#Gransfors bruks adze update

It came with a rough convex edge so not as blunt as the Bahco but still needs file work to shape the bevels properly before sharpening.

#Gransfors bruks adze update

Update 10/2/13: I have the Husqvarna now and it is a useful general purpose axe but not the best for carving. I have not had one yet to know whether the bevels are good for carving as they come but it sounds a good option. These retail just over £20 but come with sheath and sharp. It is a good head weight and shape for carving but needs some work.Īnother axe which looks good value, I have heard good reviews but have not picked one up yet is the husqvarna hatchet. Update 17/5/11 I bought a Bahco axe and it was OK but also needed significant work with a file to get the bevels set and a good cutting edge. A lighter axe moves more quickly and lots of small cuts can remove wood just as a few large ones do. If you can manage a heavier axe the weight will do the work and you don’t have to swing as much. When choosing an axe I suggest you use the heaviest axe you can carve with for 20 minutes without getting at all tired. Again it would be possible to fell and limb a tree with this axe, though it is best for light carving work such as spoons or tent pegs. Anyone can use this axe and it is a great axe for carrying in a backpack. The handle is 14″, same as the carving axe but the head is around half the weight at about 1lb. (update 17/5/11, I have been talking with Joakim Nordkvist, Managing Director at Gransfors and it looks like we may get the grind returned to the original, watch this space)Īnother axe from the Gransfors stable that I rate highly is the wildlife hatchet, these are quite good value at around £50 (update 2017: less good value now at around £80, update 2019: around £100). Out of the two I would favour the even beveled one as the flat sided one tends to dig in a little and be more difficult to carve concave areas. And third, whilst Wille designed it to have a slightly longer bevel on the left side to help control carving and they used to come that way, it now comes either completely flat on the left like a side axe or with an even bevel. Second, it needs someone with reasonable forearm strength to use it properly and they don’t make a lighter version. It has 3 drawbacks, first it is expensive at around £80 (update 2017: around £120, update 2019 around £140). Given time and a woodland it would be possible to build a house and it’s contents with this axe. It is also very good at hewing flat surfaces to make beams. This one excels at carving objects with curved surfaces like spoons. It will fell a tree at a pinch and split it into firewood, but if you do a lot of that I would strongly recommend an axe with a 30-33″ handle. This axe was designed by Wille Sundqvist, the Swedish mastercraftsman who first inspired me in my work, and it is specifically designed for one handed carving.

If I were to only have one axe (a terrible thought) it would be a Gransfors Bruks Swedish carving axe.

The small forest axe is sort of between these at 19″ so you can just about use it two handed though it never feels right or you can use it one handed but the long handle stops it pivoting nicely when held close to the head and used for the sort of controlled carving that I do a lot of. One handed axes are often called hatchets whilst the longer handled axes of various designs were for felling, limbing and splitting. Axes always tended to be either designed for use two handed and have long (around 30-33″) handles, or one handed use and have short (around 14-16″) handles.