Axe Sharpening – What, Why and How To Do It
How to sharpen an axe? It’s a question that is asked a lot. Having a good answer to this question is something that should concern anyone who carries or uses an axe. In principle, sharpening an axe is not particularly difficult, although there is an additional consideration over the technique that works for sharpening many knives.
As long as you understand how to deal with properly working with the convex bevel shape that most axes have, and make sure you do not re-shape the bevel with your sharpening efforts, then you will maintain a sharp and functional axe.
In the video embedded below I explain and demonstrate how I go about sharpening axes, what equipment I use and why. These are methods I use in the field, at home and contain techniques which the students on my field courses find easy to replicate. You too can achieve good results by following what I show here.
Along the way, I discuss various options and combinations of sharpening equipment, some of which may be familiar, but some of which I hope also provides you with some new ideas. Throughout the aim is to be efficient with the sharpening, often with only limited equipment. This latter point is paritcularly relevant for remote camps and self-propelled trips. We don’t want to be lugging a pack full of sharpening gear. We also don’t want to spend a fortune on sharpening kit.
In the video below I look at using bench stones, modified bench stones, specialist axe stones, small pocket stones, as well as stropping. I finish with a few words on protecting your axe after you have finished sharpening it.
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Useful Products to Sharpen and Maintain Your Axe
Gransfors Bruks Axe Stone
Fallkniven DC4 Diamond-Ceramic Whetstone
Autosol Metal Polish Paste
Ballistol Universal Oil
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15 thoughts on “Axe Sharpening – What, Why and How To Do It”
Hi Paul, another relative, informative vid delivered in an enjoyable manner. Thanks very much. Cheers from Tassie
Hi Trevor, thanks for your comment. I appreciate the feedback. I’m glad you found the video informative and enjoyable 🙂 All the best, Paul
Hi Paul.
Just received my new signed copy of your book.
This video is once again as comprehensive in it’s detail as all your videos are. Thanks again for the book.
Vic
Hi Vic, it’s good to hear from you. Thanks for your positive words about my videos, and this one in particular. I’m glad your book has arrived with you safe and sound. Happy reading!
All the best,
Paul
Hi Paul
I want you to know one thing, your knowledge is not in vain thanks so much I have learned a lot from this video about sharpening my axe. great work. Thanks
Thank you Afas for your kind and positive words. I’m happy this video has been very useful to you.
Warm regards,
Paul
A clear and helpful tutorial which explains why I’ve never managed to get a good, lasting edge on my axe! I might have ruined the bevel over the years so I’ve got some work to do. Thanks for the advice and explanations.
Thanks for your positive comments about the video Martin. And not to worry, as long as there is some metal left on your axe head, you should be able to re-shape the bevel, back to the desired bevel shape. It could be a case of using a coarse stone to achieve this, or possibly using a metal file.
Warm regards,
Paul
Hi Paul,
I’ve seen a few vids on axe sharpening where they show colouring in the bevel with a felt pen. This lets you see where you are taking the metal off. What do you reckon to this for a beginner?
Hi Norman,
I suspect this idea comes from the idea of painting flat knife bevels (“Scandi grind”) with a permantent marker, in order to check technique on a bench stone, to make sure that an area is not being missed. Thus, good technique can be developed and bad habits avoided.
You can do something similar with an axe bevel but frankly it is much easier to see what is going on between the stone and the axe bevel because of your view point with respect to both. But I am not against it. Bear in mind, though that if you do your first passes of the bevel well, you’ll have removed most of the pen after not very long. You’ll still have a fair amount of sharpening to do and this will have to be done by eye.
I would say, that being methodical is what needs to be developed but when you first start sharpening axes it might be useful to colour in to make sure you are are a) achieving the range of angles necessary as well as b) changing your angles sufficiently gradually that you are not missing sections of the bevel. But once you have these two things sorted, I doubt it would be of much further use.
I hope this helps.
Warm regards,
Paul
Another great video Paul, thank you.
I do need to invest in a proper axe sharpening stone, but at the moment and by using your concise instructions, I have managed to keep and maintain a good edge on my hatchet.
I did come across a bigger old axe recently while clearing some of my late Mum’s belongings. It is quite an old axe but is in reasonably good condition, well, apart from the top of the handle (where it passes through the eye). There, it protrudes around an inch out of the top of the axe head and the wood is cracked, split and has chipped in places, so I think it needs to be rehung. The rest of the 25″ long handle is in very good condition.
With your expert knowledge, would you be able to tell me anything about it please ?
The handle, as stated above, is 25″ in length (reaches my armpit from the top of my fingers). The handle is relatively straight. The axe head is 8″ from poll to bit and has a fairly flat bevel. The bit is 4 1/2 inches with a gentle convex curve and the axe head has a manufacturers name stamped into the metal, which reads – (looks like) A & F Parkes & Co Ltd. Birmingham. 944. The axe head looks to be in good condition with no cracks, although there are a few small chips at the top of the cutting edge of the bit. The poll does look like it has been hit hard with a hammer though, but otherwise, this axe looks like it would be fully usable after being properly refurbished. Any ideas ? I’m guessing it is something like a half axe/small forest axe in size. Thank you.
Update to my previous comment.
On having a search around the internet, I found an archived catalogue from A & F Parkes & Co Ltd. Catalogue number N25/454.
The axe is listed as a cast steel wedge axe (handled), the head weighs 6lbs and the listed price is 52/6 – that’s 52 shillings and sixpence. That would date it to before decimalisation, which was 1970. The article, and the catalogue, were not dated.
This axe most likely belonged to my late Grandfather who passed away in 1969 when I was 2 years old. He was a time served carpenter so it makes sense that the axe would have been his.
I imagine my late Grandmother, who was 5′ nothing, would have used it to chop the firewood she gathered from woodland about 200 yards from my house. She passed away 20 years ago aged 98. I don’t remember ever seeing my late Mum, who passed away 7 years ago (age 76, cancer), using this axe. She did use a hatchet, which I still have, to chop kindling for the fire.
So, good history on the axe being in my family for so long (50+ years), but I would love to know if possible, how old it actually is.
Hi Suzanne, thanks for your very interesting comments here. Thanks also for sharing a photo of the axe over on Facebook. It looks a fine tool!
A handle of 25″ in length is similar in length to those on a 3/4 forest axe or a small splitting axe. At first glance, I noticed the handle is reasonably straight in the half furthest away from the head. Also, it has no swell, knob, or fawn’s foot towards the end. So, I wondered if the handle had been truncated (particularly given the possible weight of the head – see my comments below), or if this is a replacement handle, perhaps made by your late grandfather? Straight(ish) handles are suited to axes used for splitting.
One can see from the photo the head is quite large relative to the handle length but not excessively so. This is confirmed by the dimensions you have provided here. A length of 8″ from poll to bit is a full inch deeper than a 3/4 forest axe currently made by the likes of Hults or Gransfors. A bit of 4.5 inches is similar to those, however. If the head indeed weighs 6 lbs then it is very heavy for an axe this size and to be frank, unless the head is very thick around the eye, I am struggling to see how it can be this heavy for the dimensions given. A contemporary general purpose 3/4 length forest axe has a head weight of around 800-850 grams (about 1.85lbs). My full-size felling axe has a head weight of 3.3lbs. A splitting maul, which is a very heavy beast, has a total weight of around 7lbs, most of which is the head.
I’ll caveat the following by stating I am not an axe historian or active collector of old axes. Perhaps someone who is one will know something more substantial about the axe production of this company. A. and F. Parkes and Company (Birmingham) Limited appear to have made a range of metal tools, especially for gardening and groundwork, but also a range of edge tools including billhooks and cleavers. According to the National Archives, the company ceased to exist in 1960, when it was taken over by Parks Forge Limited. If it was at this point the company stopped stamping the axe heads with A & F Parkes & Co Ltd., then yours could pre-date 1960. Alternately, maybe, after the change in company name, they continued producing the axes unchanged, using the old tooling. Given the similarity in name, I presume there was some prior connection between the companies or family connection.
I have found the same catalogue you mentioned… fascinating to look through. https://archive.org/details/aandfparkescatnon25/page/n45/mode/2up I note that the 944 axe was available in head weights of 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, 5, 5.5 and 6lbs. It might be worth weighing yours to see what the weight of the axe is. It might be one of the lighter heads. The majority of any weight will be the head. In the illustration in the catalogue I notice the handled 944 has a nice gently swept S-shaped handle, with a classic fawn’s foot swell at the end (this is both ergonomic and ensures the axe doesn’t slip out of the control hand). If your 944 has and original handle then it must have been truncated later, as yours is missing the sweep and fawn’s foot at the end. Alternatively, the heads were also avaialable on their own, unhandled, presumably to be handle by the purchase, or perhaps by a retailer.
I’m afraid this is as much insight as I can provide at this stage. I agree, though, it is lovely to have something in such good condition, having been kept in the family for several generations.
Thanks for sharing this with me (and other readers). If you do find out more about this axe’s story, please let us know with a further update.
Warm regards,
Paul
Great to watch the video, quite a few years (around 17 I think) since I saw you do it in person. Went on several (3 I believe) bushcraft training courses with you back in the noughties, wonderful to spend that time with you.
Glad you liked the video Jon. In some ways the noughties were the heyday of bushcraft courses in the UK. Good times 🙂
Warm regards,
Paul