Why the fascination with Gransfors?

If I showed up on a car mechanic forum (if such a thing exists; probably does) and said "Metric wrenches are a waste of money. Why does anyone buy them?" Knowing that I only work on American made cars more than 50 years old.

How would that go?
 
I skimmed threw this thread and I think it comes down to Gransfors having consistent quality in both the heads and handles. If you have the time tools and know how than finding a gem in a flea market or garage sale is a great way to spend a little money and time and end up with a great tool. But if you don't have the time or know how Gransfors will nit disappoint.
 
Of course, if needed, one may add a high centerline to an axe without much trouble if you have either a slack belt sander or an angle grinder with flap disks. Just buy a model that's a bit heavier and thicker than you want it to end up and then grind away at it. With caution, of course. A spray bottle full of water is a good friend.
 
Square_peg said:
Here's my take on the original poster's question.

Keep in mind that the OP is a young man up here in the NW doing hardcore trail work. He's using working axes for the work they were designed for - bucking & limbing trees - clearing and making trails. From that perspective there is very little use for a Gransfors axe. Gransfors makes great bushcraft axes and good splitting axes. But they don't make any axes well-suited to work in the woods of the Pacific Northwest.

From his perspective (and please correct me if I've wrong, Olybears) a Gransfors axe is a more expensive alternative that doesn't function as well for his purposes.

In actuality not very many people really need a good work axe these days. More people are are interested in a bushcraft axe. Hence the fascination with Gransfors Bruk - who do bushcraft axes so well.
Click to expand...

Pretty much. I can defend GB's to a point. I really like their hatchets for some things. The axes are best suited to limbing small trees. The axes have no buisness bucking much of anything, which brings up another point. I have seen no evidence of large trees being harvested in Sweden. Maybe I have just missed it but what I have seen it's pretty small stuff. GB's vintage stuff that there is plenty of here in the Pacific Northwest must have been used for other purposes, maybe some limbing, swamping, etc.

Another point that is kind of misleading with the GB's is the hand forged claim. Its really kind of hand manipulated between dies. It's some place in between drop forged and hand forged in my opinion. You want a real hand forged axe you need to look at one of the american made vintage axes with the inserted bits. They are everywhere and under appreciated.
 
This is an axe forum. Here we discuss the use of axes. We don't all use them the same. Equating vintage axes with metric wrenches is a straw man.

Believe it or not men still use axes in this world. They always will. I value the opinion of these men.

Try clearing some deadfall in a wilderness area where combustion engines aren't allowed (no chainsaws). Try it with a new Gransfors (vintage Gransfors are most definitely up to the task). Then you'll understand the original poster's question.

Sitting in your arm chair carving feather sticks won't give you an good understanding of what an axe can do.
 
garry3 said:
...Another point that is kind of misleading with the GB's is the hand forged claim. Its really kind of hand manipulated between dies. It's some place in between drop forged and hand forged in my opinion...
Click to expand...

Today I learned the difference in terminology for "closed die drop forging" (which is what Council and most others use today) and "open die drop forging" which I take is what Gransfors, Wetterlings, Hultafors, etc. are using for their rougher-finished axes.

http://www.engineerstudent.co.uk/open_die_drop_forging.html
http://www.engineerstudent.co.uk/closed_die_drop_forging.html
 
Yes--GB is open-die and does use true hand-forging for some of their finishing operations. Open die forging is still very high-skill work.

[video=youtube;E89nlVmPeeU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E89nlVmPeeU[/video]
 
Square_peg said:
This is an axe forum. Here we discuss the use of axes. We don't all use them the same. Equating vintage axes with metric wrenches is a straw man.

Believe it or not men still use axes in this world. They always will. I value the opinion of these men.

Try clearing some deadfall in a wilderness area where combustion engines aren't allowed (no chainsaws). Try it with a new Gransfors (vintage Gransfors are most definitely up to the task). Then you'll understand the original poster's question.

Sitting in your arm chair carving feather sticks won't give you an good understanding of what an axe can do.
Click to expand...

The vintage GB's I have came across are very thin DBL bits. I would call them a swamping pattern. Are these the ones you speak of? I own a couple of these but have never bothered to haft them. Maybe they are better than they look?
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Yes--GB is open-die and does use true hand-forging for some of their finishing operations. Open die forging is still very high-skill work.

[video=youtube;E89nlVmPeeU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E89nlVmPeeU[/video]
Click to expand...

Yes and I think they are a great product. I have no intention of selling mine, I love them. But if you compare that to the Pioneer video of Emerson and Stevens axes. Well its little league. Its all realative I guess. GB's are as close as we can get to a hand forged head that is mass produced today.
I do have to wonder what kind of prices them Emerson and Stevens axes would bring today. You could bet Manson would make more today forgeing axes than he could pushing a broom.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qr4VTCwEfko
 
Square_peg said:
This is an axe forum. Here we discuss the use of axes. We don't all use them the same. Equating vintage axes with metric wrenches is a straw man.

Believe it or not men still use axes in this world. They always will. I value the opinion of these men.

Try clearing some deadfall in a wilderness area where combustion engines aren't allowed (no chainsaws). Try it with a new Gransfors (vintage Gransfors are most definitely up to the task). Then you'll understand the original poster's question.

Sitting in your arm chair carving feather sticks won't give you an good understanding of what an axe can do.
Click to expand...

I think you misinterpreted my post. For starters, I was equating Gransfors axes to metric wrenches. More importantly, the point I was making is that tools, such as an axe or a wrench, are made to do jobs. When using those tools for the job they were designed to do they (should) work well. When trying to drive SAE nuts with a metric wrench, it could give the illusion that metric wrenches are useless.

Bringing it back to axes and the appropriate implementation there of; choose the axe that best aligns with the job at hand.

Maybe clearing deadfall isn't the right task for a Gransfors. But I also probably don't need a 4+ pound felling axe to make a split wood fire to warm some coffee and fry bacon. Sure, it could do the job, but a 1 pound hatchet will leave room for 3 extra pounds of bacon!

And that, my friends, is what's really important. Bacon.
 
garry3 said:
The vintage GB's I have came across are very thin DBL bits. I would call them a swamping pattern. Are these the ones you speak of?
Click to expand...

No, I'm talking about their single bit American felling axes with nice convex cheeks.

Sweden%20Axe%201.JPG


Another,

G%20A%20B%20Sweden%20axe.jpg
 
scouter27 said:
But I also probably don't need a 4+ pound felling axe to make a split wood fire to warm some coffee and fry bacon. Sure, it could do the job, but a 1 pound hatchet will leave room for 3 extra pounds of bacon!

And that, my friends, is what's really important. Bacon.
Click to expand...

Haha...love it. Best post I've seen in a while. :)
 
Square_peg said:
Here's my take on the original poster's question.

Keep in mind that the OP is a young man up here in the NW doing hardcore trail work. He's using working axes for the work they were designed for - bucking & limbing trees - clearing and making trails. From that perspective there is very little use for a Gransfors axe. Gransfors makes great bushcraft axes and good splitting axes. But they don't make any axes well-suited to work in the woods of the Pacific Northwest.

From his perspective (and please correct me if I've wrong, Olybears) a Gransfors axe is a more expensive alternative that doesn't function as well for his purposes.

In actuality not very many people really need a good work axe these days. More people are are interested in a bushcraft axe. Hence the fascination with Gransfors Bruk - who do bushcraft axes so well.
Click to expand...

That's what I was curious about, not questioning the OP's honesty, just curious which detail. I've helped out the WTA, but only saw the volunteers using clippers, shovels, coronas, and pulanskis, along with various rock drainage tools. Sure there's more than one detail, but curious how the logging part comes in? Sounds fun.
 
With open die forging it's still effectively hand-operated forging and isn't all that different from how a lot of tools back in the day were made in the larger factories. There's just a machine doing the hammering, but the operator still is responsible for the blows landing true and in proper sequence. Notice the series of dies that this fellow uses in forging the blades for pocket knives. It's nearly the same kind of operation in microcosm.

[video=youtube;zpeyhC-UIFg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpeyhC-UIFg[/video]
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Of course, if needed, one may add a high centerline to an axe without much trouble if you have either a slack belt sander or an angle grinder with flap disks. Just buy a model that's a bit heavier and thicker than you want it to end up and then grind away at it. With caution, of course. A spray bottle full of water is a good friend.
Click to expand...

I was thinking the same thing as I read through this. Of course it means that the swedish axes with thinner cheeks don't make great candidates for this mod.
 
Square_peg said:
No, I'm talking about their single bit American felling axes with nice convex cheeks.



Another,

I suspected as much Square peg:thumbup:. I have not come across that model here.

I am not tripping over axes up here in the sage brush. Nope, got to look high and low for a measly little no name. :D


BTW, How are you stocked in the way of pulaski covers? I seem to find pulaski's and pulaski covers like you find undercutters!
I also have shovel covers FSS( I have a love hate relationsip with the tool). crash axe covers also, leather that is pretty nice! You need any thing I listed?
Click to expand...
 
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