Recommendation? Looking for an axe

Daedric Panther

Daedric Panther

Joined
Apr 27, 2019
Messages
528
Hey y’all. I’ve put in my time chopping firewood with a cheapo Home Depot axe, but I’m far from knowledgeable about axes. I’m moving up north in about a month and as an outdoorsman who spends a lot of his spare time well off the beaten trail off hiking and off roading, I’m in the market for an axe I can keep in my truck. Mostly for light duty felling or spilling wood at a camp site. Basic axe stuff. Weight isn’t an issue, but I’d like to keep the cost at or under $250. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Thanks
 
That's a tremendous budget, you could hook yourself up with pretty much whatever you want that's not custom or new Swedish. The best you can get won't cost anywhere near that much money. Because it will be vintage US made, and a user. I mean, you could overpay that much in an Etsy shop for something, but you can do it yourself for a fraction of the price and it's not hard. And you have to learn how to hang it and file it anyway, as that will be part of the maintenance of the tool.

Probably 3-4lbs, so just say 3.5lbs give or take. I would set my sights on a pattern first. A lot of guys like Connecticuts or Jersey patterns. I would go to the "what did you re-hang today" thread and browse away. Get an eye for what pattern you like for what you'll be doing, what kind of hang you like, etc. Browse eBay if you're not wanting to spend time going to flea markets and antique shops and whatnot.

Some of the more readily available high quality producers would be Kelly, Plumb, Collins, Mann. But there are many more. You're looking for something from before the 70s. A Kelly Perfect Jersey is a perennial favorite and usually available.

Once you find the head, you'll have to source or make a haft. And spend some time learning how to properly file a head, using the USFS guide "An Axe to Grind" that was written by one of our esteemed members. You can also watch the videos of the same name freely available on the internet. This text is essentially the axe bible. It will also cover how to fit a haft. You'll learn a lot and wind up with a tool that is without peer on the modern market short of full custom costing well over your budget. It is well worth your time. Then throw away your budget because you will spend way more than that over the years after you become soundly addicted to the hobby. It's gratifying work, and makes using the tool exponentially more gratifying.

After you set up your full-size you'll probably want to boys size axe to go along with it. And hatchet. And then a rafting pattern. And then a hewing hatchet, or maybe even a broad axe. And then you'll have to find this one thing you saw and just had to have. Then you'll start hoarding helves after realizing how hard it is to find a good one. And so on.
 
Or just pick out a Council/Husqvarna/Burks axe that tickles your fancy, a good bastard file (assuming you don't have one) and rock on.

Were it me, I'd buy 2. A Council Sport Utility Boy's axe and a Sport Utility Jersey, an extra haft or two, a good file and put the other $100 in the gas tank.
 
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either vintage or a council tool velvicut, they're nearly as good as vintage with very little of the work. the boys axe should be good for your needs.

but like everyone's saying you should be able to get pretty much any vintage axe with any great handle but 250 bucks. the Ebay axe market seems to be down now so it's a good time as far as i know
 
There isn't one axe to do it all. Realizing that results in needing a lot of axes for some reason...
When aware I am going to process a lot of wood, I use heavier/longer axes/mauls but in my truck I keep a 28" cruiser double bit with a heavy leather sheath in the bed (canopy) and a sharp clawed carpenters hatchet behind the backseat.
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Everyone's needs are different but the little cruiser has cleared roads off the butte where we live several years in a row without a problem with size/weight and the hatchet has been used at many camp outings to drive tent stakes, make kindling, and crudely carve things.

Don't know what you need for you but this basic setup leaves me feeling more or less prepared. A quality, sharp, long-bitted boys axe in place of the cruiser would do as well.

Acquire or set yourself up a 32-36" rafting axe to throw in there. Wood gets scared just being showed it.
 
Ok so the clear public verdict is to get a boys ax to keep in my pickup, and possibly a smaller hatchet.

As for the DIY against store bought, I’m down for a project. I’ll buy a vintage, American made ax head and made the handle myself.

If the project isn’t complete before I move however, it will have to be put on hold and I’ll buy one of the premium model you guys had previously suggested. Thanks for all the info!
 
Good choice! You get to interact with a piece of history and preserve it for future generations.
In a poetic kinda way, you are part of it’s story and it is part of your story.
 
Daedric Panther, I would really think about something more reliable, like splitting maul, especially if you're looking something massive for backyard needs or house in the forest area. When I've been cleaning up area by cutting down the trees near the house, by using a maul (like husqvarna, one of these: https://cоzyhousetoday.com/best-splitting-maul-reviews/), it was much better than my basic axe, that couldn't do it.
 
That's a tremendous budget, you could hook yourself up with pretty much whatever you want that's not custom or new Swedish. The best you can get won't cost anywhere near that much money. Because it will be vintage US made, and a user. I mean, you could overpay that much in an Etsy shop for something, but you can do it yourself for a fraction of the price and it's not hard. And you have to learn how to hang it and file it anyway, as that will be part of the maintenance of the tool.

Probably 3-4lbs, so just say 3.5lbs give or take. I would set my sights on a pattern first. A lot of guys like Connecticuts or Jersey patterns. I would go to the "what did you re-hang today" thread and browse away. Get an eye for what pattern you like for what you'll be doing, what kind of hang you like, etc. Browse eBay if you're not wanting to spend time going to flea markets and antique shops and whatnot.

Some of the more readily available high quality producers would be Kelly, Plumb, Collins, Mann. But there are many more. You're looking for something from before the 70s. A Kelly Perfect Jersey is a perennial favorite and usually available.
Click to expand...

Someone pay money just for ... brand, you know.
 
This 5lb 34” Rafting Axe I just got would make the logs in your backyard run in terror. It’s seen very little use and could be put to work right now.
I paid what I would consider a lot for this due the the superior condition but it was still just half your budget.
It isn’t about paying a lot just for a name to me, it’s about the historical significance of the piece, and besides this thing is just cool any way you slice it.
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For your budget you could get a Rafting Axe like this and still have enough for a sweet chopping Connie(or boys axe), and a file.
 
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