Why My Autine Axe Failed | Wranglerstar
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- Опубликовано: 26 авг 2024
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Why am I still up at 5:35am watching Axe reviews?
+Vlad the Inhaler made me laugh out loud....
Made me laugh too when i reread it. Still awake. Brain why do you do this to me
+Wranglerstar So, what did they do with the head? We all have very sour tastes in our mouth from Autine until we know what happened, seriously.
I'm actually interested too, and I'm not even a huge fan of axes
+Vlad the Inhaler I feel your pain! I have been staying up until 3 or 4 am all week, watching ax reviews, and then getting my girls off to school, and working for 12hrs, then I come home, stay up WAY too long, watching Wranglerstar's video's...like as if me buying a new ax is really that important! My wife thinks I have lost my marbles, but I just know that if I go to bed, my mind will be going on, and on, and on, about the ax I should buy! Still stuck on what type, and brand to buy...leaning towards the Gransfors Bruks, just not sure which size and type I should get..
Is anyone a little suspicious that the manufacturer told him to "cut off the head to save on shipping" and just send it back? That would have meant leaving the top of the handle in the head and preventing the discovery of the voids, internal welds and use of epoxy filler.
LabTech45 Prepper Very good point. Makes you wonder doesn't it?
I have a bridge for sell. It's in Brooklyn. You'll really like it.
LabTech45 Prepper no it’s cheaper to ship. No point in sending back a handle that’s going to be thrown away
LabTech45Prepper - Hi - I live in Australia and I have for sale the Sydney Opera House AND the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Best of all, I'll sell them together to the LOWEST bidder. Any suckers, oops, sorry, I mean buyers?
@@rossmcgarry8055 $3?
A foolishly high purchase price obviously does not guarantee a quality product. For $300.00 that axe should never even had a repair attempted. For $300.00 it comes pristine out of quality control or goes to be remelted and start over.
+Mike Lamothe ive seen better 50 dollor axes than this crappy foreign company I broke my grandfathers Autine butchers axe processing elk there pieces of over prices crap
Definitely agree with you guys that's a shockingly piss poor axe I was going to order on but will stick with the vintage stuff now.ive never seen anything like that on a vintage so I wonder if there process of punching the eye is wrong
That's exactly what I was thinking. Or maybe just don't stamp the brand on it and sell it cheap.
Mike Lamothe ...... he wouldn't have bought it..... like most of his stuff it would have been given to him.
Yep, he did say that they sent it to him for a review.
Regardless of who owns what or who made it under who's name, the fact still stands. There was an obvious attempt to conceal poor craftsmanship where they though it would never be discovered. That is deceptive, unacceptable and dishonest....and at that price, close to criminal. Apparently the only guy in the quality control department doing his job is the guy who says "Yep, that's shiny enough".
Freeman Longhunter Yes, the price was - free. He got his money's worth.
I feel bad for the person who did pay for it though. It was a well intended gift. If I gifted that to someone, and they experienced similar results, I would feel aweful. Especially if they or someone else was injured as a result of shotty craftsmanship.
+Freeman Longhunter I own an Autine axe, and it's pretty amazing. The first version they tried to send me didn't look so good though. They send pictures for your approval before actually shipping the axe. The first version had poorly oriented wood grain in the handle, they used the metal wedge through the wooden wedge (sadly, even Gransfors does this anymore) and it had a similar problem to the axe in this video. This was also over two years ago, like the axe in this video. It's not really a testament to their current production quality at all.
+Chris Moore
I meant no ill will towards Autine. It is a good sign that they are receptive to their customers and will work to remedy the situation. In reality, all manufacturers experience this very thing at some point in their progression as a company. There are bad runs or unforeseen imperfections that slip through even the tightest QC efforts. Either way, I hope they got the defect worked out and you guys now have reliable tools. Thanks Chris. Cheers!
+Freeman Long hunter this isn't the first axe head axe to shift loose from autine, my friend has one that he picked up about 6 months ago. The similarity of the two is that head was loose after using it for splitting for firewood. I don't know if it was a hunters axe just that it costed around 400 dollars and it's resultant breakage. I will stay loyal to high quality axe brands.. Wetterlings, Iltis Oxhead and Gransfor Bruks.
3 years has passed, will you do a follow up video? Thanks 🙂
6 years still nothing.
@@jdoggy9123 They don't pay him for PR like some swedish brands
@@jaytee6657 lol somehow gransfors always is superior to other top line companies like ochsenkopf. You can only imagine ochsenkopf is good thats why I figure stihl uses their products. There is also other great brands I figured thats why there has never been a comparison video with other axe companies like helko, hults, ochsenkopf, and Mueller. They all probably have pros and cons as well.
Yes plz! Do you still use your Autine axe?
I just don't want to believe this! Yet here it is. I love watching the Autine videos, they are so soothing, and I love to think they make nothing but the best quality tools. It's a shame that Autine did not toss this axe head into the scrap pile as defective rather than trying to sell it. Disastrous. A warranty is one thing, but I will think twice and then think again before buying at Autine's prices after seeing this. I'll also be hoping for an update that makes me feel better about this whole situation.
I support quality craftsmanship and autine are supposed to be paralleled by none other(excluding neeman tools). This is a little disheartening to see an axe that is supposedly the pinnacle of quality have such a shoddy bandage. In my opinion that axe head should've never left the forge. Its evident that the problem was known and to mark it with a $350 price tag is insane. I do understand its all hand fitted and hand forged so its never going to be 100% true, i also get thats why its special but jease. I've never seen a gransfors with that issue and they are half the price.
Gransfors have 100 years of experience, thousands of axes behind they shoulders! John Neeman when he was part of Neeman tools was only forging axe heads and I guess wasn't making handles before, so I guess he wasn't know how to make them and how head must be fitted. When he started his own project and left John Neeman Tools he wasn't so experienced so I guess his first axes could have some issues. The John Neeman Tools - experienced crew of craftsman's they have learned much, lot of experience before they started a business! So if I would have a money to spend I would order John Neeman Tools axes.
IvarsDay Those are excuses. If his shit can't hack it, don't put the retarded price tag on it. Its clear autine is just riding internet popularity as opposed to offering the truest highest quality product they can.
Diesel Ramcharger The problem with your argument is that you are compairing one product to a whole productline, compairing the bad with the good of the other, it is one sided, Autine tools is definitely on the top of the mountain when it comes to these type of products, but mishaps happen, in all companies, everywhere.
kjellollig Mishaps happen, but to try and poorly cover it up and kick it out the door as a solid product. Well, it speaks volumes for the integrity of the company. Ive worked for many self proclaimed best before. Word gets out, it always does.
Sad thing for Autine ( and me ) I had never heard of the company until Mr Wranglerstar did the 3 axe comparison and I fell in love with the Autine only to be let down immediately.
It will not forged properly and they just shipped it anyway wow... I'll stick with my gransfors bruks
Edwin Au Yeung the nerve of selling a $300 axe that's obviously faulty, never buying Autine i suppose.
Jireh Climaco i dont think they sold it.
From what i understand they gave it to him as a gift.
It might have been one that was deemed not good enough for selling so instead of just melting it down they gave it away.
Thats just my guess though.
Edwin Au Yeung Problem is they gave it to him to test, knowing he would test it thoroughly. If you knowingly make a faulty tool never give it away to be tested. Their actions seem they were confident and probably not aware of it's faulty forging. The question is, how many forgers do they have? Maybe they will need to spend more attention on quality control.
+Mattebubben They gave the ax to the wrong guy, that´s all.
+Vivungisport Giving a low-quality axe marketed as top quality is really unacceptable regardless of who it's given to.
$400 for this...? Thank you for the very helpful information. Saved me a lot of money.
+777fuzzypeach 280
+Richard Fry That's still too much.
+777fuzzypeach you get a hundred times more out of buying a gränsfors or hults bruks axe, I have used a gränsfors huntingaxe for 15 years now as a back up or to lend to my friends as I take them camping and it has sustained whatever might have happened, also have a hultsbruks small forest wich I got for my fifth birthday from my father and he had it for some years before I was even born and I have had it for 20 years now and still have the original handle and everything and using it almost 300 days a year :) far greater quality and no f*cking glue to secure the head, true old workmanship :)
hey there just started watchin your channel and wanted to say thanks for taking the time to show the breakdown of what caused the malfunction . in my opinion , all this could have been avoided with with proper quality control to make sure no faulty tools make it out of the shop . that axe head shouldnt have been let out of the shop . it would say alot about the maker if one in ten or even a hundred had this flaw no matter how superior the tool is .
It appears that axe head was clearly defective, known to be well out of spec, then patched, causing the handle to also need patching, and then shipped out as a premium tool representing their company. Perhaps they sent out a known factory second because it was a freebie for evaluation. The irony there is not lost. The bright side is that this will probably be the impetus for much more stringent quality control. The down side is that their reputation will, and should, suffer. Ridiculously overpriced to begin with, of course IMO only, then to be exposed in this manner is a form of poetic justice.
Autine axes are HAND forged in an actual smithy. The smiths are damn good at what they do too. They are, however, at the end of the day, only human. And steel can be a TRICKY material to work and shape by HAND. Even if you work the material with godlike precision, and shape it perfectly, the piece can warp in the blade or get voids in the socket on the heat treat, the quench, you name it. But the quotas and deadlines STILL have to be met - and they probably just made a mistake in trying to patch this, rather than melt the material back down and reshape and reforge it.
It’s the double-edged sword when you buy products from people who masterfully and skillfully make the tool/weapon by hand. It can go either way, depending on how overwhelmed the smithy was when they started working on your tool/weapon. But when they succeed, what they hand over to you is a FAMILY HEIRLOOM of a tool/weapon. No doubts about it.
@@MrAlexH1991 Does not justify the weld inside and the off-fitting throat. You are an enabler.
@@MrAlexH1991 Ever heard of QUALITY CONTROL?? For the prices they charge EVERY SINGLE ONE THEY MAKE should be a FAMILY HEIRLOOM. If its not send it back to the recycle bin..at these prices there are no EXCUSES allowed.
This isn't something that "slipped" by quality control. Using an epoxy filler for the handle is a blatant attempt to "slip" one by the consumer. AND ON A TOOL THEY SENT TO BE REVIEWED!!! Of course the head should've been rejected by the manufacturer as flawed. This doesn't inspire confidence in the slightest.
If the company knew the axe was going to be reviewed on RUclips, I don't know what to say anymore, it's just like touching the stove although you know it's hot^^
They probably just pulled one out of inventory and sent it to him rather than chose a specific axe.
Good video, that head was incorrectly forged and some knucklehead thought he could cover it up. I hope they made good on it and apologized.
I have owned an Autine axe for two years now. A beautiful functional axe and have had no problem what so ever. I was so happy I order another which should be ready to ship next month.
I ordered this polished axe and a traditional splitting maul. I am super excited to take delivery.
It's just embarassing! That axe costs 300$, he used it once and it came loose. WTF?
There are no excuses. He unmasked the fraudsters.
Wranglerstar, What happended after you sent them back? Any feedback from them?
Would like to know before i would ever buy. It looks like a cracking axe but they obviously have a quality control issue that needs addressing asap.
did they ever follow up on this and deal with it properly??
Any updates on this video? Can't seem to find the next one
I agree with a lot of the comments on here about price and the quality you get. It just isn't there anymore for the price that you pay. I bought an hatchet about 20 years ago, that got a lot of use. I could not keep a handle on the dang thang....lol I used my stick welder to get inside the tight areas and filled and filed the pits. Worked great for a long time, till the wood handle broke again. So I said frigga frack and got a nice piece of thick steel pipe heated and flattened the end of it and put the head on and then proceeded to weld it together. Happy to say i haven't had any issues with it since and its been 10 years. I'm happy to say i wont be ever be having to deal with a broken handle again.
Wow. Talk about devaluing your brand name by shotty patch work...AUTINE.
+RonKris alltoug you are right. if you just place yourselfe in the blacksmith's position: you just spent days working on a pure masterpiece. but ooh shit you get a void. you try to fix it. didn't help. so you would just throw away your workpiece. i would never do this.
I love the meticulous nature you approach your tasks Cody. It makes me feel better when I tell my students to be both purposeful and careful in their chemistry calculations. Glad there are others out there with this approach to life. As always, all the best.
I understand that something made by hand will never be the exact same twice, and there may be some imperfections here and there that get overlooked. The thing that bothers me by this is that they repaired it and sold it for full price,and the repair didn't even fix the original problem. This axe head should have been scrapped or stamped and sold for less noting the problem to the buyer. Not a good representation of the quality control for this company.
Glad you are getting a replacement head. Craftsmanship was not shown very well in this head. That should have never passed quality control. I hope to see an update video in the future! Thanks for the video
Based on the fact that he made this video private more than a year ago I would assume he made it but then was waiting to hear from the manufacturer to see if they did right by him before posting a video. Now he shared this and said "I wanted to post this video because I think some people may buy this axe because I own one". That makes me think he wanted everyone to know this before they did such a thing. I think if they really did it right and took care of him he would have made an update video about it instead of just posting this one.
They sent that axe to the wrong guy if they just wanted an "Ohh shiny!!" review.
Another good review, That was an eye opener and no mistake.
You can use a stick welder and then die grinder to clean it up using finer stones and files to smooth the finish out. I heard you sent this back so this is a non issue now. In the future if you run into this problem again this would be how I would fill the voids and then clean up the inside since you don't appear to have a milling machine.
Thanks for sharing the video with us. I remember when this came up and wondered how the handle failed, it is a very nice axe.
Thanks for the vid. I'm pursuing blacksmithing as a hobby right now and I don't have any experience yet, just learning what I can from wherever. Very useful info here.
You can weld that just fine. With a tapered nozzle using your MIG. And of course you could get it with GMAW (Stick welder). Problem is, you should not have to. Welding has been my trade for over 20 years, so I can speak with some confidence.
SMAW (shielded metal arc welding) is stick. I thought the same thing though. Not a lot of people know how to stick weld these days unless it happens to be your profession. Also, spending that much on an axe, I would expect far better quality control. I doubt you'll see evidence of buttering up a void, even in a $120 axe.
GruntBurger
Correction. GMAW = Gas Metal Arc Welding or MIG (Metal Inert Gas). Stick = SMAW or Shielded Metal Arc Welding. My bad, some times my fingers get ahead of my brain. ;-) I'll through TIG in there as well. Or Tungsten Inert Gas.
I though stick as well!
I don't think it's that rare, since it's the first thing we worked with in my class last year.
Happens to me all the time, lol. I wasn't meaning stick is rare, but that unless welding is your trade, MIG is generally the method of choice. Also, stick requires quite a bit of knowledge of techniques and what rod to use. MIG is quick, easy, cheap, and effective, albeit not as strong.
Any company can have a problem now and then. It comes down to how they stand behind their product when this happens. I am confident this company will replace the tool and maybe even have a chat with the guy who "fixed" this one.
Finally someone on this thread with some sense
Factories can always produce faulty goods, but it is QA's fault for letting THIS to get into the market. There can't be any excuses for a this mess, as it is the manufacturer's responsibility to provide quality assurance.
If you are getting a malfunctioning axe out of the box, when you are paying $400 no less, it means they are not meticulous enoguh. They are not paying enough attention for an axe of *this* price range. Hence they are not a good company.
Kazathul The company may provide QA for the finished product whilst the individual parts are QAed at the factory. This would be why they wanted the head back to check what was wrong. Once received they would inspect it, see the problem and start yelling at the factory to get things fixed to identify this in the future.
Kazathul they don't check for quality on every Axe head, they check 5 out of maybe 50-100 one gets by.
x240voltsx BS the guy who hafted that head knew the problem and tried to hide/rig it. Someone should be fired!
Whatever came of the axe head? Did they ever tell you or did they just send a new one?
A 240 dollar axe was made for rich people to use that kayak trip once a year you may have reviewed to good
Yeah, there's always a dodgy example with makeshift repairs in a bunch of quality tools made by any reputable company... oh wait, mostly there isn't. Most manufacturers of high quality and premium priced tools are honest.
The professional would know better than buy a luxury item because of its advertisement. The professional knows that for example the Gränsfors bruk - which was BTW previously bashed on this very channel when reviewed with this dud - is a "quality piece", and shiny expensive things may not be. This shiny thing turned out not to be. I mean, do you seriously expect this model to outlast a true quality axe in real life work, even if it wasn't a MIG weld repaired defective one?
Jeff Bankston: Ah! But will it float?
Why are they charging nearly $300 for this kind of product? It's not as if it's coming off an assembly line and this one slipped through the QC process. Someone consciously tried to "duct tape" this ax together to get it out the door...this is a real safety concern when you're swinging a 2+ pound chunk of steel around. Spending this kind of money on a handmade tool is supposed to give you peace of mind that it will last a lifetime...not take out a piece of your mind. I'll never even consider buying this ax, or anything from this company based on what you showed here. Thanks for the thorough review!
I think the lesson learned here is, "Why risk the reputation of your entire company's future just to try to save the cost of one clearly defective part?" I understand a hand-crafted head like that entails a lot of work, but I hope it resulted in a company-wide policy change: anyone caught trying to force a defective piece to work by jury-rigging it with binder twine and chewing gum gets their unwise ass fired.
Still, gorgeous axe
Nicer review of why failed...! Very Honest point of view....! Great Job. Here we have those kind of things on axes... They just refill and this happens. I´m from Argentina.
Great intro to axe forensic school. Spare axe heads for comparison are like working on different cadavers. You are the Quincy of axe pathologists.
Not sure if they forged this axe in this manner, but a traditional method has a long piece of a softer steel forming the loop around the handle and a harder steel sandwiched between its ends for the cutting edge. These are then forge welded together and shaping is done either by hammerwork and stock removal or just stock removal. That apparent weld line could be the back of the edge steel or the portion of molten steel pushed out during the forge weld.
Mr Wranglerstar misused this Axe . If this Axe is used in its proper environment it will last for many lifetimes... Proper environment being that it should only be hung on the wall for rich people's friends to see.
i tend to agree
A good axe is designed to be abused, misused, cussed and beaten without showing fault. My concern is now that he drilled out the handle from the head, the manufacturer won't be able to deduce the original problem. They asked for the head to be simply sawed off not delivered as swiss cheese.
Thomas Hanson They were probably just going to rehang it. They obviously knew they were doing crap work by welding and using epoxy.
The original problem is pretty evident. They put a shoddily made head on a pretty handle and shined it to a mirror finish. The fact that they would send out a $250 axe that had been horribly repaired and then epoxied to the handle says a lot about the company.
dearmanville , lol correct
So, was that defective head replaced? If so, could you perhaps give us all a video update?
Was impressed by this axe's ability to cut. Such a shame about the bogus workmanship....
Cody, make a video about how to properly store power equipment over the winter. I know you use most of your equipment year round, but most people don't.
Really appreciate the honest review and investigation. Mark of a channel worth following.
They probably didnt appreciate the forensics but a great job on figuring this out! Love it!
I appreciate this video more than you know. I've saved up for the last year....all my change, any "extra" cash (and with 3 kids there isn't much) sold some stuff, traded for stuff to sell, and on Thursday I will be ordering my Autine axe. Its good to know that if anything was to happen the company would stand beind it. Thanks again.
just a thought on filling the front of the axe head. use some jb weld to fill the voids, then use a dremel or some other type of rotary tool to grind off excess material, and finally file it flush, just an idea but might be a good way to kill a few dozen afternoons.
Just recently subscribed.. because you seem like the most knowledgeable woodsman with the best youtuber skills.. it's really cool to see yiu starting out 8 years ago with hardly any of the tools you have and about 1/4 of the knowledge.. I'm gonna have fun going back though your catalogs and watching you learn
As someone who does metal casting, there should not be ANY voids in a professional cast. ESPECIALLY if it is to take a lot of beatings in its lifetime. Voids in a cast will seriously detract from its strength. This company should have had much better quality control and thrown it back into the blast furnace for re-melting.
I believe Wranglestar misspoke, this was marketed as a forging.
A casted axe head wouldn't work at all, a cast would be far too brittle. Would probably shatter the first time it was used.
it's not cast, it's forged
He said it was cast. My bad.
MattsMotorz these tools are not casted, but forged from ground up.
I wonder if in the axe head, instead of just having a small flat piece of metal that helps it stay in place they use a piece of metal like that but its shaped like an X. Maybe it would help it lock up better.
Thank you for your post. I really like Neeman Tools, but curiosity made me wonder who makes the better product (Autine or Neeman). I am not in the market for an axe, but I am interested in one of Neeman Tool's knives. I figured if I am going to shell out $500+ on something, I am going to try my best to ensure that I am getting top quality and do a little research. If this is Autine's craftsmanship, and sending out an obviously defective product that represents their name then they can sell it to the suckers out there that are willing to pay for it. Thanks to you good sir, I shall never own one of Autine's products for the obvious reasons. You saved me so much time in researching, and cannot thank you enough! It would be nice to see more videos on Neeman Tool products by their respective owners for all that are reading this comment.
Cool analysis thanks for sharing it. No one is perfect, it's how they remedy the problem that counts.
Cody I'm sure you figured out a good remedy but the only thing i would know to do is to use a deburring tool and gring a uniform edge in the front of the axe head. Granted it would be wider but you could build a beautiful handle for it just the same. love your videos
You are right about the contact points. This causes the material of the handle to crush at these points instead if distributing the force and stress over the entire contact area. That to bad the eye was poorly forged.
I think that the information that this man has is very educational. A lot of it is very helpful!
Good video Cody and well put together. I'm curious, how did you get a handle to seat into the head since you repaired it yourself? Did you add some weld and then grind it off to make it uniformed and able to contact the wood handle? Thanks in advance brother!
WOW!! Thought I was alone, there's a whole community of us. LOL
Serious axe test, and the 'axe forensic' was instructive I must say. Thanks for the insight into axe physics, it was a learning moment for me.
As someone who hopes to eventually craft my own axe's this is good information to have. Thank You.
Good honest investigation.
So just curios what ever happen with the autine ax did he make good on it
oh no. I was actually getting ready to make a purchase with this company. I'm glad I saw this video. that's a shame that this company passed this on to a customer. looks like I saved myself $300. guess I will by that bravo 2 from bark river and keep looking for a good axe. thanks for posting this video!
What everyone seems to be missing, is how hard he had to work to get the axe head off in the first place? Saying it failed would imply it became ridiculously loose or fell off. But it took taking out the wedges and drilling holes and REALLY working it to get it off. So would love to know how this axe "failed".
it was loose, it failed because it was loose
Cody, I have extended long narrow cups for my tig torch that I could fill the gap and file it down smooth. If you would like me to repair it for you let me know. i have to use these cups to weld up cylinder head runners if I poke through into a coolant passage while I am porting them.
Chris
If you know anything about heat treating and tempering you would know that only the edge is heat treated not the entire head.
A little over 16 years. You???
Have you ever noticed an old axe that wasn't properly cared for has a mushroomed poll. That's because the entire piece isn't hardened, if it was it would shatter instead of mushrooming.
My offer to Cody was over 7 month ago and was going to be done with a tig welder, a welder that has great control over how much heat you put into the piece.
Have a nice night.
I saw a video yesterday that showed someone dipping a lose hammer head or something into I believe antifreeze, it swells the wood and doesn't evaporate. pretty cool trick
I have a Axe from John Neeman Tools that I purchased from someone on Blade Forums who needed money. It is a superb tool. I was looking into getting another one about 6 months ago and found Autine being run by someone named John Neeman. Also I found John Neeman Tools. This I found very confusing to say the least. At that time Autine was taking ordwes and John Neeman was not. So I ordered a Gransfors Bruks Hunters Axe and am very happy with my choice. I would order a John Neeman again but I have read some not good things about Autine. This is just another. Not sure what is going on over there in Latvia.
John Neeman got together with couple guys and formed a company - John Neeman Tools. All was good until things went south and they split. Unfortunately the trademark (while based on his name) was not registered under his name...
John started another company - Autine and this is where he is now.
Perhaps on a wrong scale but it is somewhat similar to Steve Jobs situation - he built Apple from scratch and then was forced to leave (and then came back but that's beyond the point).
Great video Cody. Personally I wouldn't try to fill the void if it was my axe, I would remove the material around it. With a milling machine and a straight bit a profile similar to the current one could be obtained, except with no void.
it is hand forged axe from latvia and it is a wery good axe
Instead of filling the gap, you could drill it out slightly to make a uniform surface using a drill press and appropriate clamp.
Hopefully this is one of those lessons a young company makes and learns from.
I just saw this video I know it's a bit too late but couldn't you put a file and a dye grinder in the eye to clean it up and then fill it back in using some 7018 stick weld to reshape it and go back through it with the half round file.
Thank you for your honest review.
Now I know which axe to avoid.
Geeze, I am glad I bought my $12 Harbor Freight hatchet and learned from this channel how to make it great.
This is why I only buy Gransfors Bruks. Been using the same American Forest axe for almost 20 years and just today replaced the handle. Trust the Swedes!
The Swedish steel still bite
Did you replace the handle yourself? Or did you have GBA do it?
I could weld that. Would gas weld it or powder weld it. Wire feed or stick in that tight a space would be a pain. They may make a tig head that would fit also. I think it's fixable just would take some time. Love your channel you get to play with all the cool tools.
Nice work Cody. I wonder how many more inferior axe castings made it to the consumers? After watching you’r axe test video this was good to see. Thanks Cody!
They aren't cast.. That are hand forged
Eight years have passed now and we're still waiting on that follow up video
How did it all end? Did you get a replacement or what?
so what ever happened with this axe? did they replace it or refund? also i just got done watching your carpenters bench series and the end result was amazing! its amazing how much you can accomplish with hand tools and some hard work
It's good that you found it first before Jack started really working with it, someone could have gotten hurt.
Somehow I think this is what they wanted to do.. to save you from realizing what was going on... by "saving postage."
Thank you for allowing me to find a new channel to follow.
Since this was posted a year ago, what is the update?
This is not one of the "you're a dumb-***, I'm brilliant" comments. It is meant to be helpful and informative.
You use the term "casting" a lot (in other videos, too), but the piece is a "forging".
As you know, a forging is obtained when you beat the living tar out of a piece of metal until it's shaped the way you want. It has fantastic strength properties because the natural "grain" of the material has been made to flow in the direction of forging.
A casting is obtained from molten metal poured into a mold to obtain the final shape. Castings are never used when strength is an issue.
I'm an engineer, and I was given this definition of at my first job:
Casting: a collection of blowholes and discontinuities in a metal of questionable quality, usually repaired by welding.
Just FYI. Keep up the great work.
I certainly make no claim to be an axe 'expert'....but after a long life of using them, in addition to the wooden wedge to start with, I would have had three of those metal wedges equally spaced and at the same angle. Since I hit really hard whether I'm loggin' or just at a campsite gathering firewood, that's the only configuration that's ever worked for me long-term.
Interesting video, Wranglerstar. Do you reckon that a full-tang axe like a Winkler would work better for your needs?
I learned something new again. Thanks. I hope you get it resolved. I can't help but wonder if the design itself is flawed? With no poll on it, there is no counterbalance. It just seems like it would eventually twist. Your hand-made LH axe has such a robust eye and handle I doubt that it would ever loosen.
If they were to fill voids by welding they should use a tig welder and slowly fill it in with nickel rod and re-heat treat it. Ex TIG welder myself and it would have been so smooth you never would be able to tell it was welded except for the nickel being brighter.
Interesting investigation. Thanks!
6010 around 90amps will fill it nicely, you may have to bend the rod some to get it in the whole but it will work smooth it down with a rat tail file
A professional welder would easily rebuild those voids with MMAW but that is a moot point as you have a warranty situation there. Ordinarily, though, deconstructing the axe would void the warranty. Good job you have an understanding supplier!
I almost never purchase new tools but rather refurbish old and worn out ones. Hence I watch this channel pretty frequently. A while back I ran into a similar issue with a chinese made hatchet (refurbishing for a friend); No warranty so I machined head with negative draft and fitted the head with a larger handle. A little more work but I hated to scrap the tool.
When he said the wood was soft was it the wedge or the handle because wedges are supposed to be softer
How about using a round file to longen the hole towards the front untill you get enough surface area and then just fit it with a slightly bigger handle?
That's a shame. Great work CSI Cody!
I went to your channel looking for an update on this matter. Couldn't find it. Did it get lost in the mail? What happened?
Not sure if you were already aware of this but the link in the description for the best axe under $75 is now more like $90
They might have just had a faulty handle, the "filler" was not intended to be there but is just remains of the epoxy or glue used to glue in the wedge (you had to drill it out) that seeped into the cavity left by the improper handle fit.
Cody, Thank you for making this video public. What was the final outcome of this? I saw in one of your other videos that this has was loosening up, and wondered what the outcome was.
Just canceled my $1261 USD order from Autine. Thanks wranglestar!
I'm glad he's gonna re handle it for you.
There may be a follow-up in the many comments, but you could please tell us how things followed-up with Autine? For $400 I would be very upset if they didn't provide a replace free of charge, including shipping. That is definitely slag from a bad MIG weld filler job.
That is a beautiful handle. I like that handle! One thing I can't stand about chopping wood, is the jack-knife abuse the wrist takes when the axe is at full extension.
Hi watched the vids. When you sent it back did they replace the whole axe? Based upon your review it looks like the head wasn't right.