Axe sharpening

[Draven]

Howdy folks...
I recently bought an axe from Aldi's and I'm having some trouble sharpening it.
I've used a coarse stone, fine stone, wet and dry on a block, and I just can't seem to get it to a decent edge.
It's sharp enough to hack through and split wood, but it takes some doing to cut something down, as I found out yesterday as I tried to cut down a dead tree in my garden...
Any tips? Most of the sites I've seen suggested circular motions of the stone, which is what I've been doing, but I'm not getting anywhere, and I can't seem to get a file to bite...
Cheers
Pete

 

[leon-b]

and I can't seem to get a file to bite...

Pete

must be fairly hard steel then
leon

 

[OldBaldGuy]

I usually put a convex edge on my axe and hatchets. Get a pretty good edge with a file (NEVER use a power grinder), then put progressively finer grades of wet and dry sandpaper on an old mouse pad which is glued to a piece of wood. Pull the back edge toward you (NOT as if you were trying to slice the sandpaper), switching from side to side, and finer and finer paper, 'til you have a super sharp edge. Strop it a couple of times and you are done.

That said, I have a Polaski that is hardened to the point that you can't even touch it with a file. I have not found a good way to sharpen that thing yet. But I can chop tree roots, etc, without worrying much about dinging the blade...

 

[Hoodoo]

What kind of axe did you buy? Often it's not just the edge but the entire profile of the axe that needs work.

 

[Draven]

Heres a pic of the axe head:

It has got a convex grind, just doesn't seem to want to sharpen. The metal scratches and my sandpaper/stone gets worn down, but there seems to be little sharpening-effect. I'm looking for a marker right now to make sure I'm actually taking metal off the edge...
I'll try the mousemat method, methinks...

 

[Hoodoo]

If the profile needs a lot of work, you may want to take a file to it initially. Hard to say really without actually seeing it close up.

 

[OldJimbo]

Unless you have a lens handy, then a marker is the best tool for seeing if you are actually honing right to the edge. Lots of axes have tiny secondary bevels which are difficult to see, but are steep. Then you can do a lot of honing without ever touching the actual edge. Setting up an axe is a lot of work with hand tools and it takes many hours to see real results.

 

[weaver]

If it is that hardened, a file will just slip over it.

If you have access to a wood working shop they usually will have a large belt sander. That should bring it down quickly without overheating. You fingertips will (hopefully) withdraw from heat around 54°C (130F), steel begins to lose its hardness at 150°C (300F), so keep your fingers on the blade away from the grinder and when they get uncomfortable let the metal cool. You may use water to cool the blade if you are impatient.

Start with 100 grit to shape and reduce the thickness quickly, then progress to finer grit to smooth and polish the edge. I go something like 100, 220, 300, 600, 1200. Wood shops may not have the finer belts, you may have to do that part by hand.

Most belt sanders will have a spot between the roller and the platen where the belt is unsupported. That is the sweet spot where the belt will follow the curve of your convex sharpened blade. That is where you want to do the blade work, shaping and defining the cutting edge of the ax.

If your ax head is so hard that it will chip or break when struck against very hard wood then you may want to temper it. Take the haft away and set the head in your household oven. Raise the temperature slowly to 150°C and let the head soak in the heat for 30-45 minutes. Take it outside and drop it in a bucket of oil to quench. May want to use tongs, remember your fingers and the temperature.

Don't do this to a properly hardened and tempered ax, only if you are sure it is too hardened. Test with a flat file, if the file will cut with some effort then the ax is about right. If it skates off the edge, it is too hard.

I hope this helps and you don't find me too presumptuous in my impromptu essay.

 

[longshot]

i've sharpened and reprofiled a number of axes and hatchets. i have used power grinders with a sanding wheel and using a belt sander with no negative results. just remember that you MUST KEEP THE METAL COOL. what i do is grind for a few seconds and dip the head in a bucket of water that i keep by my side. i have also sharpened and reprofiled axes with files and stones, takes much longer but can be quite relaxing mentally if not physically, your arm will get sore. but it is up to yourself.

dean

 

[laurens ch]

I believe I had almost the exact same axe from hyper value the only difference is the coulor of the axe head yours is blue mine was black. The steel on mine was very hard (but brittle) 60 rockwell perhaps certainly harder than my gransfors and a kukri. I don't have the axe anymore but I remember it having small secondary bevels as jimbo described.

 

[OldJimbo]

Now I'm curious! Where is the axe made? It looks to me like a Swedish axe and I've never seen a brittle Swedish axe - although I've seen some very hard ones. I've certainly seen and broken Chinese axes which were incredibly brittle.
It is common to see some micro chipping at the edge of good axes, which completely disappears after honing the edge back. And, there really are axes which are both incredibly hard and tough. I'm not sure that we know any more just how Warren (Sager Chemical) and Hurds accomplished getting both properties together...

 

[laurens ch]

jimbo if I remember rightly mine only cost 3 quid or thereabouts,it was certainly very cheap so I would imagine it was chinese made.

 

[OldJimbo]

For that price I'd imagine it'd be be made in China these days. For some reason all the axes made in India are really soft, and most of the Chinese axes are far too hard. We had a Chinese pulaski break completely across the blade. I'm lucky in that while I have one of the cheapest hatchets (two quid equivalent) it's made in India and is actually decent.
Unfortunately, I can't see much in the way of tempering being possible, unless the handle could be removed. Lots of the Chinese hatchets and axes I've seen are brittle around the eye too.