PROJECT: American Felling Axe

The 2026 Forging Competition challenges students to creatively design and forge a functioning American Felling Axe..

This year, teams will forge an American felling axe. Axe’s have a minimum weight requirement of 3.5 and cannot exceed 6 lbs. Axe’s have to have a 36” handle. Each axe will be put through a series of tests appropriate to the application. All submissions should include your axe, a project video and technical report documenting the design and manufacturing process.

Settlers initially used European-style axes, which were less suited for felling large trees. These axes had long bits and were designed for smaller tasks and European forests. However, settlers soon realized the need to adapt the tool for the vast and dense American forests. This adaptation led to the development of a heavier, more efficient axe with a short, broad bit and a long, strong handle. 

Resources & History of the American Felling Axe

The Axe and Man by Chales A. Eavrin

American Axes; A Survey of Their Development and Makers by Henry J. Kauffman

American Axe: The Tool That Shaped a Continent by Brett McLeod

The Axe Book by Gransfors Bruks

Beginners Guide to Forging Axes by Nils Ogren

COMPETITION REQUIREMENTS

Teams will perform all aspects of creating an American felling axe via the forging manufacturing process from design conception to performance. All four (4) components of the project should be submitted.  All teams must:

1. Provide a preliminary plan (one page)
   • Rough outline of steps
   • Tentative timeframe
   • Questions/issues needed to be addressed
   • Preliminary decisions made (material chosen, forging process, etc.)
2. Make a version of an American felling axe.

• The axe should weigh between 3.5- 6lbs
• The axe must be 36” long

3. Document the project with a professional Technical Report of less than 10 pages supporting the team’s decisions.
4. Produce a project video, not to exceed 5 minutes, that documents the project.

All project components submitted for the competition become property of FIERF.

TEAMS

Teams must have:

1. Student teams who will design, build, and test their axe. Teams are limited to 8 members.
2. A faculty sponsor to help the team.
3. An industrial partner familiar with forging. If a partner is not identified by the team, FIERF will look for an industry partner.

AWARDS

Each entry will be eligible for 3 awards and a Grand Prize:

1. Best process
2. Best project video documenting the project
3. Best performance based on testing and expert evaluation

Grand Prize based on the overall rankings from each category.

IMPORTANT EVENTS & SUBMISSION DATES

*For the testing, teams and mentors are highly encouraged to attend and compete with their axe.

All electronic submissions should be sent to Amanda Dureiko at [email protected].

TECHNICAL REPORT MUST CONTAIN:

Your technical report must not exceed 10 pages. (This will include your cover page and resources pages so clear and concise writing is necessary)

1. Cover Page:

• Must use the outline of this cover page.

2. Address the following:

• State the reason for the competition: “FIERF has created this competition to encourage students to learn about making metal products using the forging process and applying the latest technology available”. This should be in the introduction of your Technical Report.
• *The reason you chose the specific material for your axe.
• *Your design process and the steps you took to get to your final product.
• *The history behind the American felling axe.
• *Your final results should show that it meets contest requirements (state the final length and weight)

*Present each in the one-page executive summary as part of your technical report.

3. Other suggested topics that can be addressed in your technical report:

• What metallurgical decisions were made with respect to your axe?
• What type of forging process was selected, what led you to that decision, and the forging process steps you used while creating your axe?
• What kind of inspection and testing your axe was subjected to before submission?

REGISTRATION

Are you ready to compete? CLICK HERE to register your team for the 2026 Forging Competition.

2026 Forging Competition Teams!

There are 24 teams (over 140 students) registered to compete in this year’s Forging Competition. And some of them need your help! Please see below the teams that are looking for industry partnership.