Blade: Trinity

Don’t worry, there will be no mention of tax-evading action stars or heart-throb vampires, though our subject has drawn it's share of blood. We will be talking about the world of cutlery, one of Man's oldest tools. I use edged tools in many aspects of life, and i've broken them down into three distinct arenas: Cooking, Camping, and Every Day Carry. (EDC) We'll explore all of these topics in good time, as well as steel types, designs, functions and more. Today's focus is on camping tools, specifically the hatchet.

My home-made solution; you'll see it again.

When hiking into the backcountry, I bring along three edged tools; my trusty Gerber sport axe, a medium fixed blade, and a folding pocket knife. The hatchet chops firewood and pounds tent stakes. The folder makes quick work of mundane tasks like opening food packages and whittling. The fixed blade is more a survival tool, used for cleaning fish and game as need be, as well as shelter making if things get really ugly. It's also the blade I'm not sure I need to carry on every trip. Because of that, I've tried several different ones, and even made my own. The fixed blade saga deserves it's own treatment, and I promise it's on the way. Let's talk about the axe.

Fiskars, Finland

I received my Gerber axe as a Christmas gift about ten years ago. Since then, it's earned it's spot as my constant companion in the woods. I've split firewood in some far-flung places; an uninhabited island in Lake Superior, the Red River Gorge in Kentucky, on the Appalachian Trail in the Berkshires, and even made quick work of some bookshelves that had to go. It's a tough, well balanced tool that takes an edge well and swings naturally. Firewood is critical to camping success, as fire becomes a central figure deep in the backcountry. It provides warmth, light, the means to cook, and a task to focus on. Everyone in the hiking party has a job in the woods; there are no spectators. Some are adept fire-builders, while others use their mastery of knots to hang clotheslines, and gear slings. Most people can put up a modern tent, but everyone can gather firewood. It takes distinct types of fuel for a good fire, (tinder, pencilwood, bigger stuff, slow burning logs) and plenty of it if you want fire for more than a few minutes. Most of what you gather will have to be processed into smaller pieces in camp, and that's where the axe goes to work. 

The business end.

Gerber (and parent company Fiskars, of Finland) really hit a home run with their axes. The Lexan handle is comfortable and has proven (so far) indestructible. The steel is tough and easy to sharpen.  For the occasional touch-up I use a belt sander or bench grinder.  A stone will serve just as well, but takes a bit longer. The Gerber's edge is more prone to dings than chipping and that's just fine with me. Edges that chip just won't hold up to the use and abuse that the average hatchet takes. I don't know exactly what the steel composition is, but I suspect it's 440A stainless as I've never seen a speck of rust on it. Due to higher chromium content (in place of carbon) you get better corrosion resistance, but less edge-holding ability. When examining steel alloys (as we'll do another time) everything is a trade-off.  Steel that holds a keen edge can be brittle, for example.  Other alloys offer excellent wear resistance at the expense of corrosion resistance, and so on.  The point here is, Gerber opted for a stainless steel that performs as advertised, every time.


I hope you've enjoyed the quick look at edged tools, because we've barely scratched the surface of what we'll discuss in the future. Between upcoming looks at my kitchen blades as well as my stable of pocket knives, I've got enough material to keep everyone on edge for quite some time...