But really, this is a cheap hobby. It is still very easy to get high quality antique heads of American manufacture with generations of life left in them (used properly) for very little $, even if you shop on the bay. I have less money in my collection than some folks on this forum spend on a single custom blade. It can be really satisfying to rehang an axe forged before my grandfathers were born with a handle I cut from my own woods and carved and shaped myself.
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So, what do you all do with them?
- Thread starter druid189
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I like working on axes a little more than i like using them. When I was a boy I lived in the north of Quebec. My parents gave me an axe when I was quite small, and I did a lot of fort building. Now, I like to just try to get better at refurbishing with each one I do. I have sold many, just to be able to buy more old heads. I have hung onto the last Connie I did, because its very cool. I have a HB that I just finished that I may keep. I am looking for a good hatchet to build and keep. But mostly, I just love to file and sand to bring it all back to life.
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I refurbish a lot of axes and crosscut saws then make them available to trail maintainers and members of my trail crew. Since I started doing this about 15 years ago, I've passed along about 30-40 axes and close to 100 saws. In the process, I've become a pretty good saw filer, which was one of my goals in the first place.
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@Square_peg
I just read a post of yours where you mentioned Doug Fir, Cedar, Hemlock, etc. ... and I said to myself; gotta look up this profile ... I am also in Maple Valley. Let me know if you'd like to get "local" with fellow BF'er. Tried to PM you to no avail.
Regards,
Christopher
I just read a post of yours where you mentioned Doug Fir, Cedar, Hemlock, etc. ... and I said to myself; gotta look up this profile ... I am also in Maple Valley. Let me know if you'd like to get "local" with fellow BF'er. Tried to PM you to no avail.
Regards,
Christopher
This is just awesome guys.
I've seen shows on TV [documentary types] where people/families have collected upwards of a thousand axes "just for so." I never really knew that there were actually this many people doing it, let alone on one web forum. I was just curious as to "why?"
Like I said.....I have my hobbies but none of them involve 'collecting' anything. It's mostly the reason I bowed out of that 4-MAX thread in the CS section. I "get" people wanting to collect things [like expensive brand knives in the 4-MAX thread] but I just don't have that kind of interest.
My wife collects "pigs" [figurines] and nutcrackers, one daughter collects snow globes, another "Cherubs" [also figurines] and the other porcelain-faced dolls.
I'm the "shadetree craftsman" in that if I need something, I'll just make it if I can. If someone else needs something....and I can make it for them...I will. Most of what I do is out of necessity but there have also been times where I'll take on a project just to "see if I can do it." Even in my leather work [which BTW, is nothing even close to the artwork I have seen here]....there's still no collecting, even of the tools I use.
I've seen shows on TV [documentary types] where people/families have collected upwards of a thousand axes "just for so." I never really knew that there were actually this many people doing it, let alone on one web forum. I was just curious as to "why?"
Like I said.....I have my hobbies but none of them involve 'collecting' anything. It's mostly the reason I bowed out of that 4-MAX thread in the CS section. I "get" people wanting to collect things [like expensive brand knives in the 4-MAX thread] but I just don't have that kind of interest.
My wife collects "pigs" [figurines] and nutcrackers, one daughter collects snow globes, another "Cherubs" [also figurines] and the other porcelain-faced dolls.
I'm the "shadetree craftsman" in that if I need something, I'll just make it if I can. If someone else needs something....and I can make it for them...I will. Most of what I do is out of necessity but there have also been times where I'll take on a project just to "see if I can do it." Even in my leather work [which BTW, is nothing even close to the artwork I have seen here]....there's still no collecting, even of the tools I use.
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"Why" is the great human question. My question is, why ask? If it seems strange to you, then the answer is really very simple. It's no different from pigs or nutcrackers and you simply won't get it because it's not your cup of tea. There is craftsmanship involved, it is a useful tool for people who like to get outside and work with their hands, it can be a tool of necessity for people who process wood, there is a lot of history as well and that is a key point. This country was built with axes, and the joy beyond the history itself is the notion of saving an object so integral to the foundation of the US that has all but been forgotten. If you get into the preparation for disaster line of thinking then an axe is easily one of the most valuable survival tools for sustainable living without modern conveniences. If none of this trips your trigger then you should probably consider that asking more questions won't likely change your mind, because it pretty much boils down to a non-collector asking people why they collect things. You won't be satisfied by the answers.
I think collecting is really just a form of deeper appreciation for the thing. Do you not take enough joy from anything that your appreciation of it goes beyond its practicality or simply utility? A person could swing an axe all day and see it as nothing but a symbol of tiring labor they don't get paid enough for - and I'd bet there were a lot of people like this 100+ years ago. A timber sports athlete might never see the axe as anything other than part of his equipment for competition. Some people collect artifacts for no other reason than the history and memory of the people who came before us. It's not as if you have to have a deeper appreciation for everything you touch. Don't get me wrong, a lot of people today are boring as hell, but I'd bet by making things (it sounds like you enjoy making things) you are experiencing that feeling of satisfaction when the project is done that we experience refurbishing axes. I think that's pretty much the same thing. I really don't think I collect axes for the sake of collecting them. I want another project, I want to restore something, I want to work up another handle because I like the wood working aspect, and so then I have another axe. I would sell them or give them away, and I often work on them in trade, but when it starts to become a job of taking the thing you like and trying to get rid of it then it ruins the hobby. So I keep them and if I can get rid of one here and there just by chance, I will.
Square_peg
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Square_peg
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Saw filing is like a black art - a lost tradition. I'd like to sit and watch an experienced filer sometime. I do a passable job but I've only done a few. Takes me forever but they turn out good.
Efficiency is only a byproduct of quality in my book!
If you file for just your own personal use, you won't' get much practice. But you'll take pride in how it cuts once you get the hang of it (to borrow an axe term). A well filed saw stays sharp a long time if you keep it out of the dirt.
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I guess I didn't mention I split about 4-8 cord of wood per year, so I keep around some big vintage mauls, sledges, and splitting axes. I just fell a couple of trees a year by hand for fun and a good workout.
I saw the documentary "alone in the wilderness" when I was about 13, which was the best thing that could've happened to my interests at the time, or the worst thing that could have happened to me in the eyes of relatives who wanted me to turn out normal. I never liked academics so I spent the next 7 years learning things I thought would be useful for the kind of life I wanted to live. A grand game of recreation that, at the end of the day, left me with my needs met.
I'm not there yet, full stop. But that's ok. Most people who try to live "differently" go off half cocked, don't know how to do anything, and then move back to the city 2 years later.
Anyway, in a "world made by hand" an axe is probably the single most useful tool. I wanted to be able to make a handle from scratch (rivened wood) using only hand tools, hang an axe correctly and safely, and get skilled enough to apply it seriously-- in other words, use axes in conjunction with crosscut saws to cut the bulk of whatever wood I would need to burn, plus building materials. The last part of that equation hasn't commenced, but I feel pretty good about the prerequisite skills.
I don't try to argue about the efficiency of hand tools vs. more complicated ones like chainsaws and hydraulic splitters. I am more insidious about it. Even the most rotund-gutted, beer drinking, chain saw toting Maine hicks around here usually get an initial kick out of the idea of trying to use a crosscut, and when they use one of mine before they know it they are having fun. There is no mistaking that it's more work, but neither is there any mistaking that meaningful work isn't all that bad.
I'm not there yet, full stop. But that's ok. Most people who try to live "differently" go off half cocked, don't know how to do anything, and then move back to the city 2 years later.
Anyway, in a "world made by hand" an axe is probably the single most useful tool. I wanted to be able to make a handle from scratch (rivened wood) using only hand tools, hang an axe correctly and safely, and get skilled enough to apply it seriously-- in other words, use axes in conjunction with crosscut saws to cut the bulk of whatever wood I would need to burn, plus building materials. The last part of that equation hasn't commenced, but I feel pretty good about the prerequisite skills.
I don't try to argue about the efficiency of hand tools vs. more complicated ones like chainsaws and hydraulic splitters. I am more insidious about it. Even the most rotund-gutted, beer drinking, chain saw toting Maine hicks around here usually get an initial kick out of the idea of trying to use a crosscut, and when they use one of mine before they know it they are having fun. There is no mistaking that it's more work, but neither is there any mistaking that meaningful work isn't all that bad.
^^ that ^^ is a large portion of why I ask "why?" Your response is understandable to me and greatly appreciated because there's great detail in what you are saying. You see, I've asked my wife and daughters "why?" they collect those things..."they're pretty........"they're cute"......and "I don't know" are the answers I get...and it irritates the crap out of me - that either 1. They don't know how to explain it to me, or; 2. I'm too ignorant to understand what they are trying to tell me.
It's probably the lack of detectable inflection in your written words.....but as I read your response, I can't help but wonder if you were mad at me for even asking.........[?]. I seek greater understanding as to why someone....or in this case, a group of people......would collect axes and axe heads. This thread is a search for knowledge and thus far, I've not been disappointed.
but to answer your one question: "Do you not take enough joy from anything that your appreciation of it goes beyond its practicality or simply utility?"
In truth, I'd have to answer "No, I don't...not enough to collect quantities of it." I see a good many posts where people have more than 30 of them......and while I completely agree with the statement of "there's a proper tool for the job" [referring to a post where he has different trees and uses a different axe for each type]....I can't help but wonder why someone would have more than that for not a similar reason. Now, my wonder has been satisfactorily answered.
To respond to your addition of: Don't get me wrong, a lot of people today are boring as hell, but I'd bet by making things (it sounds like you enjoy making things) you are experiencing that feeling of satisfaction when the project is done that we experience refurbishing axes.
In truth, I'd have to answer "Kind of, I like working with my hands....to complete projects that need to be done." But co-mingled with that is my own idiosyncrasy of, "when I do it myself, I know it gets done...it gets done correctly and to my satisfaction." But also note that this mentality is borne from the fact that I need something and would just rather do it myself. Too many times have I relied on someone else to get ______ done...only to be disappointed in the outcome - so I say "screw it....I'll do it myself."
And aside from my outdoor adventures, yeah, I'm that "boring as Hell" guy. Also I said [somewhere around here] that "I'll sometimes take on a project just to see if I can do it".......but I'll do that once or perhaps twice [if I screwed it up the first time].....not do it over and over and over and over and over again. To me, that's boring.
But now, I have a better understanding of why. thank you all.
But doing something over and over isn't necessarily boring, it's about learning and perfecting your technique. The first couple of saws I filed were improvements over the way I got them, but I then began to study tooth shape, bevel angles, raker swaging, heat tempering, etc. I sought out experienced filed and asked lots of questions. Each saw was a chance to learn what worked and what didn't.
Same can be said for axes. Whole books have been written about how to hang a head, how to taper a handle, how to grind/file a primary and secondary bevel depending on species of wood to be chopped, etc. Philosophically, it's mankind's quest for knowledge or the re-discovery of lost arts, hence one of the reasons this site is popular.
Phew! Into the weeds now.
Perfect thread for pictures. I have an appreciation for tools , but don't have any interest in tools or anything that couldn't be used or useful. I don't have a daily use for my axes/ hatchets and wood cutting tools- use them in other connection with other hobbies like hunting and working at hunting properties.
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No not mad. The thing is, this whole conversation boarders on troll-ish, and so we all end up trying to satisfactorily justify ourselves to someone who isn't ever going to understand and why should we? It's an axe forum so presumably, we are here because we like axes. This begs the question, why are you here? Now, scratch all that, because I honestly do think you are interested, I am just explaining that I have a tendency to get mouthy in those kinds of situations. But I think it's worth mentioning that when you hear the response, "I don't know" it's because they are now feeling pressured to justify the things they enjoy and hopefully when your kids (or whoever you were meaning) become adults, rather than feel pressured or ashamed they can say, "because I do, so deal with it". I've got no obligation to justify something I enjoy to anyone. So if you genuinely want to know, I can live with that. If it's one of those deeper sort of self discovery things, I get that too. I have always had a fitting in issue and have looked at what others do and try to understand and try to use it to understand myself. I'm starting to ramble, you get the point.
As for some of the other things you pointed out, I can fully understand. When you said "I know it gets done..." and "... would just rather do it myself", that sounds just like something I would say. I also think I understand the boredom of doing the same thing over and over. As someone else said, it's about skill building, but I don't think that was necessarily what you meant. I have hobbies all over the place. Axes are one small part of my interests for sure. I have always wondered how someone can continue to pursue the same interest long after they've mastered it. Just a random example because it came up the other day talking to a friend, bench rest shooters. They have essentially reached the maximum level of precision - 5 holes in the target, all touching, the gun is a work of art and craftsmanship, etc. I see this and I say, ok you're there, you have mastered this activity, so why do you keep doing it? Sounds boring! You go out, and have the same experience over and over, you can't possibly get better, and I would have to agree, that's boring (at least to me - opinion). And the same applies to anything. At least, I think that is what you where saying. And I personally strive for mastery, or as close as is enough to satisfy myself, and when I get there, and axes will probably be this way, I will likely move on to something else. There are always ways to change the game and provide yourself with challenges, even in bench rest shooting. If I had reached that level, I would then start shooting further, then shoot in difficult conditions, and then ... and then ... and then. Shooting is another thing I happen to enjoy, but it can get boring and I am always trying to mix it up. Of course some things are harder to master, or in many cases, require a lot more money to get to the next step. Axes aren't really like that. You can get a new challenge and you don't go broke doing it.
This is getting longer than I would bother reading but if you're still with me, I can't really explain collecting as a thing people do. It's totally individual. It can be a compulsion even, and nothing more - hoarders for example. To understand the mentality of collecting is really a psychology issue that no one probably really understands well. At least, that's my guess.
A few years ago I was at what was maybe the lowest point in my life. I had let my body and mind go to $%&#, I weighed 348 pounds, was very angry and depressed. During a beer-drinking expedition at my dad's ranch I found an old Wards double bit in his barn, it was rusty and the handle had 3 inches of duct tape wrapped below the head. Pop's pointed out a big oak that was infected with some kind of rusty-orange rot up in the higher part of the truck and some of the main branches, he said it needed to come down lest the other trees get sick too. For giggles I started whacking at it with the axe I had found. There were a handful of spectators who laughed and said it would take me a year to get it down with that axe. They laughed because my boobs jiggled each time I took a swing. I kept at it for four hours, one of the guys took a makita grinder to the blades (oh man did he make a mess of that poor thing) but it was sharper than it was and I kept taking chips....... my hands were a bloody mess and my body was a lumpy mass of throbbing pain, I could barely hold onto the axe let alone get any more good chips out of it. Only the core was left but it was like iron, the blade just bounced off. I could do no more and felt fairly defeated. I walked up to the beer-circle and sat on the ground. "I told you you couldn't get it down.....not bad for a fatboy though....dont die right here because we'd never be able to get your fat-@&& out of here......" and then a gentle breeze picked up out of nowhere, the tree swayed gently and i heard the most beautiful little crackle sound...but the breeze died. "haha you thought it was coming down"......"pray for more wind"......after about thirty minutes the guys were saying their goodbyes and getting their doors open to hit the road......another breeze made the treetops dance a bit......more crackling.....a loud "POP" and then the tree went down, right where I wanted it. I felt an old feeling I had long forgotten about. Like beating the state champ on points after overtime- when he was supposed to get a quick pin...... I have lost almost 100 pounds since that day- still taking chips off today. I have chopped down a few more oaks and split countless cords of wood by hand. I took a job at my sons school where I do everything from fixing toys to repairing foundations/leveling buildings....I trap gophers and I dig trenches...today I will build a free-range chicken pen.....
That old rusty axe was the key to my survival. It saved my life. I am the best I have ever been (tennis elbow and all). I feel like a man again. Strong, confident, happy. Whenever I get angry I grab an axe/maul and I get to work. I channel my anger/pain/frustration into busting up wood. WHen I can't sleep I go out to the garage and work on some old axe I found. An axe saved me, why not try to save a few of them once in a while? Its the least I can do. I just counted and saw I had about 12 or so axes, I cant use them all so am selling off the ones I dont need. I hope maybe some of these go on to help somebody else. That old Wards will be my son's axe someday, when I give it to him I will take him out to the ranch and show him the stump and tell him the story.
That old rusty axe was the key to my survival. It saved my life. I am the best I have ever been (tennis elbow and all). I feel like a man again. Strong, confident, happy. Whenever I get angry I grab an axe/maul and I get to work. I channel my anger/pain/frustration into busting up wood. WHen I can't sleep I go out to the garage and work on some old axe I found. An axe saved me, why not try to save a few of them once in a while? Its the least I can do. I just counted and saw I had about 12 or so axes, I cant use them all so am selling off the ones I dont need. I hope maybe some of these go on to help somebody else. That old Wards will be my son's axe someday, when I give it to him I will take him out to the ranch and show him the stump and tell him the story.
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Amazing story! Wish mine was more interesting.
My family's been in the lumber business (if they weren't in the military business) and growing up hearing my father, grandfather, and great grandfather taking about the glory days of felling trees and floating them down to the lumber mill in Millinocket just got me interested in it as a whole. Hearing about their adventures literally in the middle of nowhere with next to nothing and creating their own joy and fun for themselves with a rusty old Snow and Nealley axe kind if inspired me from a young age. My first hatchet was a plub cedar pattern Boy Scouts hatchet my dad used back when he was a scout! Still have the hatchet proudly hanging in the garage with some other axes, while some reside in the gun cabinet.
My family's been in the lumber business (if they weren't in the military business) and growing up hearing my father, grandfather, and great grandfather taking about the glory days of felling trees and floating them down to the lumber mill in Millinocket just got me interested in it as a whole. Hearing about their adventures literally in the middle of nowhere with next to nothing and creating their own joy and fun for themselves with a rusty old Snow and Nealley axe kind if inspired me from a young age. My first hatchet was a plub cedar pattern Boy Scouts hatchet my dad used back when he was a scout! Still have the hatchet proudly hanging in the garage with some other axes, while some reside in the gun cabinet.