Gransfors Bruks Hand Hatchet
As a long time user and admirer of Gransfors Bruks axes, I was very pleased to get my hands on the new GFB Hand Hatchet and found it well up to the high standard I expected.
All of GFB’s axes are hand-forged by professional smiths in Sweden from a special high carbon Swedish “axe steel” and hardened to 57 Rockwell to give an axe that is robust with an edge that is not liable to chip and which is straight forward to re-sharpen to its original razor edge when it becomes dulled.
The axe handles are made, for reasons of strength, comfort in use and ecological reasons, of high quality American hickory that is soaked in hot linseed oil and then waxed for protection. The handles are double wedged (not glued) into the eye of the axe head and no “cosmetics” are applied to head or handle to hide shoddy workmanship (as with some cheaper axes!).
Master Craftmanship
Such is the belief in “showing it as it is”, each smith stamps his initials into every axe head he creates, showing pride in his craftsmanship.
Strangely enough, every GFB axe I have owned has been made by “MM” – Mattias Mattsson – although 12 smiths are listed in the GFB Axe Book.
GFB have been making axes since 1902 (so they have a very long history of excellence in manufacture) and each axe comes with a full grain leather mask, a 20 year guarantee and a copy of “The Axe Book” which tells you everything you really need to know about GFB, their history, their philosophy, their range of products, how to select an axe, how an axe is made, how to use an axe safely, how to store firewood, how to make a fire, axe throwing (!), care and sharpening of an axe and how to fit a new handle to an axe head!
Even more information is given on their website, www.gransfors.com, if you need it …
Gransfors Bruks Comparison
The new Hand Hatchet from GFB is designed to fill the perceived gap between their Wildlife Hatchet and their Mini Hatchet. The Wildlife Hatchet is intended for “camp chores”, trimming branches, splitting wood for a camp fire etc and is small enough to carry on a belt as it has a 1 lb head and a 13.5” handle. The Mini Hatchet weighs around 12oz and has a 19” handle and is great for lightweight tasks such as splitting firewood for the campfire, using as a knife, using to “rough out” carving projects etc and is ideal for the “ultra light” camper.
The GFB Hand Hatchet has a head similar to that of the Wildlife Hatchet, weighing about 1lb with a 3” cutting edge on a convex ground bit, a deep lugged, hand-forged head, with a squared poll. The head is double wedged onto a 9” handle that is textured for a non-slip grip and has a hanging eye above the end knob. The axe weighs around 1.5lb and sits comfortably on your belt.
The short handle makes the Hand Hatchet look a little odd at first, but when you start using it you find that this is a very well designed tool that feels “right” in use, and boy is it versatile!
Hand Hatchet in Use
I have used the Hand Hatchet for preparing kindling and “middle wood” for fires, roughing out carving projects, chopping, splitting, planning, draw knifing, carving etc on hard and soft woods and while it is not the ideal axe for felling trees more than a few inches across, it is comfortable for almost every other task.
With a grip taken right up by the head, it proved great at even quite fine work (even feather stick carving) and proved ideal when I roughed out spoon blanks and a new fire drill hearth, planing flat surfaces with ease.
Chopping even “middle wood” for the fire was straight forward while splitting logs was accomplished fairly easily (using a wooden mallet on the poll to push it through longer logs). I used wooden wedges (never use the axe on iron wedges – the poll is not hardened!) to split long logs using the hatchet as a hammer (I could have used a maul carved with the axe if I had the time) and was so able to reduce even big logs to firewood with just this small axe.
Surprising Conclusion
Previously I have always been sceptical of the practicality of small axes (having tried a few and been disappointed with their performance), but with the GFB Hand Axe I am a convert!
OK, it will not replace the GFB SFA in my affections for major camp chores, limbing and felling small trees, but I was surprised at how big a task could be completed with such a small axe and I was very pleased with how easy the Hand Hatchet made finer tasks from carving to splitting kindling (the Hand Hatchet is actually better shaped for splitting than the SFA). As it weighs so little, the Hand Hatchet is now going to be my “axe of choice” for lightweight trips where I do not expect to have to fell too many large trees!
Versatile, compact, comfortable to us, easy to maintain, the Gransfors Bruks Hand Hatchet does all I expected from a small axe and more and better.
Costing £44.95, the GFB Hand Hatchet would appear well priced and should prove popular!
