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Guest

Guest

Posted
Posted (edited)

As winter approaches and we now regularly have the stove lit I wad wondering what type of axe folks on here have.

 

Was thinking about just popping down to local b and q but before I do any recommendations as to type

 

Bugger title should be axe.

Edited by MJG
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alan_fincher Veteran II

alan_fincher

Posted
Posted

My we're being helpful tonight.

We do our best!

 

Personally for my last small axe I bought a cheap offering in Argos that was half price at about a fiver.

 

So far it seems no worse than a Spear & Jackson one I spent at least 4 times that on.

 

I'm such a lousy aim when splitting kindling that I regularly miss and bury the blade into the towpath, so reason that if I'm going to ruin it, it might as well be cheap.

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Québec Rising Star

Québec

Posted
Posted

No,no,no!

 

I have many axes, all different, for different jobs.

 

For a comprehensive list of the different types of axe, which one to use, and how best to use them, see this link:

Clicky

:)

To add to that list:

Boat Axe (used on the Cut for getting rid of life's little wrinkles or inconsiderate boaters)

Narrow Boat Axe (for getting rid of long, thin wrinkles or inconsiderate boaters)

Forum Axe (for cutting members down to size)

Ecofaxe (doesn't actually cut anything. Most people reckon it's an expensive toy)

BW axe (Old, rusty and blunt. One destined for the scrapheap of history)

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County4x4 Collaborator

County4x4

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Buy decent and buy once. A quality tool is much nicer and often easier to use. I've seen "indestructible" fibreglass shafted axes break in no time. My personal recommendation would be the right sort of axe for whatever you're doing from Gransfors Bruks. Every one hand made, and the individual smith's initials on every one. Will last a lifetime if looked after. And less money than you might think too!

 

Cheers,

 

Andy

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PeteS Collaborator

PeteS

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I have a small Spear and Jackson for kindling etc and bought a splitting maul off the web (can't remember the site) for about £15. These 2 cover every thing I need as I don't go in for full scale lumberjack style tree felling.

 

I have a couple of log splitters on order as well

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Guest

Guest

Posted
Posted

Surely an axe is an axe is an axe?

It chops wood when sharp, so I'd buy a sharp one!!

 

Sue please this is a 'man thing' - if someone can wobble on about how tight your nuts have to be for about 4 days I'm sure a bit of male bonding around a discussion about axes is allowed.....

 

(martin now urgently searching for tongue in cheek smiley....)

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Smelly Veteran

Smelly

Posted
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Funny you should ask this now as I was sharpening ours last night...

 

I've.got a.B&Q 2lb kindling axe with a steel handle that more than suffices for it's intended purpose. Second comes No's 7lb maul, a Hillary offering with fibreglass handle and after using that for it's intended someone convinced me that a felling axe was less likely to bounce when splitting hardwood so another fibreglass handled offering was purloined from Homebase. I can't.remember the brand.

 

I'd prefer not to buy fibreglass again as both are now failing, however the fair maid spotted a pink one at.Selly Oak.discount Tool Centre on Saturday so it may already be a done deal...

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carlt Veteran II

carlt

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Posted (edited)

I have, at last count, 14 different axes (plus several adzes, froes and a maul).

 

My favourite, which I have never used, is my Victorian masting axe (aka socket or mortice axe). If anyone ever needs a mast socket made, please can I come and chop it out, for you?

Edited by carlt
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Nine of Hearts Experienced

Nine of Hearts

Posted
Posted

Buy decent and buy once. A quality tool is much nicer and often easier to use. I've seen "indestructible" fibreglass shafted axes break in no time. My personal recommendation would be the right sort of axe for whatever you're doing from Gransfors Bruks. Every one hand made, and the individual smith's initials on every one. Will last a lifetime if looked after. And less money than you might think too!

 

Cheers,

 

Andy

 

I've had my £10 kindling axe for about ten years. So, presuming it's about to fail any time soon and subsequent ones will last as well, I'm going to have to live to be a hundred before the Gransfors Bruks £54 effort pays for itself. If you're a lumberjack, fair enough, but if you're chopping the odd bit of wood for your fire, over-design if you ask me.

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Athy Veteran II

AthyDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted

Thanks, Mr. T, for teaching me a new word: I had never heard of a "froe" before. Now, after a quick visit to that fount of knowledge Wikipedia, I know what one is.

This may be a regional thing, but no one has yet mentioned a hatchet. I have always understood an axe to be a long-handled tool needing both hands to grip and swing it, whereas a hatchet is a short-handled one which is swung with just one hand. We have one of each.

We also have a couple of metal wedges, each about 4" long, which are inserted in a crack in the wood and hit with a mallet to split awkward logs that won't yield to axe blows. is there a special name for these? They are not identical, as one tapers at a more acute angle than the other.

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alan_fincher Veteran II

alan_fincher

Posted
Posted

Surely an axe is an axe is an axe?

It chops wood when sharp, so I'd buy a sharp one!!

Actually at no point has Martin I think actually indicated intended use.

 

An axe suitable for splitting up offcuts of "two by two" to turn into kindling is a rather different beast to if you want to split large logs for burning as the main fuel.

 

We only do the former, so any little axe will do us. If I was into serious production of large fire logs, what we have would not be adequate.

 

So which, Martin ?

 

Or both ? - in which case I'd say two axes.....

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carlt Veteran II

carlt

Posted
Posted

Thanks, Mr. T, for teaching me a new word: I had never heard of a "froe" before. Now, after a quick visit to that fount of knowledge Wikipedia, I know what one is.

This may be a regional thing, but no one has yet mentioned a hatchet. I have always understood an axe to be a long-handled tool needing both hands to grip and swing it, whereas a hatchet is a short-handled one which is swung with just one hand. We have one of each.

We also have a couple of metal wedges, each about 4" long, which are inserted in a crack in the wood and hit with a mallet to split awkward logs that won't yield to axe blows. is there a special name for these? They are not identical, as one tapers at a more acute angle than the other.

A hatchet is usually used by those who think there are only two types of axe to describe a short handled double bitted axe.

 

It is a foreign word (from the French "Hachette" which means..."axe") whereas "axe" is from old English (though with, probably, Norse origins).

 

The wedges, as far as I know, are simply "splitting or riving wedges". I prefer to use a froe (or the huge axe that I bought from a Landlord, when I spotted it nailed to a pub wall) because, when splitting large or tight grained logs, you can spend a lot of time recovering your buried wedge whereas you can always knock a froe through (used correctly).

 

Actually at no point has Martin I think actually indicated intended use.

 

An axe suitable for splitting up offcuts of "two by two" to turn into kindling is a rather different beast to if you want to split large logs for burning as the main fuel.

I have a billhook, for making kindling and a hefty butchers knife, for making pegs, to bung old spike holes, in wooden boats.

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Québec Rising Star

Québec

Posted
Posted

We also have a couple of metal wedges, each about 4" long, which are inserted in a crack in the wood and hit with a mallet to split awkward logs that won't yield to axe blows. is there a special name for these? They are not identical, as one tapers at a more acute angle than the other.

 

Possibly one of these?.....

 

Clicky

 

p3123335_l.jpg

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