Home Forums Gear Knives and Blades Axes - Swedish vs American - Which One?

Nothing about splitting, but all about “a small forest axe” .

The Gränsfors splitting maul and splitting ax work fine even with a five feet pole of fresh ash wood with a 12 inches diameter. I don't do that often just once for testing.

Granfors is good enough and readily available. Lesser known brands are often as good and sometimes just a tad cheaper or better suited for less common use but take enough effort to find and buy that counting time there is no saving. Semi and full custom are often a little better for a lot more money but may fall into the carry a lot and use a little category. Reading the old books on using an ax or more recently but not recent such as Game and the Gunner by Albert Pulling, Pierre Pulling who ended his career at Idaho State, I agree that it can be nice to make an ax hang to suit, all the more so in a double bit where one edge may be tad sharper and hung in while the other edge is a little less liable to chip. But folks at that level aren't asking at a forum like this one.

Then you started the thread?

I'm sticking with Swedish hatchets and axes. Wetterlings are my favorites. These two have given perfect service for more than 12 years now

Rough work, even with tag still attached.

Off to ignore with you mister.
LOL

Dave Spn
and looks about the same, after many years of rough work. They are bulletproof, represent a great value, and are as well made as any of the Swedish axes.

I have a GB Scandinavian Forest Axe in my truck. It has enough length to be a reasonable felling axe and still small enough to be easily carried. Safer than swinging a shorter one too. I find lots of reasons to use it.

jpb;
Good morning to you my friend, I actually hope you're not up reading this now since if you are, then you sleep like I do sometimes and that's not entirely optimum. Nonetheless when and if you read this I trust you're well rested and healthy.

Thanks for sharing the Gransfors axe factory details with us, that's very cool.

While I've certainly held a couple of them, I want to say I've never actually used one.

With me and axes, it's akin to .22 rifles but worse sir, so someday I'm going to break down, find them all, get some photos and a bit of background on them. There was a chunk of my life - perhaps about half of it actually if I'm being honest, that if while perusing flea markets I happened upon an axe head was made in Canada, USA or Sweden, it just came home with me.

All the rigs - including the commuter cars - had HB or Husqvarna axes in them. I believe there's 4 axes - including one tomahawk - that live in the pickup.

Some ready to have handles installed.



The top left one has what's know as a "boy's axe head" so a smaller eye. I've made it up with a fairly long handle and it's used for light limbing work, removing bark from firewood and for picking up blocks off the ground so I don't have to bend over.

Its interesting that at one time I absolutely would have shared ironbender's view that "an axe is an axe", but now having gone with both feet down the rabbit hole, I can say the subtle differences make all the difference in the world.

For instance for splitting Doug Fir, I used to use the two mauls exclusively. Then one day I stumbled across Buckin Billy Ray's channel - he's in Cedar, BC on the Island - and watched him splitting big chunks of Doug Fir with a double bit axe. Since I had 3 - am now down to 2 after sending one to a good home - but I fooled with those two, one Walters and one Sager.

Here's the "funny" thing jpb, there's one side of the Walters that splits big wood way, WAY easier than the other three sides. It's in the cheeks like Buckin claimed.... I believe anyways.

Axes that go along firewood cutting.



As far as your contention that a good usable axe should have a cutting edge harder than proverbial woodpecker lips, I'd agree 1000% - but - would add that some folks shouldn't have that because they can wreck a proverbial anvil, you know?

Not meaning to cast aspersions on anyone down here however, since like as not just the fact they're down here is an indicator they're not going to grind the edge into the bedrock.

Based upon your use as well as a few other like Don/huntsman, I'd say if the budget can absorb it, I'd recommend the OP get a GB first.

Then, if he finds he really likes it and uses it, start to hit the flea markets and purveyors of "interesting stuff" and see what's out there that can be re-handled to suit his specific needs.

After all, one always needs another axe.....

Best to you as we head into winter my friend.

Dwayne

Delighted to hear from you as always, Dwayne!

Indeed I was sleeping when your post appeared! As I write this, it is 930am and I'm waiting for my coffee to brew...

If my post is full of typos, it shows that I need caffeine to get my brain working.

You've hit the nail on the head with your observation that some people should NOT have axes with hard cutting edges because they'll chip them by cutting into stones or the like!

Overall, this has been quite an interesting thread - thanks to the original poster for starting it!

/John

I had to go back up and reread what I had typed, and it was that I *used to* think an axe is an axe.

We are in agreement there, sir!

Using pard bearhuntr’s Gransfors has disabused me of that notion.

Cheers, Dwayne!

ironbender;
Good evening my old friend, I hope the eve of Remembrance Day finds you all well up in your northern home.

For sure I do believe we're on the same page even though I've not used a Gransfors Bruks axe yet myself.

Again having gone down the proverbial rabbit hole with both feet and fooling with multiple grind profiles which I can adjust somewhat and cutting edge hardness which I cannot, over time the light went on enough times for me.

It's interesting to me that we're still learning the subtleties and vagaries of life and sometimes even a different axe in the hand will make us pause and go, "Huh"....

All the very best to you all sir.

Dwayne

PS;
I think you'd like that Swede made boys axe head in the one photo- it's that near magic combination of "just right" cheeks and woodpecker lips hard cutting edge. Magnificent tool truly.

I have one likes this that stays in my truck. Well made axe.

Short horn?

Used to have a longhorn cow with horns about like that.

I am convinced that some of the Swedish axes are top of the line. For everyday use packing around, it is hard to beat a fiskars. They are fairly cheap, light, can take a lot of abuse, and cut better than one would expect.