Working with an axe

[dbb]

Like Youngbowyer i use a fiskars,the next smallest model with a few modifications,first of all sand off that silly orange paint on the griparea.It gets slippery when you get warm witch makes you grip it harder.
and secondly i stuffed the hollow handle with paper and epoxied lead in the last 2-3" of the handle until it felt balanced,it doesnt take much lead to make a lot of difference when you have to restrain your chopping.
Im new to bowmaking but i used it a lot to rough out gunstocks and i dont think there is that much difference.

/Mikael

[randman]

The hatchet I use for everything is an old "hewing" hatchet. The secret to this hatchet (something I haven't heard anyone on this thread mention) is that
it only has a bevel on one side. Just like your drawknife or a chisel. The old hewing axes were bevel ground just like this and were used for squaring up logs
into timbers for timber framing. It's very effortless to give a nice flat or square surface similar to what a plane would do (plane blades being ground on one side only also).
It can almost achieve a finished surface. This is something that can't be done with a double bevel hatchet. With a double bevel you have to come at it with a much steeper
angle to engage the cutting edge than with a single bevel. Double bevels are great for chopping a tree or branch down and using as a splitting wedge but I seriously don't
know how you guys use them for shaping and carving. I bought this one at an antique store for $12. And you can't beat that old steel, I've maybe sharpened this on twice
in the 5 years I've owned it! It's heavy so if you let the weight do the work by gripping at the end of the handle you can remove a lot of wood fast but if you grip near the head
you can get very controlled and smooth wood removal. And if you grip the head and push, you can remove thin shavings like a plane.
Also, the bodger in the posted video is using a hewing hatchet very similar to this.

[Jude]

I've had my eye out for a good old carpenter's axe for some time, but the ones I find are always "antiques" and priced accordingly.  I use the small Fiskars hatchet with good results, full for roughing and choked up for fine work.  It has a nice flat bevel grind that's easy to maintain, and I keep it shaving sharp.  You gotta grip it loose, just like a hammer, or your arm will be on fire in no time.  I'm considering one of the axes on this site:  http://www.ragweedforge.com/ThrowingCatalog.html   I have owned the throwing axe on the top; it was cast steel and great for throwing.  I'm not sure of the tool quality for the shipbuilder's axe, but for $47, it may be worth a try.