3 Things That Make a Good Axe

Left: CT Boys Axe (my favorite axe)
Right: Fiskars X-15 chopping axe

A good axe is a very important tool in the wilderness and in the modern homestead. An axe can slice, chop, split, carve, scrape, and complete many other tasks in the field that a simple knife would be feeble to.

Here are the 3 things that make a good axe:

The handle is a good place to start. The handle should be made of wood or solid steel. The best kind of handle for any axe, however, should be wooden. Wooden handles are easy to replace, look good, and they are replaceable, which is always a good thing. Hardwood is the best way to go for axe handles and ash is considered the best for curved handles. While ash is considered the best for curved handles, hickory is considered the best for both curved and straight handles. Basically,  a good axe handle should be made of hickory, it should have straight-grain orientation, and it should be fairly dry. It should also be treated with oils and or wax to keep it nice. Not varnish. Varnish is hard on the hands, it will give you blisters, and it suffocates the wood. Plus it will chip out after a couple of years and look bad. Linseed oil is a much better option. That is what makes a good axe handle.

The steel of an axe head should be of high-carbon content so that it can take a good edge and so that the head itself can withstand a beating. The head should also be forged, not cast to help it obtain maximum durability. While reduction ground is better than cast in general, you will want a forged steel head. Good steels for axe heads include 1095, 1060, 1080, and good Swedish and American steels. All of these are good steels.

Edge-geometry should be slim on a good all-purpose outdoor axe. For a good all-purpose axe leaning toward splitting, you'd want the cheeks to be a little bit wider, but not too much because you will want good chopping ability still. Thick-bitted axes can't bite deep into the wood. The best axes have a good combination between chopping and splitting axes like those of the Fiskars chopping line axes. In general, a good axe will have a thin bit.

Two axes with good edge-geometry

Our rooster, McClellan

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