This is the new Gransfors Bruk Medium Carving Axe.

A hand holding the walnut handle of the Gransfors Bruk Medium Carving Axe — Gransfors Bruk Medium Carving Axe with Walnut handle

For years, the only dedicate carving hatchet available from Gransfors Bruk was the Large Carving Axe. This was designed by spoon carving legend Willie Sundqvist and was pretty much the only dedicated carving axe you could find when I first started carving. But it had a flaw. It was a heavy axe. At least for a spoon carving hatchet. The Large Carving Axe weights 2.2lbs (1kg). While that doesn’t sound like a lot, the repetitive movement of carving with a hatchet makes that weight add up.

As a compromise, Gransfors initially stuck nicer handles on a couple of their existing hatchet heads, the Wildlife Hatchet and the Small Hatchet, labelling them as the Large and Small Carving Hatchet. My first ever hatchet was the Wildlife Hatchet, which I still own and use, so this was an easy way for Gransfors to offer something to the growing green woodworking crowd.
Side note: As mentioned, the Small and Large Carving Hatchets (as per Gransfors’ naming) use axe heads from existing models. The Small and Medium Carving Axes are new, but I might accidentally refer to them as hatchets later in the article. From this point on, any Gransfors Carving Axe/Hatchet is referring to the new model just released.

Now, in Autumn of 2025, they’ve released the Small and Medium Carving Axes. And I just bought the Medium Carving Axe.

According to Gransfors Bruk, the new Small Carving Axe weighs 640g, and the Medium weighs 820g. My preference for a carving hatchet I’m happy to swing all day is around 700g. But I put my order in for the Medium, a little heavier than ideal. I gotta admit, I was pretty excited about this announcement from Gransfors and the friction burns from pulling out my wallet so fast are still healing, so I didn’t put too much thought into it. From the few photos Gransfors released, I got the impression that the Small might be a bit too small for me. I’m glad I went with my gut on this one.

Gransfors Bruk Medium Carving Axe Specifications:

Overall Length: 13 1/2”
Overall Weight: 717g
Edge Length: 4 1/4”
Grind type: Convex (symmetrical grind)
Sharpening angle: ~ 30 degrees
BESS Sharpness Score: 218g
Handle Material: Walnut
Included sheath: Yes, veg-tanned leather with press stud fastener

My First Impressions of the Gransfors Bruk Medium Carving Axe

It is a beautiful tool. This will be my fifth axe from Gransfors (I currently own a Wildlife Hatchet, Small Hatchet, Small Forest Axe, and Splitting Maul). All of them are lovely axes, and this new one is no different. I was pleasantly surprised that the overall weight of the axe I received was 717g, about 100g less than the advertised 820g. That puts it in right in the sweet-spot for my kind of carving.

The axe head looks like a perfectly scaled down version of the original Large Carving Axe designed by Willie Sundqvist. I’ve swung that axe plenty of times, and while I enjoyed using it, the heft of it kept me from pulling the trigger on purchasing it. This lighter version keeps the same aggressively upswept toe, and the edge seems angled up away from the handle. I’m accustomed to the lower half of the edge being more or less parallel to the belly of the axe handle, so I’m interested to see how I like it. The beard has a nice gap for my fingers, so I can grip right up against the axe head, with my fingers directly behind the cutting edge for maximum control during detail work.

Subtle convex grind at around a 30 degree angle.

The grind is a symmetrical convex grind. Convex aren’t my favourite for carving. The curve of the convex bevel creates a shoulder that lifts the cutting edge away from the wood, which makes it a little tricker to find the angle at which the edge bites into the wood. I end up with more glancing blows when I’ve used convex edges on carves axes in the past. This convex is a fairly subtle one, so I’m interested to see how it actually performs. The sharpening angle appears to be around 30 degrees inclusive (15 degrees per side). Using the Edge-on-Up Edge Sharpness Tester, the average sharpness of the edge was 218g (Test 1: 241g, Test 2: 241g, Test 3: 210g, Test 4: 178g). Freshly sharpened, I like my tool edges to around 200g or under, so this is a great sharpness score for a factory edge (the Edge-on-Up measures how much force it takes to cut a calibrated wire, the lower the score, the sharper the edge).

The handle is walnut. The first batch in the US are only available in walnut, I think Gransfors is planning on adding their standard hickory handles later, but walnut was the only option available for this early batch. It’s a pretty handle. I’m a little surprised by how narrow it is. At its widest, just under the head, the handle is 4” (10cm) in circumference. Most of the handle is about 3 1/2” (9cm) circumference. To give that some context, 4” is the narrowest any of my other hatchet handles get. While 1/2” doesn’t sound like a lot, this handle does feel significantly skinnier than my other axes. I’m confident its thick enough to be sturdy, it just grips differently. The front of the handle does come to quite a sharp point just before it enters the axe head. I’ve yet to swing the axe, but I have a concern that will cause a some discomfort if I’m gripping choked up to the axe head, a position I’m often in for detail work. The proof of the pudding will be in the carving.

Carving A Spoon Blank With The Gransfors Bruk Medium Carving Axe

I only carved the one spoon blank before putting my thoughts down, so this isn’t a long-term review of the axe. I was pretty excited to try this axe, but there wasn’t a whole lot of information out about i when I bought it, so I want to get my first impressions published to help out anyone who’s considering purchasing this axe.

It was fun to use. The skinny handle will take some getting used to. It’s not a lot thinner than my other hatchets, but enough to be noticeable. I feel as though my other hatchets are much more consistent with their handle size compared to each other, so trying something different was interesting. The area of the handle just as it enters the axe head was a little uncomfortable. I couldn’t feel any hotspots developing on my hands, so I don’t think it’ll cause blisters, but I might shave down that section a little just so its not quite so sharp.

What was sharp was the edge. I’m not a fan of a convex edge for my carving hatchets, but this one is relatively subtle, easiest to see by how it reflects light. The sharp edge kept the axe from glancing, which is typically the issue I run into with convex grinds when carving. The upswept toe of the axe was nice to have. There are certain techniques I use where I focus on carving with that section of the edge. Having it upswept means the edge can pass through wood without the rest of the axe head having to follow it, great for slicing where you don’t want a split to develop and run.

The balance of the axe head was quite edge forward, if you hold the axe vertically, it wants to fall into a chop. That’s great for the downward motion of a swing, but it makes it feel a little heavier on the upswing. I prefer an edge forward balance, so that suits me fine.

The edge held up fine during carving, no chipping or rolling. I was carving fairly green river birch, so I would have been disappointed if the edge did pick up damage on what is a pretty easy-to-carve wood. Once this axe does eventually need carving, I’ll probably convert it to a flat-over-hollow, just as that’s my preference. I’ll keep it to the roughly 30 degrees Gransfors sharpened it at since that works well for it.

Gransfors Bruk Medium Carving Axe vs Other Spoon Carving Hatchets

From left to right: Hans Karlsson Carving Axe, Kalthoff Small Carver, Gransfors Bruk Medium Carving Axe, Wood Tools Sheffield Axe, Svante Djarv Little Viking Axe

In my colletion of dedicated carving hatchets, I have the Svante Djarve Little Viking Axe, the Kalthoff Small Carver, the Wood Tools Sheffield Axe, and the Hans Karlsson Carving Axe. Gransfors Bruk and the makers listed here all make fantastic axes, so if you’re reading this trying to decide which one to get, I’d say it really comes down to personal preference. The Gransfors Bruk Medium Carving Axe is a very capable spoon carving hatchet. If you’re trying to decide between it and one of the other axes in my collection, here are some side-by-side images to hopefully help you decide. If you have specific questions, you can always leave a comment, or email me.

Gransfors Bruk Medium Carving Axe vs Wood Spoons Sheffield Axe

Left: Gransfors Bruk Medium Carving Axe. Right: Wood Tools Sheffield Axe

Gransfors Bruk Medium Carving Axe vs Kalthoff Axes Small Carver

Left: Gransfors Bruk Medium Carving Axe. Right: Kalthoff Axes Small Carver

Gransfors Bruk Medium Carving Axe vs Svante Djarv Little Viking Axe

Left: Gransfors Bruk Medium Carving Axe. Right: Svante Djarv Little Viking Axe

Gransfors Bruk Medium Carving Axe vs Hans Karlsson Carving Axe

Left: Gransfors Bruk Medium Carving Axe. Right: Hans Karlsson Carving Axe.

Final Thoughts on the Gransfors Bruk Medium Carving Axe

I’m very happy that Gransfors decided to create a lighter version of the classic Large Carving Axe. The Medium Carving Axe sits perfectly amongst my other spoon carving hatchets, and I foresee myself getting some good use out of it. Without holding the also new Small Carving Axe, its hard to say how that will compare. Hopefully I’ll be able to get.my hands on one at some point in the future, and I’ll be sure to write about it here.

If there’s anything else you’d like to know about my experiences with the Medium Carving Axe so far, or any of the other tools in my collection, feel free to either drop a comment or email me.

Gransfors Bruk Medium Carving Axe Review