Zeke 5,504 Posted April 7, 2017 And should you be able too? A sharp tool is a working tool! A safe tool. Your thoughts? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Purple Patrick 638 Posted April 7, 2017 You should sharpen axes that fine anyway, you will chip edges way faster Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
raz-0 1,256 Posted April 7, 2017 An axe should not be shaving sharp. Because it is an axe. It should have a convex sharpened edge, and be sharp enough to bite when striking at a reasonable varieties of angles, but not so sharp it causes chipping, edge folding, and other premature wear to an edge. That is unless you are entering an axe in a competition for sharpness. Which is a thing, and in many of them one of the judging criteria is shaving. A good shaving edge is usually 15 degrees total. That's totally inappropriate for an axe. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zeke 5,504 Posted April 7, 2017 What about Apple seed? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
raz-0 1,256 Posted April 7, 2017 What about Apple seed? wtf are you talking about? The folk lore character, the marksmanship class, the anime? After hitting up the third search engine, there's apparently a johnny appleseed festival in PA that is timber sports. I'll assume that. In the futre, perhaps try more than a sentence. Racing axes are racing axes. They are typically thinner overall, with a hollow grind behind the cutting edge, but with the cutting edge usually a flat grind (but radiused along the curvature of the head). They may be double ground or chisel ground, although examples I have seen of the latter are IMO not named properly because the "flat" side of the grind is not flat, it's just not really honed and then some approximation of it is used for the angle reference for the chisel grind. Since they show up with a variety of axes, and they are given relatively clean logs of a consistent species in timbersports, you can find axes down to about "13 degree" angle. They may be shaving sharp, they may also have a toothy filed edge at that angle. You may also find double bevel sharpened axes at 15/30 to 20/40. They'll likely still be hair popping sharp, but that's not a proper shaving edge. Some may have a banana grind. Normal working axes will not have that broad a head with that thin a tper though and are completely different creates as far as care and feeding go. As to exact specifics of the grind in timbersports, you are getting into ergonomics, voodoo, personal preference, etc. My own personal preference for things choppy is a approach a nice 20/40 (20 degrees to the centerline, 40 degress from face to face) grind, convex and brought to a polish. But my chopping needs are mostly big knives or hatchets and I'm not using an angle guide, and I tend to err to the acute side in general, so... I'm probably not too far off a general purpose beginners timbersports grind. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Schrödinger's cat 87 Posted April 7, 2017 How do you guys sharpen your knives nicely ? The Lansky system ? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
T Bill 649 Posted April 7, 2017 How do you guys sharpen your knives nicely ? The Lansky system ? On a whetstone by hand, given to me by my Grandfather, the same way he taught me, over 50 years ago. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnnyB 4,289 Posted April 7, 2017 How do you guys sharpen your knives nicely ? The Lansky system ? The Work Sharp "Ken Onion Edition". Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zeke 5,504 Posted April 8, 2017 wtf are you talking about? The folk lore character, the marksmanship class, the anime? After hitting up the third search engine, there's apparently a johnny appleseed festival in PA that is timber sports. I'll assume that. In the futre, perhaps try more than a sentence. Racing axes are racing axes. They are typically thinner overall, with a hollow grind behind the cutting edge, but with the cutting edge usually a flat grind (but radiused along the curvature of the head). They may be double ground or chisel ground, although examples I have seen of the latter are IMO not named properly because the "flat" side of the grind is not flat, it's just not really honed and then some approximation of it is used for the angle reference for the chisel grind. Since they show up with a variety of axes, and they are given relatively clean logs of a consistent species in timbersports, you can find axes down to about "13 degree" angle. They may be shaving sharp, they may also have a toothy filed edge at that angle. You may also find double bevel sharpened axes at 15/30 to 20/40. They'll likely still be hair popping sharp, but that's not a proper shaving edge. Some may have a banana grind. Normal working axes will not have that broad a head with that thin a tper though and are completely different creates as far as care and feeding go. As to exact specifics of the grind in timbersports, you are getting into ergonomics, voodoo, personal preference, etc. My own personal preference for things choppy is a approach a nice 20/40 (20 degrees to the centerline, 40 degress from face to face) grind, convex and brought to a polish. But my chopping needs are mostly big knives or hatchets and I'm not using an angle guide, and I tend to err to the acute side in general, so... I'm probably not too far off a general purpose beginners timbersports grind. Appleseed edgeI use my worksharp on axes. Belt tension makes a nice uniform convex edge, Ergo Apple seed( looks like an Apple seed) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zeke 5,504 Posted April 8, 2017 How do you guys sharpen your knives nicely ? The Lansky system ?Lansky whilst wife watches dancing with the stars.Some guys here have good luck with their worksharps, I jus get blunt tips. It's me, I know Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
raz-0 1,256 Posted April 8, 2017 Appleseed edge I use my worksharp on axes. Belt tension makes a nice uniform convex edge, Ergo Apple seed( looks like an Apple seed) Also known as a convex grind. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zeke 5,504 Posted April 8, 2017 Now let's not get fancy, it's an axe We talking bout Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Moose11872 13 Posted April 20, 2017 All of my axes, hatchets and tomahwks are razor sharp AND they get used. I have never had a problem with chipping. If its quality steel it should'nt chip just because its razor sharp. If you under/over swing and hit something other then wood or use a cold axe on a cold day maybe; but if its properly sharpened and properly used it is safe and dependable. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zeke 5,504 Posted April 20, 2017 All of my axes, hatchets and tomahwks are razor sharp AND they get used. I have never had a problem with chipping. If its quality steel it should'nt chip just because its razor sharp. If you under/over swing and hit something other then wood or use a cold axe on a cold day maybe; but if its properly sharpened and properly used it is safe and dependable.See, I agree with you 100%My chiseles and planes are razors. A dull tool is not a good tool. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
maintenanceguy 508 Posted April 21, 2017 But an axe is not a plane. Axes should be sharp. You don't need them razor sharp. After the first cut, they aren't razor sharp any more and I'm not sharpening between each cut. 90% of the way to razor sharp takes only 10% of the time and is good enough for an axe head. Spending the extra 90% of the time it takes to get razor sharp is just inefficient use of time. Now maybe, we're actually talking about the same thing using different terms. To me "razor sharp" really means razor sharp. Maybe to others, it just means sharp. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Old Glock guy 1,125 Posted April 21, 2017 I think a better question would be can you cut down a tree with your razor? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zeke 5,504 Posted April 21, 2017 I think a better question would be can you cut down a tree with your razor?Yes.It's jus a function of time... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zeke 5,504 Posted April 21, 2017 But an axe is not a plane. Axes should be sharp. You don't need them razor sharp. After the first cut, they aren't razor sharp any more and I'm not sharpening between each cut. 90% of the way to razor sharp takes only 10% of the time and is good enough for an axe head. Spending the extra 90% of the time it takes to get razor sharp is just inefficient use of time. Now maybe, we're actually talking about the same thing using different terms. To me "razor sharp" really means razor sharp. Maybe to others, it just means sharp. It's still wood. And they dull over time as well. You're saying " sharp enough " me thinks. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bishop 0 Posted June 14, 2017 You can reach apex at any tooth/grit. You;ll get razor sharp once you refine the edge, no matter at 200, 400, 800, 1,000 grit refined edge. Its just how easily it will be shave. Wood ... does not care over 200. The rest is for show, as are many knives. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jackandjill 683 Posted June 15, 2017 On 4/7/2017 at 2:43 PM, Zeke said: And should you be able too? A sharp tool is a working tool! A safe tool. Your thoughts? Officer, no need to alarm, its just my shaving tool. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites