your favorite gransfors axe(if any)

[vizsla]

i no alot of you use gransfors as your weapon of choice but was wondering which is the best for your needs and why.
i personely use my mini the most as its lightweight small and yet big enough for splitting kindling and carving.
i also own small forest axe but dont tend to use unless camping in a group were plenty of fire wood is needed, as i find it a little too big for most camp chores.
id be interested to here your opinions on the wildlife hatchet,outdoor axe and also the swedish carving axe wondering weather its any good for other uses than carving.

thanks alot ash

 

[SiWhite]

Watching for replies with interest....

 

[suburban bushwacker]

Got a wildlife hatchet a while back, still so happy with it I've not looked for another
SBW

 

[The Cumbrian]

My favourite is my GB Outdoor Axe. Small and light but punches far above it's weight, it's perfect for travelling in our climate. For base camp or cold climate use I'd take my SFA.

My two pen'th, Michael.

 

[Ian S]

Ok, caveat here - I wouldn't class myself as a bushcrafter, I'm a (wannabe) green woodworker.

I have a Swedish Carver, and I love it. It has a 2lb head with a long cutting edge on a 14 inch handle. The head is pretty thick behind the cutting edge (to carry weight forward for carving).

It would probably fell as well as, or better than, a Wildlife, it can be used for limbing to a fair extent, it can be used for splitting and it's great for shaping wood, from eating spoon blanks up to 15 inch long fruit bowls. The largest shaping I've used it for is the aforementioned fruit bowls and I'm utterly sure that I could happily use the Carver for bigger shaping projects as well.

Robin Wood has suggested that a Carver would be sufficient axe to make a log cabin and the furniture in it if you were skilled enough. I think he could be right.

I also treated myself to a Socketed Bearded Axe (pattern 511 I think). 2 1/2 lb head, 24 inch handle, long cutting edge, bearded design, fairly thick, wedge shaped profile. I haven't used it for anything much yet, but it feels like a great felling, limbing and splitting ave that could almost double as a broad axe.

Cheers

 

[Shewie]

Favourite for me is my Wilderness, I only tend to pack an axe on canoe trips so size and weight isn't too much of an issue

 

[FGYT]

i use the GB carving axe which as you would guess is very good at carving and with a 900gm head packs a fair punch for normal camp duty tho i rarely use an axe its not needed for fire wood etc so for me its a luxury item that makes carving much faster and enjoyable you can do a spoon down to pretty much finished and needing a bowl carved in a couple of mins

I did have Cegga Red hunter which was a loverly axe and also have an Argos £3 special both of which are good at carving ....... till you try a GB carver the extra weight and the grind make a big difference but the bit shape and head hold position make it much more dexterous for detail and very good at internal curve cuts.

ATB

Duncan

 

[Man of Tanith]

for me it has to be the outdoor axe
great all rounder for everything i want to do with an axe in spring summer and autumn
winter might see me use the small forest axe for more fire wood splitting but i am tempted to try out just the outdoor this year

 

[Nonsuch]

My favourite is the Scandinavian Forest Axe. Just feels the best in the hand. Powerful, but still not too big for carving. Maybe people with bigger shoulders need a longer-handled axe? I always feel bunched up using the SFA.

I don't like like the SFA much - too big and too small at the same time.
I like the Wildlife hatchet but prefer the Husquvarna version which is better for firewood splitting. The WH is better for carving.
Very enamoured of my new (to me) British Trade axe as well...

 

[Kerne]

Got a wildlife hatchet a while back, still so happy with it I've not looked for another
SBW

I looked long and hard at the SFA as it seems to be the axe recommended by most bushy types. However, I went for the wildlife hatchet as it is smaller and lighter and I have not regretted my choice. I don't fell trees, I chop firewood and do a bit of rough shaping for spoons and suchlike. For this, the wildlife hatchet is great. More portable, more easily hidden from those likely to report you as a mad axe man, and comfy in the hand.

 

[Nohoval_Turrets]

I agree that the SFA is the the compromise that does nothing really well. But it fits perfectly in a 45L pack, and I like it. It chops firewood nicely, and can be pushed to bigger tasks if necessary.

 

[Everything Mac]

The Swedish carving axe

or

I'd be very hard pushed to decide between the two.

 

[Siberianfury]

i have the sfa and the wildlife hatchet, most of the time i use the SFA, but i use the Wildlife if weight is an issue, or im carving.

 

[Everything Mac]

I wonder how many people have only used the SFA?

 

[Nova & Pinky]

I have the SFA and Wildlife Hatchet, the latter being my preferred axe (but I'm only small and tend to use it most for carving)

 

[outdoorpaddy]

Hi there,

I own and use the GB Kubben Hatchet, it has the head of the wildlife hatchet and a 9 inch handle from the GB small adz, a fantastic tool for the smaller stuff that the mora can't handle and great for carving with, here's Justin Telford of Natural Bushcraft making a bowl with it (provided the link works) If the link doesnt work then search 'making a bowl using a gransfors bruks kubben hatchet' on youtube. I'm not sure if the Natural Bushcraft guys are on BCUK but I think their videos are great.
I would upload a picture of my own Kubben but it seems very complicated an i dont know how.
A really compact and handy tool, infact, from the heel of the handle to the eye, it is about as long as my Mora Bushcraft Force, but packs a bigger punch obviously
Cheers, outdoorpaddy

 

[vizsla]

good mixture of axes being used which im pleased about i was half expecting it to say sfa sfa sfa,not that theres anything wrong with them im just keen to no how others compare as i dont here much about the outdoor axe or the carver.
iv been keen to try the carver for a while as there suppose to be suberb and they look great too,but as the bulk of my carving is done in the woods or when camping i need a axe that can do a good job of fuelling the fire and shelter building too.
how do you find your carving axe as a multi purpose axe?
thanks alot keep em coming ash

 

[vizsla]

sfa-1
wildlife-3
wilderness-1
outdoor-1
carving-2
scandinavian-1
kubben hatchet-1
mini-2
interesting result so far

 

[Kerne]

sfa-1
wildlife-3
wilderness-1
outdoor-1
carving-2
scandinavian-1
kubben hatchet-1

interesting result so far

Very interesting given the press that the SFA gets.

 

[Ian S]

The Swedish carving axe....or swedish_broad_axe.

Carver. The broad axe is a hewing axe only, though could be used for other work as well (I also have the broad axe....)

Cheers