{"product_id":"hand-forged-bushcraft-axe-oak","title":"Hand Forged Bushcraft Axe, 19 Inch Oak Handle with Hammer Poll","description":"\u003cp\u003eYou are in the woods taking limbs off a fallen birch, then squaring a wet stick into a spoon blank. Green wood is springy and bends away from a dull edge. This axe is set up for that. The head is 1095 high carbon ground with a wide flat bevel, and the oak handle brings it to 19 inches overall, short enough for one hand and long enough for two.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eSpecification\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHead length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e6.5 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCutting edge\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e4 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOverall length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e19 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHandle length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e19 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHandle wood\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOak\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHead steel\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e1095 high carbon\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHead finish\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDark forged skin with heavy hammer texture, wide flat bright bevel\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEye\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWedged, wooden wedge and a steel cross wedge\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHead cover\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHand stitched leather, stamped basket weave face, snap strap\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEngraving\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eLaser engraving, 20 dollars per piece\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMade in\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eForged and finished by hand in High Point, North Carolina.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWarranty\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eLifetime warranty against defects, free sharpening for life.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eThe head\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe steel is 1095 high carbon, forged to shape and left with the dark skin of the fire across the flats. The hammer texture is heavy and you can read where the metal moved. The bevel is wide, flat and polished bright, running well back from the 4 inch edge so the cheeks stay slim. A fat cheek stalls in a wet cut, while a slim one keeps travelling and lifts a curl. The head is 6.5 inches long. Carbon steel goes grey with use and it rusts if you put it away wet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOak is dense and open grained, stiff enough to send the head where you aimed it. The eye is wedged. The handle is driven up through the head from below, a wooden wedge is driven into the top to spread the tongue against the steel, then a steel wedge is set across it. At 19 inches you can hold it under the head for close carving, or take the knob with both hands when there is real wood to get through.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eThe leather head cover\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cover is vegetable tanned leather, cut and hand stitched here to this head's own outline, so it sits on the bit without slop. The face is stamped in a basket weave. The edge is welted, so the thread sits inside the seam where the bit cannot saw at it. A snap strap closes it around the haft. It goes on dry. Leather over a wet bit holds water against the steel.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is for the person who does more shaping than splitting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGreen wood carvers who want a bevel that lifts a curl\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCampers taking limbs down and cutting small firewood\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone who wants a handle that works with one hand or two\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeople happy to file and stone their own edge\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat comes in the box\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe bushcraft axe\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe stamped leather head cover\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA care card\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEngraving quote\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eEvery piece is different\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery head is forged, ground, heat treated and sharpened by hand, so no two land the same. The hammer marks fall where they fall. The oak may be paler or darker than the photographs and the grain runs where it likes. Yours will not be a copy of the one on this page.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWipe the head dry after use, then oil the steel and put the cover on dry. A new handle takes three to five coats of boiled linseed oil over as many days, then one coat a year. Never varnish it, and never stand a loose head in water. Rags soaked in linseed oil can catch fire on their own, so spread them flat outside. File out damage, then a stone, then a strop. More on our \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/knife-care-sharpening\"\u003eknife care and sharpening page\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003ePut a name on it\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLaser engraving is 20 dollars per piece. Around 30 characters fits, so a name, a date, or both. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and it adds 3 to 5 business days. Engraving is free on orders of 10 or more, which is how most club and family orders come through. The \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/engraving\"\u003eengraving page\u003c\/a\u003e covers the rest.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eQuestions buyers ask\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow long does shipping take?\u003c\/strong\u003e Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill it rust?\u003c\/strong\u003e It can. 1095 is carbon steel, so it darkens with use and spots if left wet. Dry it and oil it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat does the wide flat bevel do in green wood?\u003c\/strong\u003e Wet fibres close back on a thick cheek. A slim flat bevel keeps moving and takes a curl off instead of stopping in the cut.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs 19 inches one handed or two handed?\u003c\/strong\u003e Both. Hold it under the head for fine work, or take the knob with a second hand for a longer stroke.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow is the head held on?\u003c\/strong\u003e It is a wedged eye. The handle goes up from below, a wooden wedge spreads the tongue against the steel, and a steel wedge sits across that.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan I drive stakes with the poll?\u003c\/strong\u003e No. The poll is not hardened for pounding, so leave that to a hammer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe same idea in pattern welded steel is the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/damascus-bushcraft-axe-hickory\"\u003eDamascus bushcraft axe in hickory\u003c\/a\u003e, and something shorter with a thinner bit is the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hand-forged-throwing-axe-oak\"\u003ehand forged throwing axe in oak\u003c\/a\u003e. The rest sit in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/bushcraft-axes\"\u003ebushcraft axes\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/carbon-steel-axes\"\u003ecarbon steel axes\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/axes-hatchets\"\u003eaxes and hatchets\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n","brand":"Viper Edge USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44144495362166,"sku":"VEF-BSH-HC-445","price":179.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/bushcraft-06-carbon-oak_7b1f7591-8b56-4df3-a23a-c9d70cb863f0.jpg?v=1788841133","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/hand-forged-bushcraft-axe-oak","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}