Lets use those axes for what they were ment for.

Lets take a look at the historic hewing video that Nbrackett so kindly pulled up. Look at juggling/scoring at 2.25- all done from the top of the log. Now look at 2.35 for the broad axe hewing- all from the side of the log with a American pattern, short, offset handled broad axe. At 3.47 look at the surface left after the juggling with the felling axe just in front of where he is with the broad axe and compare it to finished surface after the broad axe work. And last, at 6.0 you can see the huge volume of traditional American technique hewn timber. Is there any doubt that these men know what they are doing and how to best produce hewn timber ?
 
Old Axeman said:
A17- I figure you are using the tools you have. But you will not get a good or traditional finished product hewing a 18"-24" dia. stick with an adze. I have, and use a lot of adzes. An adze is more of a finish dressing tool than a hewing tool.
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Getting back on topic, the broadaxe is by far the most efficient tool for carving a finished beam out of a log. Yes, it can be done with an adze but it's a lot more work and you'll end up with a different finish.


Old Axeman said:
If it is to be hewn only two sides, as most original American wall logs (the two hewn surfaces are placed in the vertical plane for exterior and interior finish), and the log is green, it is much more efficient to set it in the notched yoaks upside down from the way it will set in the finished wall, do your layout on the small dia. end (top end), dog it to the yoaks on the side opposite your first hew side, snap your chalk line in the same plane as the hewing, juggle/score close to the line, and hew the first side with the broad axe. Then, move the dogs, one at a time so you don't lose your plumb setting on your layout lines, and repeat on the other side to be hewn.
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Old Axeman said:
Drainage is not helped by a rough, irregular surface. On hewn surfaces the only thing that helps is the tooling marks left by the broad axe used horizontal. If you look at my explanation of broad axe hewing above, take notice where I said to place the log in the yoaks upside down from the the way you will place the log in the wall. This is what make the water drain off the hewn surface. After the broad axe hewn surface is finished, and the log is put in the wall right side up, the tool marks have a shingle type effect that sheds water. I discovered this after restoring MANY historic hewn buildings. The buildings that held up the best were broad axe hewn (because it exposed the heart wood to the elements),using the method I have shown in print and video and the historic footage mentioned, with the logs placed in the wall as I just described.
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These 2 quotes might explain the removable wedging system I described earlier on these forums.
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/removable-wedging-system-for-axes.1249527/
If a broadaxe could quickly be re-hafted for the opposite hand then the hewer could hew both sides top-to-bottom without ever rolling the log and while keeping the weather side down.
 
There is a guy here that a few years ago put forth a theory that there was contact with the Spanish prior to Cook's arrival, but to date he has no positive proof. One the most interesting mysteries to me is that the first human settlement was from the South Pacific (not sure exactly where), and when they voyaged they came with what are called canoe plants (to be used for settlement). One of these plants was the sweet potato, which comes from South America. How did that happen that people from remote South Pacific islands had sweet potatoes from South America?
This is all pre-contact, so some native Hawaiians here believe (and I believe) that being the great voyagers that Polynesians were, they sailed there outrigger canoes to South America! And then there is the mystery of the giant heads on Easter Island.
 
S.P. I have found more than one original American broad axe with the wedging system you describe. European broad axes are dedicated to either right or left hand. American pattern broad axes can be used either way. When I was taught to use the broad axe I was told by my grandfather in Wisconsin that being left handed I could get a higher wage and was more in demand. So yes, that could very well be. Then there are other axemen like me, and one of brothers, who can chop either right or left. Also, the first O.P. Link broad axe handles that I bought came so they could be hung either right or left and did not have a kerf, which would allow for a side wedge.
 
Old Axeman said:
Lets take a look at the historic hewing video that Nbrackett so kindly pulled up. Look at juggling/scoring at 2.25- all done from the top of the log. Now look at 2.35 for the broad axe hewing- all from the side of the log with a American pattern, short, offset handled broad axe. At 3.47 look at the surface left after the juggling with the felling axe just in front of where he is with the broad axe and compare it to finished surface after the broad axe work. And last, at 6.0 you can see the huge volume of traditional American technique hewn timber. Is there any doubt that these men know what they are doing and how to best produce hewn timber ?
Click to expand...

Yes,thank you,i finally managed to watch that video again,paying attention especially at the stated junctures.
Those guys sure ARE something else entirely.
It's a powerful method.I can see how effective it can be.
That one snapped line is not much for reference,judging by those great expanses of perfect flat i've no doubt there's some thousands of hours of experience at work...
 
I found I had a whole hour and decided the gutters can wait a little longer.

oak rounds, a roadside score from late winter last year.
Collins Legitimus

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I stuck the bit only once, and used the hammer and wedge to remove it

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Tomorrow I will split the 1/4's to season thru for next winter.

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Jezebel is always at my side outside

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Miller '72 said:
I found I had a whole hour and decided the gutters can wait a little longer.

oak rounds, a roadside score from late winter last year.
Collins Legitimus

20181212-092743.jpg


20181212-093120.jpg


I stuck the bit only once, and used the hammer and wedge to remove it

20181212-102346.jpg


Tomorrow I will split the 1/4's to season thru for next winter.

20181212-103145.jpg


Jezebel is always at my side outside

20181212-102357.jpg
Click to expand...
Nice doggo!
 
I worked on this guy the day after I got home from vacation. Nothing gets the adrenaline pumping like a hung-up tree next to a public road! Pictured is the spot where it needed to and ended up landing. I ended up using a quad to pull the base off of the stump while imaginary cars were stopped waiting for me. And finally, all the wood from the upper area of the property courtesy of PG&E with some axe-felled trees as well. All moved with the timber jack and the pictured Oshkosh peavey onto and off of an atv trailer. As of today all those logs have been bucked up into rounds with a Husqvarna 445. Cheating, I know, but my only crosscut saw needs to be de-rusted, sharpened, and I need to finish the new handle. You can see it was almost fully separated from the stump.
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phantomknives said:
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these big hammers are useful when you need them, all i have here besides this 16 is an 8 pound. this is some of that hickory i got last month and it's just now checked enough to split it a little, right now i have this one split into 1 half and 2 quarters, just trying to figure out the best way to cut it, Q quinton what do you think?
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Depending on how big the round is.. Work around each half splitting off staves that are big enough to make handles. If you prefer white sapwood handles split the heartwood off of each stave.

I leave the bark on my staves to slow the drying a little to avoid cracking. Sometimes I paint the ends of each stave, and sometimes I cut them extra long so I can trim the checking off each end after they are dry. I hope I have helped.
 
quinton said:
Depending on how big the round is.. Work around each half splitting off staves that are big enough to make handles. If you prefer white sapwood handles split the heartwood off of each stave.

I leave the bark on my staves to slow the drying a little to avoid cracking. Sometimes I paint the ends of each stave, and sometimes I cut them extra long so I can trim the checking off each end after they are dry. I hope I have helped.
Click to expand...
oh yeah right i gotta paint the ends, this stuff isnt cut too long. this one is oblong so it's gonna be a trick to get the right orientation on a few of them
 
Not quite what it was "ment" for but it excelled at it anyways. My 6 yr old brothers pride and joy, a 4.5lb ATCO W. Germany axe splitting up a fatwood stump to expedite it's removal. Next to it is Pirate my assistant along with some sledges so bust apart and break free the individual pieces.
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Spent a good few hours today removing 4 stumps from the back lawn. Roots were deep and stubborn and with them being smack bang up against the wall which separates the courtyard and the lawn it was also very hard not to put a tool through the bloody thing! I should have taken a before photo of when the trees were still there but you literally couldn't see that wall or house from that angle, it was completely covered in foliage. I needed to take the trees out as you can see it was starting to damage it.

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Now here is where the axe comes in..

I would never imagine taking an axe to dirt for all the reasons that we cringe over and painstakingly try to educate others of too however today I was in a real bind. There was one root (you could call it a limb it was so thick and dense) that was growing out of the stump and under the wall towards the courtyard and leaving a gap of only about 5 inches between the stump and the wall; that sucker was holding the stump in like concrete. I could not see any other way to remove the stump other than chopping the root in half to free it; the tool needed to be thin yet powerful and able to be swung parallel to the wall into the gap.. an AXE!

Now, I have an axe lying around that my father gave me, it is a budget Chinese axe that I chucked into the corner of the shed, laughed off, and truly thought I would never pick it up again. Why would you when you have high quality USA vintage users? And today I found a reason to have it as part of my tool selection - It is perfect for cutting thick roots in the ground. I know you are all aware of the sacrilege that is taking an axe to the dirt but I am interested if anyone else has an axe that they use solely for 'dirty' work? I was chuffed with this guy.

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And here is the rest of the root that will remain as there is nothing I can do about it, will cover it back up with dirt. I wonder how far it goes into the courtyard (which is tiled). I also used my trusty adze for stump removal which to be honest has never been used for anything but just that. It is common for New Zealand households to have one of these which is only ever used for nasty work such as this; colloquially it is known as a 'Ground Grubber' or simply 'Grubba'.

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Thanks for reading and hope you are all well.
 
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I use a cutter mattock, but I do have a yellow fiberglass 3 1/2lb Michigan that was gifted one weekend after I helped a friend install alot of fence line. I havent used it yet, but it may just be the answer for the root and stump work here too:thumbsup::cool:
Sadly no pictures of the yellow princess and the matching maul it came with.

Coincidentally I just gifted this import to a friend who needed an axe exclusively for stumps and roots for installing patios and walks.

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I also have a cheap Chinese made axe I specifically bought to chop roots from a tree in our front yard. When I was in High School, our European Birch got bend completely over in a very bad ice storm we had. I had to cut it down, as my Father was at Sea. That was the easy part, cutting it down and into sections small enough for me to carry to the log pile. The stump/root mass was another thing. I dug and chopped roots, dug some more chopped some more, and on and on. Finally a neighbor who had a tow truck, backed up and attached a cable to the stump/root mass and pulled. No luck, but with him pulling and me chopping as more and more roots came into view we finally got the root stump/root mass out. John
 
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