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Which lightweight axe or hatchet to pair with battery chainsaw?

7K views 57 replies 22 participants last post by  bpressnall 
#1 ·
I have the Greenworks 40V 16" chainsaw and generally speaking it works great, but occasionally I need to cut out something big, like a 24-30 inch diameter oak or maple tree. For trees like this the battery life doesn't yield many cuts through the trunk, maybe only 2 or 3 depending on wood condition. While I have a spare battery, I've still run into situations where due to the tree position multiple cuts are needed to remove a section, and I've used up both batteries before I can move the cut piece. Sometimes the cut piece is wedged in place and there is a need to create clearance to get it out. Sometimes I use my folding Silky saw, or the axe head of a Rogue 55HX, but these both have limitations on larger logs. So does anyone have a recommendation as to whether an axe is needed or will a hatchet suffice, and if so which one is both lightweight and durable? Ideally I can fit it into the main compartment of my Evoc Trail Builder pack.
 
#12 ·
The Fiskars hatchet is great for needing something lightweight, it can take a razor sharp edge and very durable for its weight. But it does not have the best steel. Plan on sharpening pretty often.

My Gransfors Bruks Small Forest Axe is my favorite axe. Light enough to not be cumbersome, takes a great edge and holds it for a long time and can process a decent amount of wood.
These are all good suggestions, thanks! The Fiskars does seem like a lightweight and inexpensive option, especially since I don't know how much I will use it. The Gransfors and Estwing are solid buy once for life options but heavier and more expensive. I'll have to think about it.
 
#4 ·
Vote for the fiskars, but as a fellow trail enthusiast and wood cutter, I go directly to my stihl ms 271, it’s about 14lbs, and will pull a20” bar. Enough to do most the trail work I do. Plus I carry a spare 16” bar and chain to cut mysrlf out if ever needed. (We know that never happens)

I have a few other saws, and use my echo 620 pro saw more on big jobs but it sucks to pack as it’s way bigger and its a few pounds heavier. I would use the stihl for the 24-30” trees you mentioned and carry a little extra fuel and oil in small metal containers or throw away thick plastic sports bottles. Just my two cents. I use a hatchet and handsaws a lot, but for the big stuff I’d rather just use the right tool, get it done and have it look pretty too.
 
#14 ·
Vote for the fiskars, but as a fellow trail enthusiast and wood cutter, I go directly to my stihl ms 271, it's about 14lbs, and will pull a20" bar. Enough to do most the trail work I do. Plus I carry a spare 16" bar and chain to cut myself out if ever needed. (We know that never happens)

I have a few other saws, and use my echo 620 pro saw more on big jobs but it sucks to pack as it's way bigger and its a few pounds heavier. I would use the stihl for the 24-30" trees you mentioned and carry a little extra fuel and oil in small metal containers or throw away thick plastic sports bottles. Just my two cents. I use a hatchet and handsaws a lot, but for the big stuff I'd rather just use the right tool, get it done and have it look pretty too.
Cutting with gas is so much easier!
Gas saw if possible.
If that's not possible, extra batteries for the saw would likely be easier then hatchet/hand saw. I find having a wedge helpful sometimes...
Yeah gas saw is not possible here, battery is just barely acceptable (it's a city park). The battery saw cutting performance is good, it's just the battery life that suffers on big trees. I don't want to bring more than 1 extra battery due to weight, and for the weight of a second extra battery I could bring a hatchet or small axe with no use limitations.
 
#5 ·
Sectioning a 30in oak tree with a hatchet sounds exhausting.

If you are serious about that size, then I’d look at a small forest axe, or maybe even a boys axe. A boys axe is a 2.25lb head, and a 24-28in long handle, so they aren’t exactly small. A small forest axe is usually 1.5-1.75lbs in the head, and 19-22in in handle length in comparison.

You also might be able to find a folding bow/buck saw. The common length for those is like 18”, but they come in sizes up to like 4ft. I don’t know if there are many commercially available 4ft folding bow saws, but they are easy enough to make yourself (I made one a few years back with my dad from natural wood I found on the cabin property). The blades are light and cheap, but obviously a bit unwieldy (as you’d expect for a 4 ft long saw blade).

But honestly it seems another battery for the chainsaw might be a bit easier to lug around, and more efficient when cutting.
 
#13 ·
Sectioning a 30in oak tree with a hatchet sounds exhausting.

If you are serious about that size, then I'd look at a small forest axe, or maybe even a boys axe. A boys axe is a 2.25lb head, and a 24-28in long handle, so they aren't exactly small. A small forest axe is usually 1.5-1.75lbs in the head, and 19-22in in handle length in comparison.

You also might be able to find a folding bow/buck saw. The common length for those is like 18", but they come in sizes up to like 4ft. I don't know if there are many commercially available 4ft folding bow saws, but they are easy enough to make yourself (I made one a few years back with my dad from natural wood I found on the cabin property). The blades are light and cheap, but obviously a bit unwieldy (as you'd expect for a 4 ft long saw blade).

But honestly it seems another battery for the chainsaw might be a bit easier to lug around, and more efficient when cutting.
Not talking about sectioning the tree, just taking out a wedge from maybe 1/4 of it at most, where one side is already saw cut. The small forest axe is a good suggestion.
I have a second (and third) battery for the saw, but they are heavier than a hatchet or small axe so I don't want to carry more than 1 extra.
 
#8 · (Edited)
The Fiskars hatchet is great for needing something lightweight, it can take a razor sharp edge and very durable for its weight.

But it does not have the best steel. Plan on sharpening pretty often.

My Gransfors Bruks Small Forest Axe is my favorite axe. Light enough to not be cumbersome, takes a great edge and holds it for a long time and can process a decent amount of wood.
 
#9 · (Edited)
Super fast sharpening? Battery powered cutoff tool/grinder.

But another item to transport in/out. Or buy. I see a Cheapie HF $25 or lower if hit a coupon day. Usage is minimal, so battery is not a concern if not used for anything but sharpening, so I am Ok skimping on name brand expense.
 
#19 ·
I was going to say the same thing. The Katanaboy is an unreal foldable saw.
-I'm not sure about 30" trees but I have used one on a healthy 15+ inch Oak and it made mince-meat outta the thing! VERY impressed!!
 
#27 ·
I just pulled the trigger on a 17" Gerber because the Fiskars were out of stock. I'm looking for something to hammer wedges in more than retrieving my blade though.
I'm going to go with the 17" Gerber as well. It looks like the Gerber and Fiskars hatchets are the same anyway, except that Fiskars doesn't have a 17" chopping hatchet, only a splitting one. I figure the 17" will fit in my pack, isn't too heavy, has a long enough reach to get into a larger log if needed, and even use two handed grip if tired.
 
#16 ·
Here is one tree we recently dealt with that spurred me to think about this, a ~30 inch diameter maple.
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Just barely big enough.
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Not me, but while the Rogue 55HX (Pulaski style) was better than nothing, eventually it can't get down in the wedge because the hoe gets in the way, and swinging it at weird angles is difficult and I think a shorter handle tool would be better.
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#25 ·
Weird, so the city doesn't allow a gas saw?
Not the OP, but some land management agencies just have weird or incomplete policies. Or just don't have established rules around them. Some people think "battery powered electric" is less dangerous when they are actually much more powerful than comparable size gas powered saws, they just run out of juice much faster.

I've also been in areas where 2 stroke tools were prohibited due to habitat and FS not wanting engine sounds during mating season.
 
#34 ·
So I got that 18" Gerber hatchet and it's A+. We were clearing some pretty good sized logs... well big for me anyhow, they were bigger than the 25" bar on my saw and my blade got stuck... several times actually. I was doing my certification and I've honestly never had much issue with blades getting bound, but Sunday my blade got stuck hard 2-3 times. Don't have a ton of pictures, but this was the first one.

I wound up using the hatchet to pound in wedges to get the saw out the first time. The second one (not pictured) wasn't as deep, but had a crazy twist and the wedges didn't really help so I ended up just chopping the wood out on both sides of the blade until it was freed up.

It's perhaps a bit on the light side for pounding in wedges, but when you are carrying it half a mile in and out, it's always a bit of a compromise. The Gerber is just about the perfect size to fit into my old school HAWG Camelbak along with a couple cans of fuel, my wedges, and a few other odds and ends.

1932103
 
#35 ·
So I got that 18" Gerber hatchet and it's A+. We were clearing some pretty good sized logs... well big for me anyhow, they were bigger than the 25" bar on my saw and my blade got stuck... several times actually. I was doing my certification and I've honestly never had much issue with blades getting bound, but Sunday my blade got stuck hard 2-3 times. Don't have a ton of pictures, but this was the first one.

I wound up using the hatchet to pound in wedges to get the saw out the first time. The second one (not pictured) wasn't as deep, but had a crazy twist and the wedges didn't really help so I ended up just chopping the wood out on both sides of the blade until it was freed up.

It's perhaps a bit on the light side for pounding in wedges, but when you are carrying it half a mile in and out, it's always a bit of a compromise. The Gerber is just about the perfect size to fit into my old school HAWG Camelbak along with a couple cans of fuel, my wedges, and a few other odds and ends.
I am no chainsaw expert, but I stopped getting my bar stuck once I started borecutting any deadfall that looks like it might bind up. It seems to work better than wedges, and it is less hassle. I wouldn't do it when you are getting certified, or supervised, but if you watch some videos about how to do it you can see it can be done safely.
 
#39 ·
steel wedges are for splitting firewood rounds. the plastic wedges you can cut thru.
one thing to do is think about the pinch points and where is the weight going to go. sometimes diaganol cuts work better than just straight ones. sometimes you need to cut from the bottom to the top, not just the top, down. it comes in time, and know when to say no. your instructor is right, you don't need wedges all the time, but when you do, you do.
 
#41 ·
Hatchets and axes are nearly useless when clearing large deadfall in my experience. Used to carry a smaller Gerber camp axe but stopped doing that pretty quickly when it never got used. Large plastic felling wedges and understanding/visualizing the forces involved in a log will get you much further with ground or leaning trees. Don't cut wood that is in compression.
 
#42 ·
Beg to differ.

They are quite useful. Mostly just for driving in those large wedges you refer to. But I've also used it to extract my saw which was pinched quite hard.

Understanding the forces is the single most important skill in cutting, but that's a skill you can really only develop over years of practice.

I wish I could limit cuts to wood that isn't in compression, but I don't have a lot of control over whether there is compression on the trees that fall on the trail (or for me lately those in the path of the trail we are building). The best I can do is try and relieve the compression elsewhere first, but sidewinders and complex stresses on can be hard to avoid when you have a lot of downed trees.
 
#47 ·
This is our current project. Lots of steep side-slope, big wood. Haven't been up there since June due to fire restrictions, but the next one waiting for me is probably a 30" log on a similar slope.



Even if I wanted to leave the hatchet at home (I don't), I would bring it regardless because it's part of the gear we are required to bring with us to work on forest service land.
 
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