Thank you for your comments! There is a lot to comment, let's see if I have enough time.
I'mSoSharp those heads look like old Biscayne pattern. From the end of the 1500's Basques were not the only makers of this pattern, lookingbto their eye shape there is a fair probability for them to be Basque made, that's all I can say.
Square_peg I have contacted the maker severall times and I have said them to fix the subtitles problem, they allways say they are working in it...
The handle maker worked single, he has retired more or less a moth ago. That's a pity he is a very good wod reader. At the beginning of the video they say they are not showing how do they actually produce axes but how were they traditionally produced. The handlemaker used electric powered tools for his job.
F114 is the same as C45 or 1045, the steel is not stellar per se but the axemaker has the heat treatment totally controlled, ask me about it if you want to know more. I own a 2,2Kg Jauregi Basque axe with 14° bit in 1045 steel and it cuts black lockust flawlessly.
Using head instead of the eye is due to the form we have to talk about each part of the axe in Euskera. For example we literally say to "round the head" to give form to the eye.
That steel handle is not a handle but the piece he uses to give to the eye the tapered oval form.
The Basques (mosty old timers) when we talk between us we use the term iron to refer to all kind of iron alloy. This way to refer to the steel is found everywere from antique documents to modern steel mills. We use the correct term in foreigner languages.
He doesn't use masks while grinding, he has admited me that is a bad habit. That grinding speed is his working speed, indeed I have seen him working faster. That man is a master and a pleasure to see working.
I agree you
Lieblad, these axes have a huge history and they are unknown for the usual axe fan.
Slim278 that is the total weight.
Twindog it's allways weird when you try axes made with other phylosophies. We who are used to Basque handles found the roundish American type handles awkward. The flat side of the handle gives the user quite precise information about the orientation of the head, loosin that information in echange for nothing is weird.
These axes have allways had his type of handles and there have been few places in the world who have seen the amount of axe usage our land has seen. I have never seen a person using these axes in his knees, use them as other axes don't leave your fears ruin your axemanship.
You can never compare an axe cutting the same log from different heights, he one you use standing will allways win to the one you use in your knees.
There is not any problem if the head of these axes gets loose, the easiest way to tighten it is to use it,
[video]https://youtu.be/ImBQCe1snO4[/video]
I have listened the "unfinished handle" complain severall times, the handle is finished the way has allways been finished. The smoothnes of the handle is a fault in itself, the grip is defective specially when you start sweating. You will never see a Basque axeman painting his axe handles with chalk as I have seen Australians do. We have a very different handle culture, we prefer good in hand performance rather than durability.
You can wedge a local standard handle to a Basque axe,
If you want to try wedged handles I encourage you to use the handles Basque competition axemen do use.
