The article is aimed at beginners, who are just starting to look into selecting and using axes and hatchets. It briefly covers a fairly wide range of subjects. If you are interested, please check it out.
Friday, April 8, 2011
A Beginner’s Guide to Hatchets (Link)
Last month I was approached by the editor and writer of Section Hiker to see if I would be interesting in writing a guest post. Section Hiker is a great site, and I have been following it for a while. At first I wasn’t sure what I would have to contribute, as the main focus of the site is on lightweight backpacking, but I gave it a shot. You can see the post here.
The article is aimed at beginners, who are just starting to look into selecting and using axes and hatchets. It briefly covers a fairly wide range of subjects. If you are interested, please check it out.
The article is aimed at beginners, who are just starting to look into selecting and using axes and hatchets. It briefly covers a fairly wide range of subjects. If you are interested, please check it out.
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Ross,
ReplyDeleteAny tips for hanging hatchets? I had a lot of trouble with the one I just did. I didn't trim enough off the axe eye(to make it fit good) which was my first error. So had a lot of trouble getting the axe head off again. My main problem was an inability to get a wood wedge in. Probably again, the lack of trimming the axe eye? thanks
chris
Good post. I didn't care for the looks of the handle on the Graintex model, though, and as well as I respect Fiskars as a company, I'll never have a plastic-handled ANYTHING! Of course, that's just tradition and elitism speaking!
ReplyDeleteRoss, I'm no expert; I've just read a book. In "Bushcraft," Mors Kochanski cautions: "The axe should bite into the wood at a downward angle of about 30 to 45 degrees. Attempting to chop upward could cause the axe to hit you in the face. The downward angle is exactly the same for both the lower and upper cuts. The resulting stump will look rather ragged, but any other method of cutting will not be any safer or faster."
ReplyDeleteIf you chop at the same downward angle both on top and bottom of the notch, the chips will not come off, and no significant cutting will be done. In his book Mors is talking about the axe glancing off and hitting a person in the head, but if you just miss, it will most likely swing over your shoulder. Using any tool carries a risk. A downward swing can result with a hatchet planted in your leg, or worse, groin. Basic safety precautions should be used with axes and all other cutting tools. If you are too worried about an upwards swing, you can just use a horizontal swing for the bottom cut. It will be slower on a small tree, but will work.
ReplyDelete@cooperhill-it sounds like you pinpointed the problem exactly. People always say that the handle has to have a tight fit, but that not exactly the case. The handle should be seated tight at the bottom, but if it takes you more than a moderate tap on the head or handle to get the head seated, the fit is too tight. The reason why you couldn’t get the wedge in is that because the fit was too tight, the head pushed together the two parts of the eye, closing the gap for the wedge.
ReplyDeleteRoss - That post had a big impact on me and I'm still getting email from readers who found it interesting. I'm about to take my first trail maintenance class in a few weeks and I fully expect to be proficient either with an axe or a hatchet by the end of the summer.
ReplyDeleteI am also very intrigued by the possibility of immersing myself in more bushcraft skills as the next step in my wilderness, hiking, and camping self-eduction. Lightweight backpacking is not just about going light but about minimizing one's long term negative impact on the environment. We fool ourselves into thinking that old hiking and camping gear doesn't fill trash dumps. I'd rather take less and be able to use more sustainable and at-hand materials by learning these skills and the use of new tools.
Thanks for pushing me over the edge....
Philip, thank you for giving me the opportunity to do this guest post. I am glad that it was well received. As you know, I was worried there wouldn’t be any interest in the subject from lightweight backpackers, but I’m very happy it had an impact.
ReplyDelete