what are the pros and cons of axes vs. folding saws for camping

Is your axe sharp?

An axe for felling is a different beast to an axe for limbing.

Personally I use a 21" folding bow saw and a 1/2lb hatchet. I can get through 12"di easily with the saw and I use the axe just for limbing and camp chores like making tent pegs.

I do also have a folding . pruning saw (bahco laplander) which i tend to take in warm.weather longer distance hikes.

Personally a saw > an axe as long as I have another cutting tool like a fixed knife.

Also.a.much safer tool


In a hypothetical one tool scenario I'd want an axe

>>1027827
I carry both.

it's easier to split smaller logs with an axe than with a saw, and for extremely large logs, having a saw to start a wedge driving channel in the wood is useful.

File: IMG_0668.jpg (531KB, 1600x1200px) Image search: [Google]

531KB, 1600x1200px

>>1027827
Also have both, not my picture but these two are what I usually use.

>>1027852
Also seconding this guy, saw and knife, or just an axe if I had to choose.

>>1027913
i have a fiskars hatchet and pocket saw. roughly same size about the same capability except they were about $40 together. yours about $400 give or take $50.

one is heavy but fun to swing and you can carry it in your hand like a savage in the forest
one is light but gives you sore forearm and is not fun

Hand axe is preferred if I have to pick one... If I can take both, I do.

Can't go wrong with a decent medium/heavy duty bushcraft fixedblade like a bk2 or similar

>>1027827
I find it takes less energy to use an axe than a saw. Make sure you are using the correct axe type, axe grind, and make sure it is properly sharp.

>>1027872
I have a knife and an ax. How does /out/ feel about those "commando" saws?

>>1028162
i got a cheapy one and hated it. i haven't spent the time to figure out if the good ones are reasonably good. maybe i'll shoot an unboxing/first use video about it

>>1027827
depends on your use set, but i generally agree with you. for dispersed camping in areas where you can gather downed wood for fire, i generally roll with a collapsible saw and large knife. frankly i could probably get away with a small knife since i mainly use it for fine tasks like kindling, fire hooks, chopsticks, and emergency tent stakes. i don't batonnychopchop with my knives

if i had to choose one it would always be some kinda hatchet, but for a similar weight you can get a lot done with a mora and a pruning saw

>>1028091
this can have a lot to do with the kind of wood he's working. i'd rather a saw if i've gotta deal with dead oak limbs (which would explain why he's using it as a hammer), but a hatchet is probably better for anything pine-like.
they used to make different shaped axe heads (narrow, almost chisel-like with very flat cheeks) for dealing with hardwoods, cause a softwood axe would kinda bounce off.

>>1028255
i never in my adult life had an axe bounce wtf? as a kid i was whacking at some branch and it did kind of bounce but now realize that hatchet was dull as butter knife.

File: 71w1YggsTbL._SL1500_.jpg (106KB, 1245x1500px)

106KB, 1245x1500px

>>1028484
Not that anon, but do bouncing splitting mauls count? I've had that happen a few times while splitting log rounds. It seems it has to do with moisture content, knot location, and wood hardness (oak/maple). However, an axe, into the same log round where a splitting maul bounced, will get stuck so hard it will make you rethink life.

Thus, I think the "narrow, almost chisel-like with very flat cheeks" sounds a lot like the grind used on a splitting maul to me. And, probably striking the grain perpendicular on the limb (big no-no).

File: firewood.jpg (72KB, 1100x870px)

72KB, 1100x870px

>>1027827

Axes aren't memes. They're a complement to the saw imo. Neither is much use on its own. I take a full 30" bow saw and a Gransfors Forest Axe on most camping trips. Firewood is a real chore, better to get it done efficiently.

>>1027827
Hatchets are for splitting logs on a stump, tough work with a foldable saw

>>1028686
i thought they were circumcising infant ents

>>1027827
>pros
You can post here about them with your fellow LARPing spergs
>cons
There is no reason to bring either

>>1031097
>There is no reason to bring either

say that again when it's -20 out

>hurr durr everyone has the same climate as me

>>1027827

Saws use a lot more of your energy if you're a skinny faggot.

Axes otherwise.

So, it depends on your build.

>>1031355
>Saws use a lot more of your energy if you're a skinny faggot.

I mean fat faggot

Skinny faggot is bad with an axe

hatchet:
+ fun
+ fast
- heavier and bulkier than a folding saw

folding saw:

+ don't waste all your energy chopping
+ light and portable
- really only suitable for small branches. Otherwise it takes forever

>>1032957
>+ fast
>- really only suitable for small branches. Otherwise it takes forever

sounds like you've not used a proper saw before.

I can guarantee you I could saw through a log with my folding bucksaw faster than you could buck through it with a hatchet.

pretty sure you must have a pruning saw in mind (like a bahco laplander or silky)

>>1031136
>mountain climbers and polar explorers use hatchets and folding saws
Really makes you baton your wood

Hatchets are suitable for murder while saws are suitable for bushcraft and a little bit of torture. It's a right-tool-for-the-job sorta thing.

>>1033071
don't be obtuse for the sake of it.

you know fine well you don't need to be up a mountain or in the arctic to have -20 temp.

>>1033018
>I can guarantee you I could saw through a log with my folding bucksaw faster than you could buck through it with a hatchet.
depends on the diameter. above 4 inches the saw is definitely faster under 3 inches the axe will do it faster cause it's one or two hits all it takes.

>>1033072
nah, hatchets and axes made for woodwork are shit weapons really fucking crap. unless your victim is tied down already.

on the other end of the spectrum shepherds axes and tomahawks are usable for fighting but really crap at woodwork and chopping.

>>1033299
If it's under 4" in diameter just break it with your damn foot.

The ONLY thing a hatchet is actually useful for is splitting pre-cut firewood down for kindling, and even then it's usually faster to go gather up an armload of sticks and twigs.

>>1033372
>just break it with your damn foot
only works it it's long dead and semi-rotten.
>The ONLY thing a hatchet is actually useful for is splitting pre-cut firewood down for kindling
yeah no you can do just about any woodwork and crafting with a single hatchet. it's basically the best all around tool to have.

>>1033372
if you can't chop logs faster than you saw them, you must be physically weak

>*sawwwwsawwwwwwwsawwwwwwsawwwwwsawwwwwsawwwwsawwwwwsawwww*

>>1032957

Nailed it. /thread

>>1033742
>Nailed it.
I checked that post anon and it doesn't look anything at all like ya mum. I don't understand.

>>1033307
>hatchets and axes made for woodwork are shit weapons
You're a shit weapon, buddy.

A hatchet can fuck shit up.

>>1028014
GB axes are the shit. That's also more like $200 max for both of those if you can't shop.

>>1033742
samefag detected

how you can claim a hatchet is faster than a saw ....

>>1033772
that's not why they are shit weapons. they are shit weapons because the weight is too much and the weight distribution is hellishly wrong for combat.

weapons must be better balanced and agile, because you have to retrieve them fast after a miss or parry, but the opposite is true for tools like hammers and axes where there is no need for that.

File: 8C6E72E0-3597-41EC-A3A4-4DD8A2B2F178-29659-00000CDACBE79D02.gif (5MB, 400x267px)

5MB, 400x267px

>>1033747

>>1033775
just the axe is more than $230 and the saw is around $160

You guys should watch dis https://youtu.be/4vOBNPAs1oA

File: Screen Shot 2017-05-31 at 9.11.45 AM.png (4MB, 2556x1518px)

4MB, 2556x1518px

>>1034041
not him btw

>>1028014
>i have a fiskars hatchet
I have one, I used it a couple times and the blade has dents in it. And no I didnt hit a rock with it.

>>1036615
>I used it a couple times and the blade has dents in it.
you should end it back, some of them have faulty heat treat. not a frequent phenomenon, they will replace it without question. mine is pretty god damn fine. used it for about 2 hours i actually hit small stones in the dirt with it a few times, i barely see any signs of use on the edge. it cuts deep and well.

File: Timahawk.jpg (144KB, 1087x725px)

144KB, 1087x725px

>>1027827

>Since we have an Ax discussion going...

Has anybody picked up one of these?

I saw them at a show some months back and they caught my interest but want to do some more homework before I jump to any conclusions

If you are not felling a tree, anything more than a hatchet is an overkill for normal camping. Saw is good and all, but fuck if I'm going to touch that wretched thing ever again when I mostly do a day hiking and few hits from hatchet is enough to open a stump to build a fire.

>>1038056
An excellent tool to throw into trash bin.

File: 1490831817941.jpg (91KB, 694x842px) Image search: [Google]

91KB, 694x842px

>>1038079
kek

is that you, fireboots? >>1038056

I find that anything smaller than a 'camp axe' is just begging for injury. Tomahawks can not be safely used for splitting wood unless you lay the log down horizontally and strike into the side.

A camp axe is my favorite size of axe for everything. Kindling is ridiculously fast, but you can fell a large tree easily enough too. Hell of a lot safer than smaller axes.

A basque axe might not be a bad idea. The head is hung like a mattock, so you can remove the head. If you break the handle, you can very, very easily make a new one in the field.

File: WP_20170616_13_38_13_Pro.jpg (334KB, 1600x900px)

334KB, 1600x900px

used a folding saw for the first time on a fallen tree. made some great logs that i chopped into kindling with my fiskars™ x7 hatchet but i had to stop because i got this burn from the sawing without noticing.

how can i avoid this next time. gloves?

>>1039371
stronger grip

>>1039373
i thought it might be that too, i really wasn't paying any attention to my grip. should i even bother with gloves? i've got some cycling gloves that have hardened areas right where i got the burn, but i'm not sure if it'd do any good.

>>1039371
>>1039375
gloves are always a good idea.

they don't have to be heavy duty work gloves but put it this way

>protection from splinters
>protection from heat when tending fire
>protection from cuts, scraps etc
>protection from dirt, maximises your cleanliness for when you're eating cooking
>protection from cold and wind

I always pack gloves going out, ESPECIALLY if I'm planning on doing any woodwork / bushcraft

>>1039409
alright, i guess i'll bring my gloves next time. hope it heals soon, because i had a lot of fun

>>1039423
it will and your skin will be tougher, you could just build up callouses like a man

>>1028668
>Firewood is a real chore
It is. I too like to have a real bow saw with me.