Now I’ve got the stove working nicely, my thoughts are turning to “how do I prep wood and logs to burn on it”. I’ve already bought about a tonne of oak off cuts from a local timber frame building maker, but I’ll soon need to prep some of it in to kindling / smaller pieces for lighting the stove.

So, what axe? Hatchet or proper “here’s Johny” job? Looked at a few in the local DIYs and they all seem like cheap junk. I’m a buy it once kind of guy.

Any recommendations???

http://www.bestmadeco.com/collections/axes

😉

For splitting rings of wood a splitting maul.

I have 3, forest axe, splitting maul and mini hatchet. All Gransfors Bruks.
All lasting well, replaced several cheap axes that weren’t man enough for the job(s).
Buy well, buy once.

i’ve got one and it’s absolutely **** useless.

🙂

it was funny when the little shop owner asked if I wanted a bag for it. No, i’d rather stroll through glasgow city centre on a saturday afternoon with my axe in my hand 🙂

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The forest axe and mini hatchet.

peterfile, I got the same “d’yer want a bag for that?” Hmm, Leeds, saturday afternoon, utd at home, best do really!

my two are cheapies, a little hatchet and a big sledgehammer sized one, bot with yellow composite handles, possibly from wickes or the like. Addequate.

Aldi, log splitter for £15 when I was in there the other week topping up on cheap winter bike gear!
It’s got a hickory shaft not a fibre glass one but not bad for the price. Plus a small hand axe for splitting small stuff.

take Kung Fu lessons and do it with your head! Joking
a forest ax is what i have used

GB Small Forest Axe here.

GB are good, or if you can find ’em try Djärv Hantverk – Ray Mears’ store was selling them for a bit.

Gransfors Bruks look lovely, but they are expensive amd i don’t see any professionals using them.

Hatchet for kindling stuff, maul for splitting.
I use a bill hook for kindling, partly because I already had it but also because you can cleave with it like you would with a throe.

My preference is for wooden handles as I can replace them if need be and as I find the fibreglass things a bit flexy

Theres not much nicer than a gransfors, but for a woodburner you need a splitting maul, cheap as you like cos it will break anyway, every ten years or so. Couple that with a cheap steel shaft hatchet for the kindling. You don’t want either of them sharp, they will split better blunt, wont stick, and if you catch your finger you have a bruise rather than a cut. And you can just leave them in the block and they’re there when you need them.

I have big burly, cheap plastic handled splitting axe (shoulda bought a wooden handled one…)
I have sharper old skool from second hand shop, proper nice wood handled mid-sized axe. Don’t use it much.
And a used weekly wee hatchet from Husqvarna and it is ace…much better than the £25 I paid for it suggests…

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51771

Splitting maul

£12.85, been using it for 2 years, great for splitting.

Yep, Germany, Italy and Japan were the main participants in the alliance, but Italy eventually switched sides. Also, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria eventually signed the Anti-Comintern pact of 1941.

The Sutcliffe all purpose range are good value

I use Stihl felling axe and got a bog standard splitting maul that i’ve used to split tons of fire wood over the years (though none for me 😕 )

Thanks guys.

I’m still not sure whether to buy cheap and cheerful, replace when it breaks, or buy a tool for life. I think I may have trouble getting a £100 hatchet past The Wife’s spending / sense blockade.

Picked up a Bahco splitting axe, 6lbs I think, not too pricey but good quality and helix ‘grenade’ with a couple of wedges, which deal with pretty much anything including tree truck sections of about 2ft X 1ft, when used in conjunction with a sledgehammer for wedges.

Keep them nice and sharp and clean remember you steel toe cap boots 😉

I use a wood grenade (link below) with a sledgehammer for the big roundels. It’ll split something about 2ft in diameter and 2ft deep with a few good wollops (great core training) and then I work on the smaller bits with an axe – fully recommended for a tenner.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/roughneck-wood-grenade-log-splitter/51334

Splitting maul from B&Q, and a small steel hatchet free from the dump!!

I have a lovely huge old oak round for chopping on!!

Don’t forget the fun of building yourself a log store!!!!

Good point about having an old round for chopping on. I started doing in on a patch of grass and was surprised at the amount of splitting force absorbed by a soft surface (I am small and weak though).

I found the GB Wildlife Hachet great for splitting up to 9 inch logs, light enough to swing that it does not wear you out, but sharp enough to split logs and make smaller kinderling too, its also the right size for me for taking off small green wood branches too when out in the field logging, they are razor sharp from new and hold an edge very well.

http://www.raymears.com/Bushcraft_Product/68-Gransfors-Wildlife-Hatchet-Axe/

Anything bigger that needs splitting, then I use a cheap splitting axe and wood grenade to do the job, from screwfix.

bigblackshed – Member

Thanks guys.

I’m still not sure whether to buy cheap and cheerful, replace when it breaks, or buy a tool for life. I think I may have trouble getting a £100 hatchet past The Wife’s spending / sense blockade.

I started with a cheap and chearful, then got drawn in by Gransfors Bruks, never looked back, they are a joy to use in comparison.

I’ve got a GB Wildlife hatchet, and it’s a beautiful axe, very, very sharp. If I was going to be splitting smaller stuff for kindling as well as general cutting duties, I’d buy one of these: http://www.knife-heaven-shop.com/roselli-r850-roselli-axe-large.html
Finnish made beauty, bearded head, so you can choke the axe right behind the cutting edge for trimming, and the edge is a bit thicker than the GB axes, which makes splitting easier.

Good info: An Axe To Grind

Ski,

I really wish you hadn’t pointed out that Ray Mears has a website with a shop on it. He’s got some very nice stuff in there that I need. Like merino wool glove liners. And other stuff.

Dammit. Better tell the wife to lock up my credit card again.

I should be on commission here 😉

Been thinking of getting one of these for the little old tractor