Larger carving axes?

[punkrockcaveman]

I've been doing a lot of carving over the past year, and I'm really getting into it. My Robin wood carving axe has been a solid tool to use, but I've been wanting of more weight and a longer cutting edge, so I'm considering the purchase of a larger carving axe.

The first one that springs to mind is the gransfors carving axe, I particularly like the idea of a right handed axe, I've used two before, one was actually the gransfors carver which was awesome to use. It's just... the price. I think the cheapest I've seen is £155 without postage, surprisingly from Ben and Lois orford, I expected they wouldn't be able to be competitive? There's the possibility of picking one up 2nd hand.

Another option is the Robin wood large carving axe, very similar stats to the GB axe, but a different look. Much cheaper at £55, no sheath but I'm happy to make (bodge!) My own. Not quite as nice though is it haha.

There are other makers, some are super expensive, I'd love a soulwood creations one as they are close to me and seem to be lovely tools, and Svante Djarv, but we are talking 250 plus which I just can't justify.

Fadir from Ukraine is another I've come across, back in the £150 range.

Any thoughts from fellow axe welders? Anyone looking at shifting a similar axe on?

Cheers!

 

[Broch]

Have you thought of converting one? I modified a tatty Kentish axe into a right-handed carver a few years ago; you could do the same with a bigger version. You'll need to anneal it to make the extensive profile changes and then re-harden it. A Kentish blade gives you plenty of material to work with.

I suppose mine cost less than £1

Just for illustration - this is much smaller than you're after:

New Carving Axe from Old Chopper!

As some of you know I enjoy breathing new life into old British axe heads that I pick up from flea markets and car boot fairs. I don’t usually bother with anything that has been too abused but just occasionally I act against my better judgement and end up bringing home something that goes to the...

bushcraftuk.com

 

[punkrockcaveman]

Cheers Andy! I do really fancy a go at that! I think I'll have to pass and buy one for now though as my time is running a bit short, just managing to steal and hour here and there at the moment. Having said that I'll still go off and have a browse for axe heads....

 

[Tiley]

I used to have a Gransfors carving axe but found it too heavy for sustained use. The longer cutting edge was certainly useful but wielding the thing for a prolonged time meant that my carving became wayward and inaccurate.

After a pause, I was put on to the Kalthoff carving axe - light in weight but still with a longer cutting edge. It is an absolute dream to use! So much so that I now pack it as my 'go to' axe for whenever I'm out in the woods as well as back at base, carving things.

In case you couldn't tell, I am a real devotee to these beautifully designed and made tools. I've absolutely no association with the company - just a delighted customer.

Kalthoff small carver — KALTHOFF AXES

The small carver is a specialty axe and a precision tool. It is useful in a variety of carving jobs, from removing lots of material to fine cutting surfaces. It works well for beginner and senior carvers. Developed in cooperation with renowned carver Beth Moen.

www.kalthoffaxes.se

 

[Robson Valley]

I'm quite happy with the elbow adzes and a D adze as are used by First Nations wood carvers here in the Pacific Northwest. I think some what more finesse than an axe on curved surfaces.

One carver in Alaska claims that the Kestrel Sitka elbow adze is a "bandsaw on a stick". I must agree.

The deal is that here, we can buy the blades then make up the handles and hafting to suit out own striking patterns. Or, buy a finished tool from several makers.

 

[punkrockcaveman]

I used to have a Gransfors carving axe but found it too heavy for sustained use. The longer cutting edge was certainly useful but wielding the thing for a prolonged time meant that my carving became wayward and inaccurate.

After a pause, I was put on to the Kalthoff carving axe - light in weight but still with a longer cutting edge. It is an absolute dream to use! So much so that I now pack it as my 'go to' axe for whenever I'm out in the woods as well as back at base, carving things.

In case you couldn't tell, I am a real devotee to these beautifully designed and made tools. I've absolutely no association with the company - just a delighted customer.

Kalthoff small carver — KALTHOFF AXES

The small carver is a specialty axe and a precision tool. It is useful in a variety of carving jobs, from removing lots of material to fine cutting surfaces. It works well for beginner and senior carvers. Developed in cooperation with renowned carver Beth Moen.

www.kalthoffaxes.se

Thanks for the reply Tiley

So the standard Robin wood axe that I have is the same head weight at 550g, and I feel like I'm having to use a lot of energy, particularly for those moments where I'm using the full length of the handle and a strong swing, and most of the time I'm using green cherry, granted its a hard wood but not that hard. Cherry is by far my most accessible wood. So I figure that something with a bit more weight is a necessity, I feel like I'm using my body to cut the wood rather than the axe at the moment

 

[Tiley]

Thanks for the reply Tiley

So the standard Robin wood axe that I have is the same head weight at 550g, and I feel like I'm having to use a lot of energy, particularly for those moments where I'm using the full length of the handle and a strong swing, and most of the time I'm using green cherry, granted its a hard wood but not that hard. Cherry is by far my most accessible wood. So I figure that something with a bit more weight is a necessity, I feel like I'm using my body to cut the wood rather than the axe at the moment

The tool should be doing the majority of the work, rather than you. I know it sounds a bizarre thing to say but there is truth in it!

Inevitably, the sharpness of your axe is key: is it sharp enough? If so, and I assume that it is if you're carving fruit wood (i.e. cherry), then it might be worth trying to modify your technique. If you are gripping your axe handle firmly with every strike, that will prove unnecessarily tiring and won't be making good use of the length of the cutting edge; I was taught to keep a more relaxed grasp on the handle, creating more of a 'pivot' than a 'grip', and try to adopt more of a slicing action, which, for me anyway, seems to work.

When using the axe with your hand half-way along the handle or choked up, you need to be sure that the end of the handle is moving up and down with each blow: it's an easy way to allow you to see you are using the tool efficiently.

Having tried the Gransfors carver (I had a left-handed one and used it on bowls, spoons and so on) and the Kalthoff one, the difference is amazing. I do make a point of keeping a good edge on my Kalthoff and thinking carefully about my technique in all carving projects; I have found that I can still remove the required amount of wood with less physical effort as a result. It does take a bit of practice and a slight shift of mindset, though!

 

[punkrockcaveman]

I'll take a good look at the edge soon- I have stropped it before every use but I must admit I haven't had a good hard look at the edge since I bought it, you could have a very good point there. I'll get back to you on how that goes! Thanks @Tiley !

 

[punkrockcaveman]

@Tiley just wanted to say thanks for the advice. I've gone back and spent some time upgrading my sharpening system and my axe technique. It turned out that the edge had a couple of nicks in it, the edge was sharpish, but not super sharp.

I've modded my Aldi bench grinder by taking off the stone wheel and replacing it with an 8 inch mdf wheel for stropping which is awesome, and I've bought a 1000/6000 whetstone, so I've got the edge back to near perfect now, and my knives are much better too.

R.e. technique, I wasn't relaxing the wrist enough for sure, amongst a few other things! I'm trying to encourage myself to slice with the whole edge rather than force a cut now, it seems much less effort. Appreciate the advice

 

[Tiley]

I'm delighted to have been of some help! Enjoy your new-found skill and cutting tool!