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Written by British Red
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Page 1 of 5 I have been asked a number of times recently to provide some advice of guidance on the best way to sharpen an axe.
Whilst I am always happy to provide input, I thought that it might be worthwhile to put together a tutorial on the basic techniques.
The techniques used in here are intended to provide not only a sharp axe but also a safe and efficient axe. Before we begin, its useful both to define the terms we will use and also to examine what we are setting out to achieve.
Parts of the Axe
Below is a “jargon key” to the parts of an axe
A: Heel of Head
B: Bit
C: Toe of Head
D: Cheek or Ramp
E: Poll
F: Neck
G: Belly
H: Shoulder
I: Toe of Haft
J: Heel of Haft
K: Eye
L: Wooden Wedge
M: Metal Wedge
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Axe Geometry
Its important to understand the shape of an axe and why it is that shape. Firstly, lets examine the types of grinds that exist
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Most axes designed for splitting and chopping are convex in profile (although certain specialist side axes and broad axes may be flat ground for shaping). The reason for giving and axe a convex grind is that it protects the cutting edge from damage.
As you can see from the illustration, due to the curve on a convex grind, the bit (cutting edge) of the axe head is not in contact with the wood after it has penetrated and in fact it is the ramp (side of the head) that is forcing the wood apart. This protects the cutting edge from damage and wear. It also explains why ensuring the ramps of your axe are smooth and polished will aid cutting efficiency
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 The next important point to consider is the shape of the bit. The vast majority of axe bits are curved (there are exceptions like carpenters axes). The reason for the curve is to aid penetration
If you look at the illustration, you can see that, due to the curve, only part of the bit is actually in contact with the wood. The curve of the bit means that a small part of the bit is in contact with the wood when the axe first strikes. This begins the cut and as the contact point penetrates, more and more of the bit is introduced into the cut.
By beginning the cut on a small contact area, tremendous force is brought to bear in that area. It is also the area that is likely to blunt most quickly.
Hopefully this short explanation explains why it is important when sharpening to keep the profile convex and the bit curved. |
Safety
 Sharpening an axe is awkward, difficult and dangerous. You are forced to grip the axe in strange ways, apply pressure with a file to a curved surface that can cause the file to skate and slip etc.
Wear Gloves! Tough, cut proof gloves at that. Your tools will slip and you will cut yourself. Axes are designed to chop through hardwood. Your flesh will provide no resistance and your bones not much. I use Kevlar cut proof gloves, but if you are on a budget I suggest tough “rigger” gloves. But always, always, wear them
The technique for sharpening an axe is different to sharpening a knife. When sharpening a knife you often move the knife over the sharpener (particularly with bench stones etc.). When sharpening an axe, you always move the sharpener over the axe. This means the axe should not move and its mostly your hands that are at risk. Despite this, do not sharpen in your lap. A cut to the femoral artery will kill you. If at home, sharpen at a table with your legs underneath. If in the field, kneeling and keeping the axe head high is safest.
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Sharpening Equipment
 I wanted to show the stages of sharpening using both “purpose made” and “widely available” equipment. This will make this a slightly longer process, but its important to me that people understand you don’t need to use professional equipment to achieve professional standard sharpening.
Pictured is the “Gransfors Bruks” sharpening system. It consists of:
An axe file
A diamond file
An axe stone with coarse and smooth sides
These tools allow for four stages of sharpening that we will examine later
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BushMoot, the best event of the year - from 1st -5th August 2008 at Merthyr Mawr in South Wales. 
I used Hazel wood. Choose the
thin long shoots of wood which i would think are a couple of years old.
If you don't catch anything at first don't worry. It may just be a case of
changing a few things.
Most bushcrafters know that Birch bark is fantastic for fire lighting
because of all the oil concealed within it. This tutorial guides you
through the process of extracting that tar from the bark.
Now we could bung a label on (which should always say they type of wine and when it was bottled). I suggest you cross-reference to a book of recipes and notes so that when you get a cracking wine you can recreate it. We are going to add a little something to the presentation of the wine by putting a foil cap over the neck. First we drop a foil cap (available for a couple of pence from a wine shop) over the bottle neck.
Right, we now have clean, fined and filtered wine. We pour it into clean (yes and sterilised) bottles with a funnel. We need to cork it. Its possible to put corks in with a mallet. I use a corking gun and waxed corks that do not need to be soaked (plain corks do)
Well, the finings have worked – the wine is beautifully clear.
As soon as I'd finished my Paracord Bracelet, I'd decided to write a tutorial on making one. A good thing considering the majority of the responses since I posted it were asking me how to do it! Here goes.. You will need approximately 3 metres of paracord with the ends already sealed/melted, and something to make a temporary knot - a twist tie or piece of string should suffice.
I have been asked a number of times recently to provide some advice of guidance on the best way to sharpen an axe. Whilst I am always happy to provide input, I thought that it might be worthwhile to put together a tutorial on the basic techniques. The techniques used in here are intended to provide not only a sharp axe but also a safe and efficient axe.
There was a period in my life where I lived out of a pack for months at a time and this was one of my staples.
I like to coil it like a rope on a stick and bake it over hot coals...
There are many different ways you can make a berry picker but this is just a design i came up with which uses a packet of kebab skiewers and some discs of wood.
The whole kit took less than three hours to finally pull together — though that really overlooks by far the most time-consuming aspect, the preparation of materials. In fact, preparation has two components, actually. The first is the selection of materials. The second is the actual preparation.