Axe Usage

Last Updated on Sunday, 06 September 2009 22:31 Written by Squidders Thursday, 03 September 2009 21:03

The classic Gransfors Bruks
Small Forest Axe

After a good knife, the single most important bit of kit for the outdoors in the woods is a good axe. This is all a bit garbled at the moment, I'll try and make some sense of it a little later. A man lost in the forest can with an axe snare nearly all games, construct shelter, cut wood and survive where there are no chances of doing so with a rifle. Even on a well know path, the axe becomes indispensable to mark well the trees as you go on, and if you want to come back without using a compass.
Also it can be used as a pick or hook on very hard ground, use it as hammer etc. KEEP IT SHARP & SAFE SO AS NOT TO GET HURT.

CAUTION:
This most important piece of survival equipment is also the most abused. In the battle of man against nature the odds greatly favour the person who is able to utilise available equipment to the full and knows how to care for it. It has been found that some persons have failed to survive even under reasonably good conditions not from lack of equipment but from failure to care for it and use it to the best advantage.

BEFORE USING AN AXE ALWAYS MAKE THE FOLLOWING CHECKS:

1) ALWAYS CHECK HEAD FOR TIGHTNESS OF HANDLE.
If it is loose either drive the wedge further home or make a new wedge using hard wood. Soaking the head is another method but it is not recommended for winter time as ice may form on the handle and inside the head allowing the head to slide off and cause possible injury. To drive the head further into the handle stir the end of the handle, not the head of the axe.

2) ALWAYS CHECK FOR SHARPNESS.
A dull axe can be DANGEROUS for 2 reasons. First it will not bite properly and will tend to glance off the wood being cut. Secondly when blunt it IS NECESSARY to use more force which usually means a sacrifice of control.

3) Check that the handle is not cracked or split. A serious cut of sliver might be received

4) When carrying an axe BE SURE that the sharp edge is held AWAY from the body so that in the event of a fall there will then be less chance of injury.

How to sharpen an Axe:
To do the job well you MUST use a file & a wet stone, if no file then the stone will do the job but not as good. Use the file every 2 or 3 days and the wet stone is used after you have use your axe. Start by wetting the blade & sharpen it with the file by doing rotary movements towards the exterior of the cutting edge. To soften the slicing edge one MUST make rotary movements starting at the centre of the blade going toward the edge. So to keep your axe sharp, hone it regularly with a sharpening stone and touch up the edge when needed with an 8 inch flat mil file. For honing hold the head of the axe in one hand in such a way that the handle points up away from you & rub the dry stone over the edge with a circular motion from one end of the edge to the other. Then turn the axe over with the handle now pointing down and hone the other side in the same way until the edge is so keen that it no longer shows up as a bright line when you look at it. For filing, lean the axe head against a log or against a peg driven in the ground. Kneel on one knee and place your other foot on the handle to keep the axe steady. Place the file on the edge & push down hard. File the whole edge with long even straight strokes working along the blade from one end of the edge to the other, soon you will get the hang of it. Holding the iron in full hands be very weary about the handle, the thumb under it and the fingers doing pressure on the grind stone as near as the biting edge as possible.
The filing is done in 3 movements, rotation of a wet stone, pressure of the fingers lateral moving altering on the biting of the ground stone.

Sharpening is usually done in three steps:

1) You MUST or should use a grind stone to reduce or thin the centre of the biting edge but not on all its width.
You MUST let about 1/2 inch on each side of the edge at its natural thickness. This will make it more solid and wood chips will come off easier. The grind stone MUST BE watered down A LOT so as not to permit the steel to heat up. This is why one MUST NEVER sharpen an axe nor a knife on an electrical grindstone since it turns too fast and heats up the steel and will ruin the blade strength.

2) Second step is the file, a flat one about 8 inches long with a handle is desirable.
Placing the axe in a vice and facing it, hold the file handle in your right hand and the end of the file in your left hand preferably protected by a strong glove. Then you file from up and down starting behind the biting edge going forward in a 10 degree angle. The file MUST bite only in the movement up going down and not to touch the steel in its down upward movement. Once a side is done then turn the blade in the vice and start all over again starting this time from the front part of the cutting edge going toward its back & in the same angle as before.

3) The third step is using a soft stone. Letting the axe in the vice start to polish the edge using the rougher side of the stone then finish it with the softer side which you then add a little oil.
You sharpen in the same direction as when using the file but this time do it in a circular fashion & with full contact, not letting the stone off the blade. Such a blade is less DANGEROUS & much more efficient than a badly sharpened one. One last precaution, MAKE SURE that the sheath is very strong & thick so as to protect it from stones or other steel. You MUST also have a spare handle because you might need it.

Use of an Axe:
You would learn more from a good axe man in one day than many weeks by yourself. Don't try to cut a tree with a single blow. It is more important to aim well and to keep a good rhythm than to use too much strength. If you use it correctly the axe own weight will give you all the power needed to do the job.
MAKE SURE BEFORE using the axe that NOTHING on top or sides hinder your movements. ALWAYS check for branches or liana that could defect the blow and may hurt or kill you. Most people have a natural prime hand and swing. Use an axe in a way that's comfortable to you, swinging it an ark that feels natural with a firm grip and ALWAYS away from your body, legs and hand. MAKE SURE that, if you miss the tree or other point of aim and follow through, the axe will not strike anyone else. Don't throw an axe on the ground. Sheath it or bury the blade in a log

Tree felling:
Before beginning clear the tree of lower limbs and remove the underbrush from around the bottom of the tree. This is to ensure that the axe is not deflected during the swing. Check your distance form the tree to AVOID under reaching or overreaching. Overreaching can result in breaking the axe handle and under reaching in a cut foot. Take up a comfortable stance MAKING SURE that both feet are firmly set. The first cut should be made on the side of the tree facing the direction of the desired fall often decided by the lean of the tree. This cut should be not more than half-way through the tree. The back cut should be started slightly above and opposite the first cut. It is SAFER to cut the tree off not over a foot above the ground. (Below 1 feet) ALWAYS keep the axe handle low and parallel to the ground where the blades strikes the cut. When using short handled axes or hand axes bend carefully at the hips or kneel on one knee. When splitting wood do not lay the piece to be split on the ground but support it so as to AVOID chopping into ground, thus blunting the axe or prevent injury to leg or feet.

Broken handles:
Using an axe takes practice and while gaining experience axe handle often get broken-usually because the head misses the
target and the handle takes all the blow. To remove a broken handle, the easiest way is to put in a fire, burying as much as possible of the metal in the earth to prevent it loosing temper. Since it is very difficult to remove a broken handle from the axe head; THE BEST METHOD is to place the axe head in the ground and to burn the handle. You bury the biting edge down to the height of the handle. Make a small fire on the head of the axe. The biting edge protected by the ground will not be affected and the handle heated white by the fire will come off with no trouble at all. The operation must be done quickly to succeed well; but MAKE SURE that the earth is WET surrounding the axe iron. The wet earth prevents the slicing edge to loose its hardness. MAKE SURE that you put the whole axe after in cold water. Or have spare handle then insert it in the axe MAKING SURE that the head is well perpendicular to the handle. To insert the handle, hold it using the left hand and hit the butt with another axe or hammer or stone if need be, the handle will come up by itself very well. This operation MUST BE done quickly and then as soon as possible put the whole axe iron in cold water. Don't hit the head down on the handle but the other way around, you will then note that the end of the handle comes off the axe by a few inches this is to allow the insertion of a "corner" which will prevent the head from coming off. If you don't have a "corner" then you have to make one up, ITS ESSENTIAL. Use the excess part that you cut off for this purpose. Use hard wood only as material.

Now using a hacksaw you cut off the excess but it is good practice to let the handle overshoot by a few lines should you need to adjust the "corner" once more later on.
This is where you get your "corner" from the excess handle part that you cut off you use part of it as your "corner" to insert in the slit and hammer it down in the axe head.

NOTE ON BROKEN TOOL HANDLE OFF:
Nothing is easier to remove a broken tool handle which has blocked the head.
Cut the handle as near the head of the tool as possible, bore a hole deep enough in the broken part of the handle and in this hole pour some petrol which you then light up. The wood being impregnated of petrol will burn easily and all you then have to do is to remove the ashes and fix a new handle. However I would prudent to use such a method for an axe since the fire would probably affect the tempering quality of the steel.

AXE NATURAL HANDLE:
If you MUST replace a handle use a straight handle rather than a curb one, you will save time and effort. Give a rough shape to the handle and make a slit at the end which will receive the blade. Once the handle well in place strengthen the whole thing by inserting a thin slice of wood in the slit that you have made,
try the axe and knock in again the slice of wood to make it stronger holding. The usual 1 1/4 pound axe on a hickory handle will be light enough to carry & to do the work intended to whereas the 3/4 axe is a two handle tool and is designed for cutting larger logs for pioneering projects.

Keep the edge or "bit" sharp not just sharp enough to chew but to bite and keep the handle tight, if it gets loose drive in the wedge harder.

NEVER LET YOUR AXE TOUCH THE GROUND. Driving into the ground will nick it & leaning it against the ground will rust it.

ALWAYS have a chopping block under the wood you are chopping or splitting and when you are through using it for short period stick in the chopping block or put it back in its sheath.

On a hike carry the axe in its sheath or lashed to your pack and carry it around camp by holding the handle near the heads with the edge down and out.

How to use an Axe:
The old backwoodsmen were as expert with their axe as they were with their rifles and they were just as careful in the selection of these told as they were in the selection of their arms. They NEVER even lent their axe to anyone. Many a times I have seen them pick up a store axe sight along the handle and then cast it aside contemptuously aside. They demanded of their axes that the cutting edge should be exactly in line with the point in the centre of the butt end of the handle.
They also kept their axe so sharp that they could whittle with them like one can with a good jack knife furthermore they allowed no one but themselves to use their own particular axe. It is not expected that the modern vacation pioneer becomes an expert consequently the few simple rules and suggestions will be here given to guide the amateur. And he MUST depends upon his own judgement and common sense to work out the minor problems which will beset him in the use of this tool.

All edged tools are DANGEROUS when in the hands of "chumps" DANGEROUS to themselves and to any one else who is near them. For instance only a chump will use an axe when its head is loose and is in DANGER of flying off the handle. (NO joke or pun here! It happened to me once, I did not check it OOPS). Only a chum? will use his best axe to cut roots or sticks lying flat on the ground where he is liable to hit stones and other objects and take off the edge of the blade. Only a chum? will leave an axe lying in the ground for people to stumble over.

If there is a handy stump at your camp and you are through using it, stick the blade into the top of the stomp and leave the axe sticking there, where it will be safe from injury. REMEMBER before chopping down a tree or before using an axe at all to see that there is enough space above and below and around to enable you to swing the axe clear without the DANGER or striking bushes or overhanging branches which may deflect the blade & cause accidents more or less serious.

TREE FELLING:
Check overhead for dead branches, which may fall and injure you, and for hornet's nest. Clear the branches or creepers which could deflect your blows. If roots or the bole spread out at the bottom build a platform to reach thinner-diameter trunk and reduce the effort of chopping. Ensure such a platform is stable and that you can jump off it quickly if the tree falls the wrong way! Work at a comfortable height and try to cut downward at 45 degrees, although every now and then a horizontal blow is needed to clear the cut. Cut from both sides of the tree, first chopping out a notch an angle of about 45 degrees and another on the opposite side at a lower level, on the side to which you want the tree to fall. Do not cut through more than half the tree BEFORE starting the other notch.

If two people are at work on opposite sides this is particularly important. A leaning trunk or a tree with most of its branches one side will fall in the direction of its weight and the placing of the cuts will not affect it. A steady rhythm of blows will cut more effectively than trying to make a fewer big blows. If you put too much effort behind the axe your aim will suffer and you will soon tire. Let the weight of the axe do the work. Alternating the angle of stroke will prevent the axe from jamming. Too steep an angle will cause the axe to glance off the trunk Dead on will make it jam, or be inefficient, Aim for 45 degrees.

DON'T STAND BEHIND A TREE AS IT FALLS:

For the boughs may strike those standing tree causing the butt to shoot back or kick an many a woodsman has lost his life from the kick of falling tree. Before chopping a tree down, select the place where it is to fall, a place where it will not be liable to lodge in another tree on its way down. DON'T try to fall a tree against the wind. Cut a notch on the side of the tree facing the direction you wish it to fall and cut it half way to the trunk. Make the notch or kerf large enough to AVOID pinching your axe in it. If you discover that the notch is going to be too small cut a new notch X some inches above your first one.

Then split off the piece X Y between the two notches and against make the notch X Z and split off the piece Z W Y until you make room for the axe to continue your chopping. When the first kerf is finished begin another one on the opposite side of the tree a little higher that the first one.  When the wood between the two notches becomes too small to support the weight of the tree, the top of the tree will begin to tremble and waiver and give you ample time to step to one side before it falls.
(It is good to yell Timber specially if there are people around so as to warn them of the falling tree.)

TO REMOVE BRANCHES:
Cut off branches from the outside of the fork (*A) not the inside (*B). Very high branches can be removed by attaching strings to the saw toggle to give extra reach. This is DANGEROUS. Keep your eye on the branch and be prepared to jump out of the way. Go RAMBO GO!

SPLITTING LOGS:
Stand behind a large log with feet well apart. Swing down to cut the side away from you.

DO NOT CHOP DOWNWARD:
To split a smaller log, angle against another log.

DO NOT PUT YOUR FOOT ON IT:
Alternatively, hold smaller log against cutting edge of axe and bring both down together on to a larger log. (Not to be tried
holding too short a log for safety!) If in doubt split larger logs with a wedge and rock.

DO NOT EVER HOLD WOOD UPRIGHT IN YOUR HAND AND ATTEMPT TO SPLIT WITH AXE.

NEVER lend your axe, it is too personal like your tooth brush. A broken axe can result in a broke friendship.

- Joe AKA Squidders