COTS Project Thread

I am shamelessly hacking a fat 32" curved into something similar in rough shape to one of the older Maine pattern handles.

Rough man I tell you...tearouts from drawknives, two pin knots, my crappy spokeshave is falling apart..... then I go and pick up the one you handled and swear this is my last butcher job !!! LOL

Bill
 
lmalterna said:
. . .

tearouts from drawknives. . .
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I might be saying something you already know and is already obvious. FWIW Tear out is common going against the grain. When cutting and you get tear out, flip the stick around and cut in the other direction.
 
You are dead on. I was using a grade 2 stick with a couple of pin knots that caused the grain to do odd things and I was not paying attention, not being patient :(

It is all just practice on using sticks for now until I get as good as my hero COTS one day ;)

Bill
 
do you have any concerns about the run out on your helve?

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Or the grain angle in your helve?

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Just wondering.

Tom
 
lmalterna said:
You are dead on. I was using a grade 2 stick with a couple of pin knots that caused the grain to do odd things and I was not paying attention, not being patient :(

It is all just practice on using sticks for now until I get as good as my hero COTS one day ;)

Bill
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Bah! I suck with a draw knife too. For me the deal is, the tool is capable of just ripping wood off at an alarming rate, and it is so tempting to do that .... except that it screws everything up. To make my life harder, the spoke shave I ordered doesn't have the little adjusters on it .... jeez, I had no idea how annoying that would be. I'm never going to sharpen the thing because I'll never get it set back to the way I like it. What an amateur! Hand tools do certainly test your patience.

Double Ott said:
do you have any concerns about the run out on your helve?

Or the grain angle in your helve?

Just wondering.

Tom
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Yes for sure. I'll pretty much try anything when it comes to axes, just because I want to experience it first hand and that was kinda the goal here. I feel pretty confident that it won't have the longevity of a handle with parallel and straight grain, but it's not a heavy use axe anyway. It will go out with me each day to the wood pile to split up some fuel for the furnace. And like I said, I just needed a project!!!!

And hey, that reminds me too. I go in the local Farm and Ranch and the HH handles all have swells (swells that a guy like me can work with anyway, more or less). I order them and the swell is MIA. So it occurred to me, anyone think we're losing that much material when they remove the lacquer? Thinking about ordering one with lacquer to find out. First pass handles are taking forever, but I know I can get a regular handle in just a few days.
 
Remzy said:
MAN.. I wish i had access to this sort of things! would save me a treamondus amount of time making handles!
since i live in canada, quebec to be more specific, i can forget about them shipping it over here... :(

Great looking holsters too!
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I have some interesting information and since you live in Canada, you are the perfect person to pass it on to. E-mail me at odell.studios at gmail dot com if you get a chance and I'll send you some links and info.
 
cityofthesouth said:
. . .
Bah! I suck with a draw knife too. For me the deal is, the tool is capable of just ripping wood off at an alarming rate, and it is so tempting to do that .... except that it screws everything up.
. . .
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I could use a lot of work on my draw knife skills too. Bah! and double Blah!

Since using a draw knife came up I thought these videos might have some interest. This guy is not making an axe handle. He is a chair maker. But the principles should apply.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSd3T9lYsxs&index=5&list=PLL_KlogKd1xf-P7ObrjmBHEWgiZAl37lx

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_s35oHiHOE&list=PLL_KlogKd1xf-P7ObrjmBHEWgiZAl37lx&index=11
 
lmalterna said:
;) you have an extra one...... LOL!

Nice Kydex work, have you done any axe covers yet?

Bill
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I think that little CT really calls for a shorter handle (what I believe to be the original handle was a really curvy unit that was only like 26 inches), so I might have a couple extras. And they cut the swells :( so I'm not going to get to make my knob end version either sooooo I might have more than a couple extras. Either that or I'll just have to go buy some more axes. Darn! But I really wanted to put an octagonal knob end on the Jersey. I keep telling myself to make a kydex cover but then I don't get it done. I have the one-size-fits-most leather cover that I made and I just never get around to making anything else.


rjdankert said:
I could use a lot of work on my draw knife skills too. Bah! and double Blah!

Since using a draw knife came up I thought these videos might have some interest. This guy is not making an axe handle. He is a chair maker. But the principles should apply.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSd3T9lYsxs&index=5&list=PLL_KlogKd1xf-P7ObrjmBHEWgiZAl37lx

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_s35oHiHOE&list=PLL_KlogKd1xf-P7ObrjmBHEWgiZAl37lx&index=11
Click to expand...

I think that I came across his videos when I was looking to sharpen the draw knife and until then I had no idea they could be used bevel up or down, or that some are made to be used one way or the other. That helped all by itself. Very useful videos.
 
Well, Mother Nature saw fit to provide me with a beautiful day yesterday, which I promptly took advantage of. This was basically an entire work day to hang both and I still haven't sharpened either of them. Got lots more draw knife practice - enough that some muscles I didn't know I had were feeling fatigued. The Collins Trade axe is 3-1/2lbs but it feels so much heavier without a poll to balance out the bit. I'm sure I put it on the scale but I have since forgot. I want to say it was heavy for weight. The steel around the eye is very thick but still makes the axe have a club-like feel in hand. This is an interesting pair because the Ct is also a Collins Legitimus and in this case, the head is spread out to be pretty much full-size but only weighs 3lbs and feels like it weighs 2lbs less than the Trade. The bit is like a knife and the eye is the narrowest I've encountered on a full-size head. Bill's was exactly the same - a wood chopping machine I expect. When starting with these first pass handles, there is a remarkable amount of wood to remove. I doubt it shows in the pictures, but the wood is visually bulging around the eye on the Ct, but I am less satisfied with the Trade. The wood is so thick that it resists driving the wedge. I used a supplied wedge and that was a mistake. I should know by now to always make my own. However, I tried to pull the wedge while I still could, and it wouldn't budge. I octagonalized (yeah we're going with that) the handle for the Trade but you will see in the pics, the handle was chucked in the lathe slightly off center so there is a flat side ...... sigh. Just the same it still feels great. OK enough talking.

collins_snow_pair by city_ofthe_south, on Flickr

collins_eyesizes by city_ofthe_south, on Flickr

collins_fit by city_ofthe_south, on Flickr

collins__legitimus_trade by city_ofthe_south, on Flickr

collins_legitimus_ct2 by city_ofthe_south, on Flickr

collins_swells by city_ofthe_south, on Flickr
 
Excellent work as usual !! Those Connecticuts look like they are flying even when standing still :)

I have a few more lying around here that need good handles.
My pic in the rehang thread shows off the balance on the one you hung.

Bill
 
Really great looking axes, COTS! Your axe photography is top-notch as well. I don't know where else to go for my axe porn... Maybe I owe you money...;)
 
lmalterna said:
Excellent work as usual !! Those Connecticuts look like they are flying even when standing still :)

I have a few more lying around here that need good handles.
My pic in the rehang thread shows off the balance on the one you hung.

Bill
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The balance of those Collins Cts is very good, maybe even perfect. I'm still open to trades :).


quinton said:
Really nice work!
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Thank you!

Agent_H said:
Really great looking axes, COTS! Your axe photography is top-notch as well. I don't know where else to go for my axe porn... Maybe I owe you money...;)
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Haha, well if I could make money selling pictures of axes, I'd do it. Even bought myself a new camera for Christmas. :)

Agent_H said:
Oh, your 1911: what are we looking at there?
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I made the holster and mag carrier. Busy hands are happy hands, my Mom always said.
 
cityofthesouth said:
This is the cross-peen hammer from the top post.

crosspeen_oct2 by city_ofthe_south, on Flickr

crosspeen_oct1 by city_ofthe_south, on Flickr

Not axes but projects all the same. These came to me from the "My Parang" people in Bidor Malaysia - they are 12 inch "Ray Mears" parangs. I am still working on my workshop so who knows when I'll get anything done. Got a big ole broad axe this past weekend and have a little something from ebay on the way as well. More projects than time. :(

parang_blanks2 by city_ofthe_south, on Flickr

parang_blanks by city_ofthe_south, on Flickr
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hi man , which web site you brought those cool parang machetes? looks great , congrats.:thumbup:
 
dingy said:
hi man , which web site you brought those cool parang machetes? looks great , congrats.:thumbup:
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Weeeeeell. I have always taken to heart the saying, "it can't hurt to ask". I just contacted the folks at outdoor dynamics (although to be honest I am not sure I actually contacted them, but some of the same people through a different avenue and I just don't remember) and asked them if they would sell me some. They agreed and they shipped here all the way from Bidor Malaysia.

BTW, 42, @FortyTwoBlades they are looking for a US distributor if you're reading this ... I am sure I can dig up the contact info for you both. My contact info is in a post above here.
 
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