Axe & Cork

rjdankert

rjdankert

Joined
Mar 10, 2011
Messages
2,647
Think of axe and axe men/women when you pop that cork on NEW YEARS EVE! I think the specialized axe used to harvest cork in Portugal is a machada, specifically: MACHADA DA CORTIÇA. I don't know about other countries. I am sure others know about the axes and techniques used, but I did not until I came across this topic this morning. Hope some others find this interesting. Be warned there is no felling or bucking involved. :D

Short general video:


Little longer video, but showing more detail of the axe work:


Random axe pictures from Google Images:

machado-para-tirar-corti%C3%A7a.jpg

Accetta_per_estrarre_il_sughero.JPG

cork-3_axe2.png


Like to find more about how the heads were attached on these.

Have a safe and prosperous New Year everyone.

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Bob

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Portugal. Cork harvesting, processing and use 60 years ago:
 
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Good post! I've always been amazed that cork oaks don't die from being girdled.

Handy little light axes they have there. I can't help but wonder if they might cut more efficiently with a little flatter bit so that overlapping cuts are joined more easily. The thin bit penetrates nicely and the long bit makes a good prying tool. I can't help but wonder if a good bark spud wouldn't make the peeling go a little easier.
 
I've seen various cork axes being produced in Italy and Portugal, and the consistent feature I see universally with both new and antique ones is that the bits are very round.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
I've seen various cork axes being produced in Italy and Portugal, and the consistent feature I see universally with both new and antique ones is that the bits are very round.
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I wonder if that is just done by tradition or if there is a reason for it. Watching them work it looks like they struggle to get the peel started because of the connective bark left between the cuts. The size and weight of the axes seems well suited to the task. And the thinness of the bit allows just the right amount of penetration.

I suppose the rounder bit might be an advantage when working around burls and branches. But on the main trunk it looks like a hindrance.

Maybe they need double bits! Woohoo!
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It may be due to how grippy the material would be on the bit.
 
Very cool video - thank for putting that up here.

I didn't realize the trees rejuvenate to the point of harvest after 7-10 years of stripping them like that - didn't think about it until this video actually.

The end of his handle looks like it's got a little taper to it to help with prying. That might just be wear from use as well I guess.

Is there a mechanized way to harvest cork?

A lot of time, effort, and energy goes into getting that cork to the point of pulling from a bottle - uncorking one now will make me think twice.

Happy New Year to everyone!
 
Thank you for this and Happy New Year. Let's hope 2017 is gonna Trump all! Perhaps FortyTwoBlades will come to realize that those Portuguese Rinaldis he's trying to pass off as bushcraft choppers were likely developed for the local cork industry.
 
300Six said:
Thank you for this and Happy New Year. Let's hope 2017 is gonna Trump all! Perhaps FortyTwoBlades will come to realize that those Portuguese Rinaldis he's trying to pass off as bushcraft choppers were likely developed for the local cork industry.
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Actually, Rinaldi is Italian and they make a cork model, which I don't carry...
 
Rinaldi model 308 -- described as a "Sardinian axe for cork."

scure308-400x208.jpg


The broad thin model I enjoy using (but don't promote as a bushcraft tool) is the Trento pattern, which hails from north-eastern Italy. The trees there, from what I can find, are mostly conifer and aspen species and the region is about 50% forest cover.

For bushcraft type applications I would lean more towards the Calabria pattern.

This is a Portuguese cork axe by Cativegrama.

machadinhaCortica_600x400_w_181b4ff8a3658cb13ad9d3163c342524.jpg
 
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Agent_H said:
. . .
The end of his handle looks like it's got a little taper to it to help with prying. That might just be wear from use as well I guess. . .
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I have seen pictures of handles made with a taper, but haven't yet found more about making them. So I really don't know. Seems like the handles get a lot of wear.

Agent_H said:
. . . Is there a mechanized way to harvest cork?
. . .
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That's an interesting question considering the history of industry to reduce labor with machines. The first video in my OP was uploaded in 2010, but I don't know when it was made. The narrator states "No viable mechanical method has yet been invented to do the job as effectively." However, I did find this:

descorticadora-252x300.jpg

http://www.wood-land.net/forestry/mechanised-cork-harvest/
:(


Bob
 
I'm glad those guys get paid well.

Beyond "How it's made" I didn't know anything about cork harvesting.

Cool thread. Thanks Bob!
 
"Flor" quality wine corks (the highest grade) can fetch over a dollar apiece. :eek:
 
My brother-in-law used to work at a winery. Sometimes corks would fall on the floor. He would gather them and soak them clean. His official job title was "dirty cork soaker".

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I'm keeping my day job.
 
Some nifty photos I stumbled across. Note the balance adjustment of the curve in the handle and the steel shoe.

2C56C20C5220564966E03556495AF8.jpg


An interesting "platform" of sorts.

2D56C20BC3315649664F3656495A69.jpg
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Some nifty photos I stumbled across. Note the balance adjustment of the curve in the handle and the steel shoe.

2C56C20C5220564966E03556495AF8.jpg


An interesting "platform" of sorts.

2D56C20BC3315649664F3656495A69.jpg
Click to expand...

I am guessing balance has nothing to do with the curve in that handle. From the looks of it I imagine it is a safe bet to say it is curved to make harvesting easier. They drive the handle between the round tree and its bark.
 
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