Woodlore

Bushcraft Tips And Advice

Caring for your Axe

• Prevent the head rusting by keeping it dry; in bad weather rub it over with the end of a wax candle.
• Occasionally apply boiled linseed oil to the helve.
• Never lend your axe to a novice.
• Do not leave your axe stuck into a log for any prolonged time or it will become blunt.
• Never hammer one axe against another, and never use your axe with or against anything harder than wood.
• Try to avoid cutting into the ground as you may strike a stone that will damage the edge.
• Never chop on to rock or wood with nails driven into it.
• When using your axe in sub-zero conditions warm it with your hand to body heat first to make the steel less brittle.
• If you nick the edge of the axe, flatten the edge and resharpen it to the correct angle again.
• Never grind an axe on a dry or high-speed grinding wheel as you will spoil the temper of the blade. Do not sharpen the edge too thin - this often happens with a file - and unless it is intended to be so, do not hollow-grind the edge: the axe should have a flattish convex edge.