Lost my axe

[Shadowscape]

Thanks !
The head wedge(s), look like both wood, & then the metal added ?
I wondered about the "metal exclusive throat collar" to protect the handle. only on the splitting mauls ?
Is this getting tedious for you ?
Thanks again !

Yeah, both wood and then a metal for wedges.
Splitting mauls tend to get hit right there on a regular basis, hence the collars. I think they figure if you paid $150.-$300. for an axe you are more likely to pay a little more attention to what you are doing and not be so wild as if you are splitting a stubborn piece of firewood and swinging with all your might, which results in less accuracy.
I have seen quite a few people wrap the collar as I have done with their handles. It is not going to keep you from cracking the handle if you are hitting like Babe Ruth and miss with the head and catch it with the handle, but for that occasional limb you didn't see that catches the wood, it does a pretty good job of protecting your investment. I have limbed a lot of fir and pine trees with Roxanne over the years and she still looks like a lady.
Not tedious at all.

 

[data farm 26]

Thing of beauty there

 

[evo]

Thanks !
The head wedge(s), look like both wood, & then the metal added ?
I wondered about the "metal exclusive throat collar" to protect the handle. only on the splitting mauls ?
Is this getting tedious for you ?
Thanks again !

You might already know this. But in case you don’t…. A well hung axe only need the wood wedge. This gives the user the ability to adjust or make repairs if the head loosens.
Adding a steel wedge or round one, helps ensure the wood one doesn’t back out, locking it. But the flip side of this it makes it nearly impossible to repair any wobble as they are too difficult to remove without damaging the wood.

@

 

[evo]

Yeah, both wood and then a metal for wedges.
Splitting mauls tend to get hit right there on a regular basis, hence the collars. I think they figure if you paid $150.-$300. for an axe you are more likely to pay a little more attention to what you are doing and not be so wild as if you are splitting a stubborn piece of firewood and swinging with all your might, which results in less accuracy.
I have seen quite a few people wrap the collar as I have done with their handles. It is not going to keep you from cracking the handle if you are hitting like Babe Ruth and miss with the head and catch it with the handle, but for that occasional limb you didn't see that catches the wood, it does a pretty good job of protecting your investment. I have limbed a lot of fir and pine trees with Roxanne over the years and she still looks like a lady.
Not tedious at all.

That is a sexy axe! I too prefer a straighter handle. Once I get time more time I aim to make a more modern arborist axe.
General use, but a long pole for pounding wedges, straight handle 90degrees to the top of the head (which will also be flat) so it can be used as a T square for sighting in face cuts.
Thinking the 5# range with a 30-32” handle for potential in tree use

 

[Shadowscape]

That is a sexy axe! I too prefer a straighter handle. Once I get time more time I aim to make a more modern arborist axe.
General use, but a long pole for pounding wedges, straight handle 90degrees to the top of the head (which will also be flat) so it can be used as a T square for sighting in face cuts.
Thinking the 5# range with a 30-32” handle for potential in tree use

You must be bigger than I am. I weigh in at 135 pound. Anything over 2-1/2# is cumbersome for me to use properly.
I like a wee bit of curve for limbing. Be nice to switch to a straight for pounding wedges but I do about equal of both and a straight handle doesn't cut it for me when limbing. Be really nice to have a variety of them, but alas, I seem to make do with just Roxanne and a small sledge as a back up. Have a felling axe, but it is currently on lone to my son, who will probably never bring it back.

 

[evo]

You must be bigger than I am. I weigh in at 135 pound. Anything over 2-1/2# is cumbersome for me to use properly.
I like a wee bit of curve for limbing. Be nice to switch to a straight for pounding wedges but I do about equal of both and a straight handle doesn't cut it for me when limbing. Be really nice to have a variety of them, but alas, I seem to make do with just Roxanne and a small sledge as a back up.

I have about 30# on you. I’m thinking of the daily axe use on most arborist crews. Not packing in, and not for limbing. I’ve seen many crews that don’t even have an axe! Or use a sledge.
Thinking my axe use/need isn’t unique. Pounding out faces. Cleaning up the apex of the face. Pounding wedges.. occasionally a few small limbs, a little splitting, or cutting out a pinched saw

 

[Shadowscape]

I have about 30# on you. I’m thinking of the daily axe use on most arborist crews. Not packing in, and not for limbing. I’ve seen many crews that don’t even have an axe! Or use a sledge.
Thinking my axe use/need isn’t unique. Pounding out faces. Cleaning up the apex of the face. Pounding wedges.. occasionally a few small limbs, a little splitting, or cutting out a pinched saw

Then it sounds like you are right on with your dimensions, shape and weight.

 

[GregManning]

Axe Rack

Storage for unheated garage.
This keeps the steel farther up of the floor; & organized.
(Axes, Pulaski, Hatches, Mauls, Brush hook)

Old, frequently unused, & rusty implements were wire brushed, then sprayed w/ Rust Converter.
Next plan is to re-sharpen old axes; and other old implements.
35-40 years old Viking grinder model 40250, w/ 10” wet stone wheel made for sharpening.

The Axe Rake makes it easy to see if some are lost or missing ?

 

[Shadowscape]

You have a couple G.B. axes!

 

[GregManning]

You have a couple G.B. axes!

I thought you might notice.
I could not decide between the 25" or the 19" Foresty Axe; so I got both !
Oh well, that's just me !

 

[Treemuel]

My only G.B. is a hewing axe. The two of us spent a lot of quality time together a few years ago when we built our cabin

 

[GregManning]

WOW ! Fabulous !

How / when do you use it ?

I have a good friend w/ a place on the Damarisotta River.

 

[Treemuel]

WOW ! Fabulous !

How / when do you use it ?

I have a good friend w/ a place on the Damarisotta River.

Thanks! We have used it year round (it's insulated enough to heat with a space heater), but my family also has a house on the property. It has a sleeping loft and a small bathroom with composting toilet and gravity fed sink, but no shower or kitchen. So currently we use the house in the winter and the cabin for the summer when we have a lot of other family visiting. My partner also just got her massage therapy license, so she'll be using it now sometimes as a studio space.

 

[GregManning]

Thanks! We have used it year round (it's insulated enough to heat with a space heater), but my family also has a house on the property. It has a sleeping loft and a small bathroom with composting toilet and gravity fed sink, but no shower or kitchen. So currently we use the house in the winter and the cabin for the summer when we have a lot of other family visiting. My partner also just got her massage therapy license, so she'll be using it now sometimes as a studio space.

I'll bet you took advantage of the massages hefting that hewing axe !

 

[Treemuel]

I'll bet you took advantage of the massages hefting that hewing axe !

It was definitely a good experience of realizing how much tougher our forebears were than we are; living history

There are a lot of old timber frames around these parts and it's really impressive to think about the amount of work it took to build them all, not to mention the conditions they were working in.

 

[GregManning]

I'll bet you took advantage of the massages hefting that hewing axe !

@Treemuel
Unfortunately, I have to rely on ibuprofin or asprin !

 

[Shadowscape]

It was definitely a good experience of realizing how much tougher our forebears were than we are; living history

There are a lot of old timber frames around these parts and it's really impressive to think about the amount of work it took to build them all, not to mention the conditions they were working in.

And they didn't get to use tin roofs.

 

[GregManning]

FYI
Sharpening Axe w/ Files:

Several On-line references seem to indicate SVST (Sun Valley Ski Tool) files (originally for ski edges, made in Austria) are a super Axe sharpening file.

I spent several hours finding an on-line source:

One Ref: https://video.search.yahoo.com/sear...9779efd5e521e08a916aa7759abbbe50&action=click
See: starting at 1 min of 25.

I have numerous “Nicholson” files from my father; but the SVST’s were taughted to be much better.

Link to purchase: RaceWerks.com (SVST):
https://www.race-werks.com/search.php?search_query=files&section=product

 

[GregManning]

Just another reference to the SVST files:

https://lamacaaxes.com/products/svst-superchrome-files

per LAMACA Handmade Axes: “Absolutely the best axe files in current production we've ever used.”

 

[Friedrich]

i don‘t keep my wedging axe sharp. i sharpen my carving axe with diamond stones (dmt) and finish with polishing compound.

the price of those files seems a little bit steep to me.