What do you look for in a good hatchet?

[Sid Post]

I'm glad to see this forum! I have been considering getting/comissioning a premium 'working' hatchet.

I have used a long variety of hatchets that ranged from reasonable to terrible. These include the cheap hardware store no name dull as a hoe hatchets with a hammer head, the various Eastwings like you find at Home Depot, the Gerber 'axe' and, others.

The Gerber just doesn't have enough bite. It seems more like a hatchet designed to split a log, not limb a tree or shave slivers of wood.

The cheap hammer head no names work okay if you constantly sharpen them but, the hammer head just isn't terribly effective.

The Eastwings in general have a much thinner edge and profile which allows them to actually cut wood pretty good. They, in general, are a little short and lightweight for my tastes.

What I haven't tried are any 'ergonomic' models like you see in good profession carpenter hammers these days. Do any of these even exist?

Finally, heat treat and good steel in the head. With the wide variety of excellant steels commonly seen these days in mass produced knives, it seems like there is some room for improvement in the steel selected for the head and the heat treat that goes along with it.

If you were going to purchase or comission a premium hatchet designed for sporting uses (general camping and hiking, not throwing or combat) and real honest wood work (limbing trees, felling smaller ones, etc.), what 'mass' produced models would you recommend? What hatchet-smith would you recommend to build one? What premium steel and/or heat treatment would you seek out?

I have been considering a Gransfor Bruk model but, wonder about the steel used. I like the look of what I see but, have never seen one in store so, it would be a sight unseen purchase.

In general I would like a head weight of approxmimately 1 1/2 pounds and a hickory shaft in the 17 to 19 inch range with a surface to drive stakes with (and occasionally pound a splitting wedge if needed).

For any recommendations, please include contact information (if applicable) and a ball park street price estimate. Thanks!

 

[Two Hawks]

If you're looking for a mass-produced commercial axe it is hard to beat those by Estwing.
I have a very old Estwing cruiser axe which lives under the driver's seat of my motorhome for heavier cutting chores which may be inconvenient for the shorter-handled tomahawks that I normally use. It has limbed I don't know how many spruce trees (lived in Fairbanks, Alaska for many years and used to heat with wood). It takes a fine edge, holds an edge well, and re-sharpens with relative ease. They make them from an alloy almost identical to what I use in the tomahawks that I make. The steel handle DOES NOT break like ANY wood handle can ... one less thing to worry about.
The balance is quite decent, and it swings well with one or two hands. It is, of course, a bit bigger than a hatchet.
Reference your comment about balance ... a couple of years ago at a gun show I noticed a strange look on the face of a customer who was hefting my Longhunter tomahawk. I inquired ... he said, "This feels like my $95 framing hammer!" Turned out he had been a professional carpenter for 27 years and liked stuff that hit the same place every time.
TWO HAWKS
http://www.twohawks.net

 

[Cliff Stamp]

Sid Post :

it seems like there is some room for improvement in the steel selected for the head and the heat treat that goes along with it.

You need to be careful not to judge hatchet/axes by low quality production versions. It would be like using an Ontario bowie to judge the performance of a Mastersmith bowie. They are two very different knives. The differences between a hardware hatchet and a woodcutting hatchet are of a similar magnitude.

Anway, axes require a far tougher steel than knives and thus most cutlery steels are simply not suitable. The only one I would be interested in would be CPM-3V at about 58 RC. However I don't think that the advantage you would gain in cutting ability (allow a more acute profile) and edge retention would be anywhere near the gain in cost, which I would estimate would be in the area of 500%. In regards to heat treatment, most simple steels don't respond as significantly to multiple tempers and deep cryo as the higher alloy cutlery steels.

what 'mass' produced models would you recommend?

Gransfors Bruks Wildlife Hatchet, or small forest axe. The steel is similar to bandsaw steel, hardened to 57 RC. The only alteration I made to mine was to deepen the curvature of the convex edge bevel so that it approaches about 16 degrees right at the very edge. As the bevel sweeps back toward the shoulder it shallows out to about 10 degrees. The deeper edge curvature was to allow it to handle the harder knots. From the maker it comes with a more acute profile optomized for cutting clear fresh woods. It responds very well to a strop loaded with CrO, and can be easily filed which is only required if you need to alter the profile to suit the wood, or hit something that you wish you hand not.

The hatchet will cut alongside the best large knives I have (Battle Mistress), and the head is shaped to allow extended cutting with a choked up grip without discomfort. It will also match their chopping performance on small woods (2-3" thick) and allow a much smoother chopping pace due to the lower binding (less time and fatigue). As the wood gets larger the knives start to become significantly less productive (larger contact area, directly reduces pressure and thus penetration) and the hatchet readily pulls ahead. The hatchet will also split wood *much* better, and is a more functional hammer.

-Cliff