Spear and Jackson Supersharp..... isn't!

[Wook]

I just picked up a small axe today. I wanted something for batonning kindling in the garden since it isn't good for my knives. At the hardware store today I found a mid size axe (one up from a hatchet, one down from a felling axe) that I liked the look of for £14.50. It is big enough to be used 2 handed (ideally kneeling) but small enough to be used one handed.

I was quite pleased with it.... till I got it home. The grind is an abomination. It is very lopsided and has large sections with no edge at all. We're not just talking blunt, we're talking large flat surfaces 2-3mm across where there should be edge.

How they can call this "Razorsharp" is beyond me. I tried for half an hour to reprofile it with the rough side of my DC4 before giving up. I'll have to dig the Aldi bench grinder out of the shed and completely regrind the edge. I'm glad I wont have to do this by hand.

I'm hopeful that it might be a halfway decent axe once I get the grind sorted though. It is a lovely size. It's actually the first axe I've ever bought for myself. I've bought loads for others, and used many - but this is the first one that was actually mine.

I couldn't quite justify the cost of a Gransfors this close to Christmas

EDIT - The title should say "Razorsharp" - my bad.

 

[Keith_Beef]

I would be really angry with myself as well as with both the retailer and the manufacturer if I got all the way home before finding out that the edge was so bad. I suppose if it was not marketed as being "razor sharp", if it was sold at such a low price as being a "part-finished" tool, then I would accept it better.

But that really is a low price for something that you could turn into a very serviceable little axe.

 

[gabrielsdad]

I got a hultafors trekking axe of amazon for less than 30 notes. Im well happy for the money.

 

[redandshane]

A bit late now but If it was not satisfactory you should just have returned it under your statutory rights
Its amazing how much axes vary in the flesh I like to look at them and pick out the decent handles I don't buy them as I only buy older axes really
Anyway you can re grind it the way you want it and as Keith said for the price it aint too bad

 

[dwardo]

You cant help but wonder if the HT is as bad as the edge. Might be wasting your time.

 

[Wook]

The reason I didn't inspect the edge in the shop is a) I didn't want to scare the crap out of the person behind the counter and b) the head of the axe was wrapped in plastic.

I left it this way deliberately since I was on my way to work and if stopped by the Police I wanted it to be obvious that I had just bought the axe.

I expected to have to sharpen it. I didn't expect to have to regrind it.

We'll see.

 

[British Red]

Wook, on the Aldi grinder you can get a decent edge....but I'd finish it with the belt sander. You will need to run the belt slightly slack to get a convex and may have to take the side guards off the belt sander to be able to get the belt to hug the blade. Don't let the head get too hot to touch - cool in a bucket of water as needed.

Be interested to see before and after photos.

 

[Wook]

Woops sorry Red, I just did it and I haven't taken any photos.

I was able to get it to a reasonably symetrical convex grind using both the wheel and the belt on the aldi grinder. I then ran it through both sides of my DC4 and finally took it to a strop with Autosol on it.

What I did find was that there is a limit to the kind of edge this axe will take. Once it gets to a certain level of sharpness, then any more and the edge starts to flake off. Despite this I was able to put what I would describe as a functional edge on it.

Not sharp by my definition, but it will split reasonable sized logs and it batons kindling quite easily. It will do for what I want it for, so I'm happy.

You don't need a razor sharp edge for those uses anyway, and I don't mind having to touch it up before use.

People have been making do with axes with crappy grinds and mediocre heat treatments for generations, so I'm sure I'll survive.

One of these days though I'll get a Gransfors

 

[British Red]

If it works - its all good! Hopefully if you need to do it again, it'll be less daunting too!