It followed me home (Part 2)

SC T100 said:
This followed me home from the store. It's a Council Tool Briar Hook...lighter than a full-blown brush hook and much more compact. It's for when I encounter...yep...briars! Oh and at the store I bought it from, it was $29 before tax...right next to a China-made True Temper for $37. What?? The choice was easy.



I got it home, and started to work on it a bit a little each night. The handle is nice, with a good wax coating, thought I have given it a coat of BLO already, and will likely give a few more.

The next step is giving it a proper sharpening. This has taken some work so far, as the factory bevels were pretty steel. I've got it pretty sharp now, but it still needs more work...particularly in giving it a nice convex edge and bring the shoulders way down on the bevels.

Now, this is my first tool with both edges sharpened and it requires some attention to say the least. So can anyone tell me...

Is the "back" side supposed to be left more obtuse for chopping larger targets, and the inside sweep thinner and sharper for brush?

I ask because it seems the outside edge would push vegetation away while the inside sweep obviously grabs and slices.

Anyway, here's where it sits currently. And making a sheath for this will be interesting for sure. Oh, and the steel is definitely more "machete-hard" as opposed to "axe-bit-hard" which I would expect, but it still takes some effort to file it...seems like good steel for the purpose.

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I don't think I would use the outside edge much if at all. I'd just rotate my forearms let the hook do the work on the back stroke as well as the fore stroke. That's what I do with my brush hooks. But I've never had one with a back edge so I can't say for sure.

I think you made a good choice with the Council hook. Undoubtedly better steel.
 
jblyttle said:
These followed me home today for $45. It's funny what you get used to, as that number keeps bugging me a high, but my rational mind knows that is a stupid thought and certainly this was a bargain.

A nice unmarked claw hatchet, a Plumb house axe, an upside down TT Kelly Works World's Finest Connie and a near perfect full sized Norlund. I was charged $5/each for the first 3 and $30 for the Norlund. Bargains all.

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If it was for personal use I would have passed on the Norlund. But they resale so well that I would have had to get it.


Wild@$$ handle on that claw hatchet. I'd be tempted to glue it back together just for looks.

Plumb house axe? Worlds Finest Connie? What's not to like in that group?
 
Square_peg said:
I don't think I would use the outside edge much if at all. I'd just rotate my forearms let the hook do the work on the back stroke as well as the fore stroke. That's what I do with my brush hooks. But I've never had one with a back edge so I can't say for sure.

I think you made a good choice with the Council hook. Undoubtedly better steel.
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Thanks...yeah I was thinking the same thing you are. I almost filed the outside edge flat, but I'll leave it for now. This definitely won't see a ton of use, but I have some plans for it behind the house soon.
 
I paid $50 for these today. Chopper 1, yeah yeah, but it's in great shape and was part of the deal. There is a NYCCRR (real) Kelly Woodslasher, a 5lb Council head, the really nice Collins Commander Jersey and two nice boy's axe heads. The blue one I have not ID'd, the other looks VERY nice and handmade.

 
For $15 today these came home with me.

I'm having computer/internet issues and having a hard time uploading pictures as I wanted to post a couple more.
The head is a 4lb Plumb then the red one is a Iltis Oxhead, couldn't actually read the markings when I bought it because of all the paint.
Not a bad haul, hatchet will probably get a new haft as the original may not be good enough to reuse.

More pictures now that everything seems to be working. Got the steel wedges out of the hatchet and strip the paint off the Iltis.
 
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jblyttle said:
I paid $50 for these today. Chopper 1, yeah yeah, but it's in great shape and was part of the deal. There is a NYCCRR (real) Kelly Woodslasher, a 5lb Council head, the really nice Collins Commander Jersey and two nice boy's axe heads. The blue one I have not ID'd, the other looks VERY nice and handmade.

Click to expand...

I refurbed one of those 5-lb Council Daytons. It's a fantastic splitter as long as the bevels are good. Between it and my 6-lb maul there isn't much I haven't been able to get through.

And that lower left head looks awesome.
 
jblyttle said:
I paid $50 for these today. Chopper 1, yeah yeah, but it's in great shape and was part of the deal. There is a NYCCRR (real) Kelly Woodslasher, a 5lb Council head, the really nice Collins Commander Jersey and two nice boy's axe heads. The blue one I have not ID'd, the other looks VERY nice and handmade.

Click to expand...
I think the Chopper1 is awesome, I would snatched it up too. Ive been looking for one for two years now, closest ive come is an auction where I bid one up to $40 and the other guy wasn't letting up
 
Lookin4lunkers said:
I think the Chopper1 is awesome, I would snatched it up too. Ive been looking for one for two years now, closest ive come is an auction where I bid one up to $40 and the other guy wasn't letting up
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If you search on eBay, there is a chance that you will see one that looks (ahem) VERY similar to this one.
 
jblyttle said:
These followed me home today for $45. It's funny what you get used to, as that number keeps bugging me a high, but my rational mind knows that is a stupid thought and certainly this was a bargain.

A nice unmarked claw hatchet, a Plumb house axe, an upside down TT Kelly Works World's Finest Connie and a near perfect full sized Norlund. I was charged $5/each for the first 3 and $30 for the Norlund. Bargains all.

Click to expand...

I believe that really curved hatchet handle belongs on a Swedish carving hatchet.
 
marbat said:
For $15 today these came home with me.

I'm having computer/internet issues and having a hard time uploading pictures as I wanted to post a couple more.
The head is a 4lb Plumb then the red one is a Iltis Oxhead, couldn't actually read the markings when I bought it because of all the paint.
Not a bad haul, hatchet will probably get a new haft as the original may not be good enough to reuse.

More pictures now that everything seems to be working. Got the steel wedges out of the hatchet and strip the paint off the Iltis.
Click to expand...

That Black Prince is sweet. You must be from Canada. Those are pretty scare up here.
 
I rescued an old rusty $2 house axe the other day. Hit it with the wire wheel and oil sanded the haft. It's a little rougher than I like but I have a project in mind for it.

IMG_1151a.jpg
 
That's a sweet looking axe Smith357, seems in pretty good shape.

Hacked and Garry3...Yes I live in Canada. The Iltis does have super thin blade that sings. Notice that it only has a metal wedge in there, was pretty easy to take out. These felling axes sell for about $100.00 up here.

The Plumb I can hopefully pound some metal back into the head, pretty badly beat up but it was only $3 and it's my first Plumb.
 
Lookin4lunkers said:
I think the Chopper1 is awesome, I would snatched it up too. Ive been looking for one for two years now, closest ive come is an auction where I bid one up to $40 and the other guy wasn't letting up
Click to expand...

I passed one up for $10 at a swap meet not long ago. I think they're goofy. But the way people like them I guess I should grab them when I see them.
 
$18.00 for all three. A made in the USA Stanley hand plane, Walters Montreal pattern hatchet, and TT flint edge.
473EB804-C1CB-4B9D-8482-56700C46540C.jpg
 
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