Only 2 things from all his axe content I don't really use in my life is he perverse straight up and down wood grain in his handles...and I've run both up and down and side to side grain with zero issues so far....and his natural linseed oil.....I use boiled linseed because I can find it locally cheap...and would have to order and pay for shipping to get natural linseed
You should make a T-shirt with that slogan! "Stop shopping. Start chopping." Love it. When we cut and delivered chord wood (stacked!) We used the tools we had. Included a couple of old axes, slightly rusty with worn handles. My Dad sharpened them in the field with a file and sent my brother and me off to limb downed trees and split wood. When the handles broke we just replaced them and went back to work. You learn a lot by going out and doing things with what you have.
The only thing bad about this channel is there isn’t more of it. I could watch and listen to him talk axes and tools every day. I respect his lifestyle so much. It’s romantic at the same time as being a lot of work and a grind.
Keep your cutting equipment clean, sharp, and oiled. Grandfather always used his saws and garden tools, when done they were cleaned (even washed) and then oiled and put back up on the wall (!) Blunt tools create more cutting hazards than properly sharpened tools. Same for kitchen knives being dull create more dangerous cutting/stabbing hazards than properly sharpened blades.
personally, I'm fairly sloppy with my gear I guess. I clean stuff and sharpen when necessary (usually lol), otherwise I have a lot of things I want to do with limited energy. Sharpening of axes and knives rarely happens before I put them away. Being a polymath with a million competing interests, "good enough" is kind of a moto around here.
@@SkillCult a friend here in the Bay, who I had to teach wood chips and black gold soil - 4 inches in vineyard, 8 inches in garden, and 12 inches in orchard, ... her gardening technique was said as "natural negligence." It fit her style as next year she had 1 inch black soil in vineyard, 2 inches in garden, and 3 inches in orchard. Then to continue to prune up all vines, citrus, figs, and orchard trees, and lay down another layer of immense chips and keep up the massive soil production ....
I got lucky and paid 20$ for a true temper Kelly perfect. It was covered in rust and the guy did not know what he had. Lol. It was a fair exchange. I cleaned the rust off and it's beautiful. Pole is great and it was just a hidden gem. Wasn't even grinded down. Honestly it looked like it was kept in perfect condition. The phantom bevels caught my eye. Thanks to your channel I knew this!!
This is a great summary of axe knowledge that is relevant today. Not many are aware of all the modifications necessary to make a modern production axe an efficient chopper. There are a lot of videos out there of people buying up tons of axes (most quite expensive), trying to sport their knowledge. However, you point out what should be obvious: if you want to get better at something you need to put in the time. At the end of the day, even with all the fancy axes in the world, without practice, patience, and a bit of self-respect will you never become a skilled axman. Thanks for posting!
I totally agree ! If you are going to have to put in a lot of work to get a new axe cutting right, Don't spend a fortune on a new one, buy an old used head for next to nothing and for a little enjoyable extra work, you will end up with a working tool of equal or even better than new. You will not only get to know what makes an axe work well for you and for each purpose, but you will also have invested time and effort, and you will likely maintain it properly.
I come from east europe. Most of the axes that are common here are bearded axes. My grandpa owned only these kind of axes/hatchets. They are all with slip on handles. Now days we can find these "normal" heads in hardwear stores but still i stick to the ones from grandpa, forged from car springs by a gypsy. For these reasons i find it hard to apply tips from your videos or generally from internet videos since in usa you use different kind of heads/design. I still find your videos useful since the philosophy behind your tips still applies and i got my hatchet tuned up thanks to you. Great video, keep the good work up
Great advice as always. Just use it. I think a lot of people over think this stuff. I’m by no means a bushcraft or axe guru, just a dude who burns a lot of firewood. And I process that wood by myself. The simple act of just getting out and doing it has taught me all kinds of stuff.
Good stuff as always. I treated myself after making about 100 axe handles with no power tools with a new Bison hunters hatchet, regrinding it was as soon as it came out of the box - awesome little tool for hewing, carving and so on. Before that I was carving the handles blanks with whatever axe I had in the car ...
Its nice to see as someone who uses ax's very often a content creators that's done the hard yards before rolling the camera. Its funny everything in this video one would learn themselves after putting enough time using a hatchet. Advice is great and all but those who offer it best do so based off hands on experience.
Really appreciate the time/ effort put in to share your experiences. My Scout Troop, city kids, get a healthy dose of quality information from you. We've especially benefited from the hatchet related vid's. Reusing/ repairing/ repurposing lessons help get young peoples' minds in a productive mode. Quite different from the use/ discard mentality which is practically "built in" to the world in which they're immersed. Again, my thanks..
Couldn't agree more- stop shopping & start chopping! Although, I am lucky that I have both the Husquvarna and Gransfors Bruk Scandinavian Forest axe- they are my go to axes, and a pleasure to work with compared to some others! I'm teaching my 3 sons to get proficient, and it's fun to see them improve.
Thanks for the shoutout and for the advice on the goat skin collar. Despite not recalling the suggestion of wood glue lol, it’s holding up great! Anyone interested in the CordWood challenge, here’s the link for this year’s rules and challenges. ruclips.net/video/YNYnfyK5HO4/видео.html There’s no better way to learn how to use an axe and form your own opinions.
Awesome video man !! I’ve learned so much from watching your videos, I love to see how passionate you are about things you genuinely care about and are concerned about. Thank you for taking the time to put out the content you do 🤙
I’ve done the dog rawhide but only as a knife sheath but it worked great. Like natures kydex. I used a bunch of those spring loaded clamps to hold in place while it dried. The knife Literally snaps in and out like kydex. I may try vacuum sealing it so there’s no clamp marks but it’ll need something like desiccant in it to dry it out.
Those kind of springy rawhide sheaths are really cool. I have been plotting to do the same with heat hardened leather. Watch my leather mug video. I have done tests and you can make a springy leather that will not deform if wetted. it sets permanently. The same might also be done with rawhide actually if the heat were just right. They did it on the plains making buffalo rawhide shields. The would stake them out over a pit with hot coals and slowly cook the hide and a circle of guys would restake and pull outward on it to keep it flat as it shrunk. The term parfleche, now applied mostly to painted rawhide containers, originally meant to turn an arrow, because these buffalo neck rawhide shields could stop arrows. In both cases, it can weaken the hide, it would just be a matter of getting the heat and duration just right. the advantage being that rawhide can deform if wetted and cooking hide sets it more permanently.
@@SkillCult yeah I’ve made very stiff leather knife sheaths too. I’m sure there’s multiple ways but I did mine by submerging in hot bees way, then put my knife in it (covered in plastic wrap) and vacuum sealed it. It’s lasted for years. But I must admit there was a period of time that I had to spend getting the wax out of the inside.
My local logging supply sells truper, I have one of their boys axes. They're pretty cheap and I've split some pretty big rounds with it. Mine came with 0 edge whatsoever though, kinda like one of those swords that are meant for the wall not for actual cutting.
that is what I do. At least I think that is what I do lol. I can't be sure without a slow mo to look at. But a lot of guys just swing at an angle. I know Buckin' billy ray smith does.
@@SkillCult This is always an interesting topic of discussion, since what one actually does and what one feels there doing can be totally different things... this is common in various sports, for example if you listen to MLB players explain there bat swings, some players are vary in-tune with there body physics and bat path, others pay little attention to any of it, and many players "feel" like there doing one thing but video playback shows something else entirely... typically the best hitters have some of the simplest swing physics and guys that dont do great hitting tend to overly complicate things either physically or just mentally. Twisting or flicking the wrists at the end of a strike works in theory and I get why so many describe there axe swing in that way, im sure there are people that do just that but I think more people doing as buckin explains in swinging at an angle and the "feel" upon making contact with the wood is a flick of the wrists especially with a extended polled axe or double bit axe. I think i've heard bucking discuss that he himself use to think of his swing as more of a flick and if you go back in the video achieves thats how he described it early on, but as he learnt more from the axe community himself and analyzed his videos/swing more, he eventually came around to the understanding that its more of an angled swing then a flick of the wrists... and i suppose it doesnt really matter how you perceive the technique is being done as long as its working, but for more novice axe users telling them to flick there wrists upon impact I think causes more confusion and could lead to safety issues like glancing blows, injured wrists... not to mention ones mind might be most focused on the wrist twist rather then making an accurate swing. I think theres benefits in simplifying the explanation of the 'flick" technique down to being an angled swing path, compared to a flick of the wrists upon impact... and with more user experience one can give a bit more of a flick on-top of the angled swing to really pop the wood apart but for novice users starting out trying to understand the flick technique an angled swing is the simplest and most effective description imo.
Really appreciate all your content. Can’t believe I hadn’t seen your channel until now. Sorry to blow up all your old videos with comments but hey, I’m late to the party!
No problem. comments are good whenever and I keep up on comments pretty well. it is easy for any content to get buried. Especially relating to axes, there are mountains of sensational, but ultimately bad to mediocre content to sort through.
Funny Ruben (earlier commenter) said I watched all this man's axe content: as I was thinking in my mind I watched all of his content and that is why my axes work just as well
He is right. Too many alpine skiers think new skis will improve their skiing. The U.S. ski industry doesn't have the capacity to teach people how to improve their skiing skills in any reasonable process. Improving you skills in using a tool is the key he's identified.
I can't remember if you have covered grain across the eye or with the eye, I've gone to all axe handles with grain across the eye and rived not sawn. I feel your pain on the hair cut, I often get eye rolls the next morning when they see my solo back of the head hair cut. Been a while since I tuned in and its nice to hear good axe talk.
Hey, long time since I've seen you areound here. I have talked about it a little. I don't think it's a huge deal if the wood is very sound. But I still prefer it parallell with the edge. It might be a matter of the wood too. If you build a bow, a good way to blow it out is to have the grain flat with the back of the bow, but with the grain cut across. But the problem with axes is that they are stressed in both directions. Riving tells us what true nature of the grain is, but a piece of sawn with no runout is just as good. Harder to tell though in sawn lumber there is usually some runout.
I chopped the shit out of some dry ash today with my HB analog of your Husqvarna. Love it, don't plan on buying any more axes unless one of mine breaks. I need to work on my hatchet skills; I only ever carve, split and shred bark with them.
Hatchets are a challenge. They are so dangerous, you really have to be cognizant of all safety factors all the time. Also, since they are small, the temptation to wail on stuff too hard, or with too stiff of a technique, is always there.
@@SkillCult I always dismissed them as an inefficient turd compared to bigger axes. I used to think 32" was the answer, then you showed me 28" was better for what I'm doing, then I went down to 25", pretty soon you're going to have me using a hand axe, middle paleolithic style. :)
@@quintond.7888 the lesson you'll learn for lithic axes is that they suck lol. More like bashing and bruising than slicing. You have to fit the wood straight on, because they don't cut at an angle for shit. Imagine a crappy, super thick axe, with a slightly dull edge, and make it 4 times thicker and hit the wood at 90 degree angle to the grain. Yeah, not that cool, but it's pretty cool to make an axe out of a rock and cut anything down.
@@SkillCult I've messed with our crappy Tennessee chert some and made some really crude stone points but I was only joking about the hand axe. Thanks for confirming my suspicions! 🤣🤣🤣
I Love ist every time, when you talk about axes and hatchets. I guess I have seen every video about from you and I am learning every time more 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 But where was the „little Beauty“ hatchet I like so much? 😉
Cheers for taking the time to do this. Braw wee refresher for some, useful basics for others! hopefully your next cyber stalker is more Kate Winslet-ish!
I think I’ve watched all your axe videos, and this is a great capstone. With regards to handle length, is the 16” sweet spot you describe the overall length of the handle or the exposed portion below the head?
Id very much like to see info on sharpening to reduce 'sticking' " the bit digging in and being difficult to remove) I have yet to find info I'm, or to figure it out myself- I'm still making my way through your content so I apologize if this has been covered.
The idea that knowledge is transferable at all is suspect. We think it is now, but it's more useful to think of information as something to inform our personal journey. Some things just can't be taught, so most of the information we consume should be considered something like an outline to proceed on.
Like your work man, stop shopping start chopping could be a tee-shirt. Salute from the forest of Epping and Waltham Essex county on the outskirts of London UK
Do you have any off the shelf recommendations for a hatchet? I was thinking about getting the Council Tool 1.25 lb Hudson Bay 14”” axe but I’m not sure. I’m planning to get a 28” boys axe to go with it. Thank you and I like your videos!
Unfortunately not. I don't like hudson bay pattern though. I would go for more of the classic american hatchet style, sort of a dayton pattern. I'll try to talk more about that this summer and possible options.
@@SkillCult Sounds good, I’ll hold off on buying a hatchet for now and focus on training with the boys axe. Update: Decided to just find a used axe and do it all myself.
Horrible. The handle shock is brutal on heavy rigid metal handles. Wood is hard to beat. maybe some of the new light plastic handles might be okay, but I haven't used them.
When cutting your own hair, turn your back to the big mirror and use the hand mirror to see the big mirror. Makes things MUCH easier. I've cut my own hair for 25 years.
@@SkillCult Try to get as much light as you can muster as well. Obviously, the above technique is only required when cutting the BACK of your brain container. Haha! Thanks for sharing your knowledge. You really do a great job.
I'm not that fond of it actually. It's okay but it is pretty hard. It's from baryonix. I couldn't find my homebrew japanese puck. But I got it pretty much sharp with the file, so just taking off the bur and refining a tiny bit.
If you ain't tripping over it and it ain't gettin in your eyes, then it's a good hair cut - historically in the British army, hair cutting was usually a task handed to the farrier ..... and the comfy barber's chair was the anvil.
Hey Steve, I want to attempt to do the course file modification to an axe head for a hatchet I'd like to make. Your writing on the side said it started out as a 5.00 before the mod. Was that a 5lb weight head? If so, what weight did you whittle it down to after the modification? I was thinking maybe trying to land in the 1 3/4lb - 2 1/4lb head weight before adding the up to 1lb 16" handle. Thanks!!!
I may have said that I paid 5.00 for it. It was definitely not 5 lb. I don't really worry about specific weight too much, and I'm not sure how much this one weighs. I definitely want my multipurpose carry hatchet to be well under 1 lb, probably 1.15 up to 1.5 max
@@SkillCult Ahhhhhh okay makes sense. Whew that'll save a lot of filing haha. Okay so shoot for sub 1.5lb or 1.5lb max. Cool. Got my seeds today too thanks for the order.
@@SkillCult it is a spacer but starting with a single fold (for depth) on the rag and u can shape the blade bevel angle or even convex the bevel by starting small and gradually increasing the spacer size (increase folds) and take the file back to the blade... Then repeat fold rag and file etc but yes ur spacer idea is exactly it just to what extent it's used
Great video, highly informative. Question, will your online store be offering "ashes of virgin chipmunks" or do I use your Amazon code. Thanks as always!!!
that is the bahco farmer's file. It' a nice all arounder with double cut on one side and pretty fine on the other and good quality. That is what i usually recommend, but an 8 inch bastard can do okay. Depends on if you are touching up or setting up. For setting up, its nice to have a big double cut bastard, like maybe 14 inches, to hog off metal fast. A quality 14 inch bastard will do fine too, just a little bit slower. Bahco affiliate link- amzn.to/3DSaDMd
Thank you for the video ,you always have good advices . Just a curious question , Do you have all the axes that you use with leather sheats? I have 4 axes( 2 hatchets,1 boys axe an 1.500gr axe ) in total,and only one of them i has a what a consider a 'good' simple leather sheat that i made Cheers.
I never have enough. I have mostly made very simple tie on masks. Someday I want to spend a week with my friend and try to improve and reinvent axe masks and sheaths. I have some ideas I think might be really cool and features and functional stuff that would be nice to be able to achieve.
As a child, I was lucky enough to eat pies made from seedling grown apples in Ohio. My Great-Grand-Uncle by marriage planted an orchard of seedling apples, mostly for the agricultural exemptions. The best of the apples were the size of decent Mandarin oranges, but had plenty of acid, sugar, and starch. We only had enough for our autumn pies, but they made the sort of pies that made neighbors jealous. It was a different time. Bringing a store-bought pie to any kind of event was a scandal. It does not have to be a commercial success to be a success in your orchard. The best variety of fruit is the one that grows best in your climate. Such controversial words...
Agreed, at least a little. I like a balance with not too much curve though, because the more curved it is, the less useful it is for hewing flat surfaces. When I design my hatchet finally, I'll be tweaking with that and also how much back curve there is at the toe, and how much the toe stands above the eye.
I've always thought the modern 21st century YT axman increased his skills buying brand new hand forged ax's from lands far abroad designed for wood conditions outside of ones local forests. The suitability of a new $400 ax from a country where English is rarely spoken is not that important. What really matters is close to vertical grain orientation in an overly thick handle and whether it can cut paper out of the box, what grade of steel is used & whether its star rating on Amazon is up there. Now this expensive ax makes you feel like a lumberjack for a few minutes while you compliment others who make similar choices. Seriously modifying such a prized possession may alter its collectability so it shall remain the way it came, what's important is finding the right looking leather sheath to protect it from being protected. After a small fortune is spent on your European ax's u were told were world class, you feel the need to start driving up the cost of vintage pieces in online auction stores, making it almost unobtainable for a young kid to get a nice locally made $15 piece of forged to fix up and use while camping. Poor kid can't have one of them, he dont have those hundreds to spend. Those ax's are for 21'st century axmen that need there 15th ax to upload photos of on his favourite internet forum. After all young kids play minecraft, cant they use ax's there?
I've heard him say in the past he doesn't like hatchets. I understand where he's coming from but I love hatchets just as much as any axe. Hatchets have there place and are very versatile. Did I mention I love hatchets?
Find it and show me. Ask anyone that knows me for the last few decades. I can't shut up about hatchets lol. You might have heard me say I don't like axes between about 16 inches and 25 inches and misconstrued. Not sure what else would give you that impression.
@@SkillCult I might have misunderstood. I remember a video you did in the past about that Vaughan subzero hatchet , it may have been in that video and I do think you said something to that effect about 16-25 inch handle. Might be what I heard. We have very differing opinions about handle length the 16-25" is that perfect length for a good pack axe, trappers axe but I understand you're looking at it at for what you mostly use your axes for, utility and processing wood, that's why I said I understand where your coming from. I camp and bushcraft so that size handle is right up my range. I do own and use many bigger axes for splitting and limbing too though that I use and I enjoy and use my bigger axes just as much as my smaller axes and hatchets. Thanks for the response
I understand the idea of that length and why some like them. I just can't think of the scenario where I'd tolerate the awkwardness with added weight and not just take my hatchet, or go up to a small pack axe above 24 inches. Even 26 inches is still not hard to pack vertically and gives you the functionality and ease of use of a real axe if it's needed with only a little extra weight. But needs and environments differ and of course just preferences in general.
The only proper use of a hatchet or axe is to only chop open firewood that is 2-3 the length of the hatchet or axe head. Cutting Old Growth huge firewood, and cutting big depths of firewood - use metal and plastic wedges. Hatchets and axes are splitter machinery - don't abuse these cutting tools. Their best use is said 1-2-3 lengths of their cutting edge and bevelling wedge power. This is where everybody causes accidents, cut their foot, snap off an axe head, stick an axe head into a wooden block and getting it stuck - abuse and over-powering a hatchet or axe is not the cutting tool's problem - it is the human. Properly use a hatchet or axe, and make smaller cuts with bigger diameter logs having 12 inches of depth - so that they easily split apart.
I don't follow the math, but I would say the appropriate use of a hatchet or axe is whatever work it will do well enough without injury to the user, or difficult to fix or impossible to fix damage to the tool. I have axes and hatchets that are decades old that I've stressed, beaten on, thrown, dulled severely etc. None of them are dead or seriously injured, except some handles breaking, many of which were learning experience to learn the limits of the tool and handle, which allows me to push them harder without breaking.
Love the sly smile the moment you realized you nailed it in real time: Stop Shopping; Start Chopping. Amen
I've watched all of this man's axe content, and this is a perfect summary of that content.
Only 2 things from all his axe content I don't really use in my life is he perverse straight up and down wood grain in his handles...and I've run both up and down and side to side grain with zero issues so far....and his natural linseed oil.....I use boiled linseed because I can find it locally cheap...and would have to order and pay for shipping to get natural linseed
@@codyrivenburgh7645 I really do prefer perverse wood grain ;)
You should make a T-shirt with that slogan! "Stop shopping. Start chopping." Love it.
When we cut and delivered chord wood (stacked!) We used the tools we had. Included a couple of old axes, slightly rusty with worn handles. My Dad sharpened them in the field with a file and sent my brother and me off to limb downed trees and split wood. When the handles broke we just replaced them and went back to work. You learn a lot by going out and doing things with what you have.
I love finding a 6 year old video by a talented content creator and then finding out they still are chugging along making great content.
“…and stropped with eel skin and the ashes of virgin chipmunks.” Had me rolling lol
Keep up the good work brother.
The only thing bad about this channel is there isn’t more of it. I could watch and listen to him talk axes and tools every day. I respect his lifestyle so much. It’s romantic at the same time as being a lot of work and a grind.
This guy is so great! He says the things I say in my head except better and smarter. Thank you sir, I’m with you.
Keep your cutting equipment clean, sharp, and oiled. Grandfather always used his saws and garden tools, when done they were cleaned (even washed) and then oiled and put back up on the wall (!) Blunt tools create more cutting hazards than properly sharpened tools. Same for kitchen knives being dull create more dangerous cutting/stabbing hazards than properly sharpened blades.
personally, I'm fairly sloppy with my gear I guess. I clean stuff and sharpen when necessary (usually lol), otherwise I have a lot of things I want to do with limited energy. Sharpening of axes and knives rarely happens before I put them away. Being a polymath with a million competing interests, "good enough" is kind of a moto around here.
@@SkillCult a friend here in the Bay, who I had to teach wood chips and black gold soil - 4 inches in vineyard, 8 inches in garden, and 12 inches in orchard, ... her gardening technique was said as "natural negligence." It fit her style as next year she had 1 inch black soil in vineyard, 2 inches in garden, and 3 inches in orchard. Then to continue to prune up all vines, citrus, figs, and orchard trees, and lay down another layer of immense chips and keep up the massive soil production ....
I got lucky and paid 20$ for a true temper Kelly perfect. It was covered in rust and the guy did not know what he had. Lol. It was a fair exchange. I cleaned the rust off and it's beautiful. Pole is great and it was just a hidden gem. Wasn't even grinded down. Honestly it looked like it was kept in perfect condition. The phantom bevels caught my eye. Thanks to your channel I knew this!!
This is a great summary of axe knowledge that is relevant today. Not many are aware of all the modifications necessary to make a modern production axe an efficient chopper.
There are a lot of videos out there of people buying up tons of axes (most quite expensive), trying to sport their knowledge. However, you point out what should be obvious: if you want to get better at something you need to put in the time. At the end of the day, even with all the fancy axes in the world, without practice, patience, and a bit of self-respect will you never become a skilled axman.
Thanks for posting!
Well said
I totally agree ! If you are going to have to put in a lot of work to get a new axe cutting right, Don't spend a fortune on a new one, buy an old used head for next to nothing and for a little enjoyable extra work, you will end up with a working tool of equal or even better than new. You will not only get to know what makes an axe work well for you and for each purpose, but you will also have invested time and effort, and you will likely maintain it properly.
I come from east europe. Most of the axes that are common here are bearded axes. My grandpa owned only these kind of axes/hatchets. They are all with slip on handles. Now days we can find these "normal" heads in hardwear stores but still i stick to the ones from grandpa, forged from car springs by a gypsy. For these reasons i find it hard to apply tips from your videos or generally from internet videos since in usa you use different kind of heads/design. I still find your videos useful since the philosophy behind your tips still applies and i got my hatchet tuned up thanks to you. Great video, keep the good work up
Great advice as always. Just use it. I think a lot of people over think this stuff. I’m by no means a bushcraft or axe guru, just a dude who burns a lot of firewood. And I process that wood by myself. The simple act of just getting out and doing it has taught me all kinds of stuff.
Good stuff as always. I treated myself after making about 100 axe handles with no power tools with a new Bison hunters hatchet, regrinding it was as soon as it came out of the box - awesome little tool for hewing, carving and so on. Before that I was carving the handles blanks with whatever axe I had in the car ...
Its nice to see as someone who uses ax's very often a content creators that's done the hard yards before rolling the camera. Its funny everything in this video one would learn themselves after putting enough time using a hatchet. Advice is great and all but those who offer it best do so based off hands on experience.
Really appreciate the time/ effort put in to share your experiences. My Scout Troop, city kids, get a healthy dose of quality information from you. We've especially benefited from the hatchet related vid's. Reusing/ repairing/ repurposing lessons help get young peoples' minds in a productive mode. Quite different from the use/ discard mentality which is practically "built in" to the world in which they're immersed. Again, my thanks..
Couldn't agree more- stop shopping & start chopping! Although, I am lucky that I have both the Husquvarna and Gransfors Bruk Scandinavian Forest axe- they are my go to axes, and a pleasure to work with compared to some others! I'm teaching my 3 sons to get proficient, and it's fun to see them improve.
Good to see you again talking axe stuff! You brought me to this theme years ago. Thank you!
You are just a bank of information. Another excellent video, thanks for taking the time.
This channel is peace and sanity.
Thanks for the shoutout and for the advice on the goat skin collar. Despite not recalling the suggestion of wood glue lol, it’s holding up great! Anyone interested in the CordWood challenge, here’s the link for this year’s rules and challenges. ruclips.net/video/YNYnfyK5HO4/видео.html There’s no better way to learn how to use an axe and form your own opinions.
Nice video. I have noticed I used to sharpen my axe much more 10 years ago then I do now but I use them more now :D.
Love it lol.
Awesome video man !! I’ve learned so much from watching your videos, I love to see how passionate you are about things you genuinely care about and are concerned about. Thank you for taking the time to put out the content you do 🤙
The axe master. None better on the subject!
This guy's videos are like the Encyclopedia Britannica whereas most of the other yahoos' videos on these subjects are like comic books.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge, I’m more confident with axes now. Thanks to you.👍🏼
Good to hear :)
Nice work 👍🇺🇸. In my Book-That old hatchet you got there is one of best old patterns.
Your hair is fine. I find many so called bushcrafters to be for show. Your the real deal.
tennis racket overgrip tape works great also. the came with a nice smooth transition.
I’ve done the dog rawhide but only as a knife sheath but it worked great. Like natures kydex. I used a bunch of those spring loaded clamps to hold in place while it dried. The knife Literally snaps in and out like kydex. I may try vacuum sealing it so there’s no clamp marks but it’ll need something like desiccant in it to dry it out.
Those kind of springy rawhide sheaths are really cool. I have been plotting to do the same with heat hardened leather. Watch my leather mug video. I have done tests and you can make a springy leather that will not deform if wetted. it sets permanently. The same might also be done with rawhide actually if the heat were just right. They did it on the plains making buffalo rawhide shields. The would stake them out over a pit with hot coals and slowly cook the hide and a circle of guys would restake and pull outward on it to keep it flat as it shrunk. The term parfleche, now applied mostly to painted rawhide containers, originally meant to turn an arrow, because these buffalo neck rawhide shields could stop arrows. In both cases, it can weaken the hide, it would just be a matter of getting the heat and duration just right. the advantage being that rawhide can deform if wetted and cooking hide sets it more permanently.
@@SkillCult yeah I’ve made very stiff leather knife sheaths too. I’m sure there’s multiple ways but I did mine by submerging in hot bees way, then put my knife in it (covered in plastic wrap) and vacuum sealed it. It’s lasted for years. But I must admit there was a period of time that I had to spend getting the wax out of the inside.
Heat treating will make it almost like wood. It used to be a common technique, but now almost a lost art. @@samadams9557
@@SkillCult I’m going to have to look into that. Endless possibilities. Thank you sir.
My local logging supply sells truper, I have one of their boys axes. They're pretty cheap and I've split some pretty big rounds with it. Mine came with 0 edge whatsoever though, kinda like one of those swords that are meant for the wall not for actual cutting.
Swiss Military surplus hatchet fits perfectly into a small backpackpack for camp use.
I picked one up, but ended up selling it before I set it up. I can't remember why now.
17:52 I don't split often but what I tend to do is to go straight and then twist the axe after it went into the wood.
that is what I do. At least I think that is what I do lol. I can't be sure without a slow mo to look at. But a lot of guys just swing at an angle. I know Buckin' billy ray smith does.
@@SkillCult This is always an interesting topic of discussion, since what one actually does and what one feels there doing can be totally different things... this is common in various sports, for example if you listen to MLB players explain there bat swings, some players are vary in-tune with there body physics and bat path, others pay little attention to any of it, and many players "feel" like there doing one thing but video playback shows something else entirely... typically the best hitters have some of the simplest swing physics and guys that dont do great hitting tend to overly complicate things either physically or just mentally.
Twisting or flicking the wrists at the end of a strike works in theory and I get why so many describe there axe swing in that way, im sure there are people that do just that but I think more people doing as buckin explains in swinging at an angle and the "feel" upon making contact with the wood is a flick of the wrists especially with a extended polled axe or double bit axe.
I think i've heard bucking discuss that he himself use to think of his swing as more of a flick and if you go back in the video achieves thats how he described it early on, but as he learnt more from the axe community himself and analyzed his videos/swing more, he eventually came around to the understanding that its more of an angled swing then a flick of the wrists...
and i suppose it doesnt really matter how you perceive the technique is being done as long as its working, but for more novice axe users telling them to flick there wrists upon impact I think causes more confusion and could lead to safety issues like glancing blows, injured wrists... not to mention ones mind might be most focused on the wrist twist rather then making an accurate swing.
I think theres benefits in simplifying the explanation of the 'flick" technique down to being an angled swing path, compared to a flick of the wrists upon impact... and with more user experience one can give a bit more of a flick on-top of the angled swing to really pop the wood apart but for novice users starting out trying to understand the flick technique an angled swing is the simplest and most effective description imo.
Really appreciate all your content. Can’t believe I hadn’t seen your channel until now. Sorry to blow up all your old videos with comments but hey, I’m late to the party!
No problem. comments are good whenever and I keep up on comments pretty well. it is easy for any content to get buried. Especially relating to axes, there are mountains of sensational, but ultimately bad to mediocre content to sort through.
Funny Ruben (earlier commenter) said I watched all this man's axe content: as I was thinking in my mind I watched all of his content and that is why my axes work just as well
He is right. Too many alpine skiers think new skis will improve their skiing. The U.S. ski industry doesn't have the capacity to teach people how to improve their skiing skills in any reasonable process. Improving you skills in using a tool is the key he's identified.
Excellent tips, thank you.
I can't remember if you have covered grain across the eye or with the eye, I've gone to all axe handles with grain across the eye and rived not sawn. I feel your pain on the hair cut, I often get eye rolls the next morning when they see my solo back of the head hair cut. Been a while since I tuned in and its nice to hear good axe talk.
Hey, long time since I've seen you areound here. I have talked about it a little. I don't think it's a huge deal if the wood is very sound. But I still prefer it parallell with the edge. It might be a matter of the wood too. If you build a bow, a good way to blow it out is to have the grain flat with the back of the bow, but with the grain cut across. But the problem with axes is that they are stressed in both directions. Riving tells us what true nature of the grain is, but a piece of sawn with no runout is just as good. Harder to tell though in sawn lumber there is usually some runout.
I chopped the shit out of some dry ash today with my HB analog of your Husqvarna. Love it, don't plan on buying any more axes unless one of mine breaks. I need to work on my hatchet skills; I only ever carve, split and shred bark with them.
Hatchets are a challenge. They are so dangerous, you really have to be cognizant of all safety factors all the time. Also, since they are small, the temptation to wail on stuff too hard, or with too stiff of a technique, is always there.
@@SkillCult I always dismissed them as an inefficient turd compared to bigger axes. I used to think 32" was the answer, then you showed me 28" was better for what I'm doing, then I went down to 25", pretty soon you're going to have me using a hand axe, middle paleolithic style. :)
@@quintond.7888 the lesson you'll learn for lithic axes is that they suck lol. More like bashing and bruising than slicing. You have to fit the wood straight on, because they don't cut at an angle for shit. Imagine a crappy, super thick axe, with a slightly dull edge, and make it 4 times thicker and hit the wood at 90 degree angle to the grain. Yeah, not that cool, but it's pretty cool to make an axe out of a rock and cut anything down.
@@SkillCult I've messed with our crappy Tennessee chert some and made some really crude stone points but I was only joking about the hand axe. Thanks for confirming my suspicions! 🤣🤣🤣
@@quintond.7888 that was like nice ground stone axes on handles, hand axes are another level down ;)
amen ! Thank you brother
much apritiate this video, gona look into geting propper hatcheting as soon as possibile
I Love ist every time, when you talk about axes and hatchets. I guess I have seen every video about from you and I am learning every time more 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
But where was the „little Beauty“ hatchet I like so much? 😉
I'm not sure where that is. I usually carry this instead these days. That one is nice for hikes where I probably won't even need one.
Does the ashes from virgin chipmonks work for polishing?!? 😮
Great Instructional Video
Great video, ahmen to everything said
Cheers for taking the time to do this. Braw wee refresher for some, useful basics for others!
hopefully your next cyber stalker is more Kate Winslet-ish!
Awesome thanks!
You had me at " the ashes of virgin chipmunks" 😂😂
Very informative, thanks!
Skills over Gear!👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
I think I’ve watched all your axe videos, and this is a great capstone. With regards to handle length, is the 16” sweet spot you describe the overall length of the handle or the exposed portion below the head?
The standard convention is from the top of the eye, so the entire wood length. That's how I measure.
Thanks so much for this!
Id very much like to see info on sharpening to reduce 'sticking' " the bit digging in and being difficult to remove) I have yet to find info I'm, or to figure it out myself- I'm still making my way through your content so I apologize if this has been covered.
I suck at that. Watch Ben scott and owen jarvis.
"...good luck with that..." 😂 🥰
I got the official word today, i can cut no more trees in the yard lol. Guess ill be taking my skills learned from you on the road.
Chopping > Shopping
However good the teacher we all have to understand for ourselves
The idea that knowledge is transferable at all is suspect. We think it is now, but it's more useful to think of information as something to inform our personal journey. Some things just can't be taught, so most of the information we consume should be considered something like an outline to proceed on.
Like your work man, stop shopping start chopping could be a tee-shirt. Salute from the forest of Epping and Waltham Essex county on the outskirts of London UK
Do you have any off the shelf recommendations for a hatchet? I was thinking about getting the Council Tool 1.25 lb Hudson Bay 14”” axe but I’m not sure. I’m planning to get a 28” boys axe to go with it. Thank you and I like your videos!
Unfortunately not. I don't like hudson bay pattern though. I would go for more of the classic american hatchet style, sort of a dayton pattern. I'll try to talk more about that this summer and possible options.
@@SkillCult Sounds good, I’ll hold off on buying a hatchet for now and focus on training with the boys axe.
Update: Decided to just find a used axe and do it all myself.
It's how I feel about it!
Great video!
What do you think of a steel pipe as a handle? I'm thinking of welding a pipe to a head.
Horrible. The handle shock is brutal on heavy rigid metal handles. Wood is hard to beat. maybe some of the new light plastic handles might be okay, but I haven't used them.
thanks for all you do !
Any Hatchet is a carving Hatchet, I got a nice Sabre grind on mine, and I can split wood with it
When cutting your own hair, turn your back to the big mirror and use the hand mirror to see the big mirror. Makes things MUCH easier. I've cut my own hair for 25 years.
Awesome, I'll try that. My "small mirror" is actually a pretty big, jagged chunk of broken mirror lol. I need to get it together...
@@SkillCult Try to get as much light as you can muster as well. Obviously, the above technique is only required when cutting the BACK of your brain container. Haha!
Thanks for sharing your knowledge. You really do a great job.
What sharpening puck were you using?
I'm not that fond of it actually. It's okay but it is pretty hard. It's from baryonix. I couldn't find my homebrew japanese puck. But I got it pretty much sharp with the file, so just taking off the bur and refining a tiny bit.
If you ain't tripping over it and it ain't gettin in your eyes, then it's a good hair cut - historically in the British army, hair cutting was usually a task handed to the farrier ..... and the comfy barber's chair was the anvil.
Have anvil, look for a farrier...
Hey Steve,
I want to attempt to do the course file modification to an axe head for a hatchet I'd like to make. Your writing on the side said it started out as a 5.00 before the mod. Was that a 5lb weight head? If so, what weight did you whittle it down to after the modification? I was thinking maybe trying to land in the 1 3/4lb - 2 1/4lb head weight before adding the up to 1lb 16" handle. Thanks!!!
I may have said that I paid 5.00 for it. It was definitely not 5 lb. I don't really worry about specific weight too much, and I'm not sure how much this one weighs. I definitely want my multipurpose carry hatchet to be well under 1 lb, probably 1.15 up to 1.5 max
@@SkillCult Ahhhhhh okay makes sense. Whew that'll save a lot of filing haha. Okay so shoot for sub 1.5lb or 1.5lb max. Cool. Got my seeds today too thanks for the order.
Bro loving the info, whys this black and white doe kills the vibes :D
The color was really bad and I couldn't fix it, so I just ditched. I like it anyway for talking head vids. some do , some don't.
The rag folding method of sharpening is nice... It's pretty close to this method
you mean as a spacer? pretty much whatever keeps that little distance. You don't need it either, but I usually go a bit higher than the eye level.
@@SkillCult it is a spacer but starting with a single fold (for depth) on the rag and u can shape the blade bevel angle or even convex the bevel by starting small and gradually increasing the spacer size (increase folds) and take the file back to the blade... Then repeat fold rag and file etc but yes ur spacer idea is exactly it just to what extent it's used
@@dustinpribble1546 That's a cool idea.
Great video, highly informative. Question, will your online store be offering "ashes of virgin chipmunks" or do I use your Amazon code.
Thanks as always!!!
I never touch the stuff. It's all hype, randy squirrel ashes on guinea pig strops are just as good.
what file type how fine ??
that is the bahco farmer's file. It' a nice all arounder with double cut on one side and pretty fine on the other and good quality. That is what i usually recommend, but an 8 inch bastard can do okay. Depends on if you are touching up or setting up. For setting up, its nice to have a big double cut bastard, like maybe 14 inches, to hog off metal fast. A quality 14 inch bastard will do fine too, just a little bit slower. Bahco affiliate link- amzn.to/3DSaDMd
@@SkillCult thank you Sir
Like Baldwin's gun, hatchets don't cut by themselves. Yes , skills.
Thank you for the video ,you always have good advices . Just a curious question , Do you have all the axes that you use with leather sheats? I have 4 axes( 2 hatchets,1 boys axe an 1.500gr axe ) in total,and only one of them i has a what a consider a 'good' simple leather sheat that i made
Cheers.
I never have enough. I have mostly made very simple tie on masks. Someday I want to spend a week with my friend and try to improve and reinvent axe masks and sheaths. I have some ideas I think might be really cool and features and functional stuff that would be nice to be able to achieve.
Great content.
As a child, I was lucky enough to eat pies made from seedling grown apples in Ohio. My Great-Grand-Uncle by marriage planted an orchard of seedling apples, mostly for the agricultural exemptions. The best of the apples were the size of decent Mandarin oranges, but had plenty of acid, sugar, and starch. We only had enough for our autumn pies, but they made the sort of pies that made neighbors jealous. It was a different time. Bringing a store-bought pie to any kind of event was a scandal.
It does not have to be a commercial success to be a success in your orchard. The best variety of fruit is the one that grows best in your climate. Such controversial words...
Cool story. It is important that we don't use commercial apples as a yard stick
It has to be a little rounded for carving hatch
Agreed, at least a little. I like a balance with not too much curve though, because the more curved it is, the less useful it is for hewing flat surfaces. When I design my hatchet finally, I'll be tweaking with that and also how much back curve there is at the toe, and how much the toe stands above the eye.
@@SkillCult I got a three and a half pound Plumb Hatchet, Edge tape on that thing is like the Moon, I sure get it done though
I like hatcheting.
If that is not in the dictionary, it should be :)
Grip is almost like a drumstick grip
Good name!
Where do you buy your “Ashes of Virgin Chipmunks”?
I only use vegan virgin chipmunk ashes made from synthetic fur.
Eel skin and ashes of virgin chipmunks!! LOL, thought that my my secret stropping formula.
Virgin Chipmunks I love it great vid.
I've always thought the modern 21st century YT axman increased his skills buying brand new hand forged ax's from lands far abroad designed for wood conditions outside of ones local forests. The suitability of a new $400 ax from a country where English is rarely spoken is not that important. What really matters is close to vertical grain orientation in an overly thick handle and whether it can cut paper out of the box, what grade of steel is used & whether its star rating on Amazon is up there. Now this expensive ax makes you feel like a lumberjack for a few minutes while you compliment others who make similar choices. Seriously modifying such a prized possession may alter its collectability so it shall remain the way it came, what's important is finding the right looking leather sheath to protect it from being protected. After a small fortune is spent on your European ax's u were told were world class, you feel the need to start driving up the cost of vintage pieces in online auction stores, making it almost unobtainable for a young kid to get a nice locally made $15 piece of forged to fix up and use while camping. Poor kid can't have one of them, he dont have those hundreds to spend. Those ax's are for 21'st century axmen that need there 15th ax to upload photos of on his favourite internet forum. After all young kids play minecraft, cant they use ax's there?
من بغداد العراق تحيه جميلة وحلوه إلى حضرتك شكرا لك ياخبير وإنا كثير ستفاديت منك 🌹🍒🍓🍖🍗
بفضل صديق :)
I've heard him say in the past he doesn't like hatchets. I understand where he's coming from but I love hatchets just as much as any axe. Hatchets have there place and are very versatile. Did I mention I love hatchets?
Find it and show me. Ask anyone that knows me for the last few decades. I can't shut up about hatchets lol. You might have heard me say I don't like axes between about 16 inches and 25 inches and misconstrued. Not sure what else would give you that impression.
@@SkillCult I might have misunderstood. I remember a video you did in the past about that Vaughan subzero hatchet , it may have been in that video and I do think you said something to that effect about 16-25 inch handle. Might be what I heard. We have very differing opinions about handle length the 16-25" is that perfect length for a good pack axe, trappers axe but I understand you're looking at it at for what you mostly use your axes for, utility and processing wood, that's why I said I understand where your coming from. I camp and bushcraft so that size handle is right up my range. I do own and use many bigger axes for splitting and limbing too though that I use and I enjoy and use my bigger axes just as much as my smaller axes and hatchets. Thanks for the response
I understand the idea of that length and why some like them. I just can't think of the scenario where I'd tolerate the awkwardness with added weight and not just take my hatchet, or go up to a small pack axe above 24 inches. Even 26 inches is still not hard to pack vertically and gives you the functionality and ease of use of a real axe if it's needed with only a little extra weight. But needs and environments differ and of course just preferences in general.
22:20
I’m throwing out my virgin chipmunk ashes now thank goodness
Should be good for the garden.
You had me at the ashes of virgin chipmunks...
8:30 LMAO!!!
The only proper use of a hatchet or axe is to only chop open firewood that is 2-3 the length of the hatchet or axe head. Cutting Old Growth huge firewood, and cutting big depths of firewood - use metal and plastic wedges. Hatchets and axes are splitter machinery - don't abuse these cutting tools. Their best use is said 1-2-3 lengths of their cutting edge and bevelling wedge power. This is where everybody causes accidents, cut their foot, snap off an axe head, stick an axe head into a wooden block and getting it stuck - abuse and over-powering a hatchet or axe is not the cutting tool's problem - it is the human. Properly use a hatchet or axe, and make smaller cuts with bigger diameter logs having 12 inches of depth - so that they easily split apart.
I don't follow the math, but I would say the appropriate use of a hatchet or axe is whatever work it will do well enough without injury to the user, or difficult to fix or impossible to fix damage to the tool. I have axes and hatchets that are decades old that I've stressed, beaten on, thrown, dulled severely etc. None of them are dead or seriously injured, except some handles breaking, many of which were learning experience to learn the limits of the tool and handle, which allows me to push them harder without breaking.
Virgin chipmunks...classic!
I like to play with my tools a lot..... you did that on purpose. Your audience appreciates you lol
6:51... That's what she said
missed that one lol
Imagine that...a bachelor who plays with his tool a lot!
I'm sorry... I'll show myself out!
what's a lot? :)
Dang man, look out for that poison oak.
fortunately, I don't get it. Only if I get the cut vines and sap on me, then I might get a little itch on the inside of my wrists.
youtube unsubscribed me somehow, but I'm back!
It's a consipiracy to keep people from building treehouses and moving into the woods to be self reliant.
So you're saying I shouldn't have bought that bucket of virgin chipmunk ashes?
You can still snort it.
Alpha M is a men's channel and he shows how to cut hair during the beginning of the pandemic lol. Check it out 😁
Ha ha, I could use that. I might be too lazy though...
Watch this over and learn thousands of things. Everything has value.
Typical that I watch this just after spending $1000 on a virgin chipmunk ash-infused eelskin strop
I know, I'm a buzzkill
How do they know if the chipmunk is a virgin? 🤔
....you know what? I don't wanna know.
chipmunk chastity belts so course.
Buy clippers and use the #2 all over, & you're good to go eh.