Sharpening an axe

[Milt]

"yup, super easy. You really don't want to go super sharp with an axe anyway. They use as much blunt force and they do cutting so as long as it is moderatly sharp you will be good to go. Files are cheap, you should see a return on the investment after the first time."

Actually, a really sharp axe cuts MUCH faster and easier than a file sharpened one. I keep my Gransfors-Bruk axes shaving sharp with a couple of stones. I use them for felling, sectioning and limbing nasty old elm trees and such on some rental properties I maintain. (Thursday I took down a scraggly fifty footer on crowded property - it took longer to rig the tree for a safe drop than to fell it.) They are also useful for some carpentry tasks. The wood's cut surfaces feel like they are polished and I get a lot more work done in a given amount of time than I could with a cheap, dull axe.

Sharpening is easy if you support the head on a firm surface (you don't really need a vise, though it can help) and watch your stone's angle of engagement. If your bit is really dull, you will need to rough-in the basic edge with a file, but you really want to finish up with stones.

[SigShooter]

"yup, super easy. You really don't want to go super sharp with an axe anyway. They use as much blunt force and they do cutting so as long as it is moderatly sharp you will be good to go. Files are cheap, you should see a return on the investment after the first time."

Actually, a really sharp axe cuts MUCH faster and easier than a file sharpened one. I keep my Gransfors-Bruk axes shaving sharp with a couple of stones. I use them for felling, sectioning and limbing nasty old elm trees and such on some rental properties I maintain. (Thursday I took down a scraggly fifty footer on crowded property - it took longer to rig the tree for a safe drop than to fell it.) They are also useful for some carpentry tasks. The wood's cut surfaces feel like they are polished and I get a lot more work done in a given amount of time than I could with a cheap, dull axe.

Sharpening is easy if you support the head on a firm surface (you don't really need a vise, though it can help) and watch your stone's angle of engagement. If your bit is really dull, you will need to rough-in the basic edge with a file, but you really want to finish up with stones.

Milt is correct. A maul is better slightly dull... but most axes are better SHARP! BTW, Gransfors-Bruk axes are fantastic. You'd be amazed at hos well they do their job!

[KevDen2005]

um....i know this sounds stupid but what is a bastard file?

[Wulf202]

um....i know this sounds stupid but what is a bastard file?

the short version is a big flat file. usually coarse on one side medium on the other.

[Ah Pook]

um....i know this sounds stupid but what is a bastard file?

I always thought the name came from being an in between size.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_%28tool%29