I recently bought a grown up smoker/grill combo. Turns out that the wood they sell for these offset smokers is too big. So I had to buy an axe too. Nobody told me how fun these things are.
New Non Knife Sharp Object Thread
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tostadas
Hobbyist / Craftsman
Are you dicing your own pellets?
I have used electric and gas smokers for years. But I'm ready to move up to a real fire box setup. My method is going to be charcoal briquettes to light hardwood splits. They sell good hardwood logs for barbecue all over the place, but it's usually too big of pieces. I need about 10-12 inch pieces that are about 2 inches thick. So I got this little splitting axe.
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I have one of the Fiskars, with a non wood handle ( no clue what it is). Bought to axe the wood used in the pizza oven, the thing indeed works like a charm!
DavidPF
Likes Boring Knives
Fiskars uses a fiberglass-reinforced plastic for many of their tools - it's probably that.
spaceconvoy
Senior Member
Since I've had to do this twice now, I built the ideal tang hole widening tool with two dremeled jigsaw blades, jb weld, and some scrap modeling wood. It's always fun to have an excuse to build a new custom tool.
The axe rabbit hole is a fun one where vintage is almost always king. Sharpening and rehanging these are very enjoyable and challenging.
Nice! I have made myself one of these too a few years ago with the exact same approach. This is a very handy tool.
I am definitely going to keep my eye out for a vintage one. There are a bunch around here (Virginia) at flea markets and pawn shops. I picked this one up from ebay because it was cheap and they were able to deliver it the next day. But I can see how easy it is going to be to fall down a new hole. I find myself making excuses to go down to the basement just so I can spend a few more minutes on my bevels.
Look for convex cheeks and don't worry too much about rust. A wire wheel will make quick work of rust and you can generally buy rusty heads for little to nothing.
Anyone have tips for sharpening axes? I get one every once in a while, and I will get it much sharper than it was, but not sharp to the point where I'm happy with it.
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I've never worried too much about sharpening an axe, I usually apply the disc grinder with an abrasive (aka scotchbrite) flappy paddle to it taking care not to overheat the edge.
If it was my personal axes I probably wouldn't care as much. I suppose I go for a nice convex on the axes normally. Maybe I'm leaving the axes too thick behind the edge to get that really impressive sharpness people get.
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With what use my axe is getting I don't really know, as long as I can chop up some firewood to get the Pizza oven going I'm fine 
With what use my axe is getting I don't really know, as long as I can chop up some firewood to get the Pizza oven going I'm fine
I try to never buy a tool until I need it. But the firewood I had was too big for my firebox. So I told my wife, "If you want barbecue, I am afraid that I will have to buy an axe." She really wanted barbecue so there were no objections.
I split 6 logs into about 20 splits with the factory edge. It worked okay. I have no frame of reference. Here's the before pic
My progression was bastard file, Belgian Blue, Soft Arkansas, and then I finished it with a leather slack belt loaded with CrOx on my 1X30.
Here is what she looks like now:
I just need some more wood.
My progression was bastard file, Belgian Blue, Soft Arkansas, and then I finished it with a leather slack belt loaded with CrOx on my 1X30.
Here is what she looks like now:
I just need some more wood.
DavidPF
Likes Boring Knives
That is hilariously nice. I'm imagining that in your house there's this one drawer full of stuff you were only able to get fairly sharp, so far - a basketball, some very fluffy towels, and so on.
inferno
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) <*))))><
i have one of these too. but i use blades that have teeth cutting in both directions. dont use this on g10. it will dull the blades very fast.
Here's my little axe in action. It's definitely performing better now that I've sharpened it. Point and click with very little force. I'm swinging from my knees.
The trick with an axe is to twist the wrist just as you contact the wood. This allows the shifting weight of the axe head to pop the wood apart. You can see it demonstrated in the video below.
Keep up the good work.
Keep up the good work.
I have a few to keep this going… After getting into Japanese knives, I got into all sorts of non-knife sharp objects: wood carving tools, hatchet, saw, kamisori, and for whatever reason a sickle, haha.
inferno
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) <*))))><
you did good!
now you can build anything you want!
personally i have:
an iwasaki. (mirror polished)
2 japanese saws. (for my handles)
no sickle at all.
2 fiskars axes. (because you never know when you need to chop someone up)
crapola chisels. (they were cheap)
1 good "2 cherries" chisel (that i bent with acetylene, for sayas)
2 good mora whittling knifes (for handles)
several diy utility knives and engavers in 80crv2/15n20 @ 62-63hrc.
These are the blades that go in wood chippers. I touched them up for a customer. (The one on top was the only one I had done anything with besides clean when this picture was taken) talk about a pain though these things are all hardened steel, and a seemingly wear resistant one at that.
I just chipped the heck out of my chisels, and plane blade on some hidden staples so I'll do a before, and after shot of those maybe tonight.
Those are some beautiful tools. I have a saw and kamisori, but mine are much more utilitarian. Yours are really nicely made. I do have a Tanifuji folder. A Cape 1000. It is a quite dangerously sharp razor.
I'm going to have to get a new handle for my cheap axe. The fiberglass isn't working for me. I'm on my third bag of mini logs and the handle already has big chunks gouged out of it and has started sliding off. I have to hammer the head back down onto the handle several times a chopping session.
Just saw this thread again. How’s the offset treating you? I’m kind of jealous. I do everything in a BGE, which is fine and much more energy efficient, but since the fuel smolders at low temps instead of burning cleanly, I feel like the flavor probably isn’t as good. Never had an offset tho.
