{"product_id":"hand-forged-viking-broad-axe-ash","title":"Hand Forged Viking Broad Axe, 20 Inch Ash Handle","description":"\u003cp\u003eTaking a face off a log is a different job from cutting through one. You work down the side of the timber and shave the round away in long slices until there is a surface to build on. That wants a tall wide edge. This one is 20 inches overall on ash, a 1095 high carbon head with six inches of edge, shaped for hewing rather than felling.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eSpecification\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHead length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e7.5 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCutting edge\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e6 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOverall length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e20 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHandle length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e20 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHandle wood\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eAsh\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, bright polished 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\u003ch3\u003eThe head\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e1095 high carbon, 7.5 inches of head carrying a six inch edge. The skin is left dark with heavy hammer texture and the bevel polished bright, so the head shows what the hammer did and what the stone did. The edge is tall and close to straight, and that is the working part. It lands along the whole length of a cut and pares a wide slice off in one pass. A curved edge bites in the middle and leaves the ends. Carbon steel colours as it is used and spots when wet.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eAsh again, and springy ash suits a head this wide, since a wide head meets the wood over a long line and sends more back up the handle. The eye is wedged. The handle is driven up from below, a wooden wedge is set into the split in the top so the wood spreads tight against the steel, then a steel wedge is driven across. Twenty inches lets you work close with a hand near the head, and still swing when the slice is a big one.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe leather head cover\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eVegetable tanned leather, cut to the outline of this head, which on a broad axe is mostly edge. A welt in the seam keeps the stitching off it, and every stitch goes in by hand. The face is stamped in a basket weave, one press at a time, with a snap strap over the poll. Leather is a hide, so the stamp lands its own way each time. It goes on dry, never over wet steel.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003ePeople asking for a broad axe usually have a project rather than a chore.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone flattening a face on a log or beam\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuyers shaping posts, sills and bench tops\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeople who work with the head held close\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone who wants a wide edge over a heavy one\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat comes in the box\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe broad axe on its 20 inch ash handle\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe stamped leather head cover\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA care card\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFree sharpening for life\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eEvery piece is different\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eEvery head is forged and ground by hand in small runs. Heavy hammer texture is the least repeatable finish we do, since it lands where the hammer lands. Ash is sawn from a board and the grain runs its own way. Yours will look like the photograph without being the same piece.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWipe the head dry and oil the steel. The cover goes on dry. A new ash handle wants boiled linseed oil, three to five coats over as many days, then once a year. Never varnish it. Rags with oil in them lie flat outdoors, since a pile in a corner can set itself alight. A file first, then a stone, then a strop. The rest is on our \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/knife-care-sharpening\"\u003ecare and sharpening page\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003ePut a name on it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eA laser does the engraving, 20 dollars a piece. Room for about 30 characters, a name and not much else. There is a lot of cheek on a head this wide, so letters sit clear of the bevel. Expect a proof image to look over, and 3 to 5 business days on top. No charge on ten or more. The \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/engraving\"\u003eengraving page\u003c\/a\u003e has the rest.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eQuestions buyers ask\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat is a broad axe for?\u003c\/strong\u003e Taking a face off a log. You work down the side of the timber and shave the round away until it is flat.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy is the edge so wide?\u003c\/strong\u003e A wide edge takes a wide slice, so a face comes flat in fewer passes with fewer ridges left to clean up.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan I fell a tree with it?\u003c\/strong\u003e Not well. The edge is long and the head is not built to sink into a notch. Use something narrower.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat keeps the head tight?\u003c\/strong\u003e A wedged eye. The haft passes through from below and two wedges finish it, wood down the split and steel across the grain.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill it rust?\u003c\/strong\u003e It can. Leave it wet under the cover and it will pit. Dry it and oil it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow long does shipping take?\u003c\/strong\u003e Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTwice the handle with a thinner head is the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hand-forged-long-hafted-viking-axe-ash\"\u003e40 inch long hafted axe on ash\u003c\/a\u003e, and for small work close in the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hand-forged-viking-hand-axe-oak\"\u003e15 inch hand axe on oak\u003c\/a\u003e. It sits with the \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/viking-axes\"\u003eviking axes\u003c\/a\u003e, plain steel in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/carbon-steel-axes\"\u003ecarbon steel axes\u003c\/a\u003e, the rest in \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":44145795629174,"sku":"VEF-VKA-HC-2007","price":199.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/viking-axe-07-carbon-broad-axe-ash_1211f375-ae54-4f4e-bb01-a586c9d9043b.jpg?v=1788855049","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/hand-forged-viking-broad-axe-ash","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}