It followed me home (Part 2)

I'm guessing you don't really swing a 20 lb so much as drop it at handle's length onto things that require attention/adjustment.

No, not really. It's less work to swing it than to lift and drop - especially for the amount of work you produce for your effort. You swing a 20 pound sledge. Till you get about my age (early fifties) - then you swing a 16 pounder. I imagine I'll step down to a 12 pound one of these years. An axe is light by comparison.

Get a 20 pounder up to speed and it will do some damage!
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No, not really. It's less work to swing it than to lift and drop - especially for the amount of work you produce for your effort. You swing a 20 pound sledge. Till you get about my age (early fifties) - then you swing a 16 pounder. I imagine I'll step down to a 12 pound one of these years. An axe is light by comparison.

Get a 20 pounder up to speed and it will do some damage!
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Same form as an axe does it.

Square peg -- back in the day when you were showing off with the one hand swing I'm assuming you choked up on it on the up swing? That's the only way I could have pulled it off (40 years ago for me)
 
Same form as an axe does it.

Square peg -- back in the day when you were showing off with the one hand swing I'm assuming you choked up on it on the up swing? That's the only way I could have pulled it off (40 years ago for me)

I imagine that it depends on technique. I have not tried, but I don't think that I could just dead swing it well enough to do the intended damage with one hand. But, I think that I could if I swung it forward first, then let it fall back and i kept it going and added my momentum to it that It would work just fine. Now I need to go try.
 
No choking up necessary. The trick is the bounce. When the head bounces up from the blow yank it backwards. Then convert that backwards inertia into your roundhouse swing. It's easier than you might think.
 
I imagine that it depends on technique. I have not tried, but I don't think that I could just dead swing it well enough to do the intended damage with one hand. But, I think that I could if I swung it forward first, then let it fall back and i kept it going and added my momentum to it that It would work just fine. Now I need to go try.

A young buck like you can manage it JB. I would blow out a rotator cuff at my age.
 
No choking up necessary. The trick is the bounce. When the head bounces up from the blow yank it backwards. Then convert that backwards inertia into your roundhouse swing. It's easier than you might think.

Makes sense.
 
Now I rarely do concrete demo. Now I'm more likely to use a sledge doing rock work on a trail project. A little strategic chipping or splitting helps things fit into place. Here are a few pics from a project I worked on last week. Apologies for the crappy cell phone photos.

A 400 lb. rock set in a sling is being raised to the trail bed with a griphoist and a pulley system.

Rock%20in%20sling.jpg



A section of trail in progress.

Trail%20in%20progess.jpg



A completed section of trail.

Rock%20Trail.jpg


Building these trails is hard work but perhaps the worst of it is just getting our rock bars, griphoists and other tools packed up into the work area. This is volunteer work being done by the Washington Trails Association.
 
I bet that is tough duty on those steep trails. Admirable work, lots of hikers will enjoy your volunteer sweat.
 
Now I rarely do concrete demo. Now I'm more likely to use a sledge doing rock work on a trail project. A little strategic chipping or splitting helps things fit into place. Here are a few pics from a project I worked on last week. Apologies for the crappy cell phone photos.

A 400 lb. rock set in a sling is being raised to the trail bed with a griphoist and a pulley system.

Rock%20in%20sling.jpg



A section of trail in progress.

Trail%20in%20progess.jpg



A completed section of trail.

Rock%20Trail.jpg


Building these trails is hard work but perhaps the worst of it is just getting our rock bars, griphoists and other tools packed up into the work area. This is volunteer work being done by the Washington Trails Association.

This sort of thing is exactly why this is my favourite subforum on the internet. Fantastic work Pegs, thanks for showing us what it's like to get some real work done!
 
Sometimes the Backcountry Horsemen of Washington haul gear for us and help us with projects. We work together on trails that support equestrian use. But this area isn't horse friendly. Too rough.
 
Sometimes the Backcountry Horsemen of Washington haul gear for us and help us with projects. We work together on trails that support equestrian use. But this area isn't horse friendly. Too rough.

Our country is rough too, it's near the Red River Gorge, here in Kentucky. We owned and used an old breed of horses called the Rocky Mountain horse. They are as sure footed as a mule, and gentle as a lamb. They would climb on foot holds up the sides of our clifty mountains. Terrain looks a lot like what you posted, only steeper and rougher..:)
 
It's amazing what a good pack mule can do. Those beasts are pure strength.


Terrain looks a lot like what you posted, only steeper and rougher..:)

I don't see anything in the Red River Gorge that compares with the Dirty Harry Trail, and this is considered 'front country' in these parts.

Red River Gorge. You've got maybe 500' feet of vertical from the river to the highest peak.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/R...0x88447fc0a411d783:0x2b6d00bb2c95cc3f!5m1!1e4
It's certainly a beautiful place to live. I'd love to visit one day.

The Dirty Harry Trail gains 3326 ft. of vertical in 4.1 miles.
http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/dirty-harrys-peak
https://www.google.com/maps/@47.4376967,-121.6220854,14z/data=!5m1!1e4

Kentucky is beautiful hill country but it's not mountain country.
 
It's amazing what a good pack mule can do. Those beasts are pure strength.




I don't see anything in the Red River Gorge that compares with the Dirty Harry Trail, and this is considered 'front country' in these parts.

Red River Gorge. You've got maybe 500' feet of vertical from the river to the highest peak.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/R...0x88447fc0a411d783:0x2b6d00bb2c95cc3f!5m1!1e4
It's certainly a beautiful place to live. I'd love to visit one day.

The Dirty Harry Trail gains 3326 ft. of vertical in 4.1 miles.
http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/dirty-harrys-peak
https://www.google.com/maps/@47.4376967,-121.6220854,14z/data=!5m1!1e4

Kentucky is beautiful hill country but it's not mountain country.

We call them mountains 'round here, but I know the difference. Though, straight up and down, is straight up and down whether it's 500', or 5000'.
 
The Craftsman axe is the best item on the table. I paid $25 for it (HORROR!) but I had to have it. It's perfect. It has a 24" (23.5) straight handle, a Hudson Bay type head and I've never seen one like it before.

 
More pics of the straight haft Craftsman.
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That is a very curious one! By chance is the poll hardened? If so at least you will then have a partial answer. That particular style of stamp was common (to me anyway) on new Sears tools during the 1970s but who'd have figured mining and/or highway construction companies would have bought Sears stuff.
 
That is a very curious one! By chance is the poll hardened? If so at least you will then have a partial answer. That particular style of stamp was common (to me anyway) on new Sears tools during the 1970s but who'd have figured mining and/or highway construction companies would have bought Sears stuff.

My feeling is not, it just doesn't have the look, and no beveled edges at all. My feeling is that this was a consumer purchase that mostly sat in the shed. Commercial use of this tool would never leave it in such fine condition.
 
That's an older Craftsman - 50's to not later than mid-60's. Craftsman went flat cheeked after that. Yours has convex cheeks. I would have snatched that up, too. Very nice condition.
 
A jeep kit, two spades and one Hults Bruk axe, lovely condition, never been used. A couple of files and a wire cutter, also never used! I'm a happy man today!

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I wonder how girls can lose so much hair without getting bald.... :confused:
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