Hi
I recently picked up this Husqvarna carpenters axe, here are some pictures of it.
Payed 60$ for it, looks really promising. Great leather sheath!
Perfect grain orientation
The eye. The round wedge is the reason why the wood has cracked so much, it doesn't bother me.
This is a flaw, probably because they didn't custom fit the head to the handle well enough. If Hults had sanded or rasped the handle a little bit so the head could be forced down on the shoulder, that gap would probably fill up just fine, but since these axes are "medium end" (Pretty high in my standards) they don't do much but force the head on a handle and ship it away.
The handle is really beautiful, and the warning logos can easily be sanded off. It came with a very light BLO finish.
The edge. Now this is the most critical part - this is a carpenters axe after all, and this edge is way too obtuse for my liking. A minute or two with a file and I will reprofile the edge to get a more aggressive cut in the wood.
I couldn't find any decent pictures of the edge and bit when I was thinking about buying this axe. Perhaps these pictures will help you in your future buy.
I'm going to add some pictures of the edge reprofiling in the future.
Edited 2015-02-09 :
Hi
Today I have reprofiled the axe, made it bite at a much lower angle, I also sharpened and polished it. I also found out something about Husqvarna axes made by Hultafors.
This is the original grind, in theory it should work just fine, but I wanted it to be more aggressive and precise.
I mounted it in my poor-mans-file-jig, which basically is a piece of heavy duty construction string, that goes between my laminated benchtop and down, so I can put my feet in it to pull the axe down on the bench.
When I started to file the axe I noticed a white dust coming off the metal and clogging up my file.
I have a couple of Hultafors axes which is the same company that makes Husqvarna, and on their cheapest models, after they are forged, sand blast and clear laquers the head. It seems that my Husqvarna also had this treatment. No biggie, but I had no idea that they laquered Husqvarnas too.
I filed the edge slightly convex on the right side of the bevel, never touching the edge with the file.
The same procedure for the other side, but I aimed at a pretty straight bevel since I am righthanded. I basically just took the shoulder off this side, then filed it flat until the last grindmarks at the edge dissapeared, but forgot to take pictures of this.
After the filing, this is the engaging angle of the axe. Quite the difference! I like it!
Now for the final steps, I used a small DMT diamond plate, 320grit to polish out the scratches from the file. I polished in the opposite direction of the file.
Took some pictures of this step, but they got lost in my camera.
After the diamonds I started to polish and sharpen the edge with a Ice King 1000/6000 grit japanese whetstone. 1000 grit first, ofcourse.
6000 grit.
Then I stropped the edge with a simple stop made out of a leather belt glued to both sides of the wood. Applied a little Tormek polishing compound, which is approximately 8000 grit.
The result was a mirrors edge, which is really sharp.
Tomorrow should see a sanding and coating procedure of the handle. Thanks for watching.
Edited 2015-02-10 :
Hi
Today I have done some basic tests, and also coated the handle with some boiled linseed oil.
Basic cut in a 2x4 which had a few knots and gnarly pieces of grain.
This is too early to tell, but from what I have seen today, this edge geometry is a keeper. I made the edge asymmetric, convex on the right side of the bit, and reasonably straight on the left side, with a very small convex at the very apex of the edge, which makes it carve well while not being too fragile.
Not a single piece of rolling or chipping. Notice the deep scratch pattern from the file, I have been sloppy! :grumpy:
The final step, a thin coat of BLO, leaving it to dry a day, then repeating this step four times to get a very durable protective coat, and a very nice color.
The grain really popped.
Overall thoughts of the Husqvarna Carpenters Axe.
Upon receiving this axe, the quality amazed me, as expected from Husqvarna/Hultafors.
A few minor flaws, also expected because of the pricetag. This axe costed me 60$ from a forestry-store in sweden.
The edge was in poor condition, with too much meat on the bit, for it to be a good cutter.
The edge was easily reprofiled, the steel feels great, easy to file and sharpen, maintains a razor sharp edge, and takes a really keen polish.
The fitting of the handle could have been better, no worries about the head coming off. Pressure fitted with a glued wooden wedge and a round metal-wedge for extra security.
The only con I can think of, is the weight, which according to suppliers information is 997.9 grams / 2.2 pounds, but after a few swings and tests today, the weight is an advantage. It requires less power to efficiently cut the piece of wood.
With a little time spent "fixing" this axe, I am safe to say that this is money well spent.
I hope this basic review and picture heavy edge-modification helps you decide if this is the right axe for you. Thank you!
I recently picked up this Husqvarna carpenters axe, here are some pictures of it.
Payed 60$ for it, looks really promising. Great leather sheath!
Perfect grain orientation
The eye. The round wedge is the reason why the wood has cracked so much, it doesn't bother me.
This is a flaw, probably because they didn't custom fit the head to the handle well enough. If Hults had sanded or rasped the handle a little bit so the head could be forced down on the shoulder, that gap would probably fill up just fine, but since these axes are "medium end" (Pretty high in my standards) they don't do much but force the head on a handle and ship it away.
The handle is really beautiful, and the warning logos can easily be sanded off. It came with a very light BLO finish.
The edge. Now this is the most critical part - this is a carpenters axe after all, and this edge is way too obtuse for my liking. A minute or two with a file and I will reprofile the edge to get a more aggressive cut in the wood.
I couldn't find any decent pictures of the edge and bit when I was thinking about buying this axe. Perhaps these pictures will help you in your future buy.
I'm going to add some pictures of the edge reprofiling in the future.
Edited 2015-02-09 :
Hi
Today I have reprofiled the axe, made it bite at a much lower angle, I also sharpened and polished it. I also found out something about Husqvarna axes made by Hultafors.
This is the original grind, in theory it should work just fine, but I wanted it to be more aggressive and precise.
I mounted it in my poor-mans-file-jig, which basically is a piece of heavy duty construction string, that goes between my laminated benchtop and down, so I can put my feet in it to pull the axe down on the bench.
When I started to file the axe I noticed a white dust coming off the metal and clogging up my file.
I have a couple of Hultafors axes which is the same company that makes Husqvarna, and on their cheapest models, after they are forged, sand blast and clear laquers the head. It seems that my Husqvarna also had this treatment. No biggie, but I had no idea that they laquered Husqvarnas too.
I filed the edge slightly convex on the right side of the bevel, never touching the edge with the file.
The same procedure for the other side, but I aimed at a pretty straight bevel since I am righthanded. I basically just took the shoulder off this side, then filed it flat until the last grindmarks at the edge dissapeared, but forgot to take pictures of this.
After the filing, this is the engaging angle of the axe. Quite the difference! I like it!
Now for the final steps, I used a small DMT diamond plate, 320grit to polish out the scratches from the file. I polished in the opposite direction of the file.
Took some pictures of this step, but they got lost in my camera.
After the diamonds I started to polish and sharpen the edge with a Ice King 1000/6000 grit japanese whetstone. 1000 grit first, ofcourse.
6000 grit.
Then I stropped the edge with a simple stop made out of a leather belt glued to both sides of the wood. Applied a little Tormek polishing compound, which is approximately 8000 grit.
The result was a mirrors edge, which is really sharp.
Tomorrow should see a sanding and coating procedure of the handle. Thanks for watching.
Edited 2015-02-10 :
Hi
Today I have done some basic tests, and also coated the handle with some boiled linseed oil.
Basic cut in a 2x4 which had a few knots and gnarly pieces of grain.
This is too early to tell, but from what I have seen today, this edge geometry is a keeper. I made the edge asymmetric, convex on the right side of the bit, and reasonably straight on the left side, with a very small convex at the very apex of the edge, which makes it carve well while not being too fragile.
Not a single piece of rolling or chipping. Notice the deep scratch pattern from the file, I have been sloppy! :grumpy:
The final step, a thin coat of BLO, leaving it to dry a day, then repeating this step four times to get a very durable protective coat, and a very nice color.
The grain really popped.
Overall thoughts of the Husqvarna Carpenters Axe.
Upon receiving this axe, the quality amazed me, as expected from Husqvarna/Hultafors.
A few minor flaws, also expected because of the pricetag. This axe costed me 60$ from a forestry-store in sweden.
The edge was in poor condition, with too much meat on the bit, for it to be a good cutter.
The edge was easily reprofiled, the steel feels great, easy to file and sharpen, maintains a razor sharp edge, and takes a really keen polish.
The fitting of the handle could have been better, no worries about the head coming off. Pressure fitted with a glued wooden wedge and a round metal-wedge for extra security.
The only con I can think of, is the weight, which according to suppliers information is 997.9 grams / 2.2 pounds, but after a few swings and tests today, the weight is an advantage. It requires less power to efficiently cut the piece of wood.
With a little time spent "fixing" this axe, I am safe to say that this is money well spent.
I hope this basic review and picture heavy edge-modification helps you decide if this is the right axe for you. Thank you!
Last edited:
