Where's the Double-Love?

T

thunderstick

Joined
Jan 15, 2007
Messages
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I picked this Kelly head up last summer and just hung it today. I like the winter time for hanging since the house is dry from wood heat and the hang should only get tighter when taken outside and absorbing more moisture. The white bit is for felling and blued bit for splitting--this is how I mark my doubles. I hung it proud rather than flush.
Don't see a lot of doubles posted here. What's up with that?


20200215_190453_zpsfzulvafw.jpg
 
That is a nice looking rehang!

I have one double bit axe that my father gave me years ago. It has been the axe that finds my hands first for some reason over the years. I have some work to do once spring gets here and it will be mustered into service then. I also have one that is in need of rehanging that has a chip out of the heal on one side that I have been debating what to do about. For some reason when I think about the old days of logging the double bit axe seems to be what comes to mind first.
 
The double bit was highly favored by fellers but it doesn't seem to get a lot of attention today. Buckin Billy Ray's channel gives a lot of double exposure. I suppose bushcraft has more uses for single bit and perhaps some people are safety shy of doubles.
 
I primarily slpit rounds with a kelly handmade kelly works true temper 4lb dbl on a 32" haft.
I dont have any felling to do, and i wont fell a tree just to do it. Though looking around today there may...may be a candidate or two i can fell here.

I dont buck my logs with a dbl, i usually use a 3½lb Connecticut Legitimus single bit on a 28" haft

I have some pics of each posted up here somewhere lol!
 
Here's my dbl photo, a DCH Clean Cut:
JPEG_20200216_220137_1161249761278691909.jpg
Not sure when/where I got it, but just thought it looked pretty at the time. It's marked 4-2 on the back and weighs in at 4 1/4 lbs. Not much metal missing. Someday I might hang it, but I have no trouble enjoying owning it just as it is. T-A
 
thunderstick said:
Earnest may I ask at what event you were doing that hewing?
Click to expand...
You are right, definitely a staged setting, a reflection of the non-existent demand for my backwards set of skills. On invitation though I will take advantage just to keep in form, despite myself.
Here it was on the grounds of a historic manor in the neighborhood, something about old-time or traditional work, (in the back you see the brick masons making a nice arched wall opening, even using lime mortar, they said). This was over near the farmhouse of the grounds and I worked next to the steam powered saw-mill trucked in for the event.
 
I go to events such as this also and enjoy learning from craftsmen who ply their trades with hand tools. The value of such skills comes to the forefront in times of disaster such as ...

...the day we had an ice storm at home which brought multiple trees down over our 1/4 gravel mile long lane. We have 4 drives going off the main lane to houses in the woods. I went out in the morning and trees and branches were still randomly dropping in the woods. There was a tangle of 4 trees which fell in a heap. I was carefully chain sawing and trying to relieve all tensioned branches working my way to the trunks. I should have tightened my chain because when branch fibers let loose under tension they caught between the chain and the sprocket and mangled the chain and the bar sprocket. I had other chains in reserve but found out that what I thought was my backup bar from a previous saw did not fit my new saw due to a new configuration. So I brought out my crosscut saws and axes and went to work. I used the axe for the tensioned branches and she drug them away. My wife ran the other end of the crosscut for bucking the trunks.

The neighbor strolls over to see what were doing. He asked if we were going to do all that tree work by hand. I said we'll do enough to the point where I can clear the lane with my tractor and then get my truck out to get a new bar. He said you gotta be crazy doing all that by hand. I asked what his plan was to get out. Do you have a chain saw? He goes nope my burnt up. So what is your plan to get out? I don't have any, I thought you would get us out. Well that's what I'm doing. Why do you think the axe and saw are crazy? Most of America was deforested with the axe and crosscut--but of course that was back when men were manly men. Hand tools work just fine if they are sharp and you know how to use them. He shook his head and walked away while my wife and finished up shortly thereafter. You can guess who was waiting to get out the lane when it was cleared. :)

I started my son pretty young on the axe and saw ... we would cut some trees down and limb them out by hand and just used the chainsaw for bucking. We had our single bit and double bit days in the woods.
 
thunderstick said:
I go to events such as this also and enjoy learning from craftsmen who ply their trades with hand tools. The value of such skills comes to the forefront in times of disaster such as ...

...the day we had an ice storm at home which brought multiple trees down over our 1/4 gravel mile long lane. We have 4 drives going off the main lane to houses in the woods. I went out in the morning and trees and branches were still randomly dropping in the woods. There was a tangle of 4 trees which fell in a heap. I was carefully chain sawing and trying to relieve all tensioned branches working my way to the trunks. I should have tightened my chain because when branch fibers let loose under tension they caught between the chain and the sprocket and mangled the chain and the bar sprocket. I had other chains in reserve but found out that what I thought was my backup bar from a previous saw did not fit my new saw due to a new configuration. So I brought out my crosscut saws and axes and went to work. I used the axe for the tensioned branches and she drug them away. My wife ran the other end of the crosscut for bucking the trunks.

The neighbor strolls over to see what were doing. He asked if we were going to do all that tree work by hand. I said we'll do enough to the point where I can clear the lane with my tractor and then get my truck out to get a new bar. He said you gotta be crazy doing all that by hand. I asked what his plan was to get out. Do you have a chain saw? He goes nope my burnt up. So what is your plan to get out? I don't have any, I thought you would get us out. Well that's what I'm doing. Why do you think the axe and saw are crazy? Most of America was deforested with the axe and crosscut--but of course that was back when men were manly men. Hand tools work just fine if they are sharp and you know how to use them. He shook his head and walked away while my wife and finished up shortly thereafter. You can guess who was waiting to get out the lane when it was cleared. :)

I started my son pretty young on the axe and saw ... we would cut some trees down and limb them out by hand and just used the chainsaw for bucking. We had our single bit and double bit days in the woods.
Click to expand...

Strong work you guys and really awesome of you to get right out there and get it done.
Great neighbor you got there...hopefully one day he will appreciate your efforts and help
 
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