FARM Heirloom-quality axes

The Mountain

The Mountain

Here since the beginning
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I'm looking for heirloom-quality axes. My current favorite is the Council Tool 4lb American Felling Axe. Granfors Bruk, Hults Bruk, and Helko Werk all make good looking tools as well, but are not US-made.

Anyone here know about axes?
 
packyderms_wife

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
Don't know much about them, other than I picked up a couple at either estate sales or auctions. One of them has a Red Feather logo on it.
 
BadMedicine

BadMedicine

Would *I* Lie???
There are a couple good axe-refurbing pages on facebook. I got booted from one for posting s dis-allowed type of axe... but there's a lot of info there.

I posted an add on craigslist looking for old broken axes/ hand tools and got a ton of responses. Bought 50-ish heads from a guy for $100. 7 double-bit, 7 regular, 7 malls, a bunch of sledge hammer heads, hatchet heads, pick axe, axe/adze, hand made blacksmith tools, root axe and about 10 handles, some of them never hung (mounted).

Another guy sold me an old hand drill and a bunch of large bits (for cabin or ship building..) for $40. Then threw in 4 axes for $10! :-O

Got a couple from the WPA "new" deal after WWI.. a few hand made blacksmith hammers/ tools. some "Kelly" which are pretty sought after.

Might try advertising locally for old hand tools... most of them are just rotting away in sheds:-/

So I've got some restoring to do!! Going to plant a a bunch of mountain ash (Rowan) this year, the berry is medicinal, great wildlife and stock feed, sapplings and shoots are good strait arrow wood, and larger branches and trunks make good tool handles.
 
mechanic 217

mechanic 217

I was told there would be cookies!
Council Tools, Snow and Nealy, Plumb, Collins, older Craftsman, are all good American made . Or they used to be.
 
packyderms_wife

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
BadMedicine said:
There are a couple good axe-refurbing pages on facebook. I got booted from one for posting s dis-allowed type of axe... but there's a lot of info there.

I posted an add on craigslist looking for old broken axes/ hand tools and got a ton of responses. Bought 50-ish heads from a guy for $100. 7 double-bit, 7 regular, 7 malls, a bunch of sledge hammer heads, hatchet heads, pick axe, axe/adze, hand made blacksmith tools, root axe and about 10 handles, some of them never hung (mounted).

Another guy sold me an old hand drill and a bunch of large bits (for cabin or ship building..) for $40. Then threw in 4 axes for $10! :-O

Got a couple from the WPA "new" deal after WWI.. a few hand made blacksmith hammers/ tools. some "Kelly" which are pretty sought after.

Might try advertising locally for old hand tools... most of them are just rotting away in sheds:-/

So I've got some restoring to do!! Going to plant a a bunch of mountain ash (Rowan) this year, the berry is medicinal, great wildlife and stock feed, sapplings and shoots are good strait arrow wood, and larger branches and trunks make good tool handles.
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Which brand was the dis allowed axe?
 
M

Murt

Veteran Member
have you looked at the Snow and Nealley line
I don't know how good they are but they are supposed to be made in US
 
M

mecoastie

Veteran Member
For a general axe what you have is hard to beat. If you don’t want to go the foreign route. I also prefer a straight haft to the regular one. If you want to spend more Council used to make a premium line. I don’t know if they still do.
 
Squib

Squib

Veteran Member
We heat with wood exclusively. Of course electric and propane units as back up, so we go through several cord of wood each winter…

That said, I don’t cut or split much anymore as the kids are grown and they do it for us now…

But we use Gransfor bruks, Hults bruks, Fiskers, and a few old Plumbs.

I gave most all of them to the kids who keep the wife and me supplied.

The Gransfor’s are the most expensive, but the boys all maintain them very well.

I only kept one of the Hults for us here…and My boys house 100 yards away.

Other kids are about 8 miles away and I can get whatever I need…

All that to say, go Gransfor Bruks if you can, but there are many others that’ll do you fine.
 
lanningro

lanningro

Veteran Member
A bit of drift here, I have 2 sets of " bits and braces" One set belonged to my Grandfather the second to my Uncle. The Uncle worked for AT&T and the brace is marked AT&T. It is also stainless steel, for climbing poles in the rain I suppose. Every time I pick up my cordless drill or impact I think about them.
 
M

mecoastie

Veteran Member
lanningro said:
A bit of drift here, I have 2 sets of " bits and braces" One set belonged to my Grandfather the second to my Uncle. The Uncle worked for AT&T and the brace is marked AT&T. It is also stainless steel, for climbing poles in the rain I suppose. Every time I pick up my cordless drill or impact I think about them.
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Back ups are a must. I am a tool whore. Especially for old hand tools. I have sets for my kids and grandkids. You also need to know how to maintain and sharpen them.

I have multiple one and two man saws, axes etc to hand process firewood. That said my last gallon of gasoline will go into my chainsaws. There is a reason all those loggers back in the day were this wiry guys who ate 10K calories a day. It is tough work.
 
DazedandConfused

DazedandConfused

Veteran Member
I have and use a Gransfor bruks forest axe 26" handle, Razor sharp, holds an edge well and handles well. Back country hike/camp
pricey at 200.00
Would I buy another YES
 
CaryC

CaryC

Has No Life - Lives on TB
drafter said:
I’ve got a ‘Black Raven’ Kelly double bit axe that’s kinda neat. Never have used it though.
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SB's grandfather used a double edge. I would be cutting timber/logs to length with a chainsaw, and he would be coming up behind me, splitting 'em (actually quartering them) with that double edge, and NEVER EVER sticking the axe in the block. 4 hits and they would fall open.

The old man was a wood cutter before chainsaws. Could cut a tree with a chainsaw, overhanging a creek, and make it fall back up on the bank.

But don't know anything about axes other than wooden handled ones break easy. And the double edged ones don't do so good driving steel T-posts.
 
The Mountain

The Mountain

Here since the beginning
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Millwright said:
Even when you find "the one", I'd get a good beater about the same size and weight with a fiberglass handle to learn the muscle memory.

Will save you changing handles on your good axe.
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I grew up chopping wood. My dad literally wrote the book on wood heat, so I have been swinging axes (and mauls and hatchets) since I was a kid.
 
P

Publius

TB Fanatic
I do not know about you folks but I need axe, hatchet and splitting mual that will hold up so I'm looking at stuff that has fiberglass handles. We heat with wood so I do use them from time to time and keep spares just in case of SHTF and the gas powered log splitter is not longer an option. Oh and pick up a file to sharpen these tools and some say find sharping stones and seriously you do not need to sharpen these tools so you can shave with it and a file will get the job done and fast.
 
CaryC

CaryC

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Millwright said:
Even when you find "the one", I'd get a good beater about the same size and weight with a fiberglass handle to learn the muscle memory.

Will save you changing handles on your good axe.
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Totally agree.

From my experience and grandfathers replacing a wood handle no work so good.

You might want to get a nice one to hang on a wall, but for work, it's the fiberglass all day long.

When we first got this wood heater, I split about 12 cords with a fiberglass axe. My son borrowed it, and you know children they can't help it it's in the DNA they will break your stuff, have used it ....a lot. Still out in the shed ready to go.
 
BadMedicine

BadMedicine

Would *I* Lie???
hiwall said:
I would just go to your local hardware store and buy an axe.
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ok, lemme tell you how my love for axes started. 2 years ago I was in Lowes and saw a BEAUTIFUL, 4# KOBALT axe wit hthe THICKEST axe hangle I had ever seen. Like 2x reguler, just felt NICE in my hand. I put it back because I had a couple axes, loot from real eatste deals, one fiber glass, another old nasty wood & rust (since cleaned up due to new interest) ..I sat it back down and went back to shopping but the price... $35. I couldn;t imagine making one for that. The REGULAR ace handles are $20.. so this head is only $15? Huge, thick, beautiful. I went aand bought it. Sanded all the blue kobalt paint off of the handle. Going to wood burn some 'rifle gnurlings' on the grip part and then linseed oil it.....


So if looking fo a BEAUTIFUL off of the shelf axe, locally available, no shipping, with a HUGE handle, and a head that will last 300+ years... the Kobalt is a pretty nice buy. Saw them recently again at $37. and was like "Damn, and beating inflation too..." $2 in 2 years is a crawl! :)
 
hiwall

hiwall

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I have never bought a new axe. Axes and other hand tools often sell at yard sales for $1 to $5.
I have maybe 6-8+ hatchets (mostly old ones). I have had many axes but I gave each of my kids each a single and double bit axe (along with a pick axe and other tools). I still have many axes. Many of the axes I have made handles myself because new handles are waay too expensive.
 
K

KFhunter

Veteran Member
I went to the feed store and picked up sthil axes, they might not be heirloom but they had heirloom price tags - I did not buy.

$113 bux with 20% off on sale


But then I went to Walmart and got printer ink, it was more expensive at $131 for HP 952xl ink jet cartridges

I don’t recommend HP products
 
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