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Splitting MaulEven named Hammer-Poll Axe.Designed for splitting apartlarge chunks of wood, “rounds”.The Maul’s head is heavier compared to the Splitting Axes.The poll is designed forpounding on a splitting wedge.The head weighs 5 1/2 lb and has a 2 1/2”face. The hickory handle is 31”, has circular grooves at the grip, a steel collar nearthe head, and comes with a grain leathersheath.Splitting WedgeForged steel wedge. Twisted for maximumsplitting. The poll has ground edges. Thewedge has a 1 3/4” face, weighs 4 lb andcomes with a grain-leather sheath.Always wear adequate clothing andprotection for your face and eyes.Please note page 21.Carpenter’s AxeThis axe has a straight edge andthin blade with low angle of the bevelface, suited for work in dry wood. Theforged inward curve from the heel to thelip of the head permits your hand to gripalmost straight above the center of theedge. This, and the long straight cuttingedge, gives rigidity, stability, and controlwhen cutting. Functions like a good heavyknife. The axe poll is ground and can beused as a hammer.The head weighs 1 1/2 lb and has a 3 1/2”face. The axe has an 18” hickory handle anda grain-leather sheath.10

Swedish Broad Axe, model 1900The pattern of the Broad Axe andthe handle is based on old Swedishlogging techniques for squaring logsand structural timbers of all kinds.There is sufficient space between the “blade’s beard” and the handle for the user’sfingers. Beveled on two sides (double beveled) or on one side, left or right. The eye(and the direction of the handle) may bestraight or angled sideways, right or left, toprotect the knuckles. One side beveled, leftside, normally goes with an eye angled tothe right. If you want deeper visible cutswhen squaring logs, you can use a broadaxe, double beveled, with the blade bentand the eye angled to the right or to theleft. The broad axe has a 7” face and a 20”hickory handle and the head weighs 3 lb. Itcomes with a grain-leather sheath. (Otherspecial tools from Gränsfors Bruks are:Log-House Drawknife, Mortise Axe, Froe,Adze. Ask for information.)Swedish Carving AxeA chop axe for hewing bowls and otherwooden objects, artistic wood carving andarchitectural work. The characteristiccurved shape of the cutting edge, carriedwell above the head’s eye, the position ofthe edge in proportion to the handle, therather thick bit and the big angle of thewide beveled face makes this axe a goodcarving tool. You “cut on the beveledface” with curved movements. This newaxe pattern, based on old Swedish carvingtechniques, was developed by Wille Sundqvist, master craftsman and author of”Swedish Carving Techniques” in cooperation with craftsman adviser Onni Linnanheimo. The handle is “rugged” to givea good grip.The axe has a 4 1/3” face and a 14”hickory handle and the head weighs 2 lb.It comes with a grain-leather sheath.11

AT G R Ä N S F O R S B R U K S A X E F O R G EGränsfors, Nordanstig rural district in Hälsingland, between Hudiksvall and Sundsvall,4 hours by car, north of StockholmHälsingland is beautiful. That is somethinging is somewhat bigger than the surrounone notices when visiting Gränsfors Bruks.ding cottages and one can see how it hasAlong the winding road between Gnarpbeen enlarged throughout the years.and Bergsjö you can see green valleys,Entering the wooden door in the olderlakes and blue mountains. There are redpart of the house, you pass by the warehouses and barns scattered among thehouse, lunchroom and old-fashioned officemeadows with grazingand get down to the forgehorses and sheep. Then ain the somewhat newersign catches one’s eyes:annex. There, big flywheelsGränsfors Bruks. Turningare moving and a rhythmioff, nestled betweencal throbbing is heardwooden houses and applefrom the forging operation.trees, there it is, by a turbulent stream. The build12

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Next to the forging hammers, in ovensthat are hotter than 1,200 C, steel barsare heated. When the right temperatureis reached, which the smith can see onthe red-yellowish color of the steel, aglowing piece is cut off and the treatmentin the forging hammers begins. Thesmith cleverly handles the hot steel, andslowly the square piece is transformedinto an axe head. The smith finishes hiswork by branding in the GränsforsBruks’ “label and crown” and his owninitials, scrutinizing the axe head andhanging it up to cool.15

a smith who, with a big hammer, strikeson the edge’s corners. If the blade doesnot break the head is good.After the final sharpening and the “stropping” of the edge (stropped on a rotatingbuffing wheel) it is time to put a handleon the axe head. With the help of a hydraulic press the handle is squeezed intoThe room next to the forge is thesharpening room. Here the right edgebevel is established by grinding (beveling)and, after the tempering and anneallingoperation, the beveled edge is groundwith a finer stone, honed and polished.the axe head together with a woodenwedge. The right angle in relation to theaxe head, the alignment and the hang, aretested. The last step is to drive a threelegged steel wedge into the wooden wedge.After the forging and the first step ofsharpening the edge, the lower part of theaxe head, the blade, is tempered by warming it to 820 C followed by a quick cooling in cold running water. Then the axehead is annealed: kept for 60 minutes inan oven that is 195 C. This relieves thestress in the steel, built up by the forgingand tempering processes and gives the bitthe desired hardness and toughness. Thehardness of the bit is measured, 57 Rockwell C, and every single head is tested byFinally the axe is carefully checked, theaxe head is rubbed with a water repellantand rust preventive oil and the axe isgiven a leather sheath. Not to be forgotten, The Axe Book is tied to the axe.16

The people at Gränsfors Bruks in Sweden are (from left to right): Lars Eriksson, Ulrik Nilsson,Rosa Jansson, Anna-Karin Pettersson, Lennart Pettersson, Margareta Östberg-Kynell, LarsEnander, Gabriel Brånby, Bert-Ove Andersson, Fredrika Norlin, Sonny Lundin, Siw Lundholm,Jan Elfström, Rune Andersson, Mattias Mattsson, Ulrika Stridberg.Kjell-Åke Sjölund, Claudia Kowalek, Daniel Gräntz, Malin Persson, Oskar Lindh, Britt-MarieAndersson, Jan Mattsson, Domingo Gas Pallarés, Lisa Fritzson were not present.The family owned Gränsfors Bruks ABhas 30 employees in Sweden. In additionto axes, Gränsfors Bruks forge SpringSteel Wrecking Bars, branded “TOVE”,and forestry tools.A sister company is Gränsfors Bruks, Inc.located in Summerville, South Carolina,USA. Its 25 American employees develop,produce and market unique protectiveproducts that allow people working with achain saw to be safer. Ask for information.17

LI M B I N G A LO GThe axe for limbing is a ScandinavianForest Axe. The bit of this axe is thin butmore curved than the straight bit of, forexample, a Carpenter’s Axe.hand closer to the axe head at the start ofthe stroke. Raise the axe, and then let the“head” hand slip down the handle towardsthe “knob” hand while the axe is swungdownward.You must have plenty of roomin which to swing an axe.Check your clearance andremove any brush or hanging branches that mightdeflect the swinging axe.Stand on the side of the logopposite the branches youare going to limb so thatChop the branches from the root end tothe top end of the log andchop into the undersideof the limb, close to thelog and the base of thebranch.Thick branches may sometimes demand so-called“counterstroke” or ayou always have the logSidestrokeCounterstrokeNormal stroke“sidestroke” tomake choppingeasier and preventthe branch from splitting.between you and your cuts. If theaxe misses a branch, the blade willhit the log rather than your leg.Keep both hands around thehandle – the risk of slippingwill then diminish. Graspone hand near the handleknob and the otherStand firmly on the ground and neverbalance on logs or branches.18

F I R E WO O DFresh wood contains about 45 % water.Before the wood is put into the fire thepercentage of water must come down toabout 25% or less, which it normally hasafter a summer’s drying.The bark slows the drying of the wood.Therefore split wood dries more easilythan unsplit wood. It also means that splitwood does not get moldy or rotten aseasily, and of course, is much better tomake a fire with. If you think the stick orbranch is too thin to split, you candebark a string along it and the wood willdry quicker.– especially directly after leafing – andput off the limbing until the leaves havewithered. Then much of the water hasevaporated through the leaves and thewood dries quickly after splitting. Apartfrom this old method, winter is regardedas the best time of year for felling.Felling and working with a chain saw willalways be a dangerous task. It is important to learn how to use a chain saw andgood felling techniques. Always use goodprotective equipment when felling andcutting with a chain saw.Saw the log to suitable lengths of wood,“rounds”, with a bow saw or a chain saw.Split the rounds at once – the more itdries the tougher and more difficult it isto split. It is rather easy to split evennewly felled thick rounds, yet very difficult to split after a year. Frozen wood is“brittle” and easy to split.Hardwoods such as oak, maple and hickory have greater energy content than softwoods such as pine, fir and aspen.An old Swedish way, not very commontoday, is to fell the tree with its leaves on19

When splitting rounds, you need a SplittingAxe. When splitting big rounds you mayneed a Splitting Maul and Wedges.Don’t let others come near youwhile splitting – both theswinging axe and spreading splitwoods constituterisks.The chopping blockshould be big, heavyand stable. The kind ofwood in the choppingblock is less important,but hardwood like oakis most durable.The block shouldbe quite low, not higher than up to yourknee. Stand the round of wood upright onthe far side of a big chopping block. If youmiss hitting the round, the axe will normally hit the chopping block rather thanyour leg. Keep both hands firmly aroundthe handle, close to the knob of the handle, with arms straight. That, and a longhandle, will give a good ‘‘swing”. Keepingyour arms straight and adjusting yourstance, you will find the right distance tothe round. Try to keep the axe handlehorizontal when hitting the round. Forsafety reasons, the hands should never behigher than the axe head when the head ishitting the round. A round is generallyeasier to split from the top end.When splitting gnarled cross-grained wood,it is very important that your axe is properlysharpened.It is common that bigger rounds that do notsplit from the first chop are split by meansof its own weight: the axe’s bit is driven intoan end of the round, turned and swung withthe poll against the choppingblock. This technique with a pieceof wood wedged on the bit can bedangerous if a large chunk comesoff in the swing.For splitting a small stick in two, press theaxe edge against the side of the stick. Gripthe stick in one hand and the axe in theother. Raise the stick and the axe togetherand bring them down hard together onthe chopping block.20

Try to place the axe head through thecenter of a round. Also try to place theaxe head straight through the limb, ifthere is one. Big rounds will of course besplit in several steps.ting. The poll of these axes is notdesigned for heavy pounding on awedge or to be beaten on. That is oneof the things which makes an axe different from a maul. The maul’s poll isdesigned and forged to withstand beatingon a steel wedge. But constantly check theedges of the poll. Do not let a poll get likea mushroom! Always keep the groundedges of the poll of a maul and a wedge ingood shape. Use a file. The ground edgesof the poll will reduce, but not eliminate,the risk of flying fragments of the poll.Never push the handle sideways if the axehead is stuck in the wood – the handle maybreak. Remove it instead withpumping movments of the handle.When the rounds are really big, gnarledand cross-grained, or have been storedtoo long and dried which make them hardto split, you might need to use a splittingmaul or a splitting maul and wedges.When working with wedges, use two.Wedge number two will help to knock thefirst wedge out if stuck.Fasten one wedge on one side. Pound thewedge with the poll of the heavy maul sothat you get a crack. Pound the otherwedge further in the wood until the crackis widened. Move the first wedge and soon, until the round is split.Do not use an axe, felling axe, forestaxe or a splitting axe, for driving in asteel wedge, or as a wedge, when split-Always wearadequateclothing andprotection foryour face and eyes when hitting steelagainst steel – a piece of steel cancome off and injure you.21

TO D RY A N D STO R E S P L I T WO O D SFirewood must dry thoroughly beforeuse. In the old days they said: “Woodshould be split before Easter”; then it candry during spring and summer, beforewinter’s wood heating begins.Round StackA few basic rules for your wood yard:Stacked firewood must be chopped or atleast debarked in a string to be able todry. This is particularly important forhardwood with its denser bark.1. Make a checkered pattern of poles onthe ground.Place the stack on dry and easily drainedground, preferably in a sunny place.Put some poles on the ground beforestacking so that the wood does not touchthe wet ground and air can circulate.Always stack split wood with the barkside down. Otherwise the bark will function like a lid and prevent moisture fromevaporating and the risk for mold willincrease.2. Make a loose “floor” of split wood onthe poles. Place bark side down.Stack the split wood a little scattered andit will dry more quickly. In the old daysthey said that a mouse had to be able toget through.3. Build a circular wall of largesplit wood. Put the smaller or uneven wood randomly in the middle.22

4. When the stack begins to get highenough you build it up in the middle andround it off to an even pile. Place theuppermost layer of split wood as ”tiles”to allow rain water to run off.A couple of vertical poles, a tree, or awall can make a stop in one end orboth. If you have vertical poleson both ends you may stretcha wire or rope betweenthem, above or in themiddle of the stack.Then the stack ismore stableand can handle more splitwood.Simple stackIf the stack is built alonga wall: Leave an airspace between the stackand the wall. Let thestack lean a littleinwards to avoid the riskof its collapsing due toshifting during thedrying process.Bark side downPut some poles on thegroundDry and well drained groundPut something, like a tarpaulin, on top ofthe stack as protection from rain or snow,but don’t cover the sides – the stack mustallow air to circulate. If using a tarp, tie itdown with ropes to poles on the ground.A few heavy logs placed on top of the tarpwill prevent it from inflating and beingtorn during storms.To avoid going out in the cold and nastyweather to fetch firewood, it is common tostack some dry firewood on the porch orinside the house. But it isimportant that the woodstacked indoors is completely dry. Otherwise youmight have problems withmoisture and mold.23

TO MAKE A F I R EIn woods and fieldsBegin with choosing a suitable place.Appropriate beds for fire are sand,gravel or bare soil. Don’t light a fire onflat rocks (they break from the heat andget ugly black marks), peat ground ornear dry grass, bushes and trees. Youcan put stones around the fire you arebuilding.Teepee Fire Lay (standing splitwood) gives youa quick burning fire, Crisscross Fire Lay (lyingsplitwoods) give a more prolonged fire.Pay attention to possible fire prohibitions,especially common during dry springs andsummers!Use dry sticks and branches for the fire.In a forest you will always find dry sticksto light with – even when it is raining –like on the lower parts of spruce stems.In fireplace and stoveCheck that the damper is open. Place thesplit wood so tightly that the burningwood “warms each other”, but still so scattered that the fire is aired.In old damaged stems and stumps of pine,you sometime find yellowish-red andstrong smelling pitchy wood. In dry conditions this resinous wood is one of the bestthings you can use to light a fire with. Justone split of pitchy wood can light the mostimpossible fire.In a wood stove you should start with burning some paper in the flue or the sootdoor just before you light the fire.If you are worried that it might smoke,you can see which direction it draws fromin the stove by keeping a burning matchin the upper part of the opening.Start lighting with smaller sticks and buildup with larger sticks as the fire begins toburn. Extinguish the fire carefully, preferably with water, and restore the groundas much as possible if it is a temporaryplace for a fire, before you leave.24

Put in crumpled newspaper or thin smallpieces of wood to light with under thewood. If the flame draws out of the stoveyou should turn off the kitchen fan. Ifyou still have coldair coming outfrom the chimneyyou can open awindow in theroom just whenyou light the fire.The air thatquickly rushes inthen generallygoes out throughthe chimney andgives draft in theright direction.You can use thesame method to “turn” a stove or a fireplace that is smoking.AshesAshes raked out of the stove or the fireplace can cause fire. Therefore ashesought to be saved a couple of days in anonflammable vessel to cool off.Ashes after a wood fire can be saved andspread in the garden (but not in thepotato-patch – then the potatoes becomeshriveled). Wood ashes contain some useful salts, above all potassium bicarbonate,so-called potash, and heightens the pHvalue in acidified soil. You may mix somewood ashes into your compost as well.WEARING THE AXEO N Y O U R B E LTMost axes from GränsforsBruks come with a sheaththat let you easily carry theaxe on your belt.Don’t choke the access of air too muchwhen the fire has burnt up. Check the airaccess by going out and looking at thesmoke: a correctly burning wood fire leaves only carbon dioxide and steam, andtherefore you hardly see any smoke atall. If it is very cold the smoke may bewhite.Pull the leather sheathstrap through the belt.All stoves, fireplaces and chimneys needto be cleaned regularly to function well.The axe will sit comfortably and securely.25

WO R K I N G W I T H A CA R P E N T E R ’ S A X EThe pattern of the head, the weight, the curvature of the bit, the thickness

An “AXE-GUARANTEE-CARD” is inclu-ded in the AXE-BOOK which comes with every axe. A qualifi- . interest in the axe business increase and the production was concentrated to big axe factories. Mass production and ratio- . Bruks axes have a unique ergonomic design which gives