Axe

garandman

garandman

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I am buying 12 acres of woodland that will need some cleaning up. Already bought a chainsaw and turbine-powered weed whacker, have a machete and hatchet but no axe. I'll get a maul for splitting.

I think I'd mostly use it for limbing or cutting down small saplings. So I'm not sure if I should get a felling axe (usually 36" and 3.5 lbs or more) or one of the camp axes that are usually 37-30" and under 3lbs. I'm 6'2 so the 36" isn't a problem: it seems like bigger is better.

So far, all I've found is really cheap axes - under $40. They suck. I don't want to spend $200+ for a pro axe: $70-110 seems reasonable.

What to buy, where to buy it near Boston, Peabody, or Manchvegas.
 
Perhaps it would be better to try a flea market, yard sale or ebay. Sometimes you can find a real treasure.
They don't make them like they used to.
I was going to suggest a Snow & Neally, they used to be made in Maine and a decent price.
I just searched it and found out a Chinese firm bought them a few years ago.
Take your time find something nice.
 
I use axes regularly and have thousands invested in axes. If your looking for a good limbing axe and not spend 200 as you said, then get the Gransfors limbing axe. It's about 130 ish and worth it. You can also take down smaller trees with it. Everything about that axe is awesome and I can't think of a better axe made. I have plenty of fiskars as well. The design of the hatchet is nice and the splitters too but their limber is a poor design. Of course the the metal is cheap on all of them but hey... they are cheap. Stay away from their limber though. Limbing/felling axes are supposed to point to the tree and splitting axes are supposed to point to the earth when you hold it with an open hand. The fiskars limber does not. It's no good. Wetterlings have a descent metal head but you'd think the handle was made and assembled in China. Terrible handles and finishes. OH YEAH! I almost forgot... Husqvarna has a very nice limbing axe for the money too. I have that one too. It's not as nice as the Gransfors but for the money, you get more axe. I think it's about 60ish. That Husky axe is well made in every way and worth every penny. It's just lesser quality when it comes the the materials when side by side with the Gransfors. The GB is definately better but costs more. I guess it all comes down to how intense of a tool you'll need.
 
I have a folding hand saw that cuts an 8" diameter tree in about 10 minutes. An axe is no substitute for a chainsaw. Use steel toes and chaps with gas saw.
 
qqac said:
+1. Chainsaw is much quicker, safer and less tiring than an axe, even for limbing and saplings.
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Yeah, already bought one.

Now, if I want someone to help, or take something with me on a trail, or do I have to explain further why I want a limbing axe in addition to a chainsaw, bow saw, machete, string trimmer, and trimmer blade. Really? I swear some of you are liberal politicians in disquise.

boilermaker said:
http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/gransforsbruksscandinavianforestaxe.aspx

these guys have it in stock for $130 but I did not see what shipping is.
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That's reasonable, they have great reputation. H80, is that a good choice? The Huskie may be stocked locally at a dealer.
 
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Fixxah said:
I have a folding hand saw that cuts an 8" diameter tree in about 10 minutes. An axe is no substitute for a chainsaw. Use steel toes and chaps with gas saw.
Click to expand...
I got the Stihl chaps and forestry helmet as well. As a weekend warrior I assumed that I'd be most likely to do something stupid.

The days when we would take turns running an ancient Homelite are long gone. Man that sucker smoked! The Stihl is like a surgical instrument by comparison.
 
DitchDigger said:
You have a chain saw and ur going to get a maul. What do you want an axe for ?
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This. I think you'll find the axe won't get a lot of use. The only time I found myself using the axe is when I hit something like a rock or chain that had grown into the tree and wrecked my chainsaw blade or to work on some roots. The small chainsaw attachments for weed whackers come in handy for trimming branches, saplings etc. If you are clearing a large section of it by yourself look for an old Kubota with a loader. I picked an old 30 HP machine that looks like crap but runs strong for $3500 a few years back. Definitely made the job a lot easier.
 
Good choices. I went heavier with a mini maul to go with my chainsaw and/or to occasionally backpack. Great for splitting what I cut with chainsaw, okay for limbing.

Now the bad news, the Snow & Nealley mini maul which I bought 20+ years ago was 100% US, now I think it is a China steel head and a US hickory handle. [angry]
 
I've only owned fishers, which are fine for the price.

(Just curious), what chainsaw(s) did you purchase? Assuming it's all wooded, that's quite a bit of land to clear.
 
OP you listed most of the tools you will need to clear your land. I know you asked about an ax. But I will suggest you get a good set of clippers they come in very handy to cut what I call trippers. Small branches and trees and if you have mountain laurel they work better than any other tool. Also a plastic felling wedge helps a lot as well. As far as a ax check the wood grain at the handle end, find one the grain runs in line with the blade.
 
bawannabuck said:
Also a plastic felling wedge helps a lot as well.
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That makes sense.

There are only a small number of trees I want to take down to start, and they are pretty small. There are a couple of good-sized pines in between the house and garage and the electric wire that should come out, but I think I will hire pros for that as the potential for screwing up is pretty high, while for them it will be a piece of cake.
 
It sounds like you'll get the most use from your chainsaw, but if you want an axe for smaller jobs, check Home Depot hammer section for the Estwing. They make a small hatchet, a larger camp axe and something like a small maul. I have all of them and get the most use out of the maul for splitting logs into small kindling.
 
I've learned that limbing axes are actually narrower than a felling axe, to improve the chances of slicing through a relatively small branch at the base. That's not real critical. I also may be getting a second chainsaw as part of an estate buy.

Some great suggestions here, just what I was looking for.
 

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