My Story

While an undergraduate student at the University of Vermont I was the president and a founding member of the Woodsmen club sports team. We competed in competitions all across the Northeast. During the competition season I spent hours and hours practicing my axe work. By the end of my senior year, I competed in the Stihl Timbersports Eastern qualifier and won the hard hit underhand chop event at the 2016 Spring Meet in Alfred NY.

My love of wood chopping and fascination with the sport brought me to become interested in grinding and making my own race axes. A race axe needs to be able to endure an intense amount of stress while maintaining a razor sharp thin edge. In order for it to be able to do that, the axe needs to have a very specific geometry. With the equipment that I have for bladesmithing and knifemaking I am able to grind a precise bevel to within a degree of tolerance.

A race axe in production

Sugar Shack Forge Axes

As of 2021 I am now producing my own line of axes! I am producing precision machined and ground utility and race axes here in the United States. I have partnered with a small machine shop to CNC mill my designs out of S7 tool steel. This steel is incredibly tough at higher hardness, which makes it ideal for axes. Each axe blank has an induction hardened bit and a hardened poll.

These axes are finished in small batches here at Sugar Shack Forge in Traverse City, Mi.

Sugar Shack Forge Race Axe Sugar Shack Forge Race Axe Sugar Shack Forge Race Axe Sugar Shack Forge Race Axe
Sold out
Sugar Shack Forge Race Axe
from $410.00

The Sugar Shack Forge Racing axe is the result of years of race axe grinding and competing. I was frustrated with axes that were hard to grind, inconsistent and didn’t use the best steel for the job. This axe comes with precision CNC machined in wings, hollow and chisel. It is machined to match the way I grind an axe for most US wood used in competition. This axe is designed to be the easiest to grind axe out there. In theory, you could throw an edge on it and it would cut.

This axe is not designed as a work axe. It is purpose built to be a competition axe to be used only in clear, green US competition wood (poplar, aspen, pine, etc). This axe can be modified to cut other species of wood, upon request.

Any unground blank that is purchased does not carry any guarantee due to the inherent risk of user modification.

Specs:

Dimensions - 7.5” x 7.5”

Head weight - 5.6lbs

Steel - S7 @ 58-59hrc

Grind - 14deg 0.5” chisel w/ a 120” radius hollow

Sugar Shack Forge Springboard/Womans Axe - Coming soon!
Sold out
Sugar Shack Forge Springboard/Womans Axe - Coming soon!
from $371.00

The springboard/woman’s axe is a slightly smaller version of the full sized racer.

This axe is not designed as a work axe. It is purpose built to be a competition axe to be used only in clear, green US competition wood (poplar, aspen, pine, etc). This axe can be modified to cut other species of wood, upon request.

Any unground blank that is purchased does not carry any guarantee due to the inherent risk of user modification.

Specs:

Dimensions - 7.5” x 7.35”

Head weight - 5.2lbs

Steel - S7 @ 58-59hrc

Grind - 14deg 0.625” chisel w/ a 120” radius hollow

Sugar Shack Forge No Frills Race Axe Blank - Coming soon!
Sold out
Sugar Shack Forge No Frills Race Axe Blank - Coming soon!
$280.00

A quality race axe is often prohibitively expensive. Many times I’ve found myself purchasing inferior axes because they were less expensive. The No Frills Axe Blank is my response to that. It is the same dimensions as the full size racer, but only has a machined 14deg flat. To keep costs lower this blank doesn’t have any machined hollow or wings. If you are willing to grind a blank yourself to save some money, this is the axe for you!

Any unground blank that is purchased does not carry any guarantee due to the inherent risk of user modification.

Specs:

Dimensions - 7.5” x 7.5”

Head weight - 5.96lbs

Steel - S7 @ 58-59hrc

Grind - 14deg machined flat

*This is a budget option that is only available as an un-ground blank

Restored Hults Bruks Tasmanian pattern axe

Photo: Landick Photography

Axe Restoration

For me, restoration means to bring something (i.e. an axe) that was abused or is in poor condition back to a usable or better than new state.

One of the reasons I like restoring vintage axes is because I get to take a piece of history and return it to its original function. When I first started collecting axes I would go to yard sales, flea markets, and auctions looking for old, rusty axes. I took these axe heads, cleaned the rust off, re-sharpened and hung them on a new handle. With a little work I was able to bring these old axes back to life and they oftentimes performed better than a new axe right off the shelf.

A restored axe is a piece of history that you can use. It is a tool, perfected in a bygone era, that can be brought back to life and put back to in the woods.

Restoration Services

Clean and Sharpen

Performance Grind

Axe Modification

Pricing

  • Clean and sharpen - $45 base price

    • This includes rust removal, a freshly sharpened edge and any damage repair

  • Performance grind - $65 base price

    • Clean and sharpen, but with a thinner, higher performance grind. Thinning behind the bevel may be required.

  • Axe modification - $75 base price

    • Axe modification can cover a wide range of outcomes. In essence it is taking an axe head and grinding it into a new shape, either for artistic or performance reasons.

  • Axe hanging - $75 + Handle cost

    • I offer a wide range of handle option, from over the counter to premium custom handles made in house

*Pricing may change based on the condition of the axe and the amount of work involved.

Axe Restoration Contact Form

If you would like to contact me about restoring a vintage axe or tool for you please get in touch with me using the form below

Please send pictures of the axe you would like restored to Ethan.Goss@sugarshackforge.com