Hand Forged Bushcraft Axe, 19 Inch Curved Hickory Handle
Hand Forged Bushcraft Axe, 19 Inch Curved Hickory Handle
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- Engraving adds 3 to 5 business days.
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Kindling has to be split before a fire takes, and that is most of what an axe this size does on a long trip. The head is 1095 high carbon set on a hickory haft, and the axe runs 19 inches overall. What separates it from the straight version is the curve in the wood. Buyers ask about that curve more than anything.
Specification
| Head length | 5.5 inches |
| Cutting edge | 3.25 inches |
| Overall length | 19 inches |
| Handle length | 19 inches |
| Handle wood | Hickory, curved |
| Head steel | 1095 high carbon |
| Head finish | Dark forged skin with hammer texture, bright polished bevel |
| Eye | Wedged, wooden wedge with a steel wedge across it |
| Head cover | Hand stitched leather, stamped basket weave face, snap strap |
| Engraving | Laser engraving, 20 dollars per piece |
| Made in | Forged and finished by hand in High Point, North Carolina. |
| Warranty | Lifetime warranty against defects, free sharpening for life. |
The head
The steel is 1095 high carbon. The head keeps its dark forged skin and the hammer texture that came with it, and the bevel is polished bright so you can see where the edge sits. The bit is 3.25 inches on a head 5.5 inches front to back, small as axe heads go. It is ground thin at the edge to slice green wood, with enough steel behind to open a dry round instead of burying. Carbon steel darkens as you use it, and it rusts if you put it away wet.
The handle
Hickory is what axe makers here settled on. It is springy across the grain, so shock that would jar your wrist gets soaked up. The curve drops the butt and gives your lower hand something to pull against at the end of a stroke. The eye is wedged. The haft goes through from below, a wooden wedge spreads it tight against the steel, and a steel wedge sits across that. At 19 inches you can grip up under the head or drop to the knob.
The leather head cover
The cover is vegetable tanned leather, hand stitched, with a welt sewn into the edge so the thread sits behind the leather. The face is stamped in a basket weave. It is cut to this head's own outline, so it fills out and the snap strap closes with no slack. Put it on dry. A cover over a damp bit holds water against the steel, and that is how an edge goes orange.
Who it suits
This one is for people who have swung a straight handle and want to know what a curve changes.
- Anyone choosing between a curved haft and a straight one
- Campers taking one axe along for firewood and camp jobs
- People who like the knob to sit under the palm
- Buyers who want plain carbon steel over a pattern
What comes in the box
- The bushcraft axe
- The hand stitched leather head cover
- A care card
- Engraving details
Every piece is different
Every head is forged, ground, heat treated and sharpened by hand, so runs stay small and no two come out alike. Hammer texture lands where the hammer landed. Hickory shifts from pale cream to a brown streak, and each grip is worked to its own stave. Yours will not match the photographs.
Looking after it
Wipe the head dry after use and oil it before it goes away. The handle wants boiled linseed oil, three to five coats over as many days when new, then once a year. Never varnish it, and never stand a loose head in water. Lay linseed rags flat outdoors to dry, since a rag left screwed up can catch fire on its own. More on our knife care and sharpening page.
Put a name on it
Laser engraving is 20 dollars per piece, added on this page. Around 30 characters fits, enough for a name and a date. We send a proof image before the laser runs, so nothing goes on the steel you have not seen. Add 3 to 5 business days. On orders of 10 or more it is free. See the engraving page.
Questions buyers ask
Curved or straight, which should I buy? Take the curve if you swing one handed and like the butt seated in your palm. Straight ash suits shaping more than splitting.
Does the curve throw the head off line? No. The bit lines up through the middle of the haft. The curve changes your grip, not the steel.
What holds the head on? The eye is wedged. The haft goes through from below, a wooden wedge spreads the top against the steel, and a steel wedge crosses that.
Will it rust? It can. Dry it after use and keep a film of oil on it. Never snap the cover over a wet bit.
Can I pound with the back of the head? Leave that alone. The poll is not hardened for it.
How long does shipping take? Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days.
If the curve is not for you, the same axe on a straight stave is the hand forged bushcraft axe on straight ash. For something shorter that leaves the hand, there is the hand forged throwing axe on walnut. It sits in bushcraft and forest axes, alongside the rest of the carbon steel axes, and often in gifts for him.