What do you look for in an axe?

[RobertG Burns]

As it says in the title, pure and simple, what do you look for in an axe what ever the size or type what are the qualities and performances you value? Any and all opinions/ discussion is of course welcome

[Bill Houghton]

Like asking, "what do you look for in a car/house/plane/dinner?" What are you planning to do with this axe you want to get? Splitting kindling? Reducing a log to a square beam? Shaping boards and timbers for furniture? Throwing it in competition? The answer to that question will affect what kind/design of axe you should have.

Me, I don't buy new what I can find at yard sales. My general purpose hatchet is marked, "U.S.," and is of a style I think of as "Boy Scout hatchet." I don't do timber framing, so can't help there. I do have a broad hatchet (bevel all on one side) that I use occasionally for rough carpentry. On my list of skills to acquire is using a broad hatchet to remove excess wood from a piece of stock in furniture; I've seen pictures, and it looks effective.

[David Weaver]

For outdoors, I look for an axe that has a proper profile. That usually means a vintage axe that has a good taper and a bulge in the cheek (a lot of new axes look like the cheek is fairly flat straight off of a belt grinder.

An axe that doesn't peak in the middle of the cheek front to back and top to bottom will stick, and no matter how sharp it is or how hard the steel is, that's a pain.

For hatchets and axes, I like something that is hard filing hardness - can take an edge but can still be filed. I don't want something high 50s hardness like the swedish axes.

Happens that a lot of the old kelly works axe stuff is pretty well made, and you need mostly just to pick your pattern, weight and find a good condition item.

There are a lot of nice older broad hatches (i find a lot of plumbs around here) that aren't too expensive, and that are the right hardness to hold an edge but not so hard that they're a pain to sharpen.

I have never bought a hatchet or axe new except one $8 hatchet at HF that is intended to hold a blunt edge and strike roots in ground that has gravel in it.

[Jim Koepke]

+1 on what Bill said.

My most recent find was a hewing hatchet.

I may give it a big work out here soon as I have a lot of birch that needs the bark knocked off. Also need to make a mallet for a neighbor. May do a bit of the work using the hewing hatchet.

Also have a light axe, called a boy's axe as that is the market it was made for. It is the right size for my wife to swing. For splitting I have a maul. My wife wanted me to get a hydraulic log splitter so that is used mostly.

If you are going to be chopping trees or logs you want something heavy. Maybe even a double bitted axe would appeal to you.

I have another heavier axe for me and a couple of hatchets that are mostly for splitting or shaping wood.

jtk

[Jim Matthews]

I like my traditional Helko for all-around use.
It's the regular wedged handle, not the new through bolted version.

It's balanced such that the head is a little heavier than the handle.
It's under six pounds, all told. The head is marked 3.5 (pounds, presumably)

I never get the head trapped, and the medium flare works well in the stuff I cut.
(Mostly Birch, White oak and local Poplar).

It's very difficult to sharpen, but holds an edge for ages.

I don't like stopping to sharpen the axe.
When I'm splitting, I want to get on with it.

When I'm limbing, I want to wade through.

Heavier axes may be better for splitting, lighter axes for kindling, but if I can only carry one - that's what I choose.

Mine is painted black, but it looks like this one:
Helko.jpg