Winkler Axes

[Cookie Monster]

Been looking at the camp axe or hunter axe by Winkler. Looking for a hertiage item to pass to the kids along with something practical to use and have around.

Would use to help process game, prep wood for campfires, and staring lovingly at.

Anyone have one, used one, seen one? I am just throwing money away?

Probably get them from Blade Connection they seem to have a great selection.

[SeriousStudent]

Winkler's work is beautiful.

I have a pair of Gransfors Bruks axes, and a Hult Bruks. I love how well they hold and edge. They are also only a couple of hundred dollars apiece, if the reduced price factors into your decision. You might be able to get one for each child, rather than having them share a single axe.

[SLG]

I have a Winkler camp axe. Also have most of the GB axes and a whole bunch of others as well. I love axes, and do all my wood splitting by hand.

The winkler is super cool, and it is very capable, but for pure wood processing, it is definitely not as good as a GB. I would never carry the weight for hunting, so the animal use is out for me.

I actually carry it with me most days, and when i'm out on the ranch, it comes along because there is always poison ivy to cut, and other random things to clean up. It is small, light, and easy to carry on the belt for chores. For real woods work though, a GB gets the nod everytime.

[Cookie Monster]

The response time on PF is unheard of.

I got Stihl axes for wood processing, a GB small forest axe could be a great option. Yea, the Winkler would be the everyday carry type axe. No great for specifics but good to have around.

[1slow]

Viking EDC. Think sap that cuts !

[LittleLebowski]

I have a Winkler camp axe. Also have most of the GB axes and a whole bunch of others as well. I love axes, and do all my wood splitting by hand.

The winkler is super cool, and it is very capable, but for pure wood processing, it is definitely not as good as a GB. I would never carry the weight for hunting, so the animal use is out for me.

I actually carry it with me most days, and when i'm out on the ranch, it comes along because there is always poison ivy to cut, and other random things to clean up. It is small, light, and easy to carry on the belt for chores. For real woods work though, a GB gets the nod everytime.

What maul do you use?

[voodoo_man]

Winkler is GTG


With that said, crkt and a few other companies make pretty good hawks and axes as well, cheaply.

[LittleLebowski]

I need to try a GB someday, I'm using (fairly hard) a $30 axe :D

[voodoo_man]

I need to try a GB someday, I'm using (fairly hard) a $30 axe :D

For that price you need a Cold Steel axe (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0014BMBA6).

[DI1]

I lusted over a Winkler axe for years, finally picked up the "Wild Bill".
I have some GB as well, but the Winkler is something special and rides easily in a small pack most days.
Winkler also has a great discount for LE/MIL.

Not to stray from your original post, but check out Elmer Roush as well. Super nice guy and builds tremendous axes!

[SLG]

What maul do you use?

I mostly use a splitting maul from GB, which works great, and is pretty nimble, but I also like to use felling axes in that role. The cheaper, more poorly shaped axes actually work better for splitting than a well designed felling axe like the GB American.

I recently picked up an older american style maul. I need to clean it up and rehaft it, but I'm looking forward to trying it out.

[Cookie Monster]

Not SLG but I process by hand about 6 cords a year - split by hand, cut by chainsaw so not truly old school by hand, maybe when I retire.

I have this:

http://www.stihlusa.com/products/hand-tools/axes/prosplitmaul/

as well as the splitting axe. I can't find any other greater value in axes than the Stihl stuff.

I would absolutely recommend something with a steel collar, no matter how careful and good you are, you are going to overstrike something. The maul will take care of 98% of everything I split. On occasion I use the maul to beat on an old Snow and Neally maul to split the bad stuff, one in 200 rounds get the chainsaw split. I can see having an 8 or 10 pound hammer with a wedge or two. I split conifer, you East Coast hardwood guys could have an entirely different world.

[JV_]

I split a lot of wood growing up, mostly for my elderly neighbor. I haven't done much recently, but If I were getting back in to it, I'd probably look for something with a steel sheath below the head. Both the GB and Stihl maul have one.

[SLG]

Not SLG but I process by hand about 6 cords a year - split by hand, cut by chainsaw so not truly old school by hand, maybe when I retire.

I have this:

http://www.stihlusa.com/products/hand-tools/axes/prosplitmaul/

as well as the splitting axe. I can't find any other greater value in axes than the Stihl stuff.

I would absolutely recommend something with a steel collar, no matter how careful and good you are, you are going to overstrike something. The maul will take care of 98% of everything I split. On occasion I use the maul to beat on an old Snow and Neally maul to split the bad stuff, one in 200 rounds get the chainsaw split. I can see having an 8 or 10 pound hammer with a wedge or two. I split conifer, you East Coast hardwood guys could have an entirely different world.

You split more than I do, as we only use a couple cords a year. 6 cords by hand these days is good work.

When we lived in MT, splitting big wood was pretty easy, but here in the mid west, the wood is much more difficult to split. I have been thinking about a splitter...just not sure I want to commit to that, and I have no idea which one to look at right now.

[LittleLebowski]

I love this thread. I may have to look at a GB or more affordable Husqvarna axe one day.

[LittleLebowski]

Looking forward to our upcoming "LL wants a chainsaw" discussion :D

[jc000]

I need some help with my hatchet (thread to follow some day soon) but I did always think that Ben Tendick had some cool looking 'hawks: http://www.brtbladeworks.com/tomahawks.html. Does anyone have any experience with him?

I'll likely pick up a GB axe at some point, they seem like a good blend of function and price.

[Cookie Monster]

I was thinking about picking up another 2Hawks tomahawk instead of the Winkler. I was going to link the website but he has exceeded his bandwidth for the month. No link.

[SLG]

I love this thread. I may have to look at a GB or more affordable Husqvarna axe one day.

Most of the husky axes are gtg, but the splitting axe is sub par, imo. Works ok, but there are better ones. If you want to practice without spending much money, get a full size "felling axe" from Ace hardware or one of the big box stores. The cheeks are so thick that they suck for felling, but are good for splitting and they don't cost much, which is good, as you'll likely damage the haft at some point while learning. Then you can replace it with a quality piece of hickory.

All these tools really have a place, it just depends what kind of wood, how big it is, and what your personal preferences are.

[Grey]

Winkler axes are very cool I have one but I'd get something else for serious wood use.

[WDW]

Winkler is good. If you want heirloom quality, check this guy out. His stuff is spectacular at an awesome price http://www.north-river-custom-knives.com

[Cookie Monster]

You split more than I do, as we only use a couple cords a year. 6 cords by hand these days is good work.

When we lived in MT, splitting big wood was pretty easy, but here in the mid west, the wood is much more difficult to split. I have been thinking about a splitter...just not sure I want to commit to that, and I have no idea which one to look at right now.

I am on the edge of needing a splitter. I treat splitting wood as a gym workout so it keeps me off the streets and out of the Crossfit gyms which is good. I have had some late fall days where I am trying to get the wood in and split wood for 6 or so hours with the next day being unable to lift my arms. Most of my stuff is lodgepole pine and Douglas fir and I keep my rounds at 14 or 15 inches although my stoves will take 18 or 20 inch stuff.

I also view splitting axes and mauls as sort of having a golf bag equivalent, the right iron for the shot/drive/putt.

A good splitter is going to cost but this is the one (or the one model up), make sure to get the log cradles:

http://www.timberwolfcorp.com/tw-p1-log-splitter/

It is my future. We heat with wood both the shop and the house.

[SLG]

I am on the edge of needing a splitter. I treat splitting wood as a gym workout so it keeps me off the streets and out of the Crossfit gyms which is good. I have had some late fall days where I am trying to get the wood in and split wood for 6 or so hours with the next day being unable to lift my arms. Most of my stuff is lodgepole pine and Douglas fir and I keep my rounds at 14 or 15 inches although my stoves will take 18 or 20 inch stuff.

I also view splitting axes and mauls as sort of having a golf bag equivalent, the right iron for the shot/drive/putt.

A good splitter is going to cost but this is the one (or the one model up), make sure to get the log cradles:

http://www.timberwolfcorp.com/tw-p1-log-splitter/

It is my future. We heat with wood both the shop and the house.

What about the DR stuff? Very fast cycle time.

Does that Timberwolf go vertical as well? How much is it?

[Cookie Monster]

Looking at between $2,200 to $3,000 depending on what you can find. The one step up in the Timberwolf line goes vertical. With the Honda engine it is something that I would definitely consider possible to buy used although you don't see many of them.

I am not familiar with the DR log splitters.

[JV_]

Other than a splitter, what's the best setup for chopping up an elm, for firewood?

[Chuck Whitlock]

I'm definitely out of my lane here, but if you're looking for efficiency instead of exercise:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdXzaGFkWfU

[Drang]

Other than a splitter, what's the best setup for chopping up an elm, for firewood?

My father would say "A teenage son."

[Maple Syrup Actual]

My father would say "A teenage son."

That worked for my dad. By the time I was 10, he'd managed to assign himself nothing more strenuous than "tool maintenance duty" which was sharpening all the saws (which to be fair he's absolutely excellent at - you wouldn't believe how sharp our bow saws were) and knocking the mushrooming off all the wedges with a cold chisel once every couple of months.

Which actually reminds me: as a kid I did a ton of splitting (literally at least a ton of wood a year, mostly gary oak and bigleaf maple) with wedges and a sledge.

The nice part is you're not swinging a big bladed weapon around. If you screw up by, say, swinging the sledge in your front yard underneath the hazelnut trees with their springy branches that are apparently lower than you thought and the handle catches on a branch and launches backwards and hits you in the kidney...well, you're bruised up. But if you'd have been using the double-bit like you were before your mom yelled at your dad and your dad yelled at both of you and smashed the edges of the good double-bit into the concrete block at the end of the driveway, wrecking it in a fit of rage and then chucking it at the wood pile and warning you to have the rest of the wood done by the time he came home and then heading out to fish the salt chuck, well, you'd have needed stitches and maybe surgery. I'm not sure if that particular situation is 100% universal but anyway, points to ponder.

The only thing to watch with wedges is that the striking surfaces will mushroom out and make these little shrapnel bits that blow off unpredictably when struck sometimes, so you have to take a chisel and knock them off once in a while.

But you can split some really tough wood that way.

[Drang]

...The only thing to watch with wedges is that the striking surfaces will mushroom out and make these little shrapnel bits that blow off unpredictably when struck sometimes, so you have to take a chisel and knock them off once in a while.
My mother was an ICU nurse.
So when I came in the house to clean up the spot where the splinter of metal from the wedge was stuck in my shin and she asked me what was wrong and I said "I need a bandaid" she teleported into the half-bath by the back door.
"DON'T EVER SCARE ME LIKE THAT AGAIN!"
I guess she thought I had missed with the axe...

[FLC Knives]

Sounds like good exercise anyways guys;)
I used to split wood for a boss with a splitting maul welded to the end of a piece of schedule 40 pipe. He said it was better than breaking handles......

[Maple Syrup Actual]

My mother was an ICU nurse.
So when I came in the house to clean up the spot where the splinter of metal from the wedge was stuck in my shin and she asked me what was wrong and I said "I need a bandaid" she teleported into the half-bath by the back door.
"DON'T EVER SCARE ME LIKE THAT AGAIN!"
I guess she thought I had missed with the axe...

They're dangerous enough to make moms panic, all right...particularly the short axes. I was felling a big tree with a small axe at the end of a long day and skipped it out of the cut into my knee.

Found a local retired ER doc to patch me up a couple of hours later but it sure did bleed. Somewhere I have a piece I wrote called "Survival lessons from wounded knee" that set off a good fight on one survivalist site I used to read from time to time.