Show your Tools: Axes

[Eric Erb]

Here are my current axes. There's another american felling axe, but it's not terribly photogenic

i'm afraid i only know the make on the winchester broad (hewing) hatchet.

What do you chop with?

[David Weaver]

I've only got 3, and no pictures. Well, maybe 6 and not 3.

But the 3 good ones are a Kelly perfect double bit 4 pounder marked stiletto, a kelly 3-2 flint edge double bit, and a good plumb broad hatchet.

[Jim Belair]

Nice collection Eric.

[Tony Shea]

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Here's a pic of my first hatchet/axe I picked up and that I use for roughing out blanks. Don't mind the spoons, these are some of my first attempts at carving spoons so they are really rough.

I have since added a couple more, my favorite at the moment being a Roselli axe. It is a very weird axe but works wonderfully. The picture is not of mine, just something I took offline.
http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss174/ursusrubrum/Tomahawks/IMG_5417.jpg

So Eric, I noticed in your pictures that the Viking shaped axe doesn't get used all that much. Would you maybe be interested in selling it?

[Brian Ashton]

I get a giggle every time someone in aus refers to an axe or hatchet, they always call them tomahawks. couple times in the beginning they'd get quite offended because I would start laughing and yell out "hey honey, where's the tomahawk?" and she'd start laughing and say "it's in the teepee honey"...

[Frank Wilson]

I have several other axes that I like, but I don't have photos easily at hard.

First is a viking axe style carving axe. It is flat on one side and has a bevel on the other. I had it custom made to my specs by Michael Deibert. He made the head and I made the handle from Dogwood.

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Next is a rusty axe I found in my grandfathers shed. He died in '99, so there is no telling how long this was just sitting out there. I got it a few months ago.. There is a before and after pic.

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Last is an old broad axe that I am in the process of working on. I only have a before picture and its not a very good one.

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[Frank Wilson]

I forgot that I had these photos on my phone. They aren't the best quality but I think these axes are neat. They are Finnish axes. They were covered in rust and I gave them a vinegar bath and sharpened them. I need to get some handles made and try them.

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[Bob Jones]

I seriously need some axes and this thread is not helping :)

Please, do NOT pm me if you have a left hand beveled carpenters or shaping hatchet to sell. :)

[Jim Koepke]

I seriously need some axes and this thread is not helping :)

Don't feel bad Bob, none of my axes have looks worth putting in pictures.

One hatchet has a brand mark on it that may be of interest, but doubtfully of value.

jtk

[phil harold]

I thought my plumb ax was the schnitz
looks like I was wrong

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

I'm pretty good at swing an axe or firewood (although it's been a year or two since I've done so) and after seeing some of the prep work Follansbee does with one I've been intrigued with the idea of picking one up, but a couple of things come to mind -

I'm primarily interested in one for trimming the width of boards when something's too thick to plane, but thin enough you're not interested in the offcut, and just want to get the work done quickly. Currently I use a drawknife in this situation. I most frequently see the axe approach taken by folks like Follansbee, who do a lot of their work in green timbers. I pretty much only work with kiln-dried stuff, although I'd like to pick up some air-dried material. How well does the axe approach work in kiln-dried lumber for this type of task? (Aside from the obvious issues of run-out that would present themselves in non-riven material)

I just spent half a day fettling a bunch of vintage blades; I'm getting tired of tuning old tools. Does anyone make a decent single-bevel axe new?

[Frank Wilson]

Gransfor bruks makes a carving axe that is single beveled. They make different versions with different bevels. Sort of expensive. Not sure if that would meet your needs or not.

I have one I can try to take a picture of later. I won't get home from work till after 11 though.

[Tony Shea]

I'm pretty good at swing an axe or firewood (although it's been a year or two since I've done so) and after seeing some of the prep work Follansbee does with one I've been intrigued with the idea of picking one up, but a couple of things come to mind -

I'm primarily interested in one for trimming the width of boards when something's too thick to plane, but thin enough you're not interested in the offcut, and just want to get the work done quickly. Currently I use a drawknife in this situation. I most frequently see the axe approach taken by folks like Follansbee, who do a lot of their work in green timbers. I pretty much only work with kiln-dried stuff, although I'd like to pick up some air-dried material. How well does the axe approach work in kiln-dried lumber for this type of task? (Aside from the obvious issues of run-out that would present themselves in non-riven material)

I just spent half a day fettling a bunch of vintage blades; I'm getting tired of tuning old tools. Does anyone make a decent single-bevel axe new?

I personally use an axe a ton in my workshop, not just for carving but for hewing an edge close to the line that I don't want to rip saw off. I actually use them less now that I have a bandsaw but still choose the axe from time to time.

A huge misconception about using an axe in this method is that the axe needs to be a single bevel hewing axe. It is just as easy to use a typical double bevel axe to achieve the same result. It will just change the angle at which you chop into the wood. I actually prefer to use a double bevel axe in this situation. A single bevel will excel at hewing large faces flat such as trees into beams. But hewing the face of a kiln dried board is not much fun and really better suited to hand planes. But I hew kiln dried board edges all the time with my double bevel axes, works wonderfully.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyT87p16m1g

[Ralph Juarros]

Frank, that Viking ax is a beauty. The Finnish axes are gems also are. Thanks for posting pics. Ralph

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

Thanks guys. It's still a "someday" purchase for me, I can still get by with a drawknife or jack plane for now, but I appreciate the help. Given that I'm primarily looking for thinning down the width of a 1/2 or 3/4 to 1" stock, what size would y'all be looking at?

[Alfred Kraemer]

Here is my hewing hatchet/broad hatchet. On the bevel side there is a small stamping of the manufacturer, Underhill Edge Tools. I put a good handle on it after I found it five years ago, sharpened it, and it has been a solid performer when called upon. The edge is very hard. It is a laminated edge, and since the laminated steel portion is visible on both sides, I think the steel is laminated in a v-shape. The handle is just an off the shelf hickory handle with a wooden wedge.
At some point the edge must have hit a nail - see the divet on the back of the blade. While it is obvious, it didn't interfere with using the tool.
I don't use it as much as I thought, but it works very well. The edge retention is better than any of the previous hardware-store hatchets I have used.
I'm not sure how old this tool is: late 1800s early 1900s? I'm not sure when laminated hatchets stooped being made.

Alfred

[Jacob Nothstine]

I started acquiring hatchets and axes last year have found a few nice one. Have used a broad hatchet for woodworking, it's a good tool but makes a lot of waste. Adams Cherubini did a good demo in Popular Woodworking magazine. Here is a link magazine number.
http://www.popularwoodworking.com/articleindex/arts-mysteries-the-plane-my-brother-is

Here are my Broad hatchet and a framing hatchet.
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Here are the axes I have collected. A plumb double bit (electric tape in case you hit a electric wire:)), genuine Norlund, and a Collins Single bit Hudson Bay style this axes is my favorite just has a cool feel and balance to it. 276282

Another good web page about axes companies http://www.yesteryearstools.com/Yesteryears%20Tools/Home.html

Funny commercial about axes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRfQmWibq8A

[Mark Draper]

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I bought one of the broad axes in Cody Wyoming at a antique shop and carried it around town till I got back to my pickup. I told the story of the tie hacks many times that day.

[jason thigpen]

I got my hewing axe off the bay. Just the head only. Made the handle out of some walnut from our ranch. Made a leather sheath as well. This guy works great! I'd like a smaller one for finer work. The head on this is 6" across.

[Jim Koepke]

I told the story of the tie hacks many times that day.

The story of the tie hacks?

jtk

[Mark Draper]

Big part of the history of Dubois Wy They were cut near there and floated down the river to my hometown of Riverton where they were treated and shipped off. Cant find any local articles but this pretty much covers it. http://www.bchrs.org/collections/historyqa/tie_hackers.html

[Jim Koepke]

Thanks for the reply.

I guess I could be a spoon hacker.

jtk

[Mike Holbrook]

The guys at Country Workshops, outside Asheville, NC offer classes and books on: green wood carving, making spoons & bowls, making chairs. They import a very nice hatchet/axe, Hans Karlsson's Sloyd Axe, from a Willie Sundqvist design. It is the smaller axe used in the video above. They offer a few Gransfors Bruks axes and a small one made by Svante Djarv too. They also sell a selection of other nice tools for working green wood or dried hard wood. I talked to Drew Langsner who works there, teaches classes and has written a few books on the the use of these tools. I have two books and a DVD in the mail I hope. The axe and a couple other green wood tools were on back order but due to be in soon. The Country Workshops web site and Drew are a good resources for information.

The information at Country Workshops web site and Follansbee's Blog suggests that the Gransfors Bruks Axes benefit from a little flattening, at least on the hewing side. The selection of Gransfors Bruks Axes at Highland Woodworking does offer right and left hand versions of the standard 1900 hewing axe. The axes HW offers are flattened on the hewing side and the entire head of the axes have some twist to accommodate hewing flat surfaces. HW also offers a small selection of very reasonably priced Japanese laminated axes that look interesting. It seems that some of these axe making companies supply customized versions of their axes to vendors.

[Dave Anderson NH]

The Underhill family from my home here in Chester NH operated in various forms and partnership, five of them from 1849 until 1890 when it was absorbed by a conglomerate the American Axe and Tool Company. The Underhill name was still used for a few years afterward. The company started in Chester in a small forge on the west side of route 121 on the road to what is now Auburn NH. Nothing much is left visible at the site. The first iteration of the company was called Underhill, Brown, & Leighton and with some overlap in the dates it went through the following order: Underhill & Brown (1850-1856), Underhill & Leighton (1852), Underhill Brothers (1853-1957), Underhill Edge Tool Company (1852-1890).

The various combinations were all by menbers of the same family with members entering and dropping out several times. UETC made axes, hatchets, chisels, picks, adzes, brick hammers, scrapers, froes, stone sledges, carpenters, butchers, and coopers tools. Most books list the company as being in Auburn NH ignoring the fact that Auburn was part of Chester until the mid 1860s. I'm fortunate to have several Underhill chisels of great quality.

[Alfred Kraemer]

Dave,
Thnk you for the mation about the Underhill Edge Tools. I had read a number of positive comments about Underhill chisels, but didn't know when they were in business.
Still have to look up how the 1 1/4 in steel edge was attached to the iron "body" of the hatchet. It is not really laminated but rather insertedin some way. The line between the steel and the iron is the same width on both sides of the hatchet.
Maybe the Japanese hatchets are made similarly. For those the steel is inserted into a v-shaped 'groove' and then forge-welded - I think.

Alfred

[phil harold]

I shingled many a homes in the hamptons with the one on the far left
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[Ted Calver]

[QUOTE=Alfred Kraemer;2197968]....Still have to look up how the 1 1/4 in steel edge was attached to the iron "body" of the hatchet..../QUOTE]
Alfred, I was poking around another forum and ran across this video which shows incorporating the steel into an axe head.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2lvCcMlPQE&feature=player_detailpage

[Mikkel Frederiksen]

Here's the one I use for spooncarving and hewing bowl blanks.

I designed it and a friend of mine did the forgeing.

It is a great axe, and it has been my favorite, since it got it this summer :)

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[Jim Ritter]

Mikkel that is a sweet looking ax you designed and your friend executed it beautifully.
Jim

[harry strasil]

Ted, Thank You, That video on axe making is the best I have ever seen so far. That is similar to the way I made my Bearded Coachmakers Axe years ago. I folded a piece over and left the very end seperated so I could forge weld a piece of automobile leaf spring into the void for the cutting edge.

[Tony Shea]

Here's the one I use for spooncarving and hewing bowl blanks.

I designed it and a friend of mine did the forgeing.

It is a great axe, and it has been my favorite, since it got it this summer :)

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Wish I had a friend that was a blacksmith! That really turned out nice Mikkel. Are you a lefty or are you using the bevel side for hewing? I assume you're using the flat side to hew but I have seen where someone uses the flat side of a hewing axe on the outside of their body.

[Mike Holbrook]

Just got my new carving Axe. Bought from Country Workshops, made by Hans Karlsson. A little smaller than I thought it would be, handle is 13" instead of 15" and feels lighter than the advertised 24.5 oz too. Works well though.

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[Andrew Bell]

Mike, despite its size, does it perform as expected?

[Tony Shea]

Mike that is a beautiful axe you have there. I assume it to be the Sloyd Carving axe Hans makes? I have been seriously contemplating ordering one up, such a great resource the Country Workshop is for getting these tools that otherwise wouldn't be available to us. I also would love to know how the axe preforms in use, might just put me over the edge and end up ordering it.

By the sounds of it you are really getting set up with some high quality green woodworking tools Mike. Not that I'm getting jealous or anything.

[Mike Holbrook]

Yes, the axe came from Country Workshops and was made by Hans Karlsson. I am not sure if the axe I have is the standard Karlsson axe or not. According to Drew Langsner's page he asked Karlsson to make a change or two to his original design. As I mention above my axe is not the exact dimensions Drew shows on his web site either. Of course these are individually hand made tools so there will be some variety. Woodland Craft Supplies in the UK offers a Hans Karlsson Carpenters axe which looks similar but may be another version.

I have been very impressed with my axe thus far. It is smaller and lighter than I imagined it would be. I have large logs and stumps that I am interested in carving large bowls, chairs etc. from. For the more typical sized spoons and bowls I think the axe I have is probably about all one could ask for. Drew finds the Gransfors Carving Axe a little large for his taste with it's 2lb head. I have seen videos of guys carving with Svante's larger Viking Axe 3 1/3lbs though, carried at Woodland Craft Supplies not Drew's place. I think the Sloyd axe I have will wind up being my smaller axe at 24.5 (?)oz. Drew likes the small Svante 14.5oz. axe. I plan to buy another axe or two in the 2-3 lb range for larger work. I am use to carrying large dogs around attached to my arm so my impressions concerning weight may be atypical.

I talked to Drew earlier about tools I ordered back before Christmas that I thought were due to arrive back then but still have not shown up. Apparently there has been a major increase in interest in green woodworking recently and all the Sweedish makers are apparently backed up with orders.

Tony I am finding that I like working with green wood even more than working with the dry, machined wood. I also happen to have several trees lying on the ground with part of the root ball still buried, a good, relatively long term source of workable wood that I will have to do something with. I have this very nice large black walnut tree that fell across the creek, still alive laying in the creek. These large trees fall in the creek regularly with all the rain we have been having. Ice storms in the are, right now as a matter of fact, bring down some of the nice hardwoods on the steep hill I live on too. I am planing to thin trees on an acre or two of land come spring. Apparently the area I live in is an excellent source for most of the best green woods. I have always enjoyed sculpture. Maybe it's fate? I have decided to go with the flow.

[Mike Holbrook]

Here is another axe I think is excellent Svante Djarv's Little Viking Axe, available at Woodland Craft Supplies or Woodsmith, both in the UK. I believe this would be considered a mid weight carving axe between the Gransfor and the HK, Hans Karlsson:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjUOCIjIQBY

I find it inspiring to see how much detail can be achieved with a tool which one might think is about as "crude" as they come.

This is the same guy using another Viking axe. I believe this one is made by Stefan Ronnqvist. Woodland Craft Supplies is the only place I have found it for sale and they have been "out of stock, expecting any time, for months. This axe was very popular a few years back. It is the axe Jogge Sundqvist uses in the "Carving Sweedish Woodenware" video he did at Country Workshops. It is a little lighter axe closer in weight to the HK Sloyd axe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9JO5y6QwnA

Gransfors favorite axe for this type work is their "Swedish Carving Axe" designed by Wille Sundquist, Jogge's dad and a major influence on this craft. Some people find it a little on the heavy side. Axe work is half way through the video. first he shows Adze work with what i believe is Hans Karlsson's excellent Adze. I guess an adze is an axe too. The third tool he uses appears to be one of HK's heavy duty gouges.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbHcFw92B1A

[Mike Holbrook]

I found another interesting link, this one is especially interesting because it offers pictures of most of the better carving axes in one place. Check out Svante Djarv's Little Viking Axe, which is usually referred to as a"medium" sized axe for general comparison. There is a comparison, side by side, shot of the regular Svante Djarv "large" Viking and the "Little" Viking axes. The regular Viking looks very big...until you look at the picture of the Svante Timber Axe, single bevel hewing axe above it, which in turn makes the big Viking look small.

In order of size, the small but popular Svante "Baby" Axe weighs in at around 14 oz. The Hans Karlsson Sloyd Axe head is around 24 oz. The "Little Viking" is another 4-6 oz. The Gransfor Carving Axe maybe 34 oz., then comes the big Svante Viking Axe at over 53oz. I can't even find a weight for the Svante Timber Axe but I can see that it is substantially larger than the Viking Axe. The selection of sizes then is quite large. Also various places that sell these axes may list different weights for the same axe, possibly due to conversion from grams to Kilograms to ozs. to lbs.... Since these axes are hand forged they will each be a little different too. I also believe that companies, like Country Workshops, request modifications to specific axe models. Still I think it helps to have a rough idea of size and weight for the various models we may have access to. Handles are an even more difficult part to predict from these custom makers. Species of wood, size and shape can and do change between batches made. My suggestion is read all the detail available from whomever you might purchase one of these axes from and be aware what you get may not be exactly what you were expecting.

http://www.small-scale.net/yearofmud/2014/02/11/axes-we-love/

[maximillian arango]

Surprised that I have something so soon to contribute to this thread but aside for the McKinnon which I paid 15 for I paid 5 dollars for the large one which is a Rixford?(R45) and 2 dollars for the small camping Stanley.

https://i.imgur.com/1j8z7BO.jpg


I got enough information on the McKinnon in the other thread I posted, but the Rixford I can't find any information on aside for one thread on a blade forum so was wondering if anyone here knew anything about them.

[Mike Holbrook]

For the axe fans out there. I ordered a Svante Djarv Little Viking Axe, back in February. I just got it today April 14. I ordered it from Woodland Craft Supplies in England as I could find no source in the US. Some of these Axes are very hard to get as guys like Svante have long backlogs. It might be a good time to check Woodland Craft Supplies for stock. The axes were listed in stock when I ordered mine. So I would call or email first to make sure they have more in stock before ordering. Love the weight, head and handle of this axe....

So here it is next to the Hans Karrlson Axe so people can see the differences. As I hope the picture shows the two axes have many basic similarities. The main differences are the Svante axe is a little heavier, has a larger cutting edge, more curved cutting edge and a little different handle. The Svante axe is a medium size axe, making the HK axe more toward the small side. Svante also makes a larger version of the Little Viking Axe simply called The Viking Axe. The Viking axe is large at 1.5 k or 3 3/4 lbs vs .8 k or a little under 2 lbs for the Little Viking. I plan to use the HK for small work, like spoons, and the Svante for larger work, like big bowls.

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