Handmade by professional smiths in a small factory in Sweden, Gransfors axes have grace, heft, and balance that reflect genuine design and craftsmanship. The Large Swedish Carving Axe was developed with master carver Wille Sundqvist and Onni Linnanheimo from old Swedish patterns, built for roughing out large carvings where an axe removes in one stroke what a knife takes forty to match.
The long, curved 4-1/2-in cutting edge sits well above the eye, and the wide bevel registers against the wood so you feel the cut: controlled, shearing strokes rather than brute chopping. Choose the symmetrical grind, which works for either hand and is the one we recommend if you are new to axe carving, or a left or right grind, where a long, slightly concave bevel rides the wood for support. Gransfors suggests the left grind for right-handers and the right grind for left-handers, but plenty of carvers disagree, so the symmetrical grind is the safe pick. For bowl blanks, spoon stock, sculpture, and serious green woodworking, it is the starting tool.
Specifications:
- Options: Double (symmetrical) grind; Left grind; Right grind
- Model: 475, large carving axe
- Cutting edge: 4-1/2 in, curved
- Head: 2 lb
- Handle: 14-1/2-in oiled hickory
- Symmetrical grind: bevel both sides with a slight right-hand bias; the versatile choice for new axe carvers
- Left grind: short bevel on the right, long slightly concave bevel on the left; Gransfors' usual recommendation for right-handers
- Right grind: short bevel on the left, long slightly concave bevel on the right; usually for left-handers, though preferences vary
- Includes: full-grain leather sheath and the Gransfors Axe Book; honed and ready
- Made in: Gransfors, Sweden by Gransfors Bruk
