Finnish style axes

Joined
Feb 5, 2005
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184
I'm always looking for something different for no reason in particular other than a love of axes.
I'm wondering what others think of the Finnish axes and what if any advantages or disadvantages of this type of axe are.
I don't need it so it's just a case of want but I've always been intrigued by these.
Thoughts anyone?
 
I am not an expert, but this style of axes is more suited to the softer green woods of both coniferous as well as deciduous trees typically found in Finland and in the northern boreal forests. The bearded style makes it suitable for rough carving too: one can choke up close to the head and have a better control. For a finer carving you would need a short handle and somewhat thinner bit. The axe shown is a more generalist one: you can use it to fell, delimb and buck smaller trees, to carve green wood and also to split firewood. It won’t excel in felling or splitting, but it will do. It will probably drive well wooden wedges too, though the exaggerated curve of the handle doesn’t facilitate the proper grip for this, you need to choke up. One advantage of the pattern is the quite secure fitting of the head to the handle - it won’t loosen up so easily.
This specific axe has a very nice finish and prioritizes looks over functionality (e.g. handle design). It would be more than fine for bushcrafting.
If you want a hard use axe mainly for splitting and/or felling, I would suggest a North American style or even a German style axe, especially if you plan using it on harder woods like hard maple, oak, beech, hickory or woods with interlocked grain like elm or American sycamore.
 
They take a very unique style handle, of which I don't know if you can find readily available replacement blanks in the states (I could be wrong).

Then again, they basically come with their own built in overstrike guard so maybe you'll never need to replace the handle anyway.

I never enjoyed the way they looked to begin with but now I think they are among the most beautiful axes ever made.
 
I am not an expert, but this style of axes is more suited to the softer green woods of both coniferous as well as deciduous trees typically found in Finland and in the northern boreal forests. The bearded style makes it suitable for rough carving too: one can choke up close to the head and have a better control. For a finer carving you would need a short handle and somewhat thinner bit. The axe shown is a more generalist one: you can use it to fell, delimb and buck smaller trees, to carve green wood and also to split firewood. It won’t excel in felling or splitting, but it will do. It will probably drive well wooden wedges too, though the exaggerated curve of the handle doesn’t facilitate the proper grip for this, you need to choke up. One advantage of the pattern is the quite secure fitting of the head to the handle - it won’t loosen up so easily.
This specific axe has a very nice finish and prioritizes looks over functionality (e.g. handle design). It would be more than fine for bushcrafting.
If you want a hard use axe mainly for splitting and/or felling, I would suggest a North American style or even a German style axe, especially if you plan using it on harder woods like hard maple, oak, beech, hickory or woods with interlocked grain like elm or American sycamore.
Thank you for the information. I need another axe like I need another hole in my head but it's a weakness I don't really want to correct 🙂.
I'm sure it would work no better or worse than any other axe I have but it's unique look and design are what I find appealing.
I live in the boreal forest in the land of black spruce and Jack pine where the average trees are 4" to 6" in diameter with some larger of course but most cutting and trail clearing involves the smaller stuff so anything will work fine. The hardest wood we have is birch and not much of that so this is why axes from the Scandinavian countries are popular and work well here considering similar forests.
 
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