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Thread: Proper Way to Sharpen Axe Without Buck Rogers Equipment?

  1. #1
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    Proper Way to Sharpen Axe Without Buck Rogers Equipment?

    I decided to try to find a decent quality axe, without spending my life's savings on something from Sweden. I have a Council Tools axe on the way. Now I want to know: what's the best way to sharpen an axe? Maybe I should put it another way: what's the best way to sharpen an axe without buying a Tormek or some other exotic tool? How did knowledgeable people sharpen axes 50 years ago?

    I have a belt grinder, a belt sander, a bench grinder with white aluminum oxide wheels, files, and rotary tools.

    I picked Council Tools because it was affordable and American, and I figured it had to be better than a Chinese axe from the store. The reviews for the axe I bought were interesting. People said a lot of nasty things about the handle, but it seemed like no one complained about the head. If the head is good, I don't care about the handle. I can replace that for ten bucks.

    Another question: how sharp should an axe be?
    Cry "Havoc," and let slip the dogs of bench.

    I was socially distant before it was cool.

    A little authority corrupts a lot.

  2. #2
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    10" Mill Smooth File is all you need. If you are feeling extravagant, finish up with a medium india slip stone.

  3. #3
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    So axes are soft enough to be cut with files!
    Cry "Havoc," and let slip the dogs of bench.

    I was socially distant before it was cool.

    A little authority corrupts a lot.

  4. #4
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    I've never used anything but a file. I usually use an 8" Smooth. When I taught Boy Scouts how to sharpen an axe, I'd lay a white piece of paper on the head, so they could see the filings accumulate, and they could get an idea of how I did it, compared to how they did it. For them, we used little 1/4" plywood guards between the handle, and the file. It's not a use where you want to use the file without a handle.

  5. #5
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    I used an angle grinder with flap wheel on one I didn't have much regard for and it turned out OK for the job which surprised me. Quick and dirty is the phrase I was looking for!
    Chris

    Everything I like is either illegal, immoral or fattening

  6. I use waterstones as per my other edge tools. Although I haven't had to start from a completely damaged/blunt edge.

    IMG_20180810_203112_030.jpg

  7. #7
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    I use a small hatchet for general woodworking (carving and shaping as well as chopping/splitting) sometimes, so usually sharpen them with an India stone and finish on an Arkansas for a keen edge. A file or a really coarse diamond stone works if you need to take out chips or change edge geometry, and might be all you need for coarse work.

  8. #8
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    Pretty much what everybody else has said. If it needs cleaned up or reshaped at all use a file, course if the shape is all wrong or huge chips out of it, fine if it's just nicks or minor reshaping to get a smooth curve or some such. For normal sharpening I use an old axe puck because I have one from my dad. It's just a round 2 sided stone, course carborundum on one side and fine india on the other. I have used a fine arkansas to polish a bit before but that's really kind of silly for an axe or hatchet, not needed to work well.

    Jon

  9. #9
    I'll pile on - Pete and the others have given you the straight scoop. A flat file should put you in very good shape, particularly if this is a brand new axe that has never been used by a Tenderfoot to chop roots and rocks. How sharp? Listen to Abe Lincoln: "Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe." A sharp axe is much safer to use than one that is not. In my experience the only time that a super sharp axe might not be preferable is when you are splitting wood; a fairly blunt edge seems to work OK then too unless it is elm; then you are better off splitting with your chainsaw.

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Steve H Graham View Post

    How did knowledgeable people sharpen axes 50 years ago?

    Another question: how sharp should an axe be?
    I was taught to sharpen axes in 1962,so I get into that "50 years ago" range. We used a file or a stone. I like to use a file if the axe is in bad shape and a stone for routine sharpening. Stones made specifically for axes are 1X4 discs, rather coarse. I like to polish the bevel with fine stones also. A polished edge is a little stronger and more rust resistant and a little sharper. You don't have to eliminate all scratches like you might with a plane iron.
    Last edited by Warren Mickley; 08-17-2018 at 8:43 AM.

  11. #11
    My dad long ago always said use a file to reshape the axe edge but polish with a stone to remove all file lines which can result in cracks and chips on the cutting edge

  12. #12
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    If you need to grind the bevel, I find it easier to get a good controlled bevel by using an angle grinder rather than a bench mounted grinder. After shaping, as previous poster said, use a flap wheel. I then follow up with diamond stones to the degree I want.
    Life's too short to use old sandpaper.

  13. #13
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    Barney beat me to the Lincoln quote:

    Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. -- Abraham Lincoln
    With what you have your only question is what will work best to maintain the style of axe you have.

    Most of mine work fine with my Veritas Mk.II Power Sharpening System, which is a flat spinning disc with abrasive sheets. This does have a problem with my hewing axes which have slightly curved cutting edges. The difficulty is on the single bevel side.

    A problem with an extremely sharp axe is it can get stuck in the work if one isn't careful. This may be more likely with a hollow grind than with slightly convex bevels.

    If the axe is too dull, it can bounce off the work without removing chips. This can be embarrassing if your kids are watching.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Koepke View Post
    ... If the axe is too dull, it can bounce off the work without removing chips. This can be embarrassing if your kids are watching.
    Forget what the kids think, it can hurt. A lot. (Your body parts cut a lot easier than most wood.)

  15. #15
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    I have a couple of Plumb Axes that take a really nice edge that I picked up at swap meets. Reshape the edge at the belt sander if needed, refine and fine tune tune with a 10" mill file, from there it is just like any other edge in the shop coarse diamond, 1k, 15k. Both my Plumbs will take an edge keen enough to shave and hold the edge surprisingly well. Anything past the file is overkill for splitting IMO, but for limbing the sharper the better.
    Andrew Gibson
    Program Manger and Resident Instructor
    Florida School Of Woodwork

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