It's my old Gransfors Bruks felling axe, a type they no longer make. It's been the single most effective and rugged tool I've ever owned. It will go through a white spruce in a few strokes, and I even used it to break frozen bricks of meat up at thirty and forty below zero. You can build up tremendously powerful strikes with it, thanks to its high grade steel head and arched hickory handle. It can literally slice through a car door, just like the jaws of life. And nose-to-nose with a thin Katana blade, I have no doubt which would cut the other half in two.
I'm going to clean it up and put a new edge on it, then will post some more pics. Forget the swords. AXES are all you really need.
If you enjoyed reading about "Forget the Hanzo Katana, I've got the Swedish Wedge" here in TheHighRoad.org archive, you'll LOVE our community. Come join TheHighRoad.org today for the full version!
jungle
August 17, 2006, 05:28 PM
Gransfors Bruks makes great tools. Until you use an axe or hatchet with the kind of hard razor edge they take and hold it is hard to believe how fast they can cut. They are some of my most valued tools.
Skofnung
August 18, 2006, 07:06 PM
Great tool. GBs are second to none in the realm of axes. Perfect for the modern Huskarl.
Cosmoline
August 19, 2006, 12:10 AM
I had a new edge put on it and some of its friends. It's too cold for BLO now so I just cleaned and waxed the wood. These may not look like much, but I'd rather have them around than any number of high-tech blades.
i bought my dad their drawknife for his birthday, and he still thanks me for it.
CWL
August 23, 2006, 10:17 PM
Nice set of Swedish cutlery. I recognize the Mora on top, but what's that in the middle a Helle?
Third_Rail
August 23, 2006, 10:50 PM
Cosmo - what are the two knives?
Skofnung
August 24, 2006, 01:15 AM
I'm not sure what the top one is, but the second knife is a Roselli Hunter, and can be found here:
http://ragweedforge.com/RoselliCatalog.html
The Roselli Carpenter or Hunter will be the next knife I buy. I've not made up my mind which I find more appealing.
Cosmoline
August 24, 2006, 02:15 AM
The Puukko is the UHC Hunter, not the regular Hunter. I'm not sure it's in stock anymore. The other is my workaday Mora, a standard Swedish blade. The Roselli blades from Ragweed are better than Helle. I've owned two Helles and couldn't get either to keep an edge for long. The Roselli is also closer to a true puukko, with a very thick, heavy blade and heavy birch handle.
nibb
August 25, 2006, 09:52 AM
Well i really, really prefer a Glock 9mm/.40
Third_Rail
August 25, 2006, 10:36 AM
nibb,
Go cut a tree down with your Glock.:D
Also... Cosmoline - I've heard the Rosellis rust instantly, but other than in food prep, it doesn't matter. What's your opinion?
Boom-stick
August 25, 2006, 01:16 PM
TR,
Gimme a Glock 18 and I'll show you how to chop down a tree with a Glock:evil:
BOT, some of the older steels retain an outstanding edge.
My Grandfather worked in a slaughter house in the late 1920's and I still use his cleaver for tending the trees in my garden. I don't know what make it is but for all the abuse I give it, it still holds a scarily sharp edge.
Cosmoline
August 25, 2006, 04:19 PM
Also... Cosmoline - I've heard the Rosellis rust instantly, but other than in food prep, it doesn't matter. What's your opinion?
Mine has the ultra high carbon blade, but rust hasn't been too much of a problem with it. On most of those high carbon blades you can ease a patina onto it over time if you simply don't scrape every bit of discoloration off. As long as it isn't active rust boring holes through, it really isn't a problem. Indeed a nice layer of patina helps prevent more aggressive oxidation.
Third_Rail
August 25, 2006, 05:05 PM
Good enough, you sold me on it - ordering one from knifecore.com now. :)
SeanSw
August 25, 2006, 11:30 PM
A good axe is always underestimated. All the axes I come across are far too thick and heavy. I've been making due with a Cold Steel norse hawk that is too light for real axe work but is an amazing tool for the money. I have given some thought to buying a nice axe for roughing out a bow stave but I don't have the time or money to start a new hobby.
That's a nice set of knives too. I still carry a pukko whenever I get the chance. This one was purchased about 10 years ago and it's the best knife I've ever had.
That's actually a Leuku by the look of it. The bigger brother to the Puukko. I'm planning on getting one myself. They're the classic lapland camp knife.
nibb
August 28, 2006, 11:34 AM
I dont think i can cut a tree. Trees should not be cut today that the world is going to hell. But i think you can make someone to cut it down for you with a glock. :uhoh:
:D
Third_Rail
August 28, 2006, 11:55 AM
nibb, around where I am, there are more trees now than ever before in recorded history. Many towns, from the air, are simply green with small dots of buildings here and there. :)
Now that so few people heat their homes with wood, it truly isn't a big deal at all to chop many, many trees down.
If you enjoyed reading about "Forget the Hanzo Katana, I've got the Swedish Wedge" here in TheHighRoad.org archive, you'll LOVE our community. Come join TheHighRoad.org today for the full version!
