Axe selection help for Finland

[BushEd]

Hi all.

I'm doing an intensive training course in Wilderness Guiding in SW Finland for the next 10months and I am in need of an axe with a bit more power than my wee Husqvarna hatchet.

But that said, i cannot decide which one to go for - in this vain I have contacted our resident axe god Cegga with regards to one of his works of art, however I need the axe soon as I will be walking through Karelia and Paanajarvi Nat. Park in Russia in 3 weeks, so a Cegga might be off the cards, depending on his waiting time!!

So I need an axe for working! Big enough to be able to easily cut down dead standing woods and some green work for making poles for tents, tarps etc. Also needs to be capable of some proficient splitting for making quick fires, and fueling the multitude of stoves that will be used in the winter (this is an important point, as I want the one axe for all seasons).

All this, plus being of a size that can be carried and a weight that will not cripple my spine. Not so important in the winter as will be using ski's and sledges, but more so for this Russia trip as everything I need will be on my back...

After seeing and using a lot of friends SFA's i have decided against this, it lacks the power I want. So perhaps an LFA/Scandinavian Axe...but from what I have read the profile of the bit is very thin, and i want to be able to split easily - in fact, the splitting and sectioning capability of the axe is far more important that any felling capacity, as we try as much as possible to use already fallen wood, chopping down a tree is the last resort.

As for all the other smiths - Wetterlings, Hultafors, Husqvarna...I just don't have any experience with them...

So any and all recommendations would be much appreciated, especially any that can be bought in Finland, or have cheap shipping to Finland

Cheers,
Ed

 

[Gill]

I bought a gransfors small splitting axe a while back and i would,nt be without it now ,it is not as small as some people think and splits great see my avatar.

 

[Peter_t]

don't get a splitting axe as it can only split and is no good for cutting.

hard to say what to get really but if it was me i would get something with a 2 1/2 pound head and around a 30 inch handle. ok it may be bulky but it will be worth its weight in gold compared to a smaller axe when you actually use it. larger axes are far more efficient as you need less swings by letting the weight do the work and a long handle will improve accuracy.
small axes are far more dangerous as they are likely to take out your legs rather than harmlessly hitting the ground. also if you chose a lighter axe it will be more likely to break under intensive use because you will be forcing it to tackle larger jobs than it is designed for.

Try to go to as many shops as possible and handle them. look for a head that is fairly thick but not excessively. as with all axes you will need to do some work on the head. file away the bit so it gently tapers to a fine edge. this will chop well but will still be good for splitting (unlike gransfors deeply concaved profile).

the makes you have mentioned are all good but i think husqvarna axes are just rebranded wellerlings or hultafors.


pete

 

[Stew]

Have you thought about asking some of the people you're going with? They might have the best idea!

 

[BushEd]

thanks for the advice gill and Peter_t

I have thought about buying a seperate splitting axe, as i will be able to carry it on the winter expeds...but i can't really afford two axes, and would still rather have just the one.

I was thinking around a similar size and weight Peter_t; problem is i don't get much chance to go into shops to look at them - the only hardware shop in the village stocks cheap crap, and the nearest town is a 90min bus ride and I'm in school 8-4 mon-fri...

Stew - everyone else on the course is in the same position!!!

 

[British Red]

The Scandinavian splits okay up to 6" round a foot long. Unless you are taking a chainsaw, I doubt you will be dealing with much more than than to be honest

Red

 

[BushEd]

The Scandinavian splits okay up to 6" round a foot long. Unless you are taking a chainsaw, I doubt you will be dealing with much more than than to be honest

Red

Intriguing.....

 

[British Red]

You aren't near Lincolnshire innex week are you Ed? I coult let you try a few axes out including that one

 

[BushEd]

Thanks for the offer BR - but I'm already in Finland

 

[1234]

i know nothing about axes but what about a double bit axe, cutting head and a splitting head
not sure who makes them or where to get them, you'll have to google/bing it
gb do a double bit but i think there both for cutting, green wood and seasoned wood

 

[DavidJT]

Why not buy when you are out there? Interested to know who you are training with, will they be supply some basic equipment initially?

 

[Peter_t]

double bit axes where the choice of professional loggers in america and they are designed for felling and where never used for splitting!

one bit was sharpened with a thicker, stronger profile and was used for chopping through knots or cutting close to the ground. the other was a no compromise bit reserved for cutting clean wood such as the felling cuts.



you could use a double bit axe but the lack of a poll can be a disadvantage. for example when splitting wood if your axe gets stuck in a log first time round with a single bit you can just flip the axe over and strike the chopping block with the poll and the inertia of a stuck log will split itself over the blade. you cannot do this with a double bit. also you can't pound wedges.

the double bit tends to cause more accidents, not in its use but in transport or leaving it lying around.
without the sheath there is no way to carry it without an edge facing you. i know you shouldn't carry an axe unmasked but you do need to step away from the tree as it falls etc.


also its hard enough finding a good single bit axe let alone a double bit!


Pete

 

[Stew]

Stew - everyone else on the course is in the same position!!!

What, even the people running the course?

Where abouts in Herts are you based when you're back in the country?

 

[baggins]

How about the Rosseli long hunters axe? Thy are often overlooked here, yet are a supurb (if rather away from the norm looking) tool. Also, they have a much thicker profile to most axes, great for splitting, but still good enough for chopping and day to day use, although fine carving may be a tad tricky. There used to be review on the somewhere on the web (not here), comparing it with a gb sfa, wasn't much in it if i remember. Also, Rosseli is a Finnish maker, so you may be able to get one cheaper out there.
Enjoy your trip.

Baggins

 

[BushEd]

The college has a huge stock of Fiskars plastic handled axes, they do the job, just, but they're not my cup of char.

Have thought about the Rosseli, in fact, one of our instructors has one - yet, paradoxically, when we were all in a gear shop, i picked one up and he recommended against it....so i'm not sure there...i can certainly see why that profile would be helpful...and also not

stew i'm based in NE herts, not far from St. A - but won't be back there until after the 'due date' so to speak

So so far its either a Cegga, a GB Scandinavian or a Rosseli.....hmmmm

 

[BigBear2]

I just bought a nice sharp axe off this young guy in the UK for About £30. It's a real beauty and will tackle most jobs. www.thomaswilliamsofsmithfield.com

 

[1234]

double bit axes where the choice of professional loggers in america and they are designed for felling and where never used for splitting!

one bit was sharpened with a thicker, stronger profile and was used for chopping through knots or cutting close to the ground. the other was a no compromise bit reserved for cutting clean wood such as the felling cuts.



you could use a double bit axe but the lack of a poll can be a disadvantage. for example when splitting wood if your axe gets stuck in a log first time round with a single bit you can just flip the axe over and strike the chopping block with the poll and the inertia of a stuck log will split itself over the blade. you cannot do this with a double bit. also you can't pound wedges.

the double bit tends to cause more accidents, not in its use but in transport or leaving it lying around.
without the sheath there is no way to carry it without an edge facing you. i know you shouldn't carry an axe unmasked but you do need to step away from the tree as it falls etc.


also its hard enough finding a good single bit axe let alone a double bit!


Pete

told you i knew nothing

 

[heath]

Baggins beat me with the Roselli reccomendation. I use it for splitting and carving (though it's not my preferred carver due to the length of the handle) and i've even brought down a few trees with it. And it's Finnish, and it's the coolest looking axe out there. I took a cegga axe with me when I went to sweden so I can vouch for his work too, if you can get one in time.