Carving axes blade shapes.

[Samon]

To those who spend a lot of time behind the more specialised axes designed more so for carving, what's your favourite blade shape? Flat like a gransfors, rounded like a hultafors or something more specialised?

I'm curious and I'm trying to gauge an idea of the better shapes of the blade, rather than the head of bit profile likemost people tend to talk about.


No thread is worth its weight unless it has pictures.. So feel free to add!

Cheers

 

[HillBill]

Flat like a gransfors carving axe? I think you are thinking of the carpenters axe mate... the carver is curved all over the place.

And, its the only dedicated carving axe i have used., and i didn't like it, it tried to dig into the wood all the time, making it difficult to use.

 

[Dave Budd]

the cross sectional geometry is something that you have to get used to I've used a GB carver for so long that I find a normal hatchet glances off the first few strokes until I reset my brain! The slightly sided nature of the cutting edge makes it dig in if you aren't used to it, but it means that the wood and the axe can come down close to the same line which allows more power and control over the workpiece. On the older ones at least, the left hand side of the cutting edge was fairly flat too, making it a little more like a side axe in that it can give a better planing cut than a very convex edge does. This is why they come in left and right handed verisons

I like a curve for taking chunks out, but its easy to over shoot on the depth, which is where a straighter edge on the carpenter's axe comes in.

I love my bearded axes: the upper two fifths (with the body of the head behind it) is fairly curved and does the donkey work, the tip (upper 5th) is curved out of the way but pointy so I can get in under things like spoon bowls and bow handles, then the lower 2/5 is straighter and I use that for cleaning up the surface of the wood and use with a slicing cut. Most of mine have 5" or there abouts of cutting edge.

 

[Samon]

Flat like a gransfors carving axe? I think you are thinking of the carpenters axe mate... the carver is curved all over the place.

And, its the only dedicated carving axe i have used., and i didn't like it, it tried to dig into the wood all the time, making it difficult to use.

No I'm thinking of their general models, with straight flat shaped blades. I might not have worded it well but that's what I meant.. Lol

I'm not lookong for a dedicated purpose shaped carving axe, but one of decent quality designed for most jobs but one I'll use mostly as amcarver.. If that makes sense?

 

[mrcharly]

I'm not lookong for a dedicated purpose shaped carving axe, but one of decent quality designed for most jobs but one I'll use mostly as amcarver.. If that makes sense?

Not really, tbh.

If you need an axe split stuff, it really needs a convex edge to avoid jamming in the wood.
Convex edges are terrible for carving as they tend to make the axe glance off and it is difficult to make shaving cuts.

I have an old axe head with a straight edge, very heavy, it is great for shaping handles and flats - produces almost a planed finish. A bearded axe like Dave describes would make this sort of use possible plus carving hollows and curves (by using the upper part of the blade).

 

[mrcharly]

the cross sectional geometry is something that you have to get used to I've used a GB carver for so long that I find a normal hatchet glances off the first few strokes until I reset my brain! The slightly sided nature of the cutting edge makes it dig in if you aren't used to it, but it means that the wood and the axe can come down close to the same line which allows more power and control over the workpiece. On the older ones at least, the left hand side of the cutting edge was fairly flat too, making it a little more like a side axe in that it can give a better planing cut than a very convex edge does. This is why they come in left and right handed verisons

I like a curve for taking chunks out, but its easy to over shoot on the depth, which is where a straighter edge on the carpenter's axe comes in.

I love my bearded axes: the upper two fifths (with the body of the head behind it) is fairly curved and does the donkey work, the tip (upper 5th) is curved out of the way but pointy so I can get in under things like spoon bowls and bow handles, then the lower 2/5 is straighter and I use that for cleaning up the surface of the wood and use with a slicing cut. Most of mine have 5" or there abouts of cutting edge.

So, Dave, do you make anything with a shape like this?

 

[Dave Budd]

the bearded axes? Yes I do I haven't any made up at present but I will be making more soon. Normally the bearded axes I make range in weight from 800-1200g but I can make them larger or smaller

 

[sunndog]

Pics please when make some mr budd

 

[Dave Budd]

A few of the axes that I've made this year. I rarely make axes to a designed pattern because everybody has their preference,but I can do if somdebody asks for a certain geometry (though actual size and weight will be in the lap of the gods). The black handled axe is my own current carver

 

[dabberty]

For carving I prefer the bearded shaped ones.
I really like the possibility of choking up on the blade.

Here's one I did for a lady in The Netherlands.

And here is my carving set, in the top right of the pic: