Tormek AX-40 Axe Jig Review

Testing the New AX-40 Axe Jig from Tormek

One of the great things about working at Sharpening Supplies is that we often get early access to new sharpening products. I was excited to hear that Tormek was updating their axe jig and sending us one to play with.

I’ve been using carving axes for about 15 years, and I’ve spent about 5 years teaching others how to carve with axes. I’ve also played around with a lot of pack axes and hatchets, using them on canoe and camping trips. In my personal collection, I’ve got about 18 different axes: 11 carving axes (8 of the same design I use in my classes), two general purpose hatchets, two felling axes, a broad axe and a splitting maul.

The new Axe Jig from Tormek claims to be able to sharpen all kinds of axes: convex, flat or concave. For those who aren’t familiar with the Tormek system, it uses grindstones (abrasive wheels) to sharpen. So it typically produces a convex, or hollow, grind. I like a flat-over-hollow for my carving axes.

The flat adds a little strength to the edge, while the hollow makes resharpening on stones or with a flat strop a lot quicker. I’ve been using my Tormek to sharpen my carving hatchets for quite some time, but my general-purpose hatchets and felling axes have a convex grind, the opposite of a hollow grind. The ability to be able to also sharpen them on my Tormek had me intrigued.

In this review I’ll sharpen my carving hatchets and see how much better the AX-40 Axe Jig is than the previous SVA-170 Axe Jig. I’m also excited to test out the convexing option this new jig provides to see how effective it is at maintaining the edge on my general purpose and felling axes.

First Impressions

Unlike the previous axe jig, that slotted onto the Universal Support bar and you just kind of rested the axe inside, this one attaches to your axe head. This makes the process a lot more like Tormek’s other jigs, most of which fasten to the tool being sharpened.

Inside the jaws are six rubber cushions and backstop. You need the axe head to be in contact with all of them to be securely attached. There’s a screw to adjust the jig to the thickness of your axe and a knob to tighten it. The jig will fit axes between 3/8” and 1 5/8” thick, and 4 3/8” to 8 5/8” long (from edge to poll).

This means my splitting maul and broad hewing axe won’t fit. But they didn’t fit the SVA-170 either, so no loss there.

On either side of the outside of the jaws are two stops. These will rest against the Universal Support during sharpening. The jig is made of some sort of tough composite material. Once you’ve got it attached to your axe, you’ll notice that the section where the knob tightens will flex slightly. This is normal and shows that the jig is firmly attached.

Along with the jig is a 10-page instruction booklet. We’ve got our own instructions on how to use this jig, which are based on my experiences using it, after I read Tormek’s instructions. I thoroughly recommend reading the included instructions.

I like the overall feel of the jig. It’s lightweight, which is great as axes can be heavy enough on their own. Once properly fitted, it attaches very firmly.

In-Use Testing

The first axe I’m sharpening is a Hans Karlsson carving hatchet. This has been used roughly by students. The edge is blunt, but there’s no major damage.

I’ll be using my Tormek T-8 in my home workshop. My plan is to use the WM-200 Angle Master to set the sharpening angle at 30 degrees (15 degrees per side). I’ll take the hollow right to the edge then use stones to put a flat over the hollow. By taking the hollow right to the edge, I’ll know that the bevel angle is 30 degrees when I add the flat grind. For the purposes of this review, we’ll just be looking at the hollow grind part of the process*.

A quick side note on sharpening angles. Some folks might be surprised to read that I’m putting a such fine angle on an axe edge. Typically, the narrower the angle, the sharper the edge, but at the cost of durability. If you’ve never used a carving hatchet you might not be accustomed to the idea of an axe as a fine detail carving tool, but with practice you can use a hatchet to accurately remove small amounts of wood very efficiently, and a razor-sharp edge really helps with that. Okay, back to the review!

It took a little playing around with adjusting the screw and the knob to get all six rubber cushions in proper contact with the axe head. The design of the poll on this axe curves away from where the back cushions are, which made getting a secure fit a little tricky. As you can see from testing my other axes, it wasn’t an issue on those.

With the jig attached to the axe head, I feel a lot more confident that I’m maintaining a consistent sharpening angle than my experiences with the SVA-170. It doesn’t take long to raise a burr and I can just flip the axe over and sharpen knowing I’m still at the same sharpening angle.

I was fairly confident that it was going to do a good job with my carving hatchets and I wasn’t disappointed. But my next test is one I’m interested in seeing the results of.

Convex Edge Sharpening

Tormek claims this axe jig will let you sharpen your convex grind axes. A convex edge is the opposite of what you usually get sharpening on a wheel. Typically, the easiest way to sharpen a convex is to use a belt sharpener. The slack in the belt conforms around the edge, maintaining the convex.

The clever folks at Tormek have figured out a way to let you move the axe up and down between the two outside stops to create a convex. If that sounds familiar, it’s because they first introduced this feature on the KJ-45 and KJ-140 knife jigs.

Another minor aside. I’ve only played around with that feature on the knife jigs once, and it was before the KS-123 Knife Angle Setter came out. I thought it worked okay, especially for someone like me who only really has one convex grind knife. But since the Knife Angle Setter makes sharpening at the correct angle so easy, I might need to revisit that feature. Back to axes.

I was a little dubious going into this. My assumption was that the convexing feature would be a compromise. Nice to not have to get another sharpening system, like, you could use it, but only if you have to. Boy was I wrong.

For a convex grind, the Universal Support bar rests between the two stops on the jig. Pull the axe away from the wheel until the bar is against the stop closest to the axe edge. In this position I can use the WM-200 or the marker method to set the sharpening angle. Once that’s done I can happily bounce between the two stops, creating a smooth continuous curve to my convex edge.

The axe I’m sharpening is one I’ve inherited from a neighbour. As such I think it’s a good representation of the condition most regular people keep their axes. It’s real blunt. The new convexing feature has done an excellent job.

Before sharpening

After sharpening

So long as it fits in the jig, you can sharpen any axe with this jig.

Final Thoughts

My situation is not normal. Most people don’t have over a dozen different axes to sharpen. Normal people don’t have eight identical axes to sharpen on a semi-regular basis. So I understand if you’re not as excited about this new jig as I am. I think this is a huge improvement over the SVA-170 axe jig. Not only does it make the same job easier to do, the convexing means it can do things the old jig can’t.

If you already own a Tormek system, and you have just one axe to sharpen, you’ll benefit from adding the AX-40 to your kit. Even if you already have the SVA-170, it’s enough of an improvement to seriously consider the upgrade. If you have more than one axe, and they both fit the jig, adding the AX-40 is a no-brainer.

If you’ve been reading this and thinking, there’s nothing weird about my axe collection. Perhaps you’re thinking 18 axes is rookie numbers. If you haven’t yet found a convenient way to maintain the edges on your collection, maybe this jig is enough to make you consider getting a Tormek.

If you’re ready to buy, you can find the AX-40 Axe Jig here. You can also browse all our Tormek products here. If you’re on the fence about getting yourself a Tormek, just not sure if it will meet your specific sharpening needs, you can contact us and one of our Sharpening Specialists will help find the perfect sharpening system for you.

*I lied, here’s the finished edge. It was too pretty to not share.