How to Sharpen an Axe – CRATEX

Abraham Lincoln said it best. Given six hours to take down a tree, he would take four hours to first properly sharpen the axe. That goes to show just how important having a sharp tool for a job really is. So, if you want to know how to sharpen an axe, the first and the most important advice we have for you is take your time, don’t rush it.

What good is doing the most important part of axe maintenance quickly, only to find yourself struggling to chop off the tiniest of branches? A bit of head-scratching later and you’re back to the sharpening table, so to speak. Again, do it slowly and with great care. An axe is your friend and companion, and it deserves careful and respectful treatment.

So, back to the question of how to sharpen an axe. We are going to take you through the story slowly, carefully explaining every step of the way, leading you by the hand to the end of the road where the sharpest of axes awaits buried in a tree, waiting for your hand to grip it tightly.

Too poetic? Perhaps, but we’re just trying to illustrate the importance of proper axe maintenance and sharpening. So, there are four crucial steps, and we’re going to explain them all. Next, we’re going to take you through the tried and proven method of axe sharpening, step by step. Hopefully, by the time you’ve finished reading this, you’ll be a couple of steps closer to never again having a blunt axe in your hand.

Shaping

So, to begin with, let’s explain the first step in the process. Shaping is a good way to start off the sharpening, as it remodels the edge to its original shape and size. Also, shaping is a crucial step if the axe head is severely damaged. In this situation, you have to first reach the perfect shape, and reinstate the bevel edge.

So, basically, start off with your best file and reinstate the edge. The trick is not to overheat the edge while doing this, as it can lose its properties. Cool often and make pauses while working with the file.

Grinding

The second step is grinding. This can sometimes become the first step, if the axe head is only slightly worn or damaged. You can afford to skip the shaping with a file, as there sometimes is no need for that.

You will usually use a bench grinder for this step. Basically, the component that is different is the whetstone itself. Whetstones are usually made of silicon carbide or sandstone.

Whatever the whetstone of your choice is, just make sure to keep the bevel shape. The axes whose heads are straight also have to be just a bit convex in order to do their job properly. Too straight and it can break while performing a task. The trick with grinding is, again, to work slowly, and pay close attention to the curvature of the edge.

Honing

The final step in the way, honing, or, as many people perceive, the actual sharpening of the axe. If you’ve been wondering about how to sharpen an axe, this is the step where you actually do it in the basic sense of the word. Everything up to now has been the preparation.

So, this is where your axe becomes the perfect chopping machine, ready to tackle any tree you put in front of it. For this step, you will need different whetstones, each used one after the other, getting the edge to that final sharp glisten.

An optional final step is to use a leather strop. You should still take your time and make your axe the best it can be, so why skip anything? All right, now that you know the basic parts the process, time to get into the details. We will explain every step of the way of the process we think is the best, and we hope you will find it useful too.

Step 1 – The Assessment

To begin with, assess the state your axe is currently in. Sometimes, an axe needs just a quick touch-up, a quick sharpening to return it to its not-so-distant glory. Mind you, not that this quick touch-up should be done quickly. It only means it’s a process that doesn’t take as long as the full how to sharpen an axe routine.

So, inspect the head of your axe for any potential dents or even crack in the edge. This constitutes serious damage, and if this occurs, you should always begin by reshaping the bevel edge with a file. Although we always recommend this step, it can sometimes be avoided in its entirety.

If the damage is less severe, it means your axe is in pretty good shape and you don’t have to worry about not being able to sharpen it properly. Ok, so you’ve assessed the state of the axe, now let’s get on with it.

Step 2 – The Preparation

Now, we need to prepare the field for your axe to shine again. We’re going to be sharpening our axe mostly by hand, as not everybody has advanced tools at their disposal. You can call this the everyman’s how to sharpen an axe guide.

The first thing you need to do is place a wedge of any kind beneath the head. We prefer to use wood, but you can use anything else instead. Just try not to use anything plastic, as the heat can increase during the process, and you don’t want that smoldering smell rummaging around your nostrils.

By slightly elevating the head, you increase the stability during the process, while also making it easier for yourself to reach every angle of the blade edge. The head should be horizontal with the table, the edge protruding over it, to ease the work you’re going to be doing.

Next, clamp the handle of the axe to the workbench or worktable. You can secure it to a vise as well, but, as we’ve said, this is the everyman’s guide, and some folk don’t have that. Secure it nice and tight, as you don’t want your axe to move about while you’re tending to the edge. This is also the point at which you should start wearing gloves. Cuts sustained while sharpening an axe can be serious, and they can certainly spoil the entire experience. Why ruin the fun?

Finally, if you see a need for it, you can use a permanent marker to mark the edge. We recommend doing this if you’re a beginner, as it is easy to lose sight of where the edge of the axe should finish. This way, you will save yourself the trouble of potentially having to reshape the axe blade again after going to deeply into the head.

Step 3 – The Filing

Now it’s time to begin the actual process of sharpening. We know you’ve been eagerly awaiting to really get your hands into it, but we have to note this once again – the assessment and the preparation are just as vital as taking a file and starting the “actual” work. Without proper preparation, chances are you’ll end up doing a less than satisfactory job.

So, take the file, position it at an angle corresponding with the angle of the bevel edge, and start filing by moving your hand in the opposite direction to the edge. So, away from the edge, toward yourself. Adjust the angle during the process if necessary, so as to always move file perfectly along the cutting edge.

The perfect angle of an axe that will primarily be used for tasks such as chopping is between twenty and twenty-five degrees. You can angle guides to measure the angle if you’re can’t roughly determine the angle by looking at it. Not many people can actually, you need a ton of experience for that.

It is during this part of the process that potential chips in the edge will be revealed. Don’t fret, you can remove them. Small chips are normal for an axe that has seen its days in the woods, but if there are any larger ones, you may need to straighten that part of the edge. You can do this by skating the file along the edge, truing-up the cutting edge, removing the chips. Even if some smaller chips endure, you will remove them later, no need to worry.

When finished with one side of the edge, simply flip it over, secure it and tighten again, and repeat the process, removing any chips along the way. The perfect time to flip the head over is after filing about ¼” from the edge. The only trick to all of this is to count your file strokes. Try to use the same number for both sides of the axe. This way, they will be as close to identical as humanly possible during the sharpening process.

And voila, the filing is finished. As mentioned a couple of time before, if you maintain your axe properly and frequently, you can skip this step. We feel you should never skip it, just to make sure your axe is always in tip top shape.

Step 4 – The Stoning

Just kidding about the name of this step. This is the part where you grind the edge of your axe in a finer manner than with a file. As said, this is where you use the whetstones to get your axe closer to perfection. However, although we have mentioned bench grinders earlier, we are going to skip that step here and go straight to honing.

Not everybody has access to a bench grinder, and this guide should serve everybody. Don’t think that you not using a belt or a bench grinder will make your axe unworthy. Far from it. Such machines just make the entire process a bit faster, that’s all.

So, take a coarse stone, and start honing your edge. The direction you should move the whetstone in should be identical to the direction you filed in. Do it slowly, paying close attention to the angle, as it should never be too steep. Do this on side, then flip your axe over and do it again. Also, as with filing, try to count the strokes, and make sure you use the same number for each side.

Once you finish honing both sides with a coarse whetstone, repeat the process again, but using softer and smoother whetstones along the way. Medium grit will fit perfectly. Once you finish using the smoothest of whetstones at your disposal, you can stop and admire your axe. It should be glowing with sharpness, while you should be glowing with pride of making your axe breathe a new life.

Or, you can continue if you want to, and we know you want to. Shy stop when you can sharpen your axe a tad more. Yeah, we know you would continue reading. So, the final step of the final step – the stropping.

Use a good piece of strong, sturdy leather, place it on the table, and work the edge of your axe by pulling it away. This will remove any bur that may still plague the edge, while also adding that final speck of sharpness to it. The only thing to make sure while doing this is to hit every point of the cutting edge. Just a couple of strokes on both sides and you’re finished.

Lastly, if you really want to see just how sharp your axe has become, to see if our how to sharpen an axe journey has yielded results, you do have to test it. And let us stop you right away. You don’t have to go running about, trying to find a sequoia worthy of being chopped. All you need to do to test your axe is to roll up your sleeves, and treat your arms to a bit of as dry shave. An axe that is truly sharp should take the hair right off your arm, without so much as a scrape. Only then are you ready to put on your plaids and go out into the wild.