ASK AN EXPERTDescription
- Hand sharpened, tapered bit for cutting and light splitting
- ANSI Standards call for bit hardness of Rc 45-60, at least 1/2 inch back from the cutting edge. Council Tool internal standards call for tempered bit hardness of Rc 48-55 and we target 1-1/4 inches from the cutting edge
- The poll end is also heat treated
- Head coated with boiled Linseed Oil over the as forged finish
- 24 in. curved American hickory handle. Eye section is dried to below 10% moisture content to minimize shrinkage and help prevent loosening. Hafted high and proud
- Axe head is hydraulically seated onto handle and secured with a traditional double wedge system
- Approximately 1-1/4 in. of overall length of the handle is removed during assembly
One of the axes that received a recent design upgrade, is the COUNCIL TOOL Hudson Bay Camp Axe. This new 'old-school' design is one that will have a taller eye, to allow for a more secure and stable connection to the handle. With a larger poll, balanced head, and wedge shape of the blade, it will be a safer, ergonomic, and more efficient tool to use in the woods, at camp, on the homestead, while trapping, or within the tree service industry.
The geometry of the blade/cheeks have more of a wedge shape, but still have a high centerline, to make it a better splitting axe for campfire wood. The head has a similar weight to the previous design, but will be balanced for better control, and allow for more accurate strike placements, especially when swung one-handed. This will make the axe safer and easier to use. They are now hardening the extended poll (back of the axe head), so that it can be used like a hammer, if the need arises.
Highlighting this added benefit of a hardened poll, will help to promote the axe and draw industry wide attention, as Council Tool would be producing one of the only Hudson Bay axes, on the market with this design feature. This new 'old-school' axe head pattern was inspired by many of the design details, found in some of the older and vintage Hudson Bay axes, which were used the first half of the 1900s, and are still highly collectable today.
