Quality of edged weapons (101)?

A. G. Maisey · 5th September 2014, 02:17 AM

Yeah, the bayonet is worth a few bucks, but you can always replace money. $300 bucks is the cost of halfway decent meal for two in a nice restaurant.

I'd sooner keep my bayonet.

7 pound is a big axe. Are you sure it is was originally ground as a felling axe? It seems more likely to be a splitting axe at that weight, which is what you now use it as.

David Foster is unquestionably the greatest axeman the world has seen. He's 6'4' tall he weighed 350pound (25 stone, 159kilos) in race condition, his hand speed was faster than Mohammed Ali. Maybe he could use a 7 pound felling axe, I couldn't and I doubt many normal sized people could. The standard work axe in Australia where virtually everything you see is hardwood, is 4.5 pound.

My 5 pound Plumb was my uncle's race axe, and he was a much bigger man than I am. Its comfortable to use underhand, but its too heavy for me to use balanced on a plank or a ladder up a tree. I cannot use it for felling at height, standing on the ground its OK, but even then it gets heavy a lot quicker than a 4.5 pounder.

The grind on an axe is extremely important for what it is used for, if you try to use an axe that is incorrectly ground for the work and timber it will be used on you'll either ruin the axe or have a memorable accident.

I don't make my axe handles, I source them from competing axemen, who import top quality American hickory. They're not cheap, but they are much better than anything you can buy in a store, or even make at home. Problem with virtually all commercial handles now is that they are made too thin.

My saws are far from mint condition. My father used them all his life, I've used them for over thirty years. They've been set and sharpened uncountable times. They hang on the workshop wall, gather a bit of rust between uses and come up clean and sharp when needed. Definitely not mint, definitely not coddled.

5th September 2014, 02:17 AM	#18
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,892	Yeah, the bayonet is worth a few bucks, but you can always replace money. $300 bucks is the cost of halfway decent meal for two in a nice restaurant. I'd sooner keep my bayonet. 7 pound is a big axe. Are you sure it is was originally ground as a felling axe? It seems more likely to be a splitting axe at that weight, which is what you now use it as. David Foster is unquestionably the greatest axeman the world has seen. He's 6'4' tall he weighed 350pound (25 stone, 159kilos) in race condition, his hand speed was faster than Mohammed Ali. Maybe he could use a 7 pound felling axe, I couldn't and I doubt many normal sized people could. The standard work axe in Australia where virtually everything you see is hardwood, is 4.5 pound. My 5 pound Plumb was my uncle's race axe, and he was a much bigger man than I am. Its comfortable to use underhand, but its too heavy for me to use balanced on a plank or a ladder up a tree. I cannot use it for felling at height, standing on the ground its OK, but even then it gets heavy a lot quicker than a 4.5 pounder. The grind on an axe is extremely important for what it is used for, if you try to use an axe that is incorrectly ground for the work and timber it will be used on you'll either ruin the axe or have a memorable accident. I don't make my axe handles, I source them from competing axemen, who import top quality American hickory. They're not cheap, but they are much better than anything you can buy in a store, or even make at home. Problem with virtually all commercial handles now is that they are made too thin. My saws are far from mint condition. My father used them all his life, I've used them for over thirty years. They've been set and sharpened uncountable times. They hang on the workshop wall, gather a bit of rust between uses and come up clean and sharp when needed. Definitely not mint, definitely not coddled.