first knife & axe

[EdS]

Ok I've been ask to help someone find a knife and axe- they've got about £100 but I'm trying to keep the cost down.

For the axe I was thinking a Wetterlings - as a bit cheaper than GB. Who stocks them now and which one.

For a knife I now the Frost clipper is good but he is something more hand made. I was thinking some sort of Puukko, along the lines of my J line on. Any suggestion for a decent (hand one for preference) knife.

And of course a laplander saw.

 

[beowolf762]

Never used a Wetterling axe, but have not heard anything bad about them. About the knife, How about the Brisa Puuko kits? They are fairly inexpensive, good quality, and would be a fun kit to put together. Hope this helps.
Cheers

 

[OldJimbo]

Wetterlings should be fine, but remember that the cheaper the item is the less quality control. That means either selecting in person, or getting the dealer to select for you even if they charge for doing so. A bunch of axes will have huge variation in alignment and grain.
Best to start with Mora while making something else. It can take a while to get to finishing kit. More importantly honing is best practised on a cheaper blade.

 

[Spikey DaPikey]

Found THIS on ebay. Postage to the UK is Airmail $16.55 or surface mail at $8.15 !!

Got postal prices from 'ask a seller'.

Dont know seller etc, just seems a good deal

 

[spamel]

I like the look of the Wetterlings axe heads, but the handles look really chunky! Are they designed for gorillas?!!

 

[Spikey DaPikey]

Nothing a file and sandpaper wont fix

 

[Simon E]

Wetterlings cost $19.00 at dealer prices in the US (#13, #16) so this will give you an idea of the quality. Compared to GB handles there is little difference, I have relativley small hands and none of my axes/hatchets feel too big to use safely.

The steel in the head is the same GB use, so it the handle source. So the only difference is the thickness of the head and the final F&F. In general I have only seen really poor grain orientation on one Wetterlings hatchet and that was on the baby (#13) where you probably wouldnt be able to generate enough force to easily break it.

 

[EdS]

ok I'm thinking a knife from Kellam because I like my puukko and a Wetterlings axe. But how sell the axes these days.

 

[Spikey DaPikey]

ok I'm thinking a knife from Kellam because I like my puukko and a Wetterlings axe. But how sell the axes these days.

There's an ebay link in my post above.

 

[Hoodoo]

I agree with Jimbo 100%. If you get a Wetterling, it's a good idea to see if you can find someone who can hand pick it for you. The handles aren't as nice as Gransfors but as Spikey sez, that can be fixed. I've used scrapers on mine to scrape the handles down and smooth them out.

Some of the handles might have a lot of heartwood mixed in so it's worth having one hand picked. Head alignment and handle grain are also issues worth checking out.

It isn't just Wetterlings. I've sorted through a lot of Gransfors to find one that is excellent. overall.

 

[EdS]

pity he didn't mention it before the group billhook buy, I'd of suggest a decent bill would of been better for him than an axe.