Issues with axe sharpening.

[WesternRed]

Hi all!

This is my first post so apologies if it's in the wrong place.
I bought a Helko Werk Hudson's Bay Camp Hatchet from eBay a year or so ago for £40. I understand that it's a relatively inexpensive axe but still of good quality.
The issue is that no matter what i try, i cannot seem to get a good edge on it! It arrived basically blunt and i've been trying to get a razor edge on it since then with no luck.
I wonder if maybe it's design is intended for splitting and the angle of the convex is too wide to achieve a razor sharp cutting edge?

Thanks,

WesternRed

 

[Kepis]

 

[Broch]

Hi all!

This is my first post so apologies if it's in the wrong place.
I bought a Helko Werk Hudson's Bay Camp Hatchet from eBay a year or so ago for £40. I understand that it's a relatively inexpensive axe but still of good quality.
The issue is that no matter what i try, i cannot seem to get a good edge on it! It arrived basically blunt and i've been trying to get a razor edge on it since then with no luck.
I wonder if maybe it's design is intended for splitting and the angle of the convex is too wide to achieve a razor sharp cutting edge?

Thanks,

WesternRed

Welcome to the forum!

You obviously feel you need a 'razor' edge to your axe but is that because you need one or want one? A razor edge on an axe is only really necessary if you're using it for carving. For any other camp craft, including putting points on pegs etc., a razor edge is far from necessary. As soon as you use an axe to split stubborn logs, especially if wet or very cold, the edge will be dulled. An axe sold as a 'camp' axe may well be designed with a wide edge angle to improve splitting but looking at a photo of it I think it should take a 'reasonable' edge - maybe not razor though.

By the way, don't get fooled into thinking only expensive axes are any good; I've never paid more than a tenner for my axes and I use them nearly every day working in the wood.

 

[uncleboob]

Welcome to the forum!

You obviously feel you need a 'razor' edge to your axe but is that because you need one or want one? A razor edge on an axe is only really necessary if you're using it for carving. For any other camp craft, including putting points on pegs etc., a razor edge is far from necessary. As soon as you use an axe to split stubborn logs, especially if wet or very cold, the edge will be dulled. An axe sold as a 'camp' axe may well be designed with a wide edge angle to improve splitting but looking at a photo of it I think it should take a 'reasonable' edge - maybe not razor though.

By the way, don't get fooled into thinking only expensive axes are any good; I've never paid more than a tenner for my axes and I use them nearly every day working in the wood.

Completely agree, I have a hatchet and an axe, both vintage brades. I paid a small amount (£10ish) for the hatchet and found the head of the axe in the bilge of a boat I was clearing out! Good quality steel which holds a good edge, but as you’ve said, not razor sharp


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[WesternRed]

Welcome to the forum!

You obviously feel you need a 'razor' edge to your axe but is that because you need one or want one? A razor edge on an axe is only really necessary if you're using it for carving. For any other camp craft, including putting points on pegs etc., a razor edge is far from necessary. As soon as you use an axe to split stubborn logs, especially if wet or very cold, the edge will be dulled. An axe sold as a 'camp' axe may well be designed with a wide edge angle to improve splitting but looking at a photo of it I think it should take a 'reasonable' edge - maybe not razor though.

By the way, don't get fooled into thinking only expensive axes are any good; I've never paid more than a tenner for my axes and I use them nearly every day working in the wood.

Thanks for the replies!

Admittedly, in my limited knlowedge, i've been under the impression that a super sharp edge is best regardless of task but i will be using it for carving as i'd like to craft some cups or bowls etc.
I used it yesterday whilst shaping a hearth board as part of a bow drill set and it wasn't as efficient as i'd like it to be, it seemed prone to glancing and even splitting the log i used was a bit of a chore...
Maybe 'razor sharp' was a little extreme but i'd definitely like it to be sharper than it is.
Would it be advisable to file away some material and try to narrow the head? Or am i more likely to make a mess?

Thanks again!

 

[Broch]

Ah, OK. Really, for carving you want an axe that is bevelled on one side so the cutting edge isn't thrown off the work piece by the bevel. However, I appreciate that if you buy one it's an additional expense and if you make one it requires tools and facilities (see https://bushcraftuk.com/community/threads/new-carving-axe-from-old-chopper.150060/ if you fancy having a go )

Having said that, I managed without a carving axe for years and so do most people. Depending on the hardness the axe has been heat treated to, you may have difficulty taking any material off with a file and, a bench grinder or angle grinder may be necessary. Remember though that if the edge gets hot you will ruin any heat treating and tempering that has been applied. I don't think you can post photos yet (new member and all that) but if you measure the thickness of the edge say 1cm up and 2cm up it will give us an idea of the bevel profile and we may be able to give better advice.

 

[santaman2000]

Welcome to the forum!

You obviously feel you need a 'razor' edge to your axe but is that because you need one or want one? A razor edge on an axe is only really necessary if you're using it for carving. For any other camp craft, including putting points on pegs etc., a razor edge is far from necessary. As soon as you use an axe to split stubborn logs, especially if wet or very cold, the edge will be dulled.......

To be completely honest throughout my teens when I lived in the countryside we kept two aces. One we sharpened for chopping. The other was always left dull for splitting: not just because slitting will dull it, bit more because it just works better.

 

[Robson Valley]

A splitting axe has a dull edge. The idea is to have the wood split open ever so slightly ahead of the steel.
A cutting axe has a sharp edge for shearing wood fiber that does not necessarily follow the lay of the grain in the block.

 

[WesternRed]

Thanks for the help guys!

I actually just started working the metal with a Lansky heavy duty sharpener to thin out the bevel... seems to be working.
Once i've got the shape i want, i'll go at it with a Puck. I have a Fallkniven DC4 aswell, should i give that a go after the Puck? Maybe some wet 'n' dry too to restore the mirror finish? A good ol' stropping to finish her off?
Thoughts?

Thanks again for the help everyone, much appreciated by this novice bushcrafter!

 

[Robson Valley]

Decide what you want. A splitter or a cutter.
The nominal total included bevel angle at the edge should be 30 degrees for what you do.
For my carving, I run up to 1,500 grit with a wide range of bevel angle edges, depends on the tool.
Because steel is plastic when thin, going beyond 1,500 is a waste of money.
You can see the proof in the scanning electron micrographs made by Leonard Lee at the
National Research Council of Canada research labs.
Look at the pictures. See for yourself.

I'm really disappointed. I believed(?) that more was better. Wrong.
1,500 then hone on some kind of a strop with CrOx/AlOx to be done with it.

For bushcraft, for my axes, 800 is plenty. A polished surface only cuts better in the mind of the believer.

 

[WesternRed]

I've seemed to improve the edge on it over the last couple of days.
I reduced the bevel to a reasonable thickness and gave it a good going over with the Puck, DC4 and Strop...
Seems to have improved greatly, it's splitting very nicely and i've started to attempt some carving. It's by no means perfect (or razor sharp) but is biting into the wood much more easily!