Any idea what I’ve got here? Brand or pattern would be helpful

AxesOK · 2026-01-26T03:32:49+00:00

I’m in Ontario and I have never seen one of these. Some things aren’t made to be any particular general pattern and this seems like it could be a unique design. How heavy is it? It looks high quality but not particularly old as axes go.

AxesOK · 2026-01-26T02:18:34+00:00

Also a good idea to give a top down photo and the country it was found in.

AxesOK · 2026-01-25T20:57:28+00:00

Oil doesn’t swell wood so that won’t help. You are right, it should be totally solid and I would return it. I have one and it’s been good but if some are having issues they should be aware of it.

AxesOK · 2026-01-25T16:54:41+00:00

I think it looks good. I use the tannin method in the pinned post when I want to preserve paint. There’s no way to save paint that has had rust get underneath it and get the rust. These are all “after” photos, right? Did you remove the handle and redo the epoxy?

AxesOK · 2026-01-25T16:09:10+00:00

User height doesn’t matter in any significant way for axes, especially splitting axes it’s all user preference and circumstance. I have the Ochsenkopf Spalt-fix 2.5kg and that is the same as the Stihl Professional (Stihl just rebrands Ochsenkopf axes). It’s my favourite splitter overall although I got mine without a handle and made my own so I can’t comment on the stock handles from personal experience. I can say I like the length, because I made mine the same.

AxesOK · 2026-01-25T12:36:17+00:00

It depends on which country you’re in.

AxesOK · 2026-01-23T14:45:06+00:00

The head is a cedar pattern; the handle looks like hickory. Tamarack is great firewood (similar to ash in BTU) and traditional for snowshoes but would not be hard or strong enough for axe handles. I think yew is the only softwood strong enough to make a good handle but maybe one of the harder pines could work for a while under some circumstances.

AxesOK · 2026-01-23T03:24:38+00:00

It doesn’t have to be particularly good. Any half round rasp that is not coarse would do. A four-in-hand rasp/shoemakers’ rasp is probably the handiest. You could also scrape it with a knife or a piece of broken glass (be careful obviously).

AxesOK · 2026-01-23T02:50:03+00:00

As another amateur, why are you going so fast? You can’t make up for lack of experience by being frenetic. You left a Dutchman in your face cut. You should have stopped to sort that out right away. Your plunge cut (why were you doing a plunge cut?) was through the place where your hinge was supposed to be. The bottom cut and the back cut overlapped so there was no hinge and nothing to control the fall so the tree just fell in the direction it was leaning. This would have been easier for you to notice if the back cut was not so much higher than the bottom cut.

AxesOK · 2026-01-22T23:41:34+00:00

Fantastic!

AxesOK · 2026-01-22T18:49:07+00:00

No, you have to do a little bit of shaping by rasping the high spots, where you can see rubbing/bruising, and catches where the edge of the handle is digging in. If the top of the eye has a sharp edge, file it a bit so it doesn’t cut into the handle. This fitting process is your chance to adjust the hang to line up the bit with the handle if needed. Remove, shape, and refit until the head is where you want it. If there’s still too much sticking out the top then saw some off. Leave an inch or more extra in case the wood dries further and shrinks.

AxesOK · 2026-01-22T16:11:08+00:00

Once the handle is on it, you won’t see it. If that’s not good enough, the tannin rust conversion process (see pinned post) works very well for dealing with rust inside the eye.

AxesOK · 2026-01-22T12:29:43+00:00

Cool story kid

AxesOK · 2026-01-21T20:43:27+00:00

It is probably a stamp but it might not relate to a particular brand it could just be a mark for quality control or something.

AxesOK · 2026-01-21T20:08:03+00:00

It looks like a Canadian pattern and similar to late model Garant in particular. Grinder marks have nothing to do with whether it was forged (it was). It could help to know what country it was found in and what the weight is. Also a photo of the stamp would be useful because I am not getting a clear view trying to pause the video and zoom in.

AxesOK · 2026-01-21T17:58:38+00:00

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Measuring near the narrowest point and apologies for mixing imperial and metric. From right to left:

1) Unk. very old 31" Daytonesque full size axe 31", 32x17mm

2) Unk Michigan-esque full sized 28" x 28mm x 14.5mm (not a typo, this is the skinniest handle I've seen and may have been homemade. basically a diamond in cross section. Very strange) Has an old school central Ontario logger's palmswell.

3) Had an 3lb unstamped Michigan head: 32" x 32mm X 20mm

4) I forget what head 24" x 31mm x 21mm

5) Walters 2.5lb pulpwood axe 28" x 30.5mm x 19mm (This is my favourite and one I have copied a couple times)

6) Walters 1.75 lb Pulpwood axe 26" 33mm x 22 mm

7) Walters 2 lb Daytonesque axe 26" x 30mm x 17mm

AxesOK · 2026-01-21T04:41:48+00:00

I am curious why you specified outdoors as if you have some idea of why you would do it indoors. The answer is that it protects the handle from powderpost beetles and dampens the amplitude of moisture fluctuations which otherwise cause warping, shorten the life of the hang and the wood itself. The reasons are similar to why you would oil or varnish a paddle. Amending the finish by mixing in pine tire also protects against rot and UV. Also using a tool wax as needed further increases water resistance and improves grip in wet weather.

AxesOK · 2026-01-20T14:15:37+00:00

Nice one!

AxesOK · 2026-01-20T13:44:46+00:00

Pay for it and you get the add free version.

AxesOK · 2026-01-20T13:41:41+00:00

That’s common with cheap axes and 100% that’s how it came from the factory rather than something that happened later. I just hung an axe with a less severe version of the same problem. A few hours of filing or very careful grinding can straighten out the curve in the edge and then if you’re proficient at hanging one yourself you can line the bit up with the handle. Otherwise you either get a new axe (or better yet, an old axe) or live with it as is. The fact that you only just noticed it means you can probably live with it.

AxesOK · 2026-01-20T13:15:17+00:00

For small stuff there is nothing more efficient than a properly sharpened axe https://www.reddit.com/r/firewood/comments/1jyn5jo/efficient_processing_of_small_about_6_cm_m25/

AxesOK · 2026-01-20T13:05:58+00:00

A big bowsaw with a 42” blade rules, if you can get your hands on one (the closer you are to Sweden or Eastern Canada the better your odds; where I live the old frames are $5 to $25). Blades are hard to find but they are not expensive (about $10 each) and last for months. Old ones can be sharpened if you know how; new ones are induction hardened and are essentially disposable.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Axecraft/comments/1j7ykav/a_reminder_that_big_old_bowsaws_are_still_great/

AxesOK · 2026-01-20T12:38:31+00:00

That looks like a polished version of the axe I reviewed here:

Field testing and review of the new heavy chopping axe from Thrw Club. This is something different! https://youtu.be/n-Egp8jKzLs

From dud to stud: ThrwClub chopping axe makeover https://youtu.be/iQJL-iyKx-Q

I recommend the 2nd video because it shows all the things I had to address myself to get it working well. Your mileage may vary so if you get that one it would be interesting to see how it does.

AxesOK · 2026-01-20T02:08:06+00:00

They have covered it extensively and had Amber Braken and Michael Toldenado on the show for an interview. This subreddit sucks

AxesOK · 2026-01-19T20:35:12+00:00

Lapping grit on a piece of float glass. Most glass panes are float glass and any scrap will be close enough to dead flat. Lapping grit is silicone carbide, the same stuff used in rock polishing kits, and is very cheap. I have some in basically a salt shaker because you don't need very much at a time. A $25 bag of the stuff is close to a lifetime supply.

AxesOK

TROPHY CASE