Viking Bearded Axe, Hand Forged Carbon Steel with Ash Handle

This is the plain working version of the Norse bearded axe. The head is hand forged from 5160 spring steel and left dark gray with the hammer marks on the cheek, and the ash handle is wrapped over its lower half in dark brown leather cord. It runs 19 inches overall, with a 6 inch head and a 5.3 inch cutting edge. People buy it to split kindling and trim branches.

Specification

The head

The steel is 5160 spring steel, which is what axe makers reach for. It takes an impact without chipping and comes back on a stone quickly once the edge dulls. The head is left dark gray with the hammer marks showing on the cheek, and only the bevel goes to a mirror bright polish. The beard hangs below the eye, so a 6 inch head carries a 5.3 inch cutting edge. The trade is that 5160 is a carbon steel. It patinas, and it wants drying whenever it gets wet.

The handle

The handle is ash at 13 inches, the standard axe wood and the one most Norse axes are hung on, because it grows straight grained and springy and soaks up the shock of a strike. The lower half is wrapped in dark brown leather cord, which fills the palm and gives you something to hold when your hands are damp. The handle is driven through the eye and a wedge is driven into the top, spreading the wood tight against the steel.

The leather head cover

The cover is cut for this head, so the bevel sits inside it snug. 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 into the edge so the stitching runs clear of the steel. Every stitch is put in by hand. The face is hand tooled with a basket weave stamp inside a carved border, struck into damp leather so the weave stands up. Most sellers stop at the words genuine leather.

Who it suits

Buy this one if the axe will be used rather than looked at. The wrapped handle stays comfortable for longer than a few swings.

• Campers who want a Norse pattern axe that works
• Anyone splitting kindling for a stove or a fire pit
• Buyers who prefer a forged finish to a polished one
• Someone shopping for a first real axe

What comes in the box

• The carbon steel bearded 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 and no two are identical. The hammer marks fall where they fall, the ash grain runs its own way, and the wrap sits differently on every handle.

Looking after it

Wipe the head dry after use and never put it away wet. The gray patina is normal and protects the steel. Sharpen with a file and a puck or a stone, following the existing bevel. Oil the head before storage and the handle now and then, since a dry handle shrinks and a loose head is dangerous. Check the head is tight before every use. More in our care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per piece, added on this page. Around 30 characters fits on a head or along the handle. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and it adds 3 to 5 business days. Clean line art engraves cleanly, photographs do not. Free on orders of 10 pieces or more. See the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

What is a bearded axe? The lower part of the cutting edge hangs below the eye in a long curve.

Why 5160 spring steel? It takes an impact without chipping and comes back on a stone easily.

What is the leather cord for? It wraps the lower half of the handle and gives you a surface to grip.

How do you sharpen an axe? Use a file and a puck, following the existing bevel.

How sharp is it out of the box? It arrives sharpened by hand and ready to cut.

Will this steel rust? It can, because it is carbon steel. Dry it after use and oil it.

The pattern welded version is the Damascus bearded axe with the rune etched head, and smaller still is the hatchet on a charred handle. More sits in viking axes, in carbon steel axes, and in axes and hatchets.