The axe stands as one of humanity’s most ancient tools. For countless millennia, people have wielded it to shape, split, and chop wood, and as a formidable weapon against animals and humans alike
As technology has progressed, the art of axe making has undergone a significant transformation. Humans have evolved from crafting axes from stone to forging them from copper, bronze, iron, and steel.
Axe production has shifted dramatically from a meticulous craft to a mass-produced item. Nowadays, large factories, often employing robots, churn out most axes, losing the personal touch once inherent in their creation.
However, Gränsfors Bruks axes defy this trend. Crafted by hand in a small village factory in Gränsfors, Sweden, these axes are the work of twelve skilled smiths. Each axe head bears the unique mark of the smith who forged it, ensuring quality and authenticity.
Gransfors Bruk Small Forest Axe Review
Gränsfors Bruk proudly announces that their Forest Axe family is expertly designed for cutting across wood fibres, such as in chopping down trees and limbing. These axes are not intended for splitting logs where the axe aligns with the wood fibres.
Features
The Small Forest Axe excels in its intended use, cutting efficiently across the grain in both large logs and smaller branches. It’s built for this task and showcases its capabilities brilliantly.
In terms of splitting, the Small Forest Axe can handle chopping firewood, though it may struggle initially with fresh wood chunks. This challenge arises because the axe head is slimmer compared to a splitting axe, which is designed to wedge wood apart.
Construction Quality
Handling and using the axe in the woods, we confidently affirm its superior craftsmanship. Let’s delve into the process behind these exceptional axes, highlighting the effort and skill involved.
Gränsfors Bruk’s axes start as a square rod of carbon steel from the Swedish steel company Ovako. The steel, with its ideal balance of carbon content, is neither too hard nor too soft – perfectly ‘lagom’ as the Swedes would say.
The steel is heated to 1200 degrees Celsius, gaining a red-yellow hue. The axe smith then shapes it under a large press, a mighty hammer delivering 80 strikes per minute with 180 tons of force.
Through meticulous effort, the smith transforms the steel rod into an axe head. Once satisfied, the smith marks it with his initials and sets it aside to cool.
Quality control for these axes is rigorous. Each axe head undergoes a test where its edges are struck with a hammer to ensure no cracks form. This attention to detail ensures each axe meets Gränsfors Bruk’s high standards.
gransfors bruk small forest axe review
Ease of Use
In as much as you maintain the axe sharp it’s simple to utilize and pleasant to operate with for simple to normal cutting and even some chopping. You obtain an adequate hold on the grip and when you’re not utilizing it you can effortlessly keep it in your backpack or attach it on your belt utilizing the leather sheath.
The low weight of only 0,9 kg (2 lb) earns this axe less than favourable for cutting firewood. For huge splitting axes the weight and shape of the axe head give a lot of the splitting strength, but for the Small Forest Axe you’ll have to reimburse with your personal muscle power.
Maintenance
You don’t have to perform much maintenance to protect this axe in excellent shape year after year, but the infrequent maintenance plods you should put up with are vital yet moderately easy.
Firstly, you should reserve the Small Forest Axe in a cool and dry spot, because if it’s extremely warm the grip can weaken in the axe head. Therefore, even though it’s a nice axe to peek at, we will warn against hanging it on the wall above the fireplace.
Next, to deter the axe head from corroding you can pertain to a tiny coat of grease on the head after usage.
Third, to offer the handle some love you can similarly put in a thin coat of oil from time to time, for instance teak oil curtailed with turpentine.
Check out
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Pros
- Relatively well carved.
- Feels solid.
Cons
- Availability can be stopped.
- Bounty price affixed to brand.
Learn more about axes and saws HERE.
What’s the Guarantee Like?
Since 1995 Gränsfors Bruk has given a 20year guarantee on all of their axes, however, it only pertains to the axe head alone and not the Hickory handle or the leather sheath.
Interested in finding more about saws and axes? CLICK HERE
Conclusion
The Gransfors Bruks Small Forest Axe compels for a light pack axe. The all-around execution is nigher to a hatchet than an axe.
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