. I’ve seen where other people leave a little more, others cut them flush. Do what feels right to you, just don’t leave too much sticking out the top as it may get banged up/split out causing the handle to come loose. A saw that is suitable to cut wood and possibly steel. A hacksaw would be the cheapest most logical choice. As all the other reviews say the handle broke off after three throws. The axe throws well but it was too loose at the head but I fixed it with some super glue.
Identical to the original ‘Seagrave Axe’, the 6 lb Head is mirror polished steel and measures 12″ long, including the 5″ Pick. If you are a squirrel, though, then these items are probably irrelevant. It can easily be converted into a target shape by the use of simple hand tools. With a little patience, I was able to shape the eye of the handle perfectly. Great idea on the baseball bat, I never thought of that and it’s a very good way to get a quality piece of wood. I know that some bats are made with maple, white ash and even bamboo, all of which would make great handle material. I took a piece that was cut to length and carved it into a handle in under an hour with one of those knives. Rounding and tapering the handle can be quite tricky I found. I started off by using the die grinder with a carbide burr. I started with grinding away the parts that I marked off in the last step to get the correct thickness/taper to the handle.
It too has a maul side as well as a side for splitting wood. This axe was designed to absorb shock while also being able to handle larger logs. The best time to apply finish to your axe handle is when it’s dry and sunny outside. If that’s not possible, do it in a dry place at least. It’ll take less time for the axe handle to dry and prevent moisture from getting in. Doing it when it’s dry will also ensure that the ambient moisture in the air is lower, and the wood of the handle will be evaporating moisture, not absorbing it. In fact, splitting axes are a particular type with typical geometry that won’t get stuck in the wood when you hit it. However, there is more to know when it comes down to an axe for chopping wood. The handle has a super nice-looking grain orientation aligned with the cutting edge there. The unit comes with a vegetable-tanned leather sheath with tap closure.
However, if you compare a maul costing 50 dollars with a splitting axe costing the same amount, the splitting maul will be of a lesser quality. In other words, a splitting maul is just slightly costlier than a similar quality splitting axe. Gone are the days when we had to chop wood thanks to technological advancement that gave birth to crosscut saws and chainsaws. Wood chopping leads to loss of a lot of wood in terms of useless chips that you leave in the woods to rot. Splitting wood has eliminated the terrible inefficiency of chopping. Splitting is highly efficient in preparing larger tree trunks into firewood leading to no waste. Traditionally, the double bit ax is for felling and limbing trees. The other edge is sharper, for chopping the limbs off the tree once it’s on the ground. The interior detail of the eye is tapered and allows for a strong mechanical bond.
This is mounted on a Tennessee Hickory handle and has been perfectly balanced for steady swings. A composite handle gives you a durable and stable tool. Our axes with composite handles are fitted with a reinforced PA shaft and a non-stick coating for reduced friction. The SOG Base Camp is another tough, single-piece axe that boasts a sleek finish, rubber grip and a decent flat head for knocking in tent pegs and stakes or any other bashing needs. At over 2lbs in weight and 16” long, however, this isn’t the most portable axe in our review. It also falls a little short of other one-piece or heavyweight competitors the Gerber Pack Hatchet, Estwing Sportsman and Husqvarna hatchet in terms of practicality. First of all, it arrives fairly blunt and will require some sharpening before cutting through even small branches efficiently. The blade and bit are also fairly shallow, meaning that, despite its size, the SOG struggles to make its way through larger chunks of wood. It could, moreover, double up as pretty handy tomahawk…winner! A superb option for backpacking and overnight hiking trips.
18 1/2″ overall. 6 3/4″ steel axe head with 3″ sharpened edge. Wood handle with imitation fur grip and feather embellishment. Made in China. Excellent prices on wood handle axes, knives, machetes, knife sharpeners, multi tools and flashlights. Another feature to take into account when buying such a tool is the bit. It refers to the part of the axe head responsible for splitting the wood. There are single-bit and double-bit models, depending on the preferences of users. The largest part of tools has a single bit, making them suitable for performing all kinds of woodcutting tasks. It looks like a demonic version of Thor’s hammer—Fiskars 28” all-black chopping axe comes with a built-in handle along the top, and an ever-sharp axe head that’s ideal for felling. The handle is designed to feel like you’re swinging an aluminum baseball bat—lightweight and fast, and delivers a bigger kick than wood. The traditional axe is made of solid, slightly curved wood, with a heavy, all-metal head at the end—there’s no better representation of a classic-looking axe than Husqvarna’s model. Husqvarna 26” Woodcutter’s Axe is great for all purposes, and includes a leather edge cover forsafe storage.
For a reliable, inexpensive felling axe, you can trust this option. If you’re on the hunt for your next axe, you’ve come to the right place. Not only have we narrowed down the selection to just 20 of the best options around, but we’ve separated those options by their types. American hickory wooden handles and Fibreglass handles are very much popular. As the name suggests axe head has 2 sharp edges on both sides of it for splitting. Always focus on the purpose for which you are buying an ax. This is the best axe used for various reasons like chopping wood, kindling, clearing trails, and keep it as camp or backpacking axe.
The handle of the ax, as well as the head region, have been weighed and positioned accordingly, to maximize the power that is being transmitted by the user onto the chopping block. This greatly multiplies the driving force, making the chopping process extremely convenient. This is what is referred to as a grinding technique, which forms the sharp edges around the head of the ax, for better effectivity and outcomes during cutting processes. What’s more, the sharp edges allow an effortless flow when diving through the wood, in order to achieve a greater degree of contact as supposed to other grades of manufacturing. We understand the importance of having top quality forestry tools. Professionals depend on it for their everyday tasks. That’s why our forestry tools are designed for pro loggers. Whether you’re deep in the forest, at the mill or in your yard, Husqvarna axes, hatchets, maulsand forestry tools lets you get your job done with ease. For that reason, the materials and construction of your camp axe or hatchet must be high quality. In the coolness and quirky stakes, the Off Grid Tools Survival Axe is very much a winner.
The blade was a no complaint, but I actually put a new edge on it like most axe I bought. The reason for this unit to be ideal for chopping is the tapered grind. Under the head is a part of the sleeve used to protect the handle from breaking. You can use an oil finish or any other wood finish you like. I am partial to oil finishes, as you can keep applying them and they penetrate the wood, so surface nicks don’t matter as much. Three or four coats are good to start, with a light sanding between coats to knock down the grain that might rise due to the wetting of the wood.