Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire A good hatchet

I have one of these on order. double-bit-trapper-hatchet

While not a hatchet, I've been happy with the Velvicut Hudson Bay Ax http://www.counciltool.com

the American-made Marbles are hella good tools.....



The G-B's even better...

I've been very happy with my Bahco 19'' Rucksack Axe from Ben's Backwoods.

Bahco Rucksack Axe

The loggers around here speak highly of Bahco's
I'm told they make Husky's stuff.

Gransfors in action

If I were buying a new axe or hatchet, I'd buy a Council Tools Velvicut Hudson Bay also. My neighbor and one of my hunting buds have them, use them hard in hunting and fishing camps and they really like them. They're made here in the USA, oddly enough.

I have an old Plumb Victory model axe, a very old Mann Tool Co. axe, an old 26" boy's axe of unknown make, two old Plumb hatchets (newest from 1965), and an Estwing 14" leather handled hatchet I bought new in 1988 at a hardware store in Grangeville, Idaho. All work fine for me.

L.W.

so do these...

I think you need one more of them Vaughn rigger's hatchets:) Do they take and hold a decent edge?

3 Vaughns and 2 plumbs. The Vaughns trump Plumb for both balance, driving, AND edge holding.

This.

I have a Gransfors, have had the opportunity to use custom axes with steel tempered by Bavarian elves and handles cannibalized from clapped out Stradivarius necks--haven't found anything better than Fiskars.

Fiskars mauls work darn good too.......


Casey

For something smaller & more handy for backpacking, this guy hand builds some very nice hatchets. I saw him set up at the big Tulsa Gun Show, last year, & the quality looked really really good!

http://www.2hawks.net/tomahawks/

Thanks for this thread. Few years back when my grandfather died and we were going through his things, I saw an old beat up axe in the corner, split handle, head pretty scratched up. Thought about throwing it away a few times but couldn't do it, always thought someday I'll clean it up and put a new handle on it.

This thread peaked my curiosity so I went out to the garage and found it, took a Brillo pad to it, and sure enough there is the crown and GBA logo, made in Sweden.

Looks like the axe head was once painted blue. I guess I found myself a new camp axe as soon as I get her sharpened and a new handle put on it. 3 1/2 head, so I'm thinking maybe a 24" handle would be a good size. Lot of sap on the handle, but it just looks too unsafe at this point.

I found one of my grandfathers old hatchets and had planned to send it to Scott to have it rehung and refurbished but upon closer examination I noticed a corner of the blade had at one time been chipped. The chip would have taken maybe 3/4" off the blade length.
I hated that..

G

I've had great results with the small hatchet from Bark River. They say it's starts as a Swedish military ax..I'm assuming they mean Granforth... that they modify to their specs.

http://www.dlttrading.com/bark-river-custom-axe.html

Good luck with whichver you chose.

Here are two hatchets I worked on myself, the lighter unit (top) is a cut down Norlund and the darker is a cut down Plumb BSA. The handles I made myself, same with the leatherwork.

Interesting enough that the Norlund will chip out if used on hard Gidgee or black box, but is generally fine with red gum...the Plumb handles all with no problems what so ever, and looks like [bleep] because I used it for grubbing out tree roots last week when I laid a storm water pipe through the nature strip.

They are both due for a 24 hour soak in linseed oil, which is not a problem as I picked up 60 litres for $300 from a local fellow...I am pleased with that purchase.

The new Plumb hatchets are softer and are nowhere near as good as this one, Both of these axes pictured are pre 70.


Ebay is your friend (gasp).

Good thread-didn't realize there are so many hatchet/axe aficionados around here. I think the $20-30 Fiskars is the best bang for the buck by a long ways. I have some older Finnish Gerbers that are similar and great too. Have a Wetterlings and a few Gransfors also. A Gransfor mini is an essential part of my hunting kit-the handle grooves are my modification for a more secure grip.

I'd be very surprised if the Swedish military use Granforth as they hand forged and are essentially hand built. If I had to guess, I'd venture something its something like Husky ie factory head but still very good quality...

I visited Granf�rs Bruk, and each smith stamps his initials on each axe head so if one ever cracks and the head comes back, everybody at the plant knows who let a head get out without proper tempering.

On the Swedish web page there is a list of all the 'smiths and their corresponding initials but I don't think their English-language page has this info.

Your (now customized) Gransf�rs Bruk Mini was made by Lennert Pettersson.

If by chance anybody else wants to know the name of the guy who made their Granf�rs Bruk axe, you can read the list HERE.

Trivial, yeah, I know! But then again, there seems to be some axe fanatics here and one of them might be interested...

John

Jeddi Swagger,

Its seems there is an odd coincidence here..On the strength of this thread I went out into the shed to look at the factory made Swedish hatchet I use for chopping morning sticks..The head is marked "HB" so I googled it and find out it stands for a "Hult Bruk" and they mass produced axes, often for other company's, but also for the Swedish Military.

Mine is a fairly recent axe, and I suspect that older military axes may be better steel / better made..They should be marked with three crowns plus "KB" and two digits which I assume is the year of production..In your case, this stamping may have been lost when then axe head was re ground..

Regards,

Peter