pgrbff
Established Member
I like the Bahco, I use a large Bahco splitting axe to split the larger stuff.
Edit. Tell a lie, I have Fiskars, not Bahco
Last edited:
Quality Froe
- Thread starter pgrbff
- Start date
Help Support UKworkshop.co.uk:
Edit. Tell a lie, I have Fiskars, not Bahco
stuart little
Established Member
Yorkieguy
Established Member
I think a hatchet such as one of those would be far more convenient to use to cut kindling than a Froe, which to my mind looks ill suited for cutting kindling, but at 92€ (for 'second grade'!) those Swedish ones look rather expensive for such a basic task, which calls for no finesse.
Castrorama in France sell various hatchets which I'd have thought more than acceptable. ((I think Castorama operates in Italy too, but I couldn't bring anything up on their website). If you ordered a hatchet online from Castorama in France you wouldn't have any complications of import duties, VAT etc if you bought from outside the EU.
You only need a small one such as this one, which is 900g and costs 26.9€
https://www.castorama.fr/hache-magnusson-900g/5059340086422_CAFR.prd
They have lots of others.
In the UK, Amazon sell Spear & Jackson Drop forged carbon steel hatchets with hickory shafts.
Bizarrely, they give the dimensions in metric, and the weight in Imperial. The UK went metric in 1965 and from 1974 teaching in the metric system in British schools has the primary measurement system has been compulsory. I guess Amazon UK hasn't caught up with it yet, or maybe it's a Spear and Jackson throwback to yesteryear?
1.5Lb to 6.5Lb £23.28 - £32.52
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Spear-Jack...&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583520383253138&th=1
Spear & Jackson Group is, a UK-head quartered subsidiary of the Hong-Kong based SNH Global Holdings Limited (“SNH”), a diversified holding company with principal operating divisions in the UK, France, Australia, China and Canada. (It has activities in 115 countries, by far the most will use the metric system).
Happy kindle cutting whatever tool you choose.
Ttrees
Iroko loco!
Is it possible to cold bend a leaf spring, say from an old trailer , they already have a pipe on the end.?
Inspector
Nyuck, Nyuck, Nyuck!
I know this is more than your budget but something like this might be safer for your wife to use. Even if she is well versed in axes it only takes one miss by the misses to end up missing a t'umb.
https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/sho...71432-softwood-kindling-splitter?item=65U1510
One on an eBay near you.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/33457567...rdFF7yW5y4n59MxDbO6bVOdqO3|tkp:Bk9SR7bv4of1YA
https://www.stikkan.net/stikkan.php
Pete
https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/sho...71432-softwood-kindling-splitter?item=65U1510
One on an eBay near you.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/33457567...rdFF7yW5y4n59MxDbO6bVOdqO3|tkp:Bk9SR7bv4of1YA
https://www.stikkan.net/stikkan.php
Pete
Being Swedish I of course think ypu should get the gränsfors axe, they are beautiful tools and come sharp enough to use. Dull axes are dangerous, which my left foot discovered when I was around nine or ten years old.
For really small kindling a basic mora knife is always useful, just whack it on the back with a piece of firewood to split small stuff.
For really small kindling a basic mora knife is always useful, just whack it on the back with a piece of firewood to split small stuff.
Jorny, do you mean froe?
I looked at all of these the other day. I have a local mill good enough that I never need to rive anything - they can find better wood than I would be able to find to rive and if I'm willing to pay, they will saw it as well as anyone in the world.
However, I noticed most of these froes from $30-$150 are steel pipe with bar welded to the pipe. If the weld is good, that should never be an issue.
It looks like the gransfors froe is actually forged with an eye. Unless they have a way to do the weld really neatly - not sure.
I owuld think an individual could make a froe just as good as the welded type with a piece of flat bar stock and a collar for the head of the handle to keep it from splitting. AS in, insert the bar stock in the handle, drill through and use a sheet metal collar for the head and just below the slot to prevent a split from propagating....
...and that would be a lot of effort compared to testing the weld on a cheap froe.
I'd be curious if any of the other froes are one-piece.
I looked at all of these the other day. I have a local mill good enough that I never need to rive anything - they can find better wood than I would be able to find to rive and if I'm willing to pay, they will saw it as well as anyone in the world.
However, I noticed most of these froes from $30-$150 are steel pipe with bar welded to the pipe. If the weld is good, that should never be an issue.
It looks like the gransfors froe is actually forged with an eye. Unless they have a way to do the weld really neatly - not sure.
I owuld think an individual could make a froe just as good as the welded type with a piece of flat bar stock and a collar for the head of the handle to keep it from splitting. AS in, insert the bar stock in the handle, drill through and use a sheet metal collar for the head and just below the slot to prevent a split from propagating....
...and that would be a lot of effort compared to testing the weld on a cheap froe.
I'd be curious if any of the other froes are one-piece.
It's easier just to split the end of the kindling laying instead of length wise, or turn a short hatchet on its back, put a clamp on it so it doesn't tip and tap the kindling onto the hatchet with a hammer.
Indeed it is. As shown in this vid.
And I would be far happier having something I made myself.
In all honesty, this diy job has produced a very nice tool.
Impressed with 1:17 - safety first
Last edited:
Pgbrff linked to the gränsfors hatchet above (in swedish all axes are called axes unless you go in to ones used for making logs for cabins or executing people), to my mind they are more useful than a froe, with the caveat that I have never used a froe for firewood.
I am pretty sure that the Gränsfors froe is forged with an eye. I only handled one once. They are very nice. The Gränsfors froe is probably priced a bit high to keep the number of orders down.
well, the cost at distribution is probably more in the states than other places. It'd be easy to say that they should make a froe out of one integral piece of good steel with the eye punched in when hot and for $100, but that's not realistic.
hatchets are generally used for kindling here, too. If safety is an issue, they can be left dull (not great) or the two things done that I mentioned above. I think safety will always be an issue when a hatchet is really sharp and there's an attempt to make the kindling very small.
hatchets are generally used for kindling here, too. If safety is an issue, they can be left dull (not great) or the two things done that I mentioned above. I think safety will always be an issue when a hatchet is really sharp and there's an attempt to make the kindling very small.
profchris
Established Member
For kindling I'd look for something more like this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Faithfull-FAIAXEKINDL-Kindling-Stick-Chopper/dp/B00IT3QYUK
Easier to manoeuvre than a hand axe, so fingers might be safer.
A fro is designed to split long branches, or wide but shorter logs, in both cases using the handle to guide it to an even split. Typical uses are splitting coppice poles for hurdles, or splitting roofing shingles.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Faithfull-FAIAXEKINDL-Kindling-Stick-Chopper/dp/B00IT3QYUK
Easier to manoeuvre than a hand axe, so fingers might be safer.
A fro is designed to split long branches, or wide but shorter logs, in both cases using the handle to guide it to an even split. Typical uses are splitting coppice poles for hurdles, or splitting roofing shingles.
Last edited:
When I needed to cleave 8ft long chestnut 5-6" poles to make our pergola I used a sharp bill hook and mallet. I managed to control the split most times ok but if I ever need to do it again, I will buy a Ray Iles Froe.
stuart little
Established Member
I wouldn't think so seeing as they are tempered steel , more likely to snap as they do on vehicles.
what we'd probably like to know is if it's a forge weld - a good metal to metal forge weld will be 70-90% of the strength of the steel if it were one piece.
As to the question above about whether or not you can bend a truck or car leaf spring, yes, you can. But there are two issues:
1) it's spring temper, so you're more likely to bend it less than you'd need to to get it to take a set. You'd be better putting it in a jig and applying tempering heat and holding it there. Not realistic
2) if you get an older spring off of a vehicle, there's a not insignificant chance that it will be fatigued from use with cracking in it
They're 5160 steel. 5160 is pretty cheap. An 18" length 1/4th thick and 2" tall is $14 from a knife supply place. In quantity, it would probably be a couple of dollars per pound at the most, but trouble for small makers is figuring out how to get new stock both at a good price and without a huge shipping cost.
Not sure what gransfors would use - 5160 or something under the eutectoid limit (so 0.75% carbon or lower) is typical for general purpose axes and such because it is very hard to break/fragment at fileable temper.
As to the question above about whether or not you can bend a truck or car leaf spring, yes, you can. But there are two issues:
1) it's spring temper, so you're more likely to bend it less than you'd need to to get it to take a set. You'd be better putting it in a jig and applying tempering heat and holding it there. Not realistic
2) if you get an older spring off of a vehicle, there's a not insignificant chance that it will be fatigued from use with cracking in it
They're 5160 steel. 5160 is pretty cheap. An 18" length 1/4th thick and 2" tall is $14 from a knife supply place. In quantity, it would probably be a couple of dollars per pound at the most, but trouble for small makers is figuring out how to get new stock both at a good price and without a huge shipping cost.
Not sure what gransfors would use - 5160 or something under the eutectoid limit (so 0.75% carbon or lower) is typical for general purpose axes and such because it is very hard to break/fragment at fileable temper.
Adam W.
A Major Clanger
You're over thinking it D-W.
It's a froe....For splitting wood.
It's a froe....For splitting wood.
It could be mild steel bar stock if someone wanted to make it over and over with heavy use. But I doubt even that would be more than every several years.
Less to do with what will work - the $33 versions should work fine, especially with light work.
More a curiosity of what gransfors is doing because they aren't just patterning something in jigs and CNC or welding bits together - they have the means to make something like this out of a billet and then forge it out to length, but probably not the will. The work around the weld is tidy - I couldn't see that it was welded in smaller store/listing photos.
Adam W.
A Major Clanger
They have to pay their wages, taxes, the running costs of the forge and their advertising. So there's going to be a big difference in cost between what they make and what someone with the tools can make in their shed.
As long as it doesn't break or bend and the handle lasts, I'm happy to pay what they want, as it saves me loads of grief trying to make one. I've been using it since 2005 and I paid £70 for it, so I've got my monies worth.
Plus, I'd rather buy European than Chinese any day of the week.
As long as it doesn't break or bend and the handle lasts, I'm happy to pay what they want, as it saves me loads of grief trying to make one. I've been using it since 2005 and I paid £70 for it, so I've got my monies worth.
Plus, I'd rather buy European than Chinese any day of the week.
