A razor sharp axe that will do anything from felling small trees to splitting firewood, where it really excels is as a carving axe.
For many years there has not been a good carving axe available that came sharp and ready to use for less than £100. This axe changes things. The axe heads are drop forged abroad then ground by Brian Alcock, the last professional grinder in Sheffield, before being honed to a fine edge in our own workshop in Sheffield. We have the hickory axe handles made in the UK to our design. They have a knurled finish for grip and are treated with linseed oil. They also make a great axe for kindling splitting, bushcraft or camp use.
The weight of the head is 550g and the total weight around 720g (1lb 9oz), handle length is 12.5″ (31cm). This is a good mid-weight carving axe that most people will use easily without getting tired, yet still heavy enough to remove wood quickly.
A sharp axe will only stay sharp if the edge is protected, we offer a great leather sheath for the job.
Here is a short film we made of Brian grinding the axes
The carving axes come sharp and ready to use but eventually you will need to sharpen it yourself. This video shows the method we use.
This video shows the axe compared to two commonly used axes by Gransfors Bruks and also shows it in use carving a spoon blank. NB we have slightly changed the handle design since this film was made. The axes have proved extremely popular with many folk preferring them to much more expensive axes, have a look at some of the comments below.
Due to the nature of the natural materials we use, handle colours & patterns will vary, as will sheath colours & textures. Sheath not included – buy the axe from this page to get the sheath at a discounted price.
GRa
Very fast service and was posted straight through the letter box…. so someone has thought carefully about the packaging.
Lovely axe, feels good in hand, and has a nice sharp blade.
Shane
I chose this axe last year, for my daughter to but me as a Christmas pressie. Previously I had carved spoons solely with a knife. Since I bought the axe for carving purposes, I have not looked back. It came very sharp indeed, feels good in the hand, lovely weight and balance. it has speeded up my spoon making times considerably. I just love using it.
Dan (Blade_n_wolf)
I started carving a year and half a go as a hobby and I’ve been adding tools to my collection ever since. I have a couple of axes but I’ve been looking for a good carving axe but the prices were quite high. I came across a review for this axe so I decided to order it. I ordered a couple of days ago and was amazed when it showed up the next day. I got straight to carving. It is a joy to use and I cannot recommend it enough. It’s sharp, light to wield and speeds up caving no end. A truly amazing carving axe, great price, great service and a joy to use. Thankyou
SurlyB
Just… Yes!
Does it look good? – Yes
Does it feel good? – Yes
Does it do its job well? – Yes
Is it value for money? – Yes
Did it arrive quickly? – Yes
Do I like the gorgeous booklet telling me about the craft and skill that went into it? – Yes
Has this purchase made me feel good? – YES
Diolch yn fawr
Aimee Irving-Bell
This is such a fantastic axe! I have been using the Svante Djav medium carving axe, this one is slightly lighter but the cut is equally good, I dont really want to admit its slightly better, cuts through the wood so brilliantly and has been very well sharpened. It is a very easy axe to guide and the shape allows you to hold it high up for extra control. Ticking all the axe carving boxes and at a very reasonable price. Not to mention you are supporting a fantastic small family business, if you can get your hands on one that is! Taken me a few gos but worth the wait.
Honestjon
Razor shaving sharp straight out of the box and the edge is polished to a beautiful mirror shine. It’s light and and feels like an extension of my arm. You’d be hard pressed to find an axe of this quality at this price. Get yourself one now before they sell out again. An absolute joy to use!
Jamie Mangin
Excellent axe which works just as well as my Gransfor Bruk Swedish carving axe but with the added bonus of light weight and a 1/3 of the cost. My first axe arrived with a dent in the blade. JoJo responded promptly and sent me a second axe free of charge. She told me to keep the first axe and included video instructions on how to remove the dent. Amazing service and an amazing product. I also bought a knife and spoon knife compound curve which are excellent quality as well.
Cameron Reedy
Very quick postage. I think mine came next day! Bought this for my dad, excellent quality and really nicely made, incredibly good value for the price!
Duncan
I ordered about 1530. It arrived in the next morning’s post. First rate service.
I had been using an Ochsenkopf 800g forestry axe that I had re-ground. This is considerably lighter and has a smaller edge but it is so much more manoeuvrable: I was going to say flexible but that might give the wrong idea. It is very sharp out of the box and a quick strop just helps to keep its edge. I have done a few spoon blanks with it and roughed out a small bowl. Because it is light, it is not tiring to use.
The handle is knurled and I might give it a rub down as it is a bit rough
If I was hogging through some serious waste I might revert back to the Ochsenkopf but for close work this is great. Choking up towards the head and you can do some quite dexterous stuff with it.
At the price it is a great deal compared with the Scandinavian or German offerings out there.
Just need to make a sheath for it and I will be very happy.
Danny H
So excited when my RW carving axe arrived. Took it out the box and dropped it putting a 2mm dink in the blade!.
My stupidity aside the axe is great to handle and feels like part of your arm within seconds.
It is surprisingly light and this just helps make it feel right.
The handle like other RW tools has been designed perfectly for precision and comfort.
Oscar rush
Great axe overall,
The quality is amazing and the book that comes with it is a nice touch all for such a low price great!
However with my axe after less than half an hour of use it got a sizeable Knick in the edge, this is could be just small fault in the hardening process but is the reason for 4 stars .
Overall a great axe to buy, but you better be quick they sell so fast!
Robin
Hi Oscar, glad you like the axe, sorry to hear about the nick in the blade. This is unlikely be a hardening issue they are hardened to 57-8 RC and test very consistently to that. The most common cause for nicks is touching metal or stone, often just a tiny piece of grit in a chopping block or a gently touch against another tool is all it takes. Thankfully its a quick job to touch it up, this is the technique I use https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4fZ1ZHRwnw
Adam Rutherford
I’ve ordered this axe to test out as an issue item. I have to put it against a few other manufacturers in the USA on an RM ML deployment. If it stands up we will put an order in. The original has been amazing. I’m backing it after all my tests and use instructing courses. I looked on the site and they sell faster than they can get them in.