Billhooks & Hatchets ???

[Elen Sentier]

50+ yrs ago I was taught (by my uncle) to use a billhook for hedge laying in Devon (the 90 degree lay), I've not used one since. Tonight, watching Countryfile, I watched them being used again in coppicing on he South Downs and got the twitch again. Tell me, all you edged tool men, the pros and cons between a billhook and a hatchet.

Things for me to consider are ... I have rheumatoid arthiritis in every joint which gives me ropey, deformed hands and weak, painful wrists; hands that drop things with amazing regularity. I've got a replacement titanium right shoulder and am right-handed. And I've got osteoporosis in my spine so have to be careful with that. I do my best not to do things to damage my legs, they also have RA and the knees are now titanium replacements. As many of you know, I've also just had all the toes in both feet corrected (operated on to remove the massive deformity) and they're getting better but take time.

However, I still feel I want to start back to using summat like a billhook or hatchet when I'm out in the woods, and around my own woodland bits of the garden and hedge. I can't lift or use much weight so all the arguments for a full size axe are not going to be possible - if I did pick the darn thing up I'll probably drop it on my foot! And I couldn't lift it to swing it either. I can only do small.

So advice please ... and thanks in advance

 

[greensurfingbear]

Friskar do a nice billhook not to heavy ad it's plastic or carbon fibre I forget which but we had them at my last job.

Think they called a brush axe



Orric

 

[Elen Sentier]

Friskar do a nice billhook not to heavy ad it's plastic or carbon fibre I forget which but we had them at my last job. Think they called a brush axe Orric

Ta Orric. Do you think I might be better off with a billhook than a hatchet? I'm not only wanting it for hedging work but also cutting sticks for camp craft, tent pegs, carving ???

 

[Samon]

Billhooks, hmm.. most deffinately too heavy for someone with joint problems and easily surpassed in all jobs by a decent axe! The only thing it'll do better than a nice axe is clear away brambles/brush - and then a £8 machete will do that particular job multiple times better and easier than a billhook.

Don't let tradition fool you into thinking they're great, because they aren't! I've heard and read from a few people that they prefer a decent axe for hedgelaying, having done a little myself I also prefer an axe and quickly sold my billhooks after realsing they have no actual use to me.

I know alot of people here actually like them, but I can't see why.. Every time I've worked with pro tree surgeons/games keepers they had them and they claimed they were great, yet they weren't even sharp and actually pretty dangerous. The only billhook I'd consider buying would be a socketed handle one with a 3 foot pole/handle for heavy duty brush clearing.

 

[woodspirits]

hi Elen,
i too favour the billhook over the axe for small to medium tasks. and have several original hooks and slashers, only thing is they were built to last!, given your constraints i imagine the weight could be wearing over time. have you considered a spar hook? its a scaled down version and a lot lighter which may suit you.

 

[Elen Sentier]

Thanks, I need opinions from users. I fully admit it was memory lane that drew me on but it did also make me ask for help .

 

[Dave Budd]

Since you can get hooks and axes in virtually any shape andsize you like, don't worry about whether it will be too large or heavy to use. As to which is bettr for you, that will depend on what you actually want to use it for

if you need a long blade, then a billhook or parang etc will be fine once you find the size and shape you like. But if you are going to be wanting something for carving and firewood prep, then I suggest a small axe. The fact that you have a length of handle means that you vary how you use the tool much more easily from heavy use to light use.

What do you want to use a choppy tool for? Maybe that wil help us to help you

 

[Imagedude]

Billhooks, hmm.. most deffinately too heavy for someone with joint problems and easily surpassed in all jobs by a decent axe! The only thing it'll do better than a nice axe is clear away brambles/brush - and then a £8 machete will do that particular job multiple times better and easier than a billhook.

For hedging there is no better tool than a hook, the length of the cutting edge means that you won't miss what you're aiming at and the momentum of the blade will carry it through the branches with little effort. An axe or hatchet is totaly unsuitable for hedging as it is almost impossible to swing an axe in the hedge, and, unlike a billhook, axes are very reliant on a good swing.
Machetes are fine in a jungle but will be a pain to use on an established hedge. There are many good reasons why hedgers, hurdlers, basket makers and true woodsmen use hooks.

 

[Stew]

i wonder what Jack is up to these days.

 

[swright81076]

On a recent hedge laying course, I took my own fiskars bill hook (theirs weren't sharp enough for me), it made the job a breeze. I did take my hatchet too, thinking I'd make use of it. The hatchet was useless cutting the pleachers, the bill hook is definitely the right tool for the job here. The hatchet was only good for making stakes.

I like the bill hook, can't really see a use for it out and about, but for specific jobs, its a must. Oh and they are good for shaping spoons too.

 

[Samon]

A single beveled billhook, like mine I showed was good for that one thing, heavy chops at a certain angle. Yes, it was good for hedging, designed for it infact, but I still find my axe easier and better to use when hedging, albeit with a little practice. I know they come in all sizes, shapes and weights but I've yet to find one I want to keep. I doesn't hurt to be sceptical of tradition!

get a decent axe, something light enough but still capable of breaking wood. Gransfors bruks wildlife hatchet maybe!

 

[Zingmo]

I have arthritic hands. Not too bad yet but there are days...
I find that balance is more important than just weight in a cutting tool. Some of the old hooks are really well balanced. If the hook gets in the way for camp jobs then try a knighton pattern or a riving iron.



Z

 

[Stroller]

I would recommend a heavy machete.
http://www.bladesandbows.co.uk/cold-steel-heavy-machete-2156-p.asp
As long as you keep it sharp, it gives you a nice fit between hatchet and billhook.
You need to wear safety specs - I've scars to endorse that advice, least my eyes are ok.
If you need a hook then a cane knife would be ideal.
http://www.shanleyknives.com.au/products-page/cane-knives-knives/
The wide tip is works like a spade if you get caught short.

 

[dwardo]

I favour my axe for roughing bow staves but prefer my hook for splitting staves or taking off lengths that follow the grain. I prefer my axe for playing in the woods as its weight and length make short work of dead standing fire wood, can also be used as a "hammer" for pegs and wedges. Not to mention felling, limbing etc.
On a few recent trips I took only my hook missed the axe no end. The hook was too finer a bite for dead wood and was far more tiring due to its length.

In answer to which one is easier on the hand and wrists I guess its the axe which as above is more to do with balance and all round usefulness ?

Get both and see how you get on

 

[Elen Sentier]

eeek! Dwardo, I'd love to but I expect I can only afford one or t'other - opinion seems to be coming down on the side of the axe or, in my case, hatchet. Opinions on hatchets v axes pse ???

 

[dwardo]

Its very personal to the task and user but a hatchet is too light for me when it comes to roughing out.
My Scandi forest axe is between a carpenters, felling, limbing and general firewood/roughing axe?? Maybe.
If going for perfection you would have 10 different axes and hooks depending on the task and your mood

You need to have a play with a few tools and see what suits.

 

[bushwacker bob]

i wonder what Jack is up to these days.

Still in the woods with a billhook I bet.

 

[Harvestman]

As a different option, consider a big blade like a leuku. probably less weight in the hand, and better balance, which might be easier for you given your joint and grip issues. If your grip is weak, something top heavy like an axe might well escape from your hand in use.

 

[Amphibian]

I tried a hatchet and a billhook for hedgelaying - the bill hook won out easily for most hedging tasks - it clears brush around the hedge, can apply a lot of leaverage at multiple angles for running a split down the length of a pleacher - the thing blade also means the split can be controlled better than with an axe, where the cheeks force the split out well in advance of the blade - the hooked end reduces need for acurate strikes and is great for limbing, the long blade penetrates through light cover to reach the target in a way a hatchet handle doesn't. Also the length of the blade means you can use the billhook to split wood, much like a froe but applying a different angle of leaverage. I'm a horses for courses man, but my billhook gets lots of use - she's an old Ewell bought on ebay for a tenner - once sharpened a real joy to use. She gets plenty of use splitting blanks for carving too - as I no longer have a froe, I also use my bill for light coppice work. Additionally at a tenner I am far less worries about dinging the blade on wire and stones in the hedgerow the length of the blade also makes the blade more ding tolerant. All that said and done, though, it does place a lot more strain on the wrist than an axe, which seems to use forearm strength more.

 

[John Fenna]

I am rubish at hedging but I love my billhook for the work I do!
I also find it ideal for brashing, trimming poles etc - often I take it into the woods instead of my axe when I am not going to be felling trees as it is better for almost every other "big edge tool" job
As to physical impairments - I broke my neck in my teens and this is coming back to haunt me with shoulder probs and a form of "TennisElbow" which makes gripping and especially percussive work difficult at times and I find the Hook easier to use than a hatchet ... it could be handle shape or weight or a combination of factors...