From Forge to Fire: The Story of our Handcrafted Axes

Summer 2024 marks the culmination of a very special collaboration, as we unveil our hand-forged, precision-crafted axes, now available as part of our exclusive range of sauna and outdoor living accessories. Partnering with the exceptional blacksmith and outdoorsman, Joe Garnett, this winter we embarked on a journey to design and bring into being these unique, durable and extremely versatile axes that not only embody our commitment to quality but also stand as a testament to Joe’s remarkable craftsmanship.

Introducing Joe Garnett

Surrounded by woodland and in the midst of a working farm on the Devon-Somerset border, contemporary blacksmith, bladesmith and leatherworker Joe Garnett hand-forges high quality tools for use in the home and for adventures in the great outdoors. With a background in bushcraft and survival skills, Joe has a passion for creating exceptional, functional tools that are at one with an outdoor lifestyle.

“My background is actually in bushcraft and wilderness living skills - and that’s all about self-sufficiency, the idea is that you can go into the woods or an area of wilderness with a few tools and be able to not just slow down the rate at which you’re dying, but actually thrive. ”

But as well as an outdoorsman, Joe has always been a maker too. Starting with leatherwork in his teens, then woodwork, he eventually found his way to general blacksmithing and toolmaking, which he began to practice over ten years ago.

“I’ve always been a maker - I definitely got that from my parents, and in bushcraft, you’re making things all the time as well. From working with leather and wood, it felt like a natural progression to move into blacksmithing - going from softer to harder materials. And it’s still essentially the same in that you can add or take away material, but what’s magic about metal work is that you can move material as well - you can change it’s shape and form.”

The earlier part of Joe’s metalwork journey took him into restoration and conservation blacksmithing, working on National Trust properties and and old buildings around Oxfordshire, before he pursued his personal interest in tool making and began working alongside like-minded blacksmiths, forging high quality knives, axes and kitchenware. Then, last winter, following the accumulation of his experience, Joe converted an old stable into his new workshop and founded Thorn Wood Forge. The forge specialises in hand-crafted premium tools, created from high-quality materials. Each unique product is designed for both beauty and functionality.

“I think artistry has got to be a part of the vision. Without it, you just end up making things that have already been made. My background in bushcraft helps me understand the real purpose of each tool - it's about creating something that truly fits its intended use. Introducing an artistic element is really important, especially with the woodwork of the handles. They’re personal, and need to look and feel good too.”

Form, Functionality and Philosophy

Joe takes his inspiration from the outdoors and his background in bushcraft and survival skills - which is why functionality is so important in his design and craft.

“Mainly I take inspiration from the outdoors - it’s my favourite place. There’s nothing that makes you want to make tools more than using them. The satisfaction of using something you have made is awesome.”

But as well as functionality, Joe has a passion for quality, which is clearly reflected both in his work and in the materials he chooses to work with. When it came to creating our axes, Joe worked closely with the Heartwood team to create a versatile axe that is comfortable, elegant and incredibly capable.

“It’s really great working with Heartwood Saunas because it’s a company with a similar ethos, especially in terms of focusing on quality and attention to detail. It’s not just about form, its about function as well, and combining the two; it seems that everything we do aligns really well in that way. Many blacksmiths may say ‘that’ll do’ or ‘good enough for a country job’ but our workshop motto is ‘do it properly’. If you’re going to do it, spend the time, do the research and make something that’s going to last.”

The Making Process

Each Forest axe is individually handmade by Joe in at the Thorn Wood Forge workshop in Hinton St George. The initial forging process starts with punching a hole through a block of EN9 steel with a fly press to create the ‘eye’. Then, a drift is hammered through the eye and the ‘cheeks’ of the axe head are drawn down. Once the eye is stretched, the blade of the axe is spread out, sweeping out from the eye to the cutting edge. The profile of the axe head is then refined using a grinder to sharpen up the lines, before it’s taken back to the forge to undergo what Joe calls ‘breaking the corners’ - running a hammer along all the edges to create the chamfer (sloped edge), a detail which gives the axe it’s distinctive polished look.

The axe head is then meticulously inspected to ensure quality, and that it is level and even, before it is stamped, and undergoes a four-stage heat treatment protocol to refine the grain structure of the steel, then harden and temper it. The axe head is then burnished, sharpened and buffered.

The ash handle is cut and shaped with an octagonal cross-section for grip, and the ‘kerf’ (slot) is cut in the top of the handle before the head is fitted to it tightly. Then, a kiln-dried walnut wedge is driven into the kerf which spreads out the top of the handle to fill the eye and secure the axe head in place.

A brass riveted tube is inserted into the hole at the base of the handle and a short leather lanyard attached for securely hanging the axe when it’s not in use. Then, the leather sheath is hand-cut, assembled, sewn and burnished.

Versatile, Practical, Intelligent Design

Although splitting firewood for a traditional wood-fired sauna session was our first priority for the functionality of our axes, Joe worked to create a design that could fulfil the potential wider demands of an outdoor lifestyle, but feel light, comfortable and easy to use for just about anyone.

“The poll section is quite useful if you ever need to bang in a wooden wedge, or you’re taking it camping with you and you need to bang in tent pegs, but it’s narrowed off slightly on this axe, so it’s a bit lighter weight, easier to put in a daysack if that’s relevant for you, or perhaps just easier to wield, if you’re young, if you’re old, if you’re strong or you’re not so strong, having a lighter weight is really quite useful.”

“The narrowness makes it really fast and it will bite into a wood really well. If the blade is too wide it will just bounce of a piece of wet or dense wood, so you need a narrower blade to bite into it, then that speed carries the axe through to split it. The handle is made of ash which is the traditional wood to use for axe handles in the UK. Ash is a wonderful, wonderful wood. It’s an incredible species and it’s so good for so many things.”

“Anywhere you’d want to use an axe, this axe will work. That’s what’s really nice about this pattern. You could use this for felling, snedding, splitting or carving. You could take this axe deep into the wilderness, have it as your only tool, and it would work. It’s just awesome.”

We quite agree - the whole Heartwood team has enjoyed test-driving the Forest axe for our wood-fired sauna sessions, and it seems to suit everyone - we simply can’t fault it.