Best Made Co - Black Donald Hudson Bay Axe

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Oof. Well, I guess some folks enjoy the taste of their own feet. :foot:
 
A pretty decent and brief exploration of defining hipsterism:

[video=youtube;f3xe-Wxio1o]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3xe-Wxio1o[/video]
 
Great video, great points.

We all have a little hipster in us, deal with it.

In this day and age, and also one thing I realize as I age(hit 40 in October) is that I don't care nor have the time to judge people based off their beliefs, looks, likes, ideas, practices, etc. Do what you want, you only have so much time to make yourself happy. Just don't cram your ideas or your hate on me and persuade me to think like you, that's all.

I like BMC, their products, lines, etc. Nothing wrong with that. I like Council, etc. I am not a huge fan of GB or Wetterlings, but their products are ok. I just prefer USA products when I can.

Meh. I'm over this.
 
300Six said:
A crusty old one perhaps? Just because hipsters like to deck themselves out in plaid shirts doesn't automatically mean I am one too.
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A good point lol.

While I am a cheap Yankee and would never consider buying a Best Made product, the world is full of companies selling willing consumers things that they don't need. I see no reason to fault them if people are willing to pay them. Hopefully they are making an informed decision to buy (like Operator), as it's still a good tool that will see good use, but in the end it's their money.

Myself? I would personally buy the Council regular line axe if I was forced to buy a new one, but that's just me. I'm the guy that would rather make veal parm dinner at home for $20-25 than spend $100-150 on dinner out, so take that for what it's worth.
 
Chignecto Woodsman said:
And to be fair, with true inflation the top quality old axes would cost 400-500 dollars, much like a Tuatahi or Autine (there is a company selling hipster racing axes as well). It's just that most of our wages haven't seen the same inflation.
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Good post. Right on point.
 
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I was in the woods the other day with no shirt, a pair of shorts, rubber boots, and a wrist band. What can I say, it was unseasonably warm and it can be hard work cutting wood. I hope no pictures make it onto the internet.
 
What's infinitely (and I mean that ironically) more interesting, is the space travel part at the end. I can't decide if I'll be needing an axe for it though. Probably. But that's the least of our worries since we can't talk about space travel without talking about faster than light travel and the theory of relativity.
 
I can somewhat understand the dislike of the axes with painted handles from BMC whether is because of price or looks, I get that. But their "unfinished" axe is pretty much inline with council tool's velvicut (it is the same head after all) or some of the comparable models from Gransfors or Wetterlings.
 
I just wish there was actually a performance upgrade like a Higher hrc with BMC that quite a higher cost for "salon" treatment.

Looks good though.
 
300Six said:
Council already has a quality guarantee and was there a busybody at Best Made that correctly knew how to judge hangs and handles, and promptly returned (at Council's expense) any substandard ones, Council would quickly re-adjust to better QC all their shipments to B M. With wood grain and orientation 'normal grade' and even high grade (this wood is really pretty?) can mean darn near anything today?
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I'm not sure I understand this comment.
 
nickzdon said:
I'm not sure I understand this comment.
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Council's stuff is already warranteed to be of specific quality and free of defects (but hey, wood grain is difficult to judge if you don't have much experience!) but very few buyers know what to look for nor bother to exercise that return option. Presumably Quality Control at B.M. is a little more rigorous than merely throwing a few coats of paint on incoming axes and then shipping them out the next day.
 
300Six said:
Council's stuff is already warranteed to be of specific quality and free of defects (but hey, wood grain is difficult to judge if you don't have much experience!) but very few buyers know what to look for nor bother to exercise that return option. Presumably Quality Control at B.M. is a little more rigorous than merely throwing a few coats of paint on incoming axes and then shipping them out the next day.
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I'd say it's pretty rigorous. I don't personally review axes anymore, but every single axe is inspected for fit, finish, proper grind, and any other visible defects before being marked for sale. I review any questionable axes every time I visit the warehouse. The vast majority of axes make the grade, but there are a few that don't. Council has always provided us good product, and they've been a great partner, but we still inspect every single axe.

Thanks to Operator for his post (no one at BMC asked him to post it, and he didn't get that axe for free, he's a real customer and friend of the company). It's nice to see that this thread hasn't degraded into the rampant speculation and name calling that would have plagued it 5 years ago. I continue to encourage anyone who has any questions about our axes to give me a shout at nick@bestmadeco.com, or call me at 646-736-2667(my direct line). I've got nothing to hide, this isn't the first time I've posted my contact info. I've been following this conversation on this forum literally for years.

I'll also clarify on grain orientation. Both BMC axes and the Velvicut line utilize bastard cut handles which specify grain orientation parallel to the bit with no more than 20º deviance left or right. If you look at all the graded specs from a handle manufacturer, grain orientation isn't even on the list. We had to specifically ask for it in addition to the other specs because we know it's something folks look for. Spec'ing this orientation lowers wood utilization and increases the final price. I'll save my thoughts on the 'grain train' for a separate thread.

If you'd rather buy an axe from someplace else, you're totally free to do so. But I want to show how serious Best Made's commitment is to the axe and to product quality (and that we do in fact know what we're talking about). If you got questions, just ask.
 
nickzdon said:
I'd say it's pretty rigorous. I don't personally review axes anymore, but every single axe is inspected for fit, finish, proper grind, and any other visible defects before being marked for sale. .

I'll also clarify on grain orientation. Both BMC axes and the Velvicut line utilize bastard cut handles which specify grain orientation parallel to the bit with no more than 20º deviance left or right. If you look at all the graded specs from a handle manufacturer, grain orientation isn't even on the list. We had to specifically ask for it in addition to the other specs because we know it's something folks look for. Spec'ing this orientation lowers wood utilization and increases the final price. I'll save my thoughts on the 'grain train' for a separate thread.
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Thank you for explaining that your company is not 'just another pretty face'. Also nice to hear from knowledgeable folks that actually stand behind their product.
As to the 'grain train' opinions presumably many fewer broken hafts come back under warranty because of specific grain orientation and runout decisions that B.M. has chosen to adhere to. To me that's good business.
 
rjdankert said:
What is a "bastard cut"? It's not a term I could find relating to wood...
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I was wondering, too, and found this:


Quarter And Bastard Sawing
The term quarter sawed signifies that the log is cut into quarters before being reduced to boards, while the term bastard sawed denotes that all the saw cuts are parallel to the squared side of the log. In genuine quarter sawing (also called rift sawing) the cuts should be as nearly as possible at right angles with the circles of growth, or parallel with the medullary rays a, as shown in Fig. 2; while in bastard sawing, the cuts are nearly parallel with the circles of growth and expose the edges of the medullary rays a and the fullface grain of the laminations, as shown at b' and c' in Fig. 3. The advantages in quarter sawing material having well-defined medullary rays are that it wears better, shrinks less, and the silver grain presents a very fine effect.

http://chestofbooks.com/architecture/Building-Trades-Pocketbook/Quarter-And-Bastard-Sawing.html#.VjPtoeKUy8Y
 
Steve Tall said:
I was wondering, too, and found this:


. . .the term bastard sawed denotes that all the saw cuts are parallel to the squared side of the log. . .
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Thanks for the reply.

I've always referred to that as plain sawn. Found it is also called slash sawn.

"The method of cutting a log illustrated by Fig. 15 is known as plain, slash, or bastard sawing, and is the cheapest way to cut logs, both as to time and waste. The log is first squared to secure a bed upon which it may lie while being sawed, which also makes it un necessary to run each board by the edging saw to straighten the edges. The slabs at a are sawed into boards as the log is squared, and the bark, or "live edges," sawed off afterward. These make an inferior grade of boards, as they are nearly all sap, but they are well worth saving, if large logs are being cut."

22024734573_6343afe082.jpg


From: http://chestofbooks.com/home-improvement/woodworking/Elements-of-Woodwork/Lumbering-And-Varieties-Of-Wood-Part-2.html#.VjUGg9KrT4Y

I believe this type of sawing is what I saw in the video I posted in this thread: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1327788-Saw-Mill-amp-Axe-Handle-Lathe-Making-a-Hickory-Axe-Handle!

Bob
 
nickzdon said:
I'd say it's pretty rigorous. I don't personally review axes anymore, but every single axe is inspected for fit, finish, proper grind, and any other visible defects before being marked for sale. I review any questionable axes every time I visit the warehouse. The vast majority of axes make the grade, but there are a few that don't. Council has always provided us good product, and they've been a great partner, but we still inspect every single axe.

Thanks to Operator for his post (no one at BMC asked him to post it, and he didn't get that axe for free, he's a real customer and friend of the company). It's nice to see that this thread hasn't degraded into the rampant speculation and name calling that would have plagued it 5 years ago. I continue to encourage anyone who has any questions about our axes to give me a shout at nick@bestmadeco.com, or call me at 646-736-2667(my direct line). I've got nothing to hide, this isn't the first time I've posted my contact info. I've been following this conversation on this forum literally for years.

I'll also clarify on grain orientation. Both BMC axes and the Velvicut line utilize bastard cut handles which specify grain orientation parallel to the bit with no more than 20º deviance left or right. If you look at all the graded specs from a handle manufacturer, grain orientation isn't even on the list. We had to specifically ask for it in addition to the other specs because we know it's something folks look for. Spec'ing this orientation lowers wood utilization and increases the final price. I'll save my thoughts on the 'grain train' for a separate thread.

If you'd rather buy an axe from someplace else, you're totally free to do so. But I want to show how serious Best Made's commitment is to the axe and to product quality (and that we do in fact know what we're talking about). If you got questions, just ask.
Click to expand...

What other companies where you can buy axes have a rep that puts out their personal contact info, so if there is an issue it can be handled. I don't remember there being one..... - something is swirling in the back of my mind about Estwing and maybe Wetterlings, can't remember, and not gonna scan threads to look......but anyway - to me that shows top notch customer service, and to me, service matters.

Thanks for the info Nick!
 
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