Axe vs Saw

[Gcckoka]

So I have some spare money to spend on bushcrafty items , now I have few knifes , I will have a tarp , I have 2 backpacks , I have few ferro rods , I have a sleeping bivy , mat and wool blanket , I have stainless canteen, mess kit and a cup , I have a bucksaw and I have a really heavy big russian hatchet which I hate.
I have a survival knife and a bucksaw , I am thinking should I buy a hatchet or no? if yes the only two known to you available in Georgia are Fiskars and Husqvarna hatchets , I am thinking should I buy a hatchet or no ? Do I really need it ? (I know most of you will tell me it depends on me , but put yourself in my situation , what an average bushcrafter needs) If yes , which one should I pick ? If no what should I add to my kit , please help me decide or this money won't be sitting on one place for long time , I will spend it in stupid things and will be left with nothing

 

[MikeLA]

You will probably use a saw more than an axe, at least I do. Never felt the need to use an axe and then there's the extra weight. Just buy a bacho or best still save you money and get a new sleeping bag, coat or new boots.

 

[bopdude]

Depends on the wood you have to process and or collect, an axe imho is less labour intensive than a saw on bigger wood, but for arm sized timber a saw.

 

[dwardo]

If I leave either at home I am guaranteed to miss the other. Axe is a must in winter or colder months to process firewood quickly and with the least effort.
A saw is pretty essential when it comes to construction and processing materials for carving and clean green cuts. It doesn't need to have a large throat so a laplander is ideal for clean cuts. For larger construction you need a long silky or a bow saw.

Yes you can leave both of the above at home and trade them for a warmer sleeping bag, tent and retire early. Horses n courses.

 

[SoldierPalmer]

For my personal use I use both about the same depending on what I am doing a hatchet is brilliant for removing lots of waste wood while carving it's also very good at splitting wood for a fire quickly. The saw is also good at removing waste wood for carving but you can not get the detail you would with a hatchet. The saw is also very quick for dropping small dead standing or to section wood for splitting. I find both complement each other.

 

[Gcckoka]

I will have to use it in winter , I will go to their shop tomorrow and will see how they look .
What should I look for when I see it ? I know how the grain on the handle should be and will look for that , also how the head fits the handle , how the blade looks , anything more?

 

[Janne]

http://www.fiskars.se/var/fiskars_m...2-eng-EU/woodxpert-brush-hook-xa3-1003609.jpg

A combo of both. This is the newer model, I have the granddaddy with a wooden handle and neater blade.

Imho the best bush tool I have, good for cutting, good for chopping smaller timbers.

Of course having one edged tool only does not satisfy as well as having two!

If you want a small axe (hatchet?) I would recommend Gränsfors Wildlife Hatchet or the Small hatchet.

You can buy them over the net.

 

[dwardo]

For me a full length or near it axe is much more versatile and in my opinion safer than a hatchet. I have never found a better compromise than the GB scandi forest axe but each to their own. And i have tried quite a few over the years.

 

[beezer]

i think a good hatchet would replace knife. ok it will not carve you a wood spirit or something fancy like that but it will do everything else. a 1kg/2lb head with a 30cm/12 inch handle will cut down a reasonable size tree. i also find the head works wells for planning and other witling jobs. i gave my favorite chopper away i miss it so much, hopefully i will find a good replacement soon.

i do agree with dwardo about longer handles are safer. if you miss there is much more chance with will bury itself in the ground rather that your leg.

try looking on ebay for used axe/hatchet heads you can pick them up for next to nothing and hang it your self.

 

[forrestdweller]

I'd go for the husquarna: I could never "" warm up"" for the idea of plastic handles on axes; I had a hultafors hatchet ( the make the husquarnas, they're identical)-- decent quality- and just lovetheir block splitter! personally i use a gransfors SFA and love it, though.....

only one word when it comes to saws: silky. pocketboy (130mm) in my edc bag and medium teeth 270mm gomtaro on the outside of my backpack.

 

[Alreetmiowdmuka]

Saw n a knife for a camp fire.No need for anything else unless you are planning on building a shelter or actually making something etc


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[Robson Valley]

I've been buying Fiskars saws and pruning equipment for 40 years. Of course, fresh wet wood is soft (eg apple) but I've never had a Fiskars tool break. I carve with carving tools so I can't comment on that application for an axe or hatchet.

 

[tsitenha]

You say you already have a bucksaw, if so hatchet it is.
Now what exactly do you mean by "bucksaw"

I always have a long handled hatchet with me, or a canoe axe.

 

[K813ZRA]

I like the idea of both. Well, a hatchet and a small folding saw anyway. I am a tool heavy kind of guy as I have my hatchet, folding saw and a machete in my pack. Add that too my belt knife, folding knife and multi tool and I am pretty well set for anything.

Anyway, if I had to choose only one then for me it would be an axe or hatchet as anything requiring a small folding saw can typically be broken between two trees. But from a straight bushcraft standpoint I don't think I would like to have to choose! For me it is fun to go out and have fun and I use both tools for that! The reality is that I rarely NEED either of them.

 

[AdeInTokyo]

I like the idea of both. Well, a hatchet and a small folding saw anyway. I am a tool heavy kind of guy as I have my hatchet, folding saw and a machete in my pack. Add that too my belt knife, folding knife and multi tool and I am pretty well set for anything.

Anyway, if I had to choose only one then for me it would be an axe or hatchet as anything requiring a small folding saw can typically be broken between two trees. But from a straight bushcraft standpoint I don't think I would like to have to choose! For me it is fun to go out and have fun and I use both tools for that! The reality is that I rarely NEED either of them.

Best answer.

Nobody, almost, needs anything. But a small axe, and a folding saw is enough for 90% of work, unless significant snow/Arctic type camping is expected. Then a longer saw and larger axe might come in handy if you're planning on warmth from fire.

If your looking to make things, wood working saws are cheap (but don't fold), and can make cutting seasoned woods a lot easier. Saws for green wood and seasoned wood are different. (Teeth size/shape.) An axe will cut anything, just not cleanly.

Personally, I like a bacho and a small axe, (I have a wetterlings hunters axe, a little small for winter camping in the Japanese north, but can make do) I rarely use fire for warmth as I have invested in a lot of down... Winter hammocking means a lot of birds die.

Silky saws are better, but like K813 said, it is about fun. And to some extent fashion. I also have a sf sabre backpack, my normal hiking/mountaineering backpack is 50l and would do perfectly, but the bright yellow orange of mountain hardware, I feel, doesn't suit a bushcraft camp. The look is important to me, too.

I think a lot of people feel the same way, but may not admit it.

Same deal with the full tang knife argument. A mora rarely breaks, and how many of us would die if our knife broke? I live in japan, and am at most a 3-4 hour walk from town. If your bushwacking in the Arctic north carry a couple of knives, as, I wager, you're more likely to lose a knife than break one.

Do you need one? No.
Do you want one and have the money? Then go ahead and get one. ;-)

 

[Shelley]

A small axe or a tomahawk may be more useful than a hatchet, even if you don't use it in the bush you can us it at home, whereas if you throw your money away you get nothing...

 

[Gcckoka]

You say you already have a bucksaw, if so hatchet it is.
Now what exactly do you mean by "bucksaw"

I always have a long handled hatchet with me, or a canoe axe.

I mean a bahco 21 inch green wood blade with a frame made by me

 

[tsitenha]

I mean a bahco 21 inch green wood blade with a frame made by me

Good choice on saw +1, long handled hatchet (20" x 1-1/2 pound approx.) or canoe ax (25" x 2-1/2 pound approx.) and practice safely. Use it to chop, cut, slice skin etc..
I have the ax/hatchet with me always.

 

[Gcckoka]

So today I bought the husqvarna hatchet , they had 5 on one there was some corrosion , on other the grain was just super but the wood itself was bad , on third the wood was bad and the forth I liked after looking at it for 20 minutes and after some small choping I loved it the grain is not bad , conclusion everything was good untill when I went in my yard for small choping and what I see I forgot te main thing to check to look at the blade from top and then I saw this spin ((((( is it too bad ? Will it effect my woodworking ?

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[acheter]

The saw is obviously lighter. I would go with it. I've always found the saw more useful. But it's much easier to break a saw blade then it is the axe handle.