Pemium Vintage Steel vs Premium Modern Steel or.....

Double Ott

Double Ott

Joined
Jan 3, 2011
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1,479
Kelly Prefect vs. Council Tool Velvicut


We were up at our camp in the U.P. MI last weekend and needed to move some firewood around to replenish a rack near our fire pit. I used my 1952 Ford 8N to help out moving it. I restored this tractor four years ago and she has been a workhorse for us around our 40 since then. Moving wood, skidding logs, repairing our roads and for snow removal.



Some of the rounds needed to be split as they were a little to big to burn nicely. This wood had been drying in another rack for 3 or 4 years. It will make some great campfires.


I had a Kelly Perfect Michigan pattern and a Council Tool Velvicut to use splitting the rounds. The Kelly had her edge profiled before we headed up yo camp. The CT Velvicut came with a wicked edge from the factory, she also had near perfect grain alignment on her haft.


Here are a few rounds to be split. I used the Kelly and the CT taking turns with each of them to compare them.


I have to say that both these axes preformed their tasks very well. As for the comparison I'll have to say it was a draw. I'll give a slight edge to the Kelly...But that is only because I have a bias toward vintage steel.


I wish my "vintage" lower back, would preform as well.:eek: A few bad discs make swinging an axe a little harder these days. I'll have to get it fixed one of these days.

Thanks for looking, Double Ott [URL=http://s810.photobucket.com/albums/zz21/doubleott/?action=view&current=axe_to_grind.gif][/URL]
 
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A couple of real beauties there. The tractor, too! Thanks for the pics!
 
Good stuff all around, Tom. Nice axes, beautiful tractor, and I also like your set-up with your grates and cooking utensils all ready to go. Good times guaranteed. ;)
 
Nothing like being outdoors and gitn-r-done! Love the old tractor and axe and agree with M3mphis on your nice setup.
 
Thank you for the kind words and replies. Here is a picture of our fire pit set up working. The grate is fully adjustable up and down to adjust the heat you want. The arm on the vertical post also swings to the right and the left to move the grate off the fire. Sure makes it easier to prep food on it without having to lean right over the fire, just swing it out and return it. We cook almost all our food on it, my wife loves to use it. With the exception of a few fittings, it was made from materials from garage sales. I made another one like it two years ago for the fire pit in our back yard, again with garage sale steel.



These pics were taken last November, during the Michigan bow deer season. Heating water to use to clean up with.




Thanks again guys.
 
Nice. I like your style, Tom. Garage sale steel...old tractor rim fire pit...wire wheel to hang your pots and pans out of the weather...it's the old style of "reduce, reuse, recycle" before it became so damn silly.
 
I want to say thats a nice 8N, we also have a 52' 8N..One of the last ones made..Phillip has to change a axle bearing in it:grumpy: otherwise its pretty nice. You did a nice job on that tractor..
 
I'm still ogling the the tractor. What? Were there axes in this thread? Huh? Wha'did I miss?
grin.gif


But seriously Tom, that is an awesome camp you have there. How do you ever pry yourself away from it?


Back to axes, that's good news about the Velvi-cut. I'm looking at that thing and noticing the large swell. I didn't think anyone made them like that anymore. It's beautiful. I can never find new handles like that. I may have to write to Council.
 
Hey guys, Again my thanks for the kind words about the tractor. She was a steal for $2,000 complete withe fully hydraulic bucket and a back blade. The engine had been recently overhauled, she doesn't burn or leak a drop of oil. I put about another $600. into her her to really make things all right. I'll never lose a penny on her.

I try to spend as much time as I can up at camp. Our site is about 150 yards off the paved road and it is rather quiet and peaceful. We try to do a little bit to fix it up each year. Two years ago we brought 220 amp service into the site. It has been like we have died and gone to heaven after years of using an old Honda 1000 watt generator when we needed power.

Peg, I got an email from Bailey's a few weeks ago announcing a sale and free shipping over orders of $50. So I went looking about. I found the CT there at around $20 to $30 dollars cheaper than any other place I had seen it listed for. With free shipping, no sales tax it was a no brainer for me.

It is really one hell of an axe. The bit came nice & sharp, the haft has a very nice grain alignment. All I did to her was a light sanding and several treatments of BLO to her haft. I know that CT sells replacement handles for their axes. If they don't list a Velvicut haft for their Jersey, give them a call and I'm sure that they will be able to get one for you. Awhile ago I was looking for a 24" curved handle for two Collins HB heads that I have and couldn't find one. So I emailed CT and asked about a replacement handle for their HB Velvicut. They don't list one, but they had them in stock and they gave me an item number for it. Great customer service.

Shortly after that the handle guy on Ebay announced a 24" haft that I wanted and I got them from him.

Now, if CT would only announce a Velvicut boy's axe I'd be temped again to buy another "modern" axe.

[URL=http://s810.photobucket.com/albums/zz21/doubleott/?action=view&current=axe_to_grind.gif][/URL]
 
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all good Double Ott.

nice camp. as M3 said, reusing old good stuff is king

i am partial to vintage tools, older axes imho have excellent steel. can't beat 'em

buzz
 
thats AWESOME Double Ott! thanks much for the pics...
i guess you guys from Michigan are A-OK after all ;)
the tractor is cool, but its still cheating :D... just kidding... i'm just jealous, i use a truck, but wish i had an old tractor like that...

:)
 
Like the Ford 8N and it is in great shape, you have done a nice job with that tractor. It is amazing how many of the Ford/Ferguson 2n, 9n, 8n, TO20, TO35, etc... tractors are still everyday use farm tractors. It speaks volumes about their longevity, usefulness, low cost to operate, design and durability. You got yourself a wonderful work horse with a couple more lifetimes left in it now.

The axes are stunning and I would like to hear more about how they perform at other tasks outside of splitting.
 
Square_peg said:
Back to axes, that's good news about the Velvi-cut. I'm looking at that thing and noticing the large swell. I didn't think anyone made them like that anymore. It's beautiful. I can never find new handles like that. I may have to write to Council.
Click to expand...

I just wanted to report back on this. I did write to Council and I received an email back from Margo Council. They don't sell the Velvi-Cut handles alone. Too bad. Probably not enough mark-up in it to make it worth their while. Oh, well.
 
Square_peg said:
I just wanted to report back on this. I did write to Council and I received an email back from Margo Council. They don't sell the Velvi-Cut handles alone. Too bad. Probably not enough mark-up in it to make it worth their while. Oh, well.
Click to expand...

Peg, Here's the email reply I got from them, but looking back it was from Dec. 2011:

Hi Tom, we do sell the replacement handles for the Velvicut axes. Check back in a couple of days to order online or you can call your order in. The product # for the Hudson Bay replacement handle is
70-004 and they are $28.95 each. Thanks!

Kim Pierce
Council Tool
(910) 646-3011

Celebrating 125 Years in Business ~ 1886 to 2011
 
Very nice job on the 8N. I have a 1951 that I use regularly and I am currently restoring our original 1949. Neither one has a front bucket, though. I have to use the John Deere for that - very jealous of that bucket. I also use an old 8N wheel for a fire ring, but def dont have that very cool swing away grate elevator. Nice equip, nice camp and, most importantly, nice tools.
 
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