Maybe a little OT, how do you sharpen your ax?

[QBH]

I do trail cleanup in a local state park each month. A couple of months ago I was working with a guy who used a machete. While I own one (I think, haven't used it for years), I never really saw the need for one. This guy, however was doing amazing things with this blade. I asked him how he sharpened it. He says every time he uses it, he sharpens it on a 6000 grit water stone! Talk about OCD! Can't argue with the results, though.

Larry

 

[Gary Fowler]

I do trail cleanup in a local state park each month. A couple of months ago I was working with a guy who used a machete. While I own one (I think, haven't used it for years), I never really saw the need for one. This guy, however was doing amazing things with this blade. I asked him how he sharpened it. He says every time he uses it, he sharpens it on a 6000 grit water stone! Talk about OCD! Can't argue with the results, though.

Larry

I think you got one too many zeros in the grit, 600 maybe. Never heard of 6000 grit especially in a stone. 600 grit is super fine and takes forever to remove any metal. If the tool isn't already pretty sharp you wont get there with 600 grit.

 

[SimS]

There are 6000 grit stones but to use them on a machete is little over the top. I'm not sure that the blade profile left by a 6000 grit stone would the optimum for a hacking/chopping tool. OTH Lee Valley Tools has a good book/guide for tool and blade sharpening.

SimS

 

[QBH]

Yeah, I have a Lee Valley 8000 stone. I can shave with my chisels. Now if I could only get better with my lathe tools!

 

[hslogger]

I put my ax handle in a vice with the blade facing me. I put on some White Ox cotton gloves and grab a flat bastard with a handle on the tang. I take any number of strokes facing it, filing into the body. Then take it out of the vice, flip it over and take the same amount of strokes on the other side. Always works for me. I don't abuse my axe head, don't have any chunks out of it.

 

[motownbrowne]

I think you got one too many zeros in the grit, 600 maybe. Never heard of 6000 grit especially in a stone. 600 grit is super fine and takes forever to remove any metal. If the tool isn't already pretty sharp you wont get there with 600 grit.

There are Japanese water stones (Chosera brand I think, but it may be Shapton) that go up to 30,000 grit. Synthetic, of course, and not cheap. 600 is fine (opposite of coarse, not "fine and dandy") enough for some applications, but I prefer my kitchen cutlery much higher, 4000 or so, and my pocket folders around the same. Depends on the application. For slicing tomatoes, not much beats a 800-1000 grit " toothy " edge, but those microserrations wear out faster than a finer edge.

Lots of great sharpening resources out there, check out chefknivestogo.com, Murray Carter, and zknives.com for starters.

 

[Scooby074]

For limbing and trail breaking not much beats a swedish brush axe. I miss mine and need to buy another.

 

[QBH]

My favorite tool for limbing, is a Silky Katanaboy folding saw. It has to be either a bunch of limbs, or a pretty big one for me to use the chainsaw now.