eBay budget axe, £5.99

[Diza_925]

So I recently bought a budget axe of eBay (£5.99 reduced from £25), the axe arrived yesterday.

It is a small kindling axe, 1.5lb, it looks really cool (copper Finnish on the head). I have tested it for hardness and that seems ok. Only down side is it needs sharpening, should take too long though. Full review when it's sharp!!!

[Yorkshire Andy]

What sort of axe small hatchet?


The colour on the head won't last long if it gets used

Wooden handle? Steel? Composite?

I like wooden handles in the cold and wet ( they grip the skin)

Steel vibrates rather a lot and composite handles tend to be springy and slippy


A axe doesn't need to be as sharp as a Gillette Fusion 90 blade shaving razor too sharp and the edge is too fine and will chip flatten and dull way too easy likewise it doesn't want to be blunt as a blunt axe will not cut....

https://blog.raymears.com/2015/04/15/ho ... e-at-camp/


https://thewoodslife.com/?p=1579

A decent blade cover is a must too as you don't want it getting knocked or stashed in a bag rubbing and cutting your kitcas you walk..

And keep an eye on the heads security to the shaft you don't want it flying off



What are you planning on using it for? Often there are better tools eg a bow saw for cutting latger branches orva pruning saw for willow or thinner branches

If it's splitting fire wood a long handle maul axe and a big hammer with a wood grenade can be less labor intensive. Less you "work" the less food you need

[sniper 55]

I had a cracker years ago, a smallish hatchet, I was told it was ex German wartime issue but I don't know if it was true.
It had a metal handle with wooded inserts and a screwdriver on the bottom.
I lost it somewhere sadly. Wish I could find another.

[grenfell]

Only down side is it needs sharpening, should take too long though. Full review when it's sharp!!!

I take it you mean it was supplied dull or blunt as even the best axe will require sharpening at some point.
With regards to sharpening and just how sharp it needs to be reminds me of a guy I worked with years ago. Brilliant chippy and his axe was sharp enough to shave his arm hairs with. I've got them that sharp myself but I do think it's a little over the top . Admittedly for carpentry they do need to be sharp as we sometimes use them in a pushing manner as well as a chopping action but for general use "sharp enough" is less than a razor.

[ForgeCorvus]

Diza: Is it one of these ?




It should be OK, I'd like to know if the eye has the end of the shaft showing like this ?


Or is it full of a plastic/resin like stuff?

I'm a bit of axe-head
So I should be able to help with advice and How-To's

[Diza_925]

Diza: Is it one of these ?




It should be OK, I'd like to know if the eye has the end of the shaft showing like this ?


Or is it full of a plastic/resin like stuff?

I'm a bit of axe-head
So I should be able to help with advice and How-To's

Yes that's the one, it's resin by the look and feel of it, it's only for kindling really so im not too quietude about that. I'm going to put a small point into it for this purpose should help with the splitting (according to wranglerstar on YT. the handle feels sturdy to the head but time will tell.

[bettersafethansorry]

Link to the ebay listing?

[Wood cutter]

Do those of you who like to sharpen an axe so sharp you can shave with it, not find that it blunts really quickly?

[Citizen H]

Lots of theory's in regards to what's right and wrong, some of you may remember that I had a dilemma when hanging my old Eagle hatched head, I glad I did it my self as it was a learning curve and I did it my way, things could have gone better and then again it could have gone completely wrong. there's a whole argument in regards to using metal wedges, I opted for a Oak wedge. water proof glue and then driven home, linseed oiling it as we speak, as its a hatchet I'm not expecting too much from it, its light, small enough to fit in my pack and that suits my needs.

[grenfell]

Do those of you who like to sharpen an axe so sharp you can shave with it, not find that it blunts really quickly?

A finer edge is certainly more prone to damage but I find it's a case of honing the tool to the job it's used for. As I said I'm a wood worker and while an axe doesn't need to be as sharp as a razor having it as sharp as a chisel or plane blade ( which admittedly can be close to razor like)is about right . But then that axe doesn't go anywhere near the ground and isn't used in big swinging actions. Now if I compare it to my mattock I carry in the van that will cut tree roots but needs a bit more force behind it as it is sharpened to a much less acute angle otherwise stones and soil would very quickly ruin the edge.
Really the only reason to sharpen an axe , or almost any tool for that matter , to such a degree as to be able to shave with is "just because I can" .