Hand Forged Dane Axe, Long Ash Haft with Rune Etched Head

The Dane axe is the two handed Norse pattern, a wide thin head on a long haft. This one is 34 inches overall with an 8 inch head and a 7 inch cutting edge, forged from 5160 spring steel and hung on straight grained ash. The length is the point of it. Two hands on a 26 inch haft give reach and leverage for felling and limbing, and for working rounds into firewood.

Specification

The head

The steel is 5160 spring steel, what real axe makers use, tough under impact and easy to bring back on a stone. The head is 8 inches long with a 7 inch cutting edge, wide and thin in the Norse pattern, so it bites long across the grain. Elder Futhark runes are cut into the cheek, and the rest is dark gray off the hammer, forging marks showing. The honest trade is that a thin head is no splitting maul, so a knotty round can hold it. 5160 is carbon steel and wants drying.

The handle

Ash is the standard axe wood and the one most Norse axes are hung on. It is straight grained and springy, so it takes the shock of a heavy hit without sending all of it into your hands, which matters more on a 26 inch haft than a short one. There is room to slide the lower hand up for control and down for reach. The haft is driven through the eye with a wedge driven into the top, tight against the steel.

The leather head cover

The cover is cut for this head, and on a head this wide that matters, since a loose cover works its way off. The leather is vegetable tanned. A belt loop is stitched to the back, a strap with a snap closes over the top, and a welt is sewn in so the stitching stays off the steel. The stitching is done by hand. The face is hand tooled with carved Norse knotwork running edge to edge, cut and shaded rather than printed. Most sellers stop at the words genuine leather.

Who it suits

Reach is what people come here for. This is the axe for anyone who wants the long Norse shape and who still expects it to cut when they take it outside.

• Anyone felling and limbing on their own land
• People cutting their own firewood
• Collectors of Norse patterns
• Buyers who want a rune etched head
• Gift buyers after something with presence

What comes in the box

• The Dane axe
• The tooled leather head cover
• A care card
• A free laser engraving quote on request

Every piece is different

Each head is forged, ground and finished by hand, so runs stay small. The hammer marks, the cut of the runes and the grain of the ash change from one axe to the next, so yours will not match the photograph exactly.

Looking after it

Wipe the head dry after use and never store it wet. The gray patina that builds is normal and protects the steel. Oil the head before storage and oil the ash now and then, since a dry haft shrinks and a loose head is dangerous. Check the head is tight before every use. Sharpen with a file and a puck, following the bevel there. More in our care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per piece and you add it on this page. Around 30 characters fits on a head or a haft, and clean line art engraves better than photographs. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and it adds 3 to 5 business days. Free on orders of 10 pieces or more. See the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

What is a Dane axe? The two handed Norse axe, a wide thin head on a long haft.

What are the runes? They are Elder Futhark runes, cut into the cheek of the head.

Why is the haft ash? Ash is straight grained and springy, so it takes shock without passing it to your hands.

Will this steel rust? It can, so dry the head and oil it before storage.

Is the head tight? Yes, the haft is wedged in the eye. Check it before use.

Can I return it? Yes, within 30 days, unused and unsharpened in the original packaging.

For the same runes on a Damascus head, see the rune etched Damascus axe, and for a one hand piece the carbon steel bearded axe on ash. More sits in viking axes, in carbon steel axes, and in axes and hatchets.