The GRÄNSFORS WILDLIFE AXE by Tyr Neilsen
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There are axes, and then there are the Swedish Gränsfors Bruk axes. My absolute favorite is the Gränsfors Wildlife traditional scouting and camping axe, which is beautiful, efficient and raw, and puts the joy back into manual labor.
The Wildlife’s steel axe head is shaped and weighted flawlessly, with a thick convex edge that produces plenty of splitting power. The cutting edge is polished and sharp and cuts clean every time. The hickory haft is straight and clear and hung with skill, so that even after a lot of outdoors use it stays solid. Splitting wood with this beauty is not a chore, it’s a pleasure.
At 1.3 pounds (0.6 kg) and 13.5 inches (35cm) in total length, the Wildlife axe is practical for carrying in or on a backpack. It also comes with a custom leather sheath that is shaped to cover the edge and top part of the butt/poll, making sure it can be carried safely and stops the edge from cutting into a backpack.
The Wildlife axe is a serious ‘must have’ piece of equipment that is great at chopping trees, lopping off large branches and splitting small logs for a campfire. This fantastic ‘all-rounder’ easily cuts sticks and feathers them and can also be used for carving.
The word ‘bruk’ means work, but can be translated in several ways. Sagbruk translates to sawmill for example whilst Jernbruk translates to ironworks. Gränsfors bruk dates back to the late 19th century, when Johan Pettersson, a scythe smith, moved with his family and brother Anders, from one part of Sweden called Älvdalen to another area called Gränsfors.
There they set up Gränsfors Scythe Forge, and in 1902 Anders bought another scythe forge in Gränsfors, which formed the basis for Gränsfors Bruk’s Axe Forge, a place where they forged both scythes and axes.
During the last 119 years, Gränsfors Bruk has changed ownership many times, was almost shut down due to the competition from the saw, the industrialization of forestry, financial crisis and other legal issues. Throughout the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s, the use of an axe in the logging industry dwindled due in large to chainsaws being widely used for forestry work.
The chainsaw meant that more work could be done with fewer forest workers. As a result, fewer people used an axe, and the demand for axes fell dramatically. By the late 70’s, the chainsaw had completely taken over in the forestry industry and axe customers disappeared. In 1985, Gränsfors Bruk went bankrupt and was bought by Svedbro Smide, which sold off its forestry tools business.
Like most other tool manufacturers, Gränsfors Bruk had started focusing on producing axes as quickly and cheaply as possible, which led to poorer function and quality. Thankfully, in the midst of all this and the promise of industrialization, Olle Andersson, a self-taught engineering genius, kept all the Gränsfors Bruk production equipment up to scratch for 30 years, enabling Gränsfors Bruk to focus again on quality.
In the late 1980s, Gränsfors Bruk went back to their traditional, craft-based system of production. Gränsfors Bruk experts studied all available information on axes and axe design. Old axes were analysed, practical tests were carried out, and many old axe forgers and axe users were consulted, always with the goal of creating better craftsmanship and a more eco-friendly and attractive product.
Much of this information about axes is contained in ‘The Axe Book’, which accompanies every axe sold by Gränsfors.
