The steel in these cheap axes is generally all you need for an occasional use axe. The common fault as you have found, is distortion in the head or it being hung crooked. If you buy in store, you can pick and chose to find a good one. They all benefit from a bit of file and stone to profile and sharpen .... none come ready for use. :
I totally agree with you, about what is required in a hand ax. The grain orientation in their handle, the metal that used, the profile... too much fuss made of all that. Though, that said, I do have a couple no-name vintage hand axes that won't hold an edge at *all*. Rockwell so low that all my test files cut them, easily. Hardly worth putting an edge on them, so I set them aside for show only. Their steel so mild it's less than 40? 40 at best? On the other hand, I have seven Council Tool axes in all (one Montreal hand ax, three boys axes, two full size Jerseys and a Dayton felling ax) that I bought brand new and had shipped to me. I mean, I know they're from their budget line ("Sports Utility"). But really? -- six of them needed to be rehung??? LOL No complaints. I got more than what I paid for. Just needed the usual TLC. One boys ax even came with dark blue burn marks on its bit. Whoever put the initial grind on it (minimal) had overheated it. Its edge rolled over out of the box, first strike. I took the edge back about 3/16s, maybe a 1/4 inch. Redid the bevel to 20 deg. (It had arrived with around 25 deg). No problems since. Another one, a 32" Jersey with phantom bevels, I was sharpening it when I noticed I could push the wooden wedge in about another 3/8" deeper with my thumb. Wedge was loose, too thin.That and, all but one of the seven were not true to the handle. They were a little tilted, a little out of line. It's the hydraulic press process, I think, that they use on their budget line axes. Anytime you force a head onto a haft with a press, the *possibility* it might go on perfectly aligned is kinda low. (But still, they got 1:7 right! Ain't too bad for chance. Hats off to Council Tool!) 😜 The red-headed, 36" Dayton felling ax was so dang perfect, it's still the way it came -- aluminum wedge and all! All I did was put an edge on that one and it's my go-to felling ax now. LOVE that thing!!!! Lesson: Don't dismiss cheap imports too quickly, and don't automatically assume all big brand name axes will come perfect. Name alone is not a guarantee. That jibe with your experience, too, Grizzly?
@@OnceUponAnotherTime I'm a bit of a sucker - still buy wrecks and carry out totally un-economic repairs and modifications to get them right - it is great practice and I love doing the work - old age has finally all but stopped me swinging an axe other than splitting firewood for the winter, though I even have do the bulk of that with a log splitter these days. Soft steel - Steel is not the precious commodity it once was and I'd say all manufacturers use a hardenable steel that is at least potentially up to the task, though all too often, hardening and tempering leaves a lot to be desired. Once the axe has been in circulation for a few years, careless re-sharpening with a dry bench grinder or an angle grinder will often ruin temper, and the old practice of burning out a broken handle, will destroy it entirely. For most folks, once the temper is gone it is the end of the road and they will have neither the means, or the knowledge, to correct it. I am fortunate to have my own forge so hardening & tempering or correcting twists and the like are simple tasks. As far as grain orientation goes, I'm not too picky, especially on hatchets, though given the choice, I would shoot for 'perfect long grain', especially on longer handles. Where I am very picky is where there is 'short grain' diagonally running across, rather than parallel to the handle axis. This is what used to be called 'grain runout'. These days the term 'grain runout' seems to have been hijacked and is widely mis-used to describe the contour map grain pattern that, even in a perfect handle, must exist unless the handle has parallel sides all round from end to end. It really annoys me when I see short grain in a handle and I still carry a 4" scar on my leg from a midshaft short grain handle break There is a lot of snobbery and 'beggar thy neighbour' going on in the woodsman or axe 'communities', much stemming from the influence of youtube, facebook Instagram and the like, half the time done by folks that hardly know which end to hold an axe .... I refuse to get involved in all that weekend warrior 'boutique axe' crap. Where such a clear market opportunity exists, there will be plenty of Companies only too happy to fill it, and to pocket your money. I get it that many folks will have neither the knowledge or tools to restore an old axe, but that does rather make them unsuspecting prey, as many will have no idea whether they have a good or bad axe for their intended purpose. To make the best returns, some companies will take short cuts they think they can get away with to lower production costs, without getting too many axes returned as defective by the buyers or too many poor reviews on the internet ... it is all a bit of a balancing act. There just does not seem to be the same pride or workmanship as was present years ago, and this does seem evident from, as you say,in twisted heads, poor eye punching, handle fitting and overall quality control ...... that is really bad when you see the prices they are charging. There is no reliable shortcut to hanging an axe well, best results will always come from careful hand work. Give me the secondhand, time proven designs of the vintage heads every day, even if they will often need plenty of work to get them back in shape. There are great deals to be had buying generic branded cheap axes on wood handles, but only if you can see before you buy, and know what to look for. For every 'princess' there are at least half a dozen 'frogs', and it depends on your skill level what can be put right and what to leave on the shelf. I recently bought three 3lb axes on perfect 30" hickory handles, nicely designed and made. The heads were all badly warped and now live in my 'mend one day..... maybe' box. However, I got 3 excellent handles for the total cost of £25 [about $30], which are already earmarked for other axes. A significant saving... hickory handles are expensive, and hickory wood blanks non-existent, this side of the pond.
Looks nice.
Glad to have been recommended this video, appreciated the tips!
Glad it was helpful!
Nicely done. I still need to find a place to get a custom brand
The steel in these cheap axes is generally all you need for an occasional use axe. The common fault as you have found, is distortion in the head or it being hung crooked. If you buy in store, you can pick and chose to find a good one. They all benefit from a bit of file and stone to profile and sharpen .... none come ready for use. :
I totally agree with you, about what is required in a hand ax. The grain orientation in their handle, the metal that used, the profile... too much fuss made of all that. Though, that said, I do have a couple no-name vintage hand axes that won't hold an edge at *all*. Rockwell so low that all my test files cut them, easily. Hardly worth putting an edge on them, so I set them aside for show only. Their steel so mild it's less than 40? 40 at best? On the other hand, I have seven Council Tool axes in all (one Montreal hand ax, three boys axes, two full size Jerseys and a Dayton felling ax) that I bought brand new and had shipped to me. I mean, I know they're from their budget line ("Sports Utility"). But really? -- six of them needed to be rehung??? LOL No complaints. I got more than what I paid for. Just needed the usual TLC. One boys ax even came with dark blue burn marks on its bit. Whoever put the initial grind on it (minimal) had overheated it. Its edge rolled over out of the box, first strike. I took the edge back about 3/16s, maybe a 1/4 inch. Redid the bevel to 20 deg. (It had arrived with around 25 deg). No problems since. Another one, a 32" Jersey with phantom bevels, I was sharpening it when I noticed I could push the wooden wedge in about another 3/8" deeper with my thumb. Wedge was loose, too thin.That and, all but one of the seven were not true to the handle. They were a little tilted, a little out of line. It's the hydraulic press process, I think, that they use on their budget line axes. Anytime you force a head onto a haft with a press, the *possibility* it might go on perfectly aligned is kinda low. (But still, they got 1:7 right! Ain't too bad for chance. Hats off to Council Tool!) 😜 The red-headed, 36" Dayton felling ax was so dang perfect, it's still the way it came -- aluminum wedge and all! All I did was put an edge on that one and it's my go-to felling ax now. LOVE that thing!!!! Lesson: Don't dismiss cheap imports too quickly, and don't automatically assume all big brand name axes will come perfect. Name alone is not a guarantee. That jibe with your experience, too, Grizzly?
@@OnceUponAnotherTime
I'm a bit of a sucker - still buy wrecks and carry out totally un-economic repairs and modifications to get them right - it is great practice and I love doing the work - old age has finally all but stopped me swinging an axe other than splitting firewood for the winter, though I even have do the bulk of that with a log splitter these days.
Soft steel - Steel is not the precious commodity it once was and I'd say all manufacturers use a hardenable steel that is at least potentially up to the task, though all too often, hardening and tempering leaves a lot to be desired. Once the axe has been in circulation for a few years, careless re-sharpening with a dry bench grinder or an angle grinder will often ruin temper, and the old practice of burning out a broken handle, will destroy it entirely. For most folks, once the temper is gone it is the end of the road and they will have neither the means, or the knowledge, to correct it. I am fortunate to have my own forge so hardening & tempering or correcting twists and the like are simple tasks.
As far as grain orientation goes, I'm not too picky, especially on hatchets, though given the choice, I would shoot for 'perfect long grain', especially on longer handles. Where I am very picky is where there is 'short grain' diagonally running across, rather than parallel to the handle axis. This is what used to be called 'grain runout'. These days the term 'grain runout' seems to have been hijacked and is widely mis-used to describe the contour map grain pattern that, even in a perfect handle, must exist unless the handle has parallel sides all round from end to end. It really annoys me when I see short grain in a handle and I still carry a 4" scar on my leg from a midshaft short grain handle break
There is a lot of snobbery and 'beggar thy neighbour' going on in the woodsman or axe 'communities', much stemming from the influence of youtube, facebook Instagram and the like, half the time done by folks that hardly know which end to hold an axe .... I refuse to get involved in all that weekend warrior 'boutique axe' crap. Where such a clear market opportunity exists, there will be plenty of Companies only too happy to fill it, and to pocket your money. I get it that many folks will have neither the knowledge or tools to restore an old axe, but that does rather make them unsuspecting prey, as many will have no idea whether they have a good or bad axe for their intended purpose. To make the best returns, some companies will take short cuts they think they can get away with to lower production costs, without getting too many axes returned as defective by the buyers or too many poor reviews on the internet ... it is all a bit of a balancing act. There just does not seem to be the same pride or workmanship as was present years ago, and this does seem evident from, as you say,in twisted heads, poor eye punching, handle fitting and overall quality control ...... that is really bad when you see the prices they are charging. There is no reliable shortcut to hanging an axe well, best results will always come from careful hand work. Give me the secondhand, time proven designs of the vintage heads every day, even if they will often need plenty of work to get them back in shape.
There are great deals to be had buying generic branded cheap axes on wood handles, but only if you can see before you buy, and know what to look for. For every 'princess' there are at least half a dozen 'frogs', and it depends on your skill level what can be put right and what to leave on the shelf. I recently bought three 3lb axes on perfect 30" hickory handles, nicely designed and made. The heads were all badly warped and now live in my 'mend one day..... maybe' box. However, I got 3 excellent handles for the total cost of £25 [about $30], which are already earmarked for other axes. A significant saving... hickory handles are expensive, and hickory wood blanks non-existent, this side of the pond.
Aaaaa-MEN! Same page I'm on, all the way down the line. Glad to meet you.