Swedish Carving Axe or Small Forest Axe?

[Red Adair]

I wonder if you guys can help me.

I'm looking to buy an axe. Ideally I'd like it to be useful for bushcraft, and so the Small Forest Axe (SFA) would seem the obvious choice, but as I don't go very often, if I could use it for carving, I might get more use out of it.

I've been chatting to the UK Gransfors distributor, who suggested the Swedish Carving Axe (SCA) as being able to do everything the SFA can but also with superior carving too. They're about the same weight, but the SCA is shorter and has a more curved blade. He suggested that as the SCA is about £15 more than the SFA, that might be why nobody suggests the SCA for bushcraft. But he maintains that he does sell a lot of them for that purpose.

I have recently bought a lovely SM knife from Mike B on this site, and figure that perhaps that could take care of my carving needs - I just fancy being able to whittle a spoon, bowl, etc. when sitting around.

Originally I was tempted by the SFA and the mini-hatchet, as it looks gorgeous and I figured I'd be able to carve with that... But, I can't really justify two axes (let alone one!) and think I need to choose one.

Basically I'm too confused to make a decision! Any advice?

Thanks

Nick

 

[spamel]

You can certainly carve with a SFA. Either one would do the job of carving small items as you describe.

 

[Buckshot]

By the sound of it wither will work fine
Go with the one you like the most - that way you'll smile when you use it

Mark

 

[Miggers]

Red

Do you have an opportunity to try them out side by side. I bet the choice will make itself apparent then?

Miggers

 

[robin wood]

Personally I like the carving axe..mainly because I do a lot of carving but it will fell and limb a tree too. I take one when I go camping and use it for everything from splitting firewood to carving spoons. The benefit of the SFA would be the slightly longer handle would be better if you were doing more felling and limbing but then I would want a bigger axe if I was doing much of that. The SCA fits nicely in a pack. Here is a video of me carving a spoon with one http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Lx-NTPBoLmU
Having said all that the axe is the one bit of kit that I think it is OK to save money on if you are skint...buy a £5 B&Q axe or better get a nice old kent pattern axe head for £2 from a car boot sale and put a new handle on it either of these will need work reshaping to get them cutting nicely but its quite easy and there is plenty of info here on how to do it..

 

[mr dazzler]

What are you going to be carving? Will you ned weight for more impact power, or lighter if your doing smaller/detail work? Theres a trade off, a heavy axe does more actual cutt penetration per stroke BUT is more energy sapping on a long session. A light axe wil chop chop chop faster and easier but with less cutting power. I use both types for different jobs. I have a heavy hatchet pretty much like these.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/AXES-x-2_W0QQ...ryZ39729QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Yesterday I used it to rough out a trough from alder wood in less than 10 minutes, it whopped the sloping ends (cross grain cut's) in no time, I could of done the same job with my sandvik or roselli but it would of been slower. But to rough out a delicate spoon with its compound concave surfaces an plane's its too heavy (and clumsy actually), the extreme round cutting edge on the roselli and the long tip on the sandvik come into there own for those type job's.

 

[Red Adair]

Thanks to everyone for their thoughts.

I've decided that I've spent too much time worrying about this, so I'm going to buy both the SFA and the mini-hatchet.

There! Decision made...

 

[SOAR]

Thanks to everyone for their thoughts.

I've decided that I've spent too much time worrying about this, so I'm going to buy both the SFA and the mini-hatchet.

There! Decision made...

Are you sure?

 

[Schwert]

Yeah really are you sure?

The GB carving ax is a real pleasure to use and if you are going to day any amount of carving I think it is just a fine tool to have. The wonderfully curved helve and the deep indent to allow chokeing up makes for a very good time of carving.

I would get the carvers ax and SFA before the mini.

Here a green alder spoon in the works.

Rough work for me is not allowed in the living room...sadly

 

[michiel]

Love the hat and Nick Wheeler knife

 

[Red Adair]

Drat! Just when I thought I'd made up my mind...

I would get the carvers ax and SFA before the mini.

Ahhhh, but could I just get the SCA and forget about the SFA & Mini? If so, then I might do that. What I was trying to achieve is buying just one axe for everything.

 

[Buckshot]

I think I'd go for the SCA over the SFA
In fact, anyone got one they want to get rid of???

Mark

 

[robin wood]

most of the folk that I know that have a SCA rarely use anything else, it is the perfect carving axe, thats what it was designed for by Wille Sundqvist but it will also fell a tree, chop firewood, hew a square beam or pretty well anything you would want an axe to do. A sfa would do all those things to but it would not be anywhere near as good at carving and is not quite as portable...depends what you think you will do most really.

edit that first sentance should be SCA not SFA

 

[Schwert]

I have quite a few GB axes including the Mini, Wildlife, Hunter's and Scandinavian Forest Ax, maul and of course the carver...but not the small forest ax.

I have not yet found a great use for the mini. It is so small that it is a wonder to carry, but for me just does not have the heft necessary to rough out wood for any project. It is a nice carving tool used more like a knife, and a very nice fire prep pocket ax when you are not going to build a fire for sure, but if I am going to rough out a spoon blank or anything else I grab the carving ax first, Hunter's second. The Hunter's ax is about the same size and heft of the small forest ax, with a different helve shape. It can be a very useful ax.

I just got the Wildlife and it has a very nice appeal....midsized between mini and Hunter's but I have not used it yet, so I cannot say where it fits.

There is almost no wrong choice in my view....except maybe for the mini which I have yet to catch on to.

I do think that if the goal is a single ax I would likely choose the small forest ax over the carver UNLESS carving was going to be a major use. If wandering about the woods doing all the usual stuff was the purpose with carving being a minor component of the use, then I would purchase first (you will be getting the other anyway sometime later) the small forest ax. If I was walking though the woods looking for wood to carve, then I would buy the carvers ax and be happy to have it.

The decision to buy a mini and sfa sort of through me....if you have that coin then my recommendation is the sfa and carver....mucho better choice for me.


Also I think Robin means SCA in the first line above...the carving ax sings. I trust you have watched his videos...seeing Robin chop that spoon out in the living room is just a pleasure. I would be happy to 5% of that ax skill. We live in a very lucky time, being able to procure such grand tools and being able to share those skill via forums and videos is an amazing thing.

Buy any ax and give it a go. There is mental health to be had in the pleasures of making something with a fine tool.