Granfors Decapitator

[torjusg]

Rumours are there is a new Granfors axe on the market.

 

[Greg]

Watch out mate some people on here might actually believe you!!

 

[loz.]

Put some clothes on that poor child !

 

[Pablo]

Here's Johnny!!!

 

[dwardo]

Might sound daft this but.... have you thaught of binding that up and modding it a bit and actually trying it ? Im not talking about felling redwoods just might be interesting is all.

 

[torjusg]

Might sound daft this but.... have you thaught of binding that up and modding it a bit and actually trying it ? Im not talking about felling redwoods just might be interesting is all.

folks...

It doesn't need binding, it is made with a hole like an ordinary axe. And yes, it was made for heavy duty chopping. I have tried it before and it packs a serious punch. The edge wasn't good enough like it was though, but on the pictures it has been reworked to a thinner edge.

The material is elk antler and is very hard solid at the end. And I can tell you, it has taken a lot of hours making this axe with stone tools.

I will test the new edge tomorrow.

 

[PhilParry]

All you need to do now is put it on evil-bay and quote that it's been designed by Ray Mears....


you could make a fortune!!!!


Ahem....that was a joke....honest...*running away before the libel lawyers catch me* :theyareon

 

[mayfly]

Put some clothes on that poor child !

 

[jon r]

When i went on work experience Ray Mears he had a tool just like that!!!! He and the professer man were testing it out. They said that it makes a good tool for gathering roots.

 

[leon-b]

very nice torjus, is this the one you were working on a little while ago, i hope gransfors stock it, how much will they go for

 

[torjusg]

very nice torjus, is this the one you were working on a little while ago, i hope gransfors stock it, how much will they go for

Thanks Leon

Considering the work involved making this axe it would probably be the most expensive axe in their stock...

 

[woodwalker]

OUt of interest, how sharp does it actually go? Could you accidently cut yourself on it and is it as many here put it "shaving sharp". Just curious as I'm always in awe of what is achievable with these sorts of tools .

woodwalker

 

[torjusg]

OUt of interest, how sharp does it actually go? Could you accidently cut yourself on it and is it as many here put it "shaving sharp". Just curious as I'm always in awe of what is achievable with these sorts of tools .

woodwalker

No, you couldn't cut yourself with it. So it is far from as efficient as a steel axe.

But conterary to popular opinion it shows that is still possible to use less then razor sharp axes.

 

[Diederik Pomstra]

When i went on work experience Ray Mears he had a tool just like that!!!! He and the professer man were testing it out. They said that it makes a good tool for gathering roots.

That's a bit unfair on the antler axe...they're great tools. I have used them (and their bone counterparts (also mesolithic) for serious woodworking green wood (cutting and splitting), cleaning skins and even some jobs when butchering (removing the ribcage). During a four-week mesolithic camp it was the only axe I used.
By the way, time involved in making one is reduced to about an hour and a half if you burn the antler with glowing coals where you want it removed. To protect the edge and other parts you want to keep strong, cover them in clay or similar to protect them from heat.
Diederik

 

[torjusg]

That's a bit unfair on the antler axe...they're great tools. I have used them (and their bone counterparts (also mesolithic) for serious woodworking green wood (cutting and splitting), cleaning skins and even some jobs when butchering (removing the ribcage). During a four-week mesolithic camp it was the only axe I used.
By the way, time involved in making one is reduced to about an hour and a half if you burn the antler with glowing coals where you want it removed. To protect the edge and other parts you want to keep strong, cover them in clay or similar to protect them from heat.
Diederik

A good idea, but not usable except removing the tines on this particular axe.

 

[torjusg]

Here is a video of the axe in use. As you see I have a problem with the head loosening. That will be easily fixed though. The dry spruce there was cut down in about 10-15 min.

Movie

 

[Klenchblaize]

Only @ bushcraftuk!

 

[Spikey DaPikey]

Nice video, thank you

 

[Moonraker]

Here is a video of the axe in use. As you see I have a problem with the head loosening. That will be easily fixed though. The dry spruce there was cut down in about 10-15 min.

Great experimental work on the antler axe Torjus

Recent experimental archaeological research points to the use of antler axe type implements for general wood working and especially for wood splitting. Here is the conclusion to a recent paper which explains this;

Pleyer (1995) compared the application of antler axes
and stone axes for various forms of woodworking. He
established that while trees could be felled using both
types of implement, the sharper blade of a polished stone
axe meant that, if the tool was used correctly, less force
needed to be applied. In contrast, the antler axes proved
to be more suitable for splitting timber. Whereas the
hafted stone axes frequently became immovably wedged
or even broke, this did not occur in the case of the antler
axes irrespective of the force used or angle of impact.

In summary, we conclude that the analyses presented
here demonstrate that antler axes were very probably
mainly used in woodworking and that they were par-
ticularly effective for the splitting of timber compared
with the other possibilities available to Stone Age peo-
ple. In agreement with the opinion of numerous authors,
it is probable that antler axes also served as universal
tools with a range of functions, suggesting that all the
various speculations about their use are, to some extent,
justified.

source: An examination of Stone Age/Bronze Age adzes and axes of red deer ( Cervus elaphus L.) antler from the Leine Valley, near Hannover. European Journal of Wildlife Research. Volume 50, Number 4 / December, 2004. 197-206 (subscription only or via ATHENS required)

Also, I can see one issue with forming an axe blade like that is that although the antler is hard the blade edge will always be formed including part of the softer substantia spongiosa or spongy 'core' of the antler thus making it liable to deform like in the video when in use.

If you look at this example which is being used to cut oak, the blade is across the antler and the edge formed from the harder, more resilient cortical compacta or hard outer layer which means the blade edge will be harder and better able to resist wear from use.

source: Pleyer R (1995) Herstellung und Einsatz von spatneolithischen Hirschgeweihaxten. In: Experimentelle Archaologie Bilanz.
Isensee Verlag, Oldenburg. 161–165

The evidence is clear when you see the size of oak felled and sectioned just with an antler axe made from only stone implements.

In proflie the blade is more like a 'scandi' blade, so maybe if it was worked and more like a convex profile it might cut better? But I can only imagine how much work there is to form the blade anyhow

There is another good image of an antler axe here which is around 6,000-7,500 years old!;

Nordic Neolithic Stag Antler Axe

Torjus if you want more details pm me.

happy experimenting

 

[oops56]

Now can you see a north America Indian getting 5 or 6 cords for the winter plus its got to season some indians went south for the winter not all