The axe

[Ex-member EagleOwl]

Why do you take an axe?

In a summertime 3 night camping excursion for example i honestly cannot see any practical Need for an axe.

You could use it to take down dead standing wood but a laplander or bowsaw would be faster and do a better job plus it's a lot lighter to carry in.

It's good for making kindling but this is britain in summertime it's fairly simple to collect it.

The only time i can see for it having any purpose is when theres a few feet of snow on the ground.

Unless i suppose it is fun to chop wood with a big axe.

Or there is carving and splitting.

 

[Nonsuch]

Not always easy to find dry kindling, but a round of dead wood split down into fine kindling and feather-sticked will always light. You can of course always do this with a knife up to point.

I usually go by canoe and so can take with me what I want.

 

[Tadpole]

In Britain , why bother camping under a tarp and cooking over an open fire, collecting and chopping wood, buy the wood and take it with you.
In Britain , why bother camping under a tarp and cooking over an open fire collecting and chopping wood, use propane.
In Britain , why bother camping under a tarp and cooking at all, go to the pub.
In Britain , why bother camping under a tarp, take a tent.
In Britain , why bother camping, stay in a hotel.
In Britain , why bother,

 

[FGYT]

Carving

 

[Biker]

Gives you something to do when all the other stuff after you've set up has been done. I bet there are people here who would take a blunt knife in with them just so they can spend some time in the woods field sharpening it again and come home with less hairs on their left arm as a result.

Another plus having a fire going, even in summer and especially one you felt you worked on making and not just collecting fallen branches, makes for a satisfying comfort caveman thing.

 

[Retired Member southey]

I just take it to look cool and fit in with my friends, EVERYone 's got an axe right! dude, why take a knife or a saw, you can use a gas canister for your heat and layers for warmth, or why take a tent, you can just sleep out in your pants.chap one "why do you eat cheese? I don't eat cheese!" chap two "because I like cheese, don't care if you don't like cheese."

 

[Sparrowhawk]

But I do like cheese.

 

[sandbender]

"...Why do you take an axe?..."

"...why do you eat cheese?..."

"...because i like cheese, don't care if you don't like cheese..."

.

 

[Retired Member southey]

But I do like cheese.

Then cheese you shall have my friend! cheese all round! except those who don't like cheese. you can have axes.

 

[British Red]

I like cheese and axes......can I have a big wheel of ginger studded cheese and an axe to cut it with please? Its horrible cutting cheese with a saw...it gets stuck in the teeth

 

[Retired Member southey]

Why yes my friend! we shall have axes made of cheese this very day! and we shall take them camping and dance round the merry fools with gas burners in there pants!

What I'm trying t say EagleOwl is that if you don't think an axe or any bit of kit is necessary that's fine, but your posts seem to be in the vein of deriding people for making there own choices on what they want to have with them to make there time on this planet a little more fun. Please excuse the silliness, but hey, it's Friday, and tomorrow may never come, so let us have our cheese axes with out the fear of derision from the gas pants!

Go in peace my friend, and have a great weekend.

Dave.

 

[Tank]

we shall have axes made of cheese this very day! .

put me down for 2, what will the sheaths be made from ?

 

[Hoodoo]

I keep an axe in my truck at all times when I'm out on the backroads. For hiking, I generally carry a GB mini as a survival tool and for carving. If it's a day hike I will lug the mini and if I plan to linger longer, I'll often take a GB wildlife. Great for working wood down to knife-carving size and I'd rather baton my hatchet than my knife. For fall/winter camping/canoeing, I'll take a 3/4 axe. But I backpacked for years and the only cutting tool I carried was a SAK. Now, instead of counting ounces and logging miles, I like to find a place and camp a spell, and maybe do a little woodcraft.

To each his own, I say. As long as people aren't damaging the woods and leaving chopping scars, let them enjoy their axe. Using an axe is one of those "forgotten arts" and I applaud those who explore its use and treasure the tool and the experience of swinging an axe.

 

[British Red]

Nettles will make the axe masks

The will be traditional Cornish Yarg cheese axes......

 

[Jinsin456]

Personally I like an axe, there's only so much you can do with a saw and a knife but you can effectively do anything with an axe albeit a bit of a compromise sometimes but it CAN do it all. As mentioned before I can happily split logs for ages it gives something to do and it is useful to have a big pile of split logs for the fire. I think an axe became a normal part of my kit as we used to always stay in bothies where there would be logs but they would be VERY hard to split with anything but an axe and they wouldn't fit in the stove whole so an axe became a neccesity and I am generally a bit lost or miffed without one.

 

[Retired Member southey]

 

[roger-uk]

I like cheese and axes......can I have a big wheel of ginger studded cheese and an axe to cut it with please? Its horrible cutting cheese with a saw...it gets stuck in the teeth

You should not use a saw to clean teeth use a toothbrush.

 

[rik_uk3]

I don't bother, saw of some sort does a better job for me as I don't carve anything. If needed (rarely) I can split a bit of wood with a knife. Petrol chainsaw is a bonus.

 

[R.Lewis]

I have to agree, why take an Axe?

When you can take two Axes and compare them!

 

[Zingmo]

How do you heat treat a cheese axe?

Z