Thread: Axe talk

But only a mere 800 strokes back and forth to grind the edge.

I'm in the Kimberley at the mo and should pick up a lump of that sandstone. In fact, will be going to Windjana Gorge.

Most interesting, Ernest.

The axe is the progenitor of all woodworking tools, so this archeology locates the birth of woodworking here in Australia... : ~]

Scott Cane in First Contacts lists a number of firsts. Quite remarkable really.

Originally Posted by rsser

The oldest known axes, hafted and ground edge, are Australian. As much as 49,000 years. World's oldest known ground-edge stone axe fragments found in Western Australia - Science News - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)Haft fixing was aided by means of a resin extracted from spinifex (First Contacts).

50,000 years is still a drop in the bucket, most of the early humans walked out of Africa with many skills, tool making was one of them. Glad we don't have to rely on axes made the really old wayhttp://www.australiangeographic.com.au/news/2011/09/dna-confirms-aboriginal-culture-one-of-earths-oldest/

Here's a piece on the history of Australian axe and axe steel development with an emphasis on racing axes. It includes the origins of the Tasmanian pattern and the Kelly Dandenong, Keesteel, Hytest and more: http://www.foresthistory.org.au/afhsnewsletter05.pdf

Fabulous thread. I've been chopping and splitting firewood recently, with an axe bought cheap at Aldi. Bugger of a thing to use. So I had the thought that I'd buy an old head at an auction or on ebay, and make a handle myself, having a shed full of old hardwood from a garage that I knocked down a couple of years ago. Now that I've read this thread I realise that a) the old head may be useless if it has been ground beyond the bit where the hard metal is (I don't think that's the case, as it isn't too worn down), and b) making a handle from a hunk of dry old hardwood off the shelf might not be the cleverest idea.

Nonetheless, I'm going to persist. I picked up an old Canadian Kelly head from an auction for $20, covered in rust (my son bid on it for me and acquired it - so proud of him). The handle on it was split in a couple of places, and too short for me, but it is a beautiful, graceful shape. So I've used the shape as a template but increased the length to 36". I've selected a suitably rough hunk of hardwood, bandsawn it to a rough shape, and now I'm hitting it with rasps to get it to the shape I want. Then a bit of sanding to smooth it and I'll hit it with some linseed oil and let it soak in before I try to fit it. Since this is the first time I've ever made an axe handle, I've no doubt that it will turn out poorly, which is a good reason not to use a fine piece of something more suitable. If nothing else it will give me some practice in shaping a handle, even if the handle isn't good for actually being a handle... It will take me a little while to get it done, which will mean I'll have an excuse for some shed time. And I tuned my bandsaw thoroughly before cutting the rough shape, so I've achieved something already.

Of course, once I've got it fitted, and assuming I don't stuff it up too badly before then, I suppose I will be unable to resist hitting some wood with it, just to see how it performs. At which point the handle may well teach me the error of not making the handle from a riven piece of something more suitable. But I'll be philosophical about that, and make another one, which will be better than the first one...

Great work Bob. Keep us posted.

Here are some pics of the axe I bought and the new handle I'm working on. The shape is getting there. First pic is the axe with the old handle. Second is an earlier one of the new handle in progress. Third is where I'm at today.
20160820_143745 (640x190).jpg20160821_124236 (640x205).jpg20160821_141532 (640x218).jpg

Best of luck to you. You may have the seed of an obsession there.

My interest is much more saving old things than using them, although I do have a go here and there.

It never much occurred to me that setting up an axe was an art form until I picked up four very nice axes from an eighty year old woodchopper. Nice name on the four identical heads, mass produced hardwood handles.

But. As he put it he had shaved a **** hair off the wood here and there to make them right. One of them had the end of the handle cut off flush in the head and the others had varying degrees of protrusion past the head.

Each of the axes felt noticeably different in the hand. I weighed them when I got home and there is less than one ounce variation. And every one was telling me "swing me now" when I picked it up. Amazing.

Since my earlier post (here) in which I gave details of my two splitters, I have added a two more.

Last summer I had a large quantity of very seasoned Stringy Bark (E. obliqua) and a lesser amount of Blue Gum (E. leucoxylon) to split and decided after getting into it that I needed something between my 1kg and 4kg splitters to get the job done without tiring myself unnecessarily. My 4kg splitting maul will split anything that can be split, but it is a fair hunk of steel to swing if you have to use it on every piece of wood as you work your way through many tons of it that are piled high waiting to be split.

I like the side wedge design on my 4kg splitter and looked for a lighter splitter of about 2kg with a similar design. The closest I could come up with was the Cyclone Super Splitter and the Fiskars X27.

I couldn't decide between them, so bought both.

The Cyclone comes with a wooden handle that came loose after two strikes. I took it back for a replacement. Wooden handles will shrink in low humidity and need to be refitted, but I wasn't prepared to accept a lose handle from the get-go. The handle on the replacement Cyclone has remained firm after a season of heavy use.

The other comment on the Cyclone as it came was its edge that had such wide flat on it that it was more likely to crush a block of wood than split it.

Cyclone edge.JPG

It came with an edge protector on it, perhaps to disguise the fact that it was as blunt as, rather than as protection from cuts.

The Fiskars X27 comes with a 860mm long fibre composite handle that is wrapped around the head in a similar style to primitive axes. This splitter comes with a 25yr warranty and people report that Fiskars replaces them no-quibble if the composite handle fails, so I took a risk on that aspect. Some people prefer wooden handles, but my experience of the fibreglass handle on my 4kg splitting maul, which I have used for decades, is very positive.

The other feature to comment on is the Teflon coating on the Fiskars head, whereas the Cyclone has a coating (or is made of) a rust resistant metal.

A side by side comparison of the wedge shape on the two splitters can be seen in the following photo. The Cyclone on the left flares much more than the Fiskars on the right, but the width of the Cyclone wedge narrows towards the top, while the Fiskars only narrows very slightly, so quite different designs.

Wedge profiles.JPG

Here they are, along with my 4kg splitter (with the yellow handle). As you can see, the Fiskars has the longest handle, then the 4kg, and shortest is the Cyclone.

5 splitters.jpg

I gave the two new splitters a good work out, splitting about a cord of firewood with each.

Split wood.JPG

My verdict

The Cyclone would benefit from a longer handle. My shins, despite protectors and a high chopping block, felt vulnerable with its shorter handle.

I had to sharpen it before I could use it, but once that was done it retained its edge (I have not had to resharpened it) and it performed reasonably well, particularly on knotty pieces. However, if it did become jammed in a block it was much harder to release compared to the Fiskars that released quite readily due to its Teflon coating.

I liked the balance and feel of the Fiskars with all of the weight in the head. Also that long hollow fibre-composite handle that absorbs most of the shock. I could work with it all day on straight grain wood, which it would have been primarily designed for in Scandinavia, Europe and Nth America. It came sharp and after splitting a cord of knotty and highly seasoned eucalyptus with it is still splitting well without needing to be resharpened. My splitting block is an ancient piece of red gum (it's as hard as nails) and it would test any edge; looking under magnification I can only see one small ding on the edge. As mentioned above, if I couldn't split a knotty block with the Fiskars (with two strikes) I would then try the the Cyclone, and more often that not I would then have to resort to the big 4kg maul. The Teflon coating certainly has its advantages in the way it lets the head travel through the wood and also release if it gets jammed, but how well that coating will hold up in the long run is yet to be seen, although the 25yr warranty may come into play if it doesn't go the distance.

One further point on the Fiskars, unlike the Cyclone which is a dedicated splitter, the X27 can also be used a cutting axe and if you do as much cutting as splitting then this added use is in its favour.

In hindsight, if I could only buy one of these two splitters I would probably go for the X27, as I always have the 4kg to handle anything it can't. If I didn't have the 4Kg I would probably go for the Cyclone given our hard knotty woods, but if I did I would be looking to retrofit a long fibre handle to it, ASAP.

While looking for splitters I found the Ames True Temper Super Splitter that sells in Nth America. Not an option from here, but it looks to me like the same splitter as the Cyclone under a different brand name.

Thanks for the comparo Neil. Interesting reading.

I've lightly used a Fiskars X25 for several years and like the handle too. Also kudos for the plastic cover cum carry handle. The teflon wore off in time and a chip or two in the edge meant regrinding. If I was buying again the longer handle on the X27 would give that model the edge (cough).

The cutting edge is around 30 degrees which is a bit too obtuse for my liking in an axe.

....

After 4 months wait the new Tuatahi Kingi work axe has arrived and I'll report on that soon.

Originally Posted by rsser

The cutting edge is around 30 degrees which is a bit too obtuse for my liking in an axe.

Perhaps less than ideal for cutting, but if you are splitting at the time and need to cut off some side branches, and it is already in your hand, then I found it did a reasonable job of that. I tend to leave serious cutting to either a chainsaw or hand crosscut saw.

Originally Posted by rsser

After 4 months wait the new Tuatahi Kingi work axe has arrived and I'll report on that soon.

I would love to have one of their M tooth work saws for the above mentioned use. But, the postage on a saw of that length would be the killer.

Originally Posted by NeilS

I couldn't decide between them, so bought both.

Is it rude to mention that I laughed when I read that?

Overseas, Fishers offer a log splitter that looks a lot like the NZ Logmatic. Doesn't seem to be offered here.
Log Splitter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4D101Nfs_K0