G-pig's aforementioned picture dump thread

VintageAxe said:
You did that Rixford justice, man. Bummer you're so far off, I believe I could learn a thing or two hanging out around you. Love your chisel collection. I used to have a couple sources for cheap cheap cheap old chisels, but many of them are in need of handles. I'm guessing some of yours have new handles, what kind of wood is ideal for that? I have a wood turner friend who is retiring soon and I'm hoping to hit him up for some.
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G-Pigs work is a reflexion of the craftsman that made them. His handles got soul:).
 
garry3 said:
G-Pig, I am not an expect on chisels by any means. And the flat back thing, I don't think it needs to be flat like the sole of a plane. Rather it neads to be flat in width.
And this is true enough. With the chisel point it will never be real sharp with out the back being trued up also. Heck there are old chisels out there in all kinds of configurations, curved backs ect. When I sharpen a chisel I always hit the back also. I do the same with hewing hatchets that have a single bevel to the bit.
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I always hit the back on the chisel as well, you have to in order to get that wicked shahp edge you want on a chisel. Good wording on the flattening across the short way of the back.
 
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i snapped this pic a while ago for the old "1, 2, or 3 axes" thread. Things have changed a little since then but it still a nice pic.

L to R is a little Walters Black Diamond around 3 pound, a 3 pound Spiller (love this axe, use it all the time for hewing, falling etc), 3 pound Bellknap double bit, 3 pound Snow & Nealley (you guys starting to see the trend in weights?), 2 3/4 pound S&N, and a heavier Walters which is about 3 1/2 I think. All of these except the Spiller have G-pig Made Maple handles.
 
G-pig said:
...Black Diamond around 3 pound, a 3 pound Spiller... 3 pound Bellknap double bit, 3 pound Snow & Nealley (you guys starting to see the trend in weights?)...
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Seem like a 3 pound head on a 30-32" haft is unfortunately an extinct species of American axe (no longer made). This is my vote for Council Tool's next new axe.
 
G-pig said:
Thanks. Its a great little axe, ill snap some more pictures of it, took a nice filing.

Most of these chisels were picked up for 3-10 dollars with either no handles or very poor handles. I have had to work on almost all of them quite a bit which was good perspective on how they cut and how I like them tuned up. I used some Locust, Sugar Maple, Ash etc for handles. Not sure about how they hold up since I havent had a chance to really beat on them yet.

A lot of the wood working fetish type fellas insist that all chisels have to have perfectly flat backs. I am just not sure about this. there are times when you need a flat back, but at the same time, almost every vintage chisel Ive come across had a back that was not flat, and I dont mean just sharpened on the back by a moron. like a gentle curve. I think it was intentional. And if you are doing super meticulous wood working (which I am most definitely not doing), I think it might well be fine,
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Great pics, bro!!!! In "The Complete Guide to Sharpening," Lee talks a bit about giving a gentle curve to some tools. I think he is mostly referring to drawknives. I'll look for the part that I'm think of.

Glad that computer is working for you! Keep posting interesting pics!!!!:D
 
Steve Tall said:
Seem like a 3 pound head on a 30-32" haft is unfortunately an extinct species of American axe (no longer made). This is my vote for Council Tool's next new axe.
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I would love to see a non velvicut 3 pounder, or even a 2 3/4 pounder with extra cheek material that is just tapered out into the edge (not unlike a wedge pattern :rolleyes:). If it provided enough material to shape how people want it would have a niche market for sure. It is a superb combo. A 2 1/2 pound on a full 28" handle is certainly underrated in terms of hitting power though. Snow & nealley used to call that size/weight combo a Men's axe some of their catalogs, not a boys axe (that was 2 pound on a 26" handle). Swing a nice full weight size one around and you understand they have some pep to em.

I actually just cut a 32" handle off a 3 1/4 pounder a couple weeks ago. Peter Vido talked about 32" as being fairly long I think, which I didn't "get" until using a 29"-30" handle for a while and switching back. 32" is a nice size for a lighter splitting axe though. My main splitter, a 3 1/2 ish MWH reversible double bit, has a 34" oak handle and its overkill sometimes.
 
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M3mphis said:
Great pics, bro!!!! In "The Complete Guide to Sharpening," Lee talks a bit about giving a gentle curve to some tools. I think he is mostly referring to drawknives. I'll look for the part that I'm think of.

Glad that computer is working for you! Keep posting interesting pics!!!!:D
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Yeah, I have a draw knife that is like that. it doesnt have a bevel per se, but a gradual shallow "dub off" or whatever. Its not obtuse like a typical knife bevel. That draw knife cuts really well when its good and sharp (dont they all?). I have some I kept the backs flat on, like my little witherby. flat back is handy for planing type cuts of a flat surface but not very good for cutting curves etc.
 
Some real craftsmanship in that cabin. But I don't like the beams hanging out like that. Here in the NW those all rot off and frequently are neglected to the point where the whole beam needs replacing. Better to keep everything under cover. Wanna shelter the door? Build a gable or wide roof overhang.
 
Yeah, not that I could build anything half that nice, but it seems that stretching the roof out to meat those rafters would be good for many different reasons.
 
I think that was a timber cutters cabin from what i read of the caption. Usually with those kind of remote cabins cutting corners is par for the course. I'd have to see the inside etc. before judging it. it is pretty though.
 
G-pig said:
This isnt mine, but I wanted to post it anyway since its a great pic

Mountain_log_cabin_in_Pyrohiv_2409.jpg
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A while ago you were talking about building something timber framed. Pictures like this show what is possible on a scaled down plan. That one looks about 7-8 feet tall from top to bottom, am I seeing it right?
 
willseeyalater said:
A while ago you were talking about building something timber framed. Pictures like this show what is possible on a scaled down plan. That one looks about 7-8 feet tall from top to bottom, am I seeing it right?
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Yes, been all over the place in terms of ideas. Glad I had the stint with timber framing, it helped me theorize a floor system for something built with logs. In the end, the complexity of the timber frame sort of turned me away from it. Log building has a slightly less sophisticated background I think.

I cant tell for sure, with this being the only picture of it ive seen. its short though, with low walls. That tends to require less material but a little more skill in cutting the logs to pitch the roof like that. its a series of tradeoffs like that ive found.
 
Vintage axe, here is a closer up pic of that rixford, showing the filing job. i want to thin it a little bit more but it still cuts great like this.

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Here are a couple of door hinges I carved a few days ago Proenneke style (I used curved pines cut just above whorls of knots where a new lead took over to give the curved grain i wanted).

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Video of the hinge doing its hinging

[video=youtube;w9ySe-NhdmU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9ySe-NhdmU&feature=youtu.be[/video]

I just tapered the pin so that it would wedge in tight on the top and allow the hinge to turn freely. I had a lot of fun making these.
 
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That rixford looks nice. As do the door hinges! I like your selection of the wood to use its natural curve to meet your needs. Well done, my friend.
 
Great stuff, G. Love the hinges. Thanks for sharing that.


John Frankl said:
Yeah, not that I could build anything half that nice, but it seems that stretching the roof out to meat those rafters would be good for many different reasons.
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I've built billionaires homes, airplane factories and skyscrapers but I've never built a log cabin. It's on my bucket list.
 
Square_peg said:
Great stuff, G. Love the hinges. Thanks for sharing that.




I've built billionaires homes, airplane factories and skyscrapers but I've never built a log cabin. It's on my bucket list.
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Well when you build it I hope you get to live in it:).
 
Me too, bear. I place a lot of value in the fact that a log cabin is more or less a symbol of antiquity. Usually those things are the best (to me, the most enriching anyway). A proud feller building a cabin himself and admitting his mistakes is damn near the opposite of todays anonymously built houses made from modern materials of infinitely complex processes.
 
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