The Axe Book by Gränsfors Bruks

8/11/2019 The Axe Book by Grnsfors Bruks

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THE

AXEBOOK


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Responsibility for the Total

What we take, how and what we make, what we waste, is in fact aquestion of ethics. We have an unlimited responsibility for theTotal. A responsibility which we try to take, but do not alwayssucceed in. One part of this responsibility is the quality of theproducts and how many years the product will mantain its dura-bility.

To make a high quality product is a way to pay respect and re-sponsibility to the customer and the user of the product. A highquality product, in the hands of those who have learned how touse it and how to look after it, will very likely be more durable.This is good for the owner, the user. But this is good as well aspart of a greater whole: increased durability means that we take

less (decreased consumption of material and energy), that weneed to produce less (gives us more time to do other things we thinkare important or enjoyable), destroy less (less waste).

One of the goals for Grnsfors Bruks is to makehigh quality durable products. As proof of thisgoal, and to show that we have a responsibility

for the product, Grnsfors Bruks gives a 20 YearProduct Guarantee. An AXE-GUARANTEE-CARD is inclu-ded in the AXE-BOOK which comes with every axe. A qualifi-cation for the guarantee is that the advice in the AXE-BOOKis followed. Please note for example pages 21, 3234.

Grnsfors Bruks has manufactured axessince 1902 and wrecking bars since 1942.

20YEARGUARANTEE


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Lennart Pettersson (L P), axe-smith

at Grnsfors Bruks Axe Forge


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AN AXE BECOMES AS GOOD AS ITS SMITH

Grnsfors Axes are forged by very professional smiths.The proof of this professionalism is that they are able toforge axes with such precision that no supplementarywork, to hide mistakes in the forging, is needed.

At Grnsfors Bruks the forging craft is allowed to take itstime. The smiths do not work by the piece. They take careand do the right forging from the beginning. There is noneed to stone or grind or smooth or paint the axes inorder to hide or eliminate imperfections in the forging.

A smith at Grnsfors Bruks has nothing to hide and he isproud of his professional standards. When he is satisfiedwith his work and has accepted his axe, he marks the headwith his initials beside the companys crown label:

LP Lennart Pettersson UN Ulrik NilssonKS Kjell-ke Sjlund US Ulrika StridsbergMM Mattias Mattsson RA Rune AnderssonAS Anders Strmstedt DG Daniel GrntzTT Tobias Thelin DP Domingo Gas PallarsAM Anders Magnusson

In 1990 Grnsfors Bruks Axes were awarded a prizein Ecological Design from The Swedish Society forNature Conservation in cooperation with The Swedish Soci-ety of Crafts and Design. In 1995 Grnsfors Bruks receivedanother award from The Swedish Society of Crafts andDesign for the Hunters Axe.


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Before industrialism, axes were forged atmany small smiths shops. The form andstructure of the axes were decided by thefunction of the axe, the demands of theuser and the craftmanship of the smith.Up until the middle of the 19th century

axes were used in small-scale activities,the self-subsistent peasant society.

With the booming forest industry andprofessional logging in the 19th century,there came entirely new and bigger cli-ents for axes: specialized forest workersand forestry companies. The increased

demand for axes made the commercialinterest in the axe business increase andthe production was concentrated to bigaxe factories. Mass production and ratio-nalizations of the production lowered theproduction costs. Little by little the formand structure of axes changed, often atthe expense of quality. Axes became stan-

dardized mass produced industry pro-ducts. Great amounts of energy were used

in order to make the axes conform to thecurrent demands on an industry product:every axe of a certain model should lookexactly alike.

In order to hide the structure of the axehead forged by hand, the surface of theforging was stoned, ground, buffed, paint-ed, japanned and stove varnished. Colour-ful brand labels became a must.

In a certain way we are back at the timebefore the entry of the booming forestindustry. There are no axe-using forest

workers any longer. The millions of cubicfeet of pulpwood and timber that arrivetoday at forest industries have never beengrazed by an axe. Chain saws, harvestersand logging machines have taken over com-pletely. Today most axes are used in small-scale activities by people like homeowners,firewood cutters, campers, hunters, joiners,

woodworkers, log builders.

T H O U G HT S B E H I N DT H E A X E S F O R G E D T O D AY

AT G R N S F O R S B R U K S

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In cooperation between the smiths at

Grnsfors Bruks and the skilled crafts-man designer Hans Erik Persson, in 1989Grnsfors axes were re-developed intotools for specific purposes. It was a stepbackwards, towards a more traditionalproduction method based on craftsman-ship. The form and function of the axes, as

well as the forging and production tech-nique, emanate from old, often forgottenknowledge.

The axes and the production of axes atGrnsfors Bruks today are based on thefollowing five fundamental theses:

1. An axe becomes as good as its smith.

There has to be a craftsman behindevery single axe.

2. Unnecessary stoning, grinding, epoxyfixing, painting, and other cosmeticsare eliminated. This is good for theenvironment, inside and outside the

factory.

3. More sensible production demands lessnatural resources at the same time asthe quality and durability of the axe in-creases. Also, increased durability willdecrease the total consumption of natur-

al resources and decrease waste.

4. We have an unlimited responsibilityfor Total Quality. Working conditions,product quality and concern for natureare some parts of the Total; humanityand ethics are as important.

5. High level of knowledge of a productwill increase its value. Thereforeinformation about axes is important.The AXE-BOOK is one way, the AxeMuseum is another. The AXE-BOOK isan integrated part of the axe.

Gabriel Brnby

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PARTS OF THE AXE

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Poll, butt

Axe lip, or lug, gives morewood-to-metal contact and extra

steady and durable fitting of thehandle in the axe head

Shoulder of axehandle

Belly of axe handleBack ofaxe handle

Axe eye

Throat of axe handle

Old traditions are adapted to todays de-mand. Most of the handles of GrnsforsBruks axes have a unique ergonomic

design which gives a steady grip aroundthe handle. All handles are made ofselected high quality (prima) Americanhickory. Fiberglass handles are strongerthan hickory handles but we believe thatwooden handles are more ecological.Grnsfors Bruks axe handles are soakedin hot linseed oil and dripped dry. They

are then covered with beeswax to helpkeep the dirt off.

End knob, swell knob,prevents the axe fromslipping out of the handsof the cutter

Upper corner,toe of bit

Axe head

Grip

Axe side, cheek

Lower corner,heel of bit

Axeblade, bit

Sharpening bevel,bevel face

Cutting edge,edge curvature

Grnsfors Bruks axes comewith Grain-Leather Sheath


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W H I C H A X E S H O U L D I C H O O S E ?

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Wildlife HatchetA small, light axe which can be easily car-ried, masked with its leather sheath, in-side your pack or on your belt. Even witha small axe you can manage a lot: cutbranches in the back-yard or chop andsplit sticks for a camp fire. This littlehatchet awakes in many of us memoriesand dreams of exciting camps and adven-tures. The hatchet has a 3 face and a13 1/2 hickory handle and the headweighs 1 lb. It comes with a grain-leather

sheath.

Hunters AxeSpecially made for hunters. The poll is

forged thinner than normal and gentlyrounded and burnished to a Flay Poll tobe used when skinning an animal. Youpull the hide with one hand at the sametime you hit with the Flay Poll of the axebetween the hide and the flesh; and strokeby stroke the hide comes off. The axe isgood for chopping, in wood as well asmeat. The grip of the handle has circulargrooves which gives a steady grip even ifyour hands are wet or sticky. This axe hasreceived, as the first and only axe in Swe-den, a design award from The SwedishSociety of Crafts and Design. The axe has a3 1/4 face and a 19 hickory handle and the

head weighs 1 1/2 lb. It comes with a grain-leather sheath.


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American Felling AxeA professional axe for working in thesame way as the fallers of the old days.Hand forged out of a solid piece of steeland carefully tempered and sharpened.This traditional American single-bit axewas asked for by Geoffrey Burke, boat-builder and axe man in New Hampshire.He and an axe collector, Lawrence Lyford,

put in a lot of effort to help us build theright model. The head weighs 3.3 lb and theface of the bit is 4 1/2. The axe has anAmerican hickory handle, 31 or 35. Onspecial orders the handle may be 31straight. It comes with a grain-leathersheath.

(Yes they had high stumps in the old days).

Double-Bit AxeDifferent models of double-bitaxes have been popular in the USsince the last quarter of the 19thcentury because of its balanced feel and ver-satility. Typically, one blade was sharpened toa finely honed, narrow felling edge, whilethe second blade was ground slightly blunter,and used for knots and cutting near the

ground where a finely sharpened blade wasmore likely to be damaged. Today the doub-le-bit axe is used as a Working Axe or as aThrowing Axe for timber sports. The headweighs 3lb and the face of the bits are about6. The Throwing Axe has a 29 straight hick-ory handle and the Working Axe has a 35straight hickory handle with swell-knob.They come with two grain-leather sheaths.


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Small Forest AxeSame size as the Hunters Axe but amore traditional pattern and poll. The bladeis thin. The handle is long enough to allowpowerful chopping but not too long so itwill fit into a rucksack, the back of a car ora boat. Practical for splitting small sticks forthe fire or cutting small-diameter limbwoodfor starter fuel in a fireplace. The axe has a3 1/4 face and a 19 hickory handle andthe head weighs 1 1/2 lb. It comes with agrain-leather sheath.

Scandinavian Forest AxeA more profesional axe for those who wantto limb a felled tree in the traditional way.Forged to a thin, curved bit and sharpenedto make it suitable for cutting branches infresh, resinous wood, spruce or pine. Thelong handle gives extra strength and powerto the cut. The axe has a 31/2 face and a

25 hickory handle and the head weighs 2lb. It comes with a grain-leather sheath.

Small Splitting AxeCan be managed with one hand. Forgedand ground to a concave, quite thinblade at the bit. This design helps theaxe to go fast into the wood - and thensplit efficiently when the thicker part hitsand pushes apart the wood. The pollof this axe, like the poll on mostaxes, is not designed for poundingon a wedge. The head weighs 2 lb. The faceis 2 1/2. The 20 hickory handle has circulargrooves at the grip and steel collar near thehead. It comes with a grain-leather sheath.

Large Splitting AxeDesigned for splitting chunks of wood,rounds. The thick part of the concavewedge shaped axe head powers apart thegrain of the wood. The poll is notdesigned for pounding on a wedge. Thehead weighs 3 1/2 lb. The face is 3. The axe

has a 27 hickory handle, circular grooves atthe grip, steel collar and a grain-leathersheath.


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Splitting MaulEven named Hammer-Poll Axe.Designed for splitting apart

large chunks of wood, rounds.The Mauls head is heavier com-pared to the Splitting Axes.The poll is designed forpounding on a splitting wedge.The head weighs 5 1/2 lb and has a 2 1/2face. The hickory handle is 31, has circu-lar grooves at the grip, a steel collar nearthe head, and comes with a grain leathersheath.Splitting WedgeForged steel wedge. Twisted for maximumsplitting. The poll has ground edges. Thewedge has a 1 3/4 face, weighs 4 lb andcomes with a grain-leather sheath.

Always wear adequate clothing andprotection for your face and eyes.Please note page 21.

Carpenters AxeThis axe has a straight edge andthin blade with low angle of the bevelface, suited for work in dry wood. Theforged inward curve from the heel to thelip of the head permits your hand to gripalmost straight above the center of theedge. This, and the long straight cutting

edge, gives rigidity, stability, and controlwhen cutting. Functions like a good heavyknife. The axe poll is ground and can beused as a hammer.The head weighs 1 1/2 lb and has a 3 1/2face. The axe has an 18 hickory handle anda grain-leather sheath.


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Swedish Carving AxeA chop axe for hewing bowls and otherwooden objects, artistic wood carving andarchitectural work. The characteristic

curved shape of the cutting edge, carriedwell above the heads eye, the position ofthe edge in proportion to the handle, therather thick bit and the big angle of thewide beveled face makes this axe a goodcarving tool. You cut on the beveledface with curved movements. This newaxe pattern, based on old Swedish carvingtechniques, was developed by Wille Sun-dqvist, master craftsman and author ofSwedish Carving Techniques in cooper-ation with craftsman adviser Onni Lin-nanheimo. The handle is rugged to givea good grip.The axe has a 4 1/3 face and a 14

hickory handle and the head weighs 2 lb.It comes with a grain-leather sheath.

Swedish Broad Axe, model 1900The pattern of the Broad Axe andthe handle is based on old Swedishlogging techniques for squaring logsand structural timbers of all kinds.There is sufficient space between the bla-

des beard and the handle for the usersfingers. Beveled on two sides (double beve-led) or on one side, left or right. The eye(and the direction of the handle) may bestraight or angled sideways, right or left, toprotect the knuckles. One side beveled, leftside, normally goes with an eye angled tothe right. If you want deeper visible cutswhen squaring logs, you can use a broadaxe, double beveled, with the blade bentand the eye angled to the right or to theleft. The broad axe has a 7 face and a 20hickory handle and the head weighs 3 lb. Itcomes with a grain-leather sheath. (Otherspecial tools from Grnsfors Bruks are:

Log-House Drawknife, Mortise Axe, Froe,Adze. Ask for information.)


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Hlsingland is beautiful. That is somethingone notices when visiting Grnsfors Bruks.Along the winding road between Gnarpand Bergsj you can see green valleys,lakes and blue mountains. There are redhouses and barns scattered among themeadows with grazinghorses and sheep. Then asign catches ones eyes:Grnsfors Bruks. Turningoff, nestled betweenwooden houses and apple

trees, there it is, by a tur-bulent stream. The build-

ing is somewhat bigger than the surroun-ding cottages and one can see how it hasbeen enlarged throughout the years.Entering the wooden door in the olderpart of the house, you pass by the ware-house, lunchroom and old-fashioned office

and get down to the forgein the somewhat newerannex. There, big flywheelsare moving and a rhythmi-cal throbbing is heardfrom the forging operation.

AT G R N S F O R S B R U K S A X E F O R G E

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Grnsfors, Nordanstig rural district in Hlsingland, between Hudiksvall and Sundsvall,

4 hours by car, north of Stockholm


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Next to the forging hammers, in ovensthat are hotter than 1,200C, steel barsare heated. When the right temperatureis reached, which the smith can see onthe red-yellowish color of the steel, a

glowing piece is cut off and the treatmentin the forging hammers begins. The

smith cleverly handles the hot steel, andslowly the square piece is transformedinto an axe head. The smith finishes hiswork by branding in the GrnsforsBruks label and crown and his own

initials, scrutinizing the axe head andhanging it up to cool.

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The room next to the forge is thesharpening room. Here the right edge

bevel is established by grinding (beveling)and, after the tempering and anneallingoperation, the beveled edge is groundwith a finer stone, honed and polished.

After the forging and the first step ofsharpening the edge, the lower part of theaxe head, the blade, is tempered by war-

ming it to 820C followed by a quick coo-ling in cold running water. Then the axehead is annealed: kept for 60 minutes inan oven that is 195C. This relieves thestress in the steel, built up by the forgingand tempering processes and gives the bitthe desired hardness and toughness. Thehardness of the bit is measured, 57 Rock-well C, and every single head is tested by

a smith who, with a big hammer, strikes

on the edges corners. If the blade doesnot break the head is good.

After the final sharpening and the strop-ping of the edge (stropped on a rotatingbuffing wheel) it is time to put a handleon the axe head. With the help of a hyd-raulic press the handle is squeezed into

the axe head together with a woodenwedge. The right angle in relation to theaxe head, the alignment and the hang, aretested. The last step is to drive a three

legged steel wedge into the wooden wedge.Finally the axe is carefully checked, theaxe head is rubbed with a water repellantand rust preventive oil and the axe isgiven a leather sheath. Not to be forgot-ten, The Axe Book is tied to the axe.

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The family owned Grnsfors Bruks ABhas 30 employees in Sweden. In additionto axes, Grnsfors Bruks forge SpringSteel Wrecking Bars, branded TOVE,and forestry tools.

A sister company, Woolpower AB,manufactures in Sweden merino woolthermal underwear sold under the nameWoolpower.

First row: Adam Brnby, Ulrika Stridsberg, Anders Strmstedt, Margareta stberg-Kynell,Kjell-ke Sjlund, Lennart Pettersson, Ulrik Nilsson, Arne Larsson, Jan Mattsson, RuneAndersson, Bert-Ove Andersson, Daniel Grntz, Mattias Mattsson.Second row: Daniel Brnby, Lasse Eriksson, Katarina Larsson, Siw Lundholm, FredrikaNorlin, Brita Forsstrm.Not present:Anna-Karin Widmark, Domingo Gas Pallars, Per Forslin, Joakim Nordkvist,Tobias Thelin.


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The axe for limbing is a ScandinavianForest Axe. The bit of this axe is thin butmore curved than the straight bit of, forexample, a Carpenters Axe.

You must have plenty of roomin which to swing an axe.

Check your clearance andremove any brush or han-ging branches that mightdeflect the swinging axe.Stand on the side of the logopposite the branches youare going to limb so that

you always have the log

between you and your cuts. If theaxe misses a branch, the blade willhit the log rather than your leg.Keep both hands around thehandle the risk of slippingwill then diminish. Grasp

one hand near the handleknob and the other

hand closer to the axe head at the start ofthe stroke. Raise the axe, and then let thehead hand slip down the handle towardsthe knob hand while the axe is swungdownward.

Chop the branches from the root end to

the top end of the log andchop into the undersideof the limb, close to thelog and the base of thebranch.

Thick branches maysometimes demand so-

called counterstroke or asidestroke to make chopping

easier and prevent the branch fromsplitting.

L I M B I N G A LO G

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Sidestroke Counter-

stroke

Normal stroke


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F I R E W O O D

Fresh wood contains about 45 % water.Before the wood is put into the fire thepercentage of water must come down toabout 25% or less, which it normally hasafter a summers drying.The bark slows the drying of the wood.Therefore split wood dries more easilythan unsplit wood. It also means that splitwood does not get moldy or rotten aseasily, and of course, is much better tomake a fire with. If you think the stick orbranch is too thin to split, you candebark a string along it and the wood will

dry quicker.

Hardwoods such as oak, maple and hick-ory have greater energy content than sof-twoods such as pine, fir and aspen.

An old Swedish way, not very commontoday, is to fell the tree with its leaves on

especially directly after leafing andput off the limbing until the leaves havewithered. Then much of the water hasevaporated through the leaves and thewood dries quickly after splitting. Apartfrom this old method, winter is regardedas the best time of year for felling.Felling and working with a chain saw willalways be a dangerous task. It is impor-tant to learn how to use a chain saw andgood felling techniques. Always use goodprotective equipment when felling andcutting with a chain saw.

Saw the log to suitable lengths of wood,rounds, with a bow saw or a chain saw.Split the rounds at once the more itdries the tougher and more difficult it isto split. It is rather easy to split evennewly felled thick rounds, yet very dif-

ficult to split after a year. Frozen wood isbrittle and easy to split.

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When splitting rounds, you need a Splitting

Axe. When splitting big rounds you mayneed a Splitting Maul and Wedges.Dont let others come near youwhile splitting both theswinging axe and spread-ing splitwoods constituterisks.The chopping blockshould be big, heavyand stable. The kind ofwood in the choppingblock is less important,but hardwood like oakis most durable.The block should

be quite low, not higher than up to yourknee. Stand the round of wood upright onthe far side of a big chopping block. If youmiss hitting the round, the axe will nor-mally hit the chopping block rather thanyour leg. Keep both hands firmly aroundthe handle, close to the knob of the hand-le, with arms straight. That, and a longhandle, will give a good swing. Keepingyour arms straight and adjusting yourstance, you will find the right distance tothe round. Try to keep the axe handlehorizontal when hitting the round. Forsafety reasons, the hands should never behigher than the axe head when the head is

hitting the round. A round is generallyeasier to split from the top end.

When splitting gnarled cross-grained wood,

it is very important that your axe is properlysharpened.

It is common that bigger rounds that do notsplit from the first chop are split by meansof its own weight: the axes bit is driven intoan end of the round, turned and swung with

the poll against the choppingblock. This technique with a pieceof wood wedged on the bit can bedangerous if a large chunk comesoff in the swing.

For splitting a small stick in two, press theaxe edge against the side of the stick. Gripthe stick in one hand and the axe in theother. Raise the stick and the axe together

and bring them down hard together onthe chopping block.


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T O D RY A N D S TO R E S P L I T WO O D S

Firewood must dry thoroughly beforeuse. In the old days they said: Woodshould be split before Easter; then it candry during spring and summer, beforewinters wood heating begins.

A few basic rules for your wood yard:

Stacked firewood must be chopped or atleast debarked in a string to be able todry. This is particularly important forhardwood with its denser bark.

Place the stack on dry and easily drainedground, preferably in a sunny place.

Put some poles on the ground beforestacking so that the wood does not touchthe wet ground and air can circulate.

Always stack split wood with the barkside down. Otherwise the bark will func-tion like a lid and prevent moisture fromevaporating and the risk for mold will

increase.

Stack the split wood a little scattered andit will dry more quickly. In the old daysthey said that a mouse had to be able toget through.

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Round Stack

1. Make a checkered pattern of poles onthe ground.

2. Make a loose floor of split wood onthe poles. Place bark side down.

3. Build a circular wall of largesplit wood. Put the smaller or un-

even wood randomly in the middle.


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To avoid going out in the cold and nastyweather to fetch firewood, it is common tostack some dry firewood on the porch orinside the house. But it isimportant that the woodstacked indoors is com-pletely dry. Otherwise you

might have problems withmoisture and mold.

A couple of vertical poles, a tree, or awall can make a stop in one end orboth. If you have vertical poleson both ends you may stretcha wire or rope betweenthem, above or in the

middle of the stack.Then the stack ismore stableand canhandle moresplit wood.

If the stack is built alonga wall: Leave an airspace between the stackand the wall. Let thestack lean a littleinwards to avoid the riskof its collapsing due toshifting during thedrying process.

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Bark side down

Put some poles on the

ground

Dry and well drained ground

Put something, like a tarpaulin, on top ofthe stack as protection from rain or snow,but dont cover the sides the stack mustallow air to circulate. If using a tarp, tie itdown with ropes to poles on the ground.A few heavy logs placed on top of the tarpwill prevent it from inflating and being

torn during storms.

4. When the stack begins to get high

enough you build it up in the middle andround it off to an even pile. Place theuppermost layer of split wood as tilesto allow rain water to run off.

Simple stack


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In woods and fieldsBegin with choosing a suitable place.Appropriate beds for fire are sand,gravel or bare soil. Dont light a fire on

flat rocks (they break from the heat andget ugly black marks), peat ground ornear dry grass, bushes and trees. Youcan put stones around the fire you arebuilding.

Use dry sticks and branches for the fire.In a forest you will always find dry sticks

to light with even when it is raining like on the lower parts of spruce stems.

In old damaged stems and stumps of pine,you sometime find yellowish-red andstrong smelling pitchy wood. In dry condi-tions this resinous wood is one of the best

things you can use to light a fire with. Justone split of pitchy wood can light the mostimpossible fire.

Start lighting with smaller sticks and buildup with larger sticks as the fire begins toburn. Extinguish the fire carefully, pre-ferably with water, and restore the ground

as much as possible if it is a temporaryplace for a fire, before you leave.

Pay attention to possible fire prohibitions,especially common during dry springs and

summers!In fireplace and stoveCheck that the damper is open. Place thesplit wood so tightly that the burningwood warms each other, but still so scat-tered that the fire is aired.

In a wood stove you should start with bur-ning some paper in the flue or the soot-door just before you light the fire.If you are worried that it might smoke,you can see which direction it draws fromin the stove by keeping a burning matchin the upper part of the opening.

T O M AK E A F I R E

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Teepee Fire Lay (standing splitwood) gives you

a quick burning fire, Crisscross Fire Lay (lying

splitwoods) give a more prolonged fire.


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Put in crumpled newspaper or thin small

pieces of wood to light with under thewood. If the flame draws out of the stoveyou should turn off the kitchen fan. Ifyou still have coldair coming outfrom the chimneyyou can open awindow in the

room just whenyou light the fire.The air thatquickly rushes inthen generallygoes out throughthe chimney and

gives draft in theright direction.You can use thesame method to turn a stove or a fire-place that is smoking.

Dont choke the access of air too muchwhen the fire has burnt up. Check the air

access by going out and looking at thesmoke: a correctly burning wood fire lea-ves only carbon dioxide and steam, andtherefore you hardly see any smoke atall. If it is very cold the smoke may bewhite.

All stoves, fireplaces and chimneys needto be cleaned regularly to function well.

Ashes

Ashes raked out of the stove or the fire-place can cause fire. Therefore ashesought to be saved a couple of days in anonflammable vessel to cool off.

Ashes after a wood fire can be saved andspread in the garden (but not in thepotato-patch then the potatoes become

shriveled). Wood ashes contain some use-ful salts, above all potassium bicarbonate,so-called potash, and heightens the pHvalue in acidified soil. You may mix somewood ashes into your compost as well.

W E A R I N G TH E A X E

ON YOU R BE LTMost axes from GrnsforsBruks come with a sheaththat let you easily carry theaxe on your belt.

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Pull the leather sheathstrap through the belt.

The axe will sit comfor-tably and securely.


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The pattern of the head, the weight, the curv-ature of the bit, the thickness and width ofthe bit and the beveled face of the edge varyfrom axe to axe, and make axes performdifferently. The Swedish Carving Axe, witha rather thick curved bit and big angle on a

wide beveled face, is a good carving tool.But it is not a Carpenters Axe. The Carpen-ters Axe has a thin blade, a straight longcutting edge with low angle of the beveledface. The corners of the bit are pointed. Thelong straight-edged bit is ideal for guidingby eye. Your eyes can sense position and

direction better from a relatively broad,straight axe bit than they can from a narro-wer, more curved bit. The long straight cut-ting edge also gives stability when cutting.In a way, the Carpenters Axe works as acombination of saw, knife and plane. Youcan do much more with this axe thanrough fitting. It is, for example, quite easyto cut a planks end to the desired anglewith a planed surface with the aid of theCarpenters Axe.Keep the piece of wood you are workingwith on a chopping block. Dont use thesame block for splitting rounds. Therounds usually carry sand and earth to

the chopping block, which makes the edgeblunt. Sharpness is very important for

a Carpenters Axe. Stand a little to theside of the chopping block and be careful

to hold the axe at such an angle that therisk of hurting yourself if you slip is redu-ced.Keep the working piece on the part of thechopping block that is the outside or awayfrom you so that a slipping cut will hit thechopping block rather than your leg. Gripthe handle with one hand in the inwardcurve of the axe head in order to increase cut-ting precision.Let the edge go with a falling movementagainst the piece of wood, so that the cut-ting point glides from the lower corner ofthe bit upwards along the edge. Always cutalong fiber direction otherwise it is easy

to split away pieces that were meant tostay.

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WO R K I N G W I T H A C A R P E N T E R S A X E


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Swedish Broad AxeThe blade ground on one side only.Width of Cut from 300 to 400 mm(5 sizes). (Used for squaring logs and

structural timbers.)

American Felling Axe,Turpentine Wedge

Weighing from 3 to 7 lb(9 sizes.) (The American Felling Axeshave been one of the most used types of

axes for forest workers in the northerntempered conifer belt since the middle of

the 19th century. Each region had a pat-

tern of its own.)

AmericanFelling Axe,OhioWedge

Weighing from 3to 7 lb (9 sizes).

(In Sweden namedYankee Axe.)

SOME AXES FROM

GRNSFORS CATALOGS 19101923

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American ShinglingHatchet with

hammer-pollCheckered polland provided witha notch for nail pulling.Width of Cut from3 1/2 to 4 1/4 inch(3 sizes).

American Broad Hatchet,Carpenters Hatchet

The blade groundon one side only.Width of Cutfrom 4 to 8 inches(9 sizes).(Similar to the British

Side Hatchet

of Kent pattern.)

De Tumba, South American Wedgetype Axe for felling

Oval Eye. Weighing from 3 to 5 lb (5 sizes).(Most South American Axes had straight-sided blades with

no lugs, oval eyes without thickening at the poll. The shape

of the blade and eye derives mainly from the Spanish and

Portuguese tradition. South American Patterns, Media

Labor with Oval Eye or Flat Head, De Tumba with Flat

Head, Brazil Narrow or Broad Bit, Valdivia with Oval

Eye and Viscaina with Oval Eye were also available.)

Russian Hatchet,Siberian Model

Weighing from 2 1/2to 3 1/2 lb (9 sizes).(Russian Patterns

Arkangelsk and

Petrograde were

also available.)

AmericanClaw

HatchetWidth of Cutfrom 3 1/2 to 41/4 inches (3 sizes.)(In Sweden named

Packing Axe.)


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The Broad Axe, or the Hewing Axe, isused to shape (hew) logs and timbers ofall kinds in the old traditional way, par-ticularly when building log-houses. BroadAxe patterns have varied enormouslyfrom region to region and over time.

The bit of the Broad Axe is beveled onone or two sides and the direction of thehandle may be straight or angled sidewaysto protect your knuckles.

On request we will send you informationof all the alternatives, including a Log-house Corner Axe and a curved Log-house Drawknife, made by GrnsforsBruks.

Of course you can shape your logs with achain saw or electrical equipment butthen you will not have as nice a surface asyou would using a Broad Axe. We are notgoing to show in this text how to make alog house, but we will try to describe howto hew a log. Nowadays machines are used

to a great extent and only the final workis done by hand. Before hewing by handbegins, the log has to be debarked andsawed on two sides (and often stored 612months or longer to dry to avoid shrink-ing after the construction work).

The log that is to be shaped is placed on

two specially made stands which will cre-ate the right working position.

T H E U S E O F B R O AD A X E S

28

Angled to protect

knuckles

LogOne side

beveled

bitWedge, driven from the side,

that locks the log

The right height of

the stand is when

you can sit astride

it and have your

feet flat on the

ground.

Log

{

Grnsfors Bruks forges many differentBroad Axes and Log Building Tools: LogHouse Drawknife, Log Dog, Log Scribe,Mortise Axe, Adze, Froe.Ask for information.


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Your hands should be kept quite close toeach other. Your right hand should bekept nearest to the head of the Broad

Axe. The thumb of your right handshould be kept up on the shoulder of thehandle, and not around the handle, toavoid the risk of being hurt.

Often the log is twisted in the drying pro-cess. If the log is twisted with checksgoing downward from left to right, you

have to hew in the direction away fromyou on the upper half of the log and in adirection towards you on the lower partof the log. If the log is twisted in theopposite way, with checks going upwardfrom left up to right, you have to hew inthe opposite direction. In so doing you

avoid working in conflict with the struc-ture of the wood.

Move backwards while working so thatyou can always check the surface youhave hewed.The log should be hewed as evenly andwater repellantly as possible. Downward

cuts and flakes of wood are not allowed tocreate pockets for rain water. Thereforethe log is placed upside-down for hewing,compared to how it will later be placed inthe house.

The seasoning checks are turned inwardsif the inside is to be covered with panel-ling. Otherwise they are turned outwardsso that the inside becomes attractive andeasy to clean.

29

Seasoning checks

Upper half of log Lower part of log

Check

Rain Rain

Right Wrong


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A X ET H R O W I N G

RulesThe straight distance from the Throwing Line to the bullseye on the target should be 20 (6.1 m).The thrower may not overstep or cross the Throwing Linebefore the axe has hit or missed the target. This should bechecked by a linesman.The Fore-Bit is the bit in the target direction at themoment when the thrower lets the double-bitted axe go.

Only the Fore-Bit of the the double-bitted axe can score ahit on the target area a condition is however that the bitsticks in the target.The Fore-Bit only needs to cut the outer edge of a line ofthe scoring area to win points of that higher scoring area.The Back-Bit is not allowed to brush against the target ifso the scoring will be 0 even if the Fore-Bit has hit the tar-

get at same time.Best score in minimum of three throws wins.At competitions, targets for practice should be provided. Practic-ing throws at targets planned for competition means automaticdisqualification. The standards for a Double-Bitted Compe-

tition Axe and the design for a Competition Target are shownin the drawings.

30

Fore-Bit

Throwing Line

Min. 24 (610 mm)

Weight:

min 2 1/2 lb (1134 g)incl. handleMax. 6 (152 mm)

20(6.1

Double-Bit Axe orThrowing Axe

The Swedish Axe Throwing Society

Svenska YxkastarfrbundetVlsj skola Orsta730 30 Kolsvawww.yxkastarna.com


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31

Organizers and participants: Pay attention to

the security so that none of the participants oraudience will be hurt! Rope off an area largeenough. Enter the area only to throw or checkscore.

Back-Bit

60

(1.5 m)

4

(102 mm)

36

(914 mm)

The Swedish Axe Throwing Societyarranges annual Swedish

Competitions in Axe Throwing.

(6.1m)

Swedish Champions:1989 (Men only) Jan Engman, Leksand1990 (Men only) Inge Mrk, Mora1991 (Men only) Urpo Salmela, Skvde1992 (Men) Tommy Lngdahl, Hedemora1992 (Women) Sari Sundqvist, Nordanstig1993 (Men) Tommy Lngdahl, Hedemora1993 (Women) Nina Holm, Nordanstig

1994 (Men) Tommy Lngdahl, Hedemora1994 (Women) Ulla Sundqvist, Nordanstig1995 (Men) Urpo Salmela, Skvde1995 (Women) Sari Sundqvist, Nordanstig1996 (Men) Anders Lindberg, Tnnnger1996 (Women) Karin Eriksson, stersund1997 (Men) Urpo Salmela, Skvde1997 (Women) Karin Eriksson, stersund1998 (Men) Henry Olofsson, Strmsund1998 (Women) Tina Johansson, Mantorp

1999 (Men) Roy Bergstrm, Tnnnger1999 (Women) Kristina Gustafsson, sbro2000 (Men) Roy Bergstrm, Tnnnger2000 (Women) Mona Elofsson, Tnnnger2001 (Men) Robert Mrtensson, Strmsund2001 (Women) Tina Nordberg, Kolsva2002 (Men) Sauli Saari, Kolsva2002 (Women) Mona Elofsson, Tnnnger2003 (Men) Stefan Persson, Tnnnger2003 (Women) Mona Elofsson, Tnnnger

2004 (Men) Stefan Persson, Tnnnger2004 (Women) Tanja Vinl, Kolsva2005 (Men) Robert Mrtensson, Tveeggarna2005 (Women) Tanja Vinl, Kolsva2006 (Men) Urpo Salmela, Skvde2006 (Women) Majly Frisk, Tnnnger2007 (Men) Dennis Sandstrm, Skvde2007 (Women) Majly Frisk, Tnnnger2008 (Men) Robert Mrtensson, Tveeggarna2008 (Women) Anki Hedberg, Tnnnger

2009 (Men) Glen Hansn, Vuollerim2009 (Women) Tanja Vinl, Kolsva2010 (Men) Rauno Wall, Karlskoga2010 (Women) Seija Vainionp, Karlskoga


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Axes should be kept in a dry place, butstill not so dry or warm that the handlerisks shrinking in the axe head. See to itthat the bit and the bit sheath are not wetwhen you put on the sheath. Grease theaxe head with oil before the axe is putaway for some time. If you dont grease it

the axe head may become rusty.Axe heads are forged in a shape goodfor cutting. Only the poll of a SplittingMaul is designed for pounding on asteel splitting wedge. Do not use anyaxe or hatchet, for example a SplittingAxe, for driving in a steel wedge, or asa wedge, when splitting. The poll of an

axe is not designed for heavy poundingon a steel wedge or to be pounded on.An axe used for pounding or used as awedge will be de-formed or broken.

SharpeningThe sharpening of an axe is done in seve-ral steps, depending on how worn downthe axe head is and the type of axe. Witha Splitting Maul you may stop at the shap-ing step. With a Carpenters Axe or aForest Axe you have to go through all the

steps if you want to have a good cuttingtool.

1. Shaping. If terribly damaged, you canuse a file to reestablish the original edgebevel, the curve of the edge and bevelface. Do not overheat the edge, which willcause it to lose its temper. Cool often! Ifthe bevel face is straight (Carpenters Axe,Carving Axe and Broad Axe), the total

bevel face should be in contact with thestone or the file.

When filing, use a flat fine cut file. Keep theaxe head in a vise to allow you to file with

two hands. Bear down the file against thesharpening bevel, with some of your fingerson the tip of the file, as you push the fileaway from yourself with firm and even stro-kes. Lift the file off the sharpening bevel onthe return stroke. Keep free of filings.

2. Grinding. Always keep the originalbevel shape! Even a straight bevel facehas to be a little convex at the edge; a

convex bevel has more strength. If youmake the bevel of the bit too straight andthin it will deform or break. You can use

C A R I N G F O R YO U R A X E

32

Straight

Bevel Face

Stone

AxefileFine-toothed flat file.


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Stand steady with one foot placed besidethe grinding machine and support your-

self with the axe against a supporting stayon the grinder or with your elbow againstyour hip. Move the axe slowly back andforth during grinding so that the wholesharpening bevel becomes evenly groundto its original shape. Also grind evenlyover the breadth of the grindstone, other-

wise it will soon become warped andbeveled and difficult to use. Dont leavewater in the grinders bucket; it deterior-ates the quality of the stone.

You can also use a handstone, usually around, pocket-size, wet stone with dif-ferent grits on the two sides. Use the stone

with a circular motion, first with the

coarse side then with the fine grit side.Rotate the stone in your hand so it will

wear evenly.

There are more alternatives: dry hand-stones, and diamonds files. Dont put oilor water on dry stones.

3. Stropping. After you have finishedwith the fine grit stone, the bit will usu-ally have a feather-edge, a wispy border ofsteel attached to the length of the cutting

33

Circular motion

AxediamondHas a coarse side and a fine side.

GrnsforsAxe grin-ding Stonewith acoarse side

and a fineside madeof sandsto-ne quarri-ed on theisland ofGotland,Sweden.

a whetstone (whetstone bench grinder) togrind smaller damage and normal wear

and give the edge its basic sharpness.

Whetstonebench grinder

with supporting

stay

Can be used with or without water.


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edge, like a tiny fence. To get rid of thefeather-edge and to make the cuttingedge more keen you can stroke it againsta length of leather, like a belt. The direc-tion of each stroke runs away from the

cutting edge.(At Grnsfors Bruks the cutting edge ofthe axes are stropped on a rotating buf-fing wheel made of cloth.)

Always keep the original shape of the bitand the bevel. An axe that is given thewrong shape and bevel face can easilyslide and cut you.

The design of the axe head, the curvatureof the edge, the bevel face, are adapted toits range of uses: Hardwood demandsaxes with fairly thick bit, with rounded

bevel face; but with softwood cutting,the bit can be thinner; when limbing infrozen wood (frozen wood is hard) the bitmust be thicker, and the curvature of thebit more rounded than cutting in non fro-zen wood; dry wood cutting needsstraight bevel face for a nice cut. Not only

the thickness of the bit is important forthe strength; a rounded curvature of theedge is stronger than a flat curvature.

34

Hardwood Softwood Drywood Wrong grind

Curved bit Straight edge

Forest Axe Carpenters Axe Wrong grind

25-30


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Fitting an axe with a handleUsing an old fashioned wood wedge, sup-

ported with a steel wedge, is a safe alterna-tive; you can see if and how the handle isfixed in the axe-eye. If the axe head is loose,you can soak the axe for a few hours in abucket of water. The wood and the wedgewill swell and the handle will be tight fora while. It functions, but we recommend fit-ting the axe with a new handle, or at least, a

new wooden wedge. A loose head is alwaysdangerous, for people and axes! It is impor-tant to use handles of high quality. Thehandle, as well as the wooden wedge, has tobe dry. If not, they will dry later and youwill have a loose head. Another reason for aloose head is the incorrect use of the axe

head as a hammer or a sledge.The poll of an axe is not designed forheavy pounding. An axe used forpounding or used as a wedge will bedeformed or broken and the headwill loosen from the handle.

Saw off the old handle close to the axe

head. (Never burn an old handle froman axe. It will cause the bit to lose itstemper.)

2 Drill out the wedge and asmuch of the wood in the axehead as possible.

3 Punch the rest of the handle

backward. Punch from thehandle side.

4 Clean inside the eye ofthe axe.

5 Pound the handle into thehead. Let the end of thehandle pass an inch on theother side of the head.

6

Test the alignment and thehang. The line of bit mustnormally lie in the center

of the handle knob. (Notfor a Broad Axe or a Car-penters Axe). On a Forestand a Felling Axe the midd-le of the bit and the handleknob must both touch whenlaid, with the bit down, on aflat surface. (The alignmentcan vary depending on theshape of the handle, thehandle knob and themodel of the axe forexample a Carpenters Axeor a Carving Axe.)

7 Put some glue in the wedge slit andon the wooden wedge. Drive in thewedge.

8

Saw off the excess of the handle and thewedge a little from the head.

9

Fix the woodenwedge with a steel

wedge, diagonal tothe wooden wedge.

35

Steel Wedge


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36

Robert C. Birkby

The Boy Scout HandbookBoy Scouts of America 1990

Percy W. BlandfordCountry Craft ToolsGale Research Company 1974

Dudley CookKeeping Warm with an Ax,A Woodcutters ManualUniverse Books 1981

Charles A. HeavrinThe Axe and ManMemphis 1997

Gnter HeineAxe Shapes CorneredThe Tools and Trades History SocietyTools & Trades, volume 10Kent 1997

Torgny Jansson

Water cobled grinding of edge toolsTormek, Lindesberg 1993

Henry J. KauffmanAmerican AxesStephen Greene Press 1972

Allan KlenmanAxe Makers of North AmericaCurries Forestgraphics Ltd 1990

Leonard Lee

The Complete Guide to SharpeningThe Taunton Press 1995

B. Allan Mackie

Building With LogsFirefly Books 1997

R. A. SalamanDictionary of Woodworking ToolsThe Taunton Press 1990

Robert ScharffFirewood and your chain sawReston Publishing Company, 1981

Eric Sloane

A Museum of Early American ToolsBallantine Books 1973

Wille SundqvistSwedish Carving TechniquesThe Taunton Press 1990

Bernie Weisgerber & Brian VachowskiAn Ax to Grind, A Practical Ax ManualUSDA Forest Service 1999

Glossary of forest terms

Swedish Centre of Technical Terminology 1969Grnsfors Bruks ABSafe Wood Cutters Guide 1992Ancient Northern European Axes 2002

Sven-Gunnar HkanssonFrom Log to Log HouseAlgrove Publishing 2003

The Axe Book is also available in Swedish, German, French and Japanese,Russian, Polish and Dutch.

THE AXE BOOKis illustrated by Elisabet Berg (exept man on p.8) who has taken most of the photos, except the photo at

the foot of page 3, Jan Lipka, and at the top of page 17, Magnus & Magnus.All other product photos are taken by ke Gunnarsson, VUE. English editor Yvonne Caruso.

Production Eriksson & Gullberg, Stockholm and Illustra Text & Bild, Bergsj.We will thank all known and unknown people who have helped us with The Axe Book. Grnsfors Bruks AB 2011 ISBN 978-91-978255-9-7

B I B L I O G R A P H Y

AXE MUSEUM


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Grnsfors Axe Museum has around 2000 axes, mostly from Sweden. The Axe Museumis situated in the eastern part of Sweden, four hours by car from Stockholm to the north,between Hudiksvall and Sundsvall, at Grnsfors Bruks Axe Forge. Open daily. Duringwork days axe forging is shown for the public. Phone Sweden +46 (0)652 710 90.

Grnsfors Bruks

P&P

P&P

AXE MUSEUM


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820 70 Bergsj, Sweden,Phone + 46 - 6527 1090. Fax + 46 - 6521 4002

[email protected] www.gransfors.com

The Axe Book by Gränsfors Bruks

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Transcript of The Axe Book by Gränsfors Bruks