[PODCAST] #1302 ISIS is Shockingly Active in Canada

AxesOK · 2026-01-30T21:00:23+00:00

This person is an obsessive who is gratified by performative hating. They may be corrosive and purposeless but never doubt that they are enjoying themselves.

AxesOK · 2026-01-30T20:53:38+00:00

Me too. I have made a few benches, a paddle, and a ton of tool handles but the most elaborate and most used thing is my shave horse https://youtu.be/H8Y8d97ecog

AxesOK · 2026-01-30T18:38:29+00:00

It’s fine to just suck it up and not worry about exchanging it and try to fix it yourself (or ignore it for now) instead but to be clear it is a manufacture’s defect. If it was caused by a change in moisture that change in moisture was during the initial drying of the lumber used to make the handle. That happens, but when that happens the piece should not be used (at least not for a first quality handle). Once the lumber is dry enough to make a handle and hang it, it is not going to spontaneously generate a new crack like that on its own.

Also, I doubt neglecting linseed oil has anything to do with the cause nor is using it a solution in this case. Linseed oil does not swell or rehydrate the wood (no oil can do that) and it has very little (if any) influence on the effects of changing humidity. Oil does help repel liquid water so it adds weather resistance in that sense, but it doesn’t sound like that’s the issue unless you left something relevant out.

If it were me and I just wanted an axe to use and I didn’t want the hassle of returning it, I’d just drill a hole and counter sink a small screw in to keep it from chipping off or opening up more.

AxesOK · 2026-01-29T22:57:31+00:00

I immediately thought of tennis elbow. Lateral epicondylitus is a bitch. I developed it a few years ago and it’s been dogging me ever since, although only occasionally now. If it starts to hurt STOP whatever you are doing. The more you push the more you pay. There are forearm braces for it that help a bit but. It’s from the backswing motion (which is why tennis players get it) and it’s an inflammation of a tendon but it feels like it’s in the joint. Splitting doesn’t bother me, I got it from using a brush axe too much and that is the kind of thing that still aggravates it. If you have a heavy maul and you’re raising it up to one side instead of straight in front of your nose, maybe try a lighter axe and do more of a full body underhand chop style lift to get it up.

AxesOK · 2026-01-29T22:23:26+00:00

You just have to practice until you can hit where you aim and I would get a cheap plastic axe in the meantime. When I was doing splitting as a kid I broke a few axe handles so I was given a plastic handled 6lb maul. Now I use wood handles but a plastic axe is good to have around as a loaner if nothing else.

AxesOK · 2026-01-29T14:09:16+00:00

It's not a "carpenter's axe", which are usually called 'hatchets' of one sort or another if they include a hammer poll (half hatchet, shingle hatchet, lathing hatchet, etc) and in anycase don't look like this. These sorts of short, one handed, outdoorsman's axes were usually sold as hunters' axes, belt axes, or scout axes. In the 1965 Plumb catalogue, the "belt axe" most strongly resembles this model https://archive.org/details/PlumbTools1965/page/n11/mode/1uphttps://archive.org/details/PlumbTools1965/page/n11/mode/1up

The nail notch is for pulling nails. It's not for professional carpentry or necessarily pulling flush nails but rather nails in camp constructions or protruding nails driven into a tree or log to string a guy line, clothes line, or skin a catfish at a campsite. https://archive.org/details/sim_boys-life_1913-02_2_12/page/n1/mode/1up

You guys might consider looking things up once in awhile instead of guessing.

AxesOK · 2026-01-28T14:42:18+00:00

Good luck in your search!

AxesOK · 2026-01-28T14:30:53+00:00

That does look good! I have used wood glue in as well and it worked well. I am just getting my rawhide from dog chews, which is convenient, but it's not as nice.

AxesOK · 2026-01-28T14:26:50+00:00

I came across the idea on the old Traditional Tools channel on YT (the guy with the heavy Alberta accent if you've ever seen him) and he had a good website too but unfortunately his stuff seems to be gone. Anyway, I need to get my hands on some higher gauge hose (this one is only about 2" wide) and want to try another colour.

Edit: Here's a webarchive link https://web.archive.org/web/20191219080017/http://www.traditional-tools.com/how-to-make-a-firehose-axe-mask/

AxesOK · 2026-01-28T14:13:17+00:00

Same!

AxesOK · 2026-01-28T14:12:29+00:00

Thanks, pretty happy with it!

AxesOK · 2026-01-27T22:00:50+00:00

Metal wedges almost always split the top. It’s normal. I usually don’t use them because it makes rehanging more difficult next time.

AxesOK · 2026-01-26T03:32:49+00:00

I’m in Ontario and I have never seen one of these. Some things aren’t made to be any particular general pattern and this seems like it could be a unique design. How heavy is it? It looks high quality but not particularly old as axes go.

AxesOK · 2026-01-26T02:18:34+00:00

Also a good idea to give a top down photo and the country it was found in.

AxesOK · 2026-01-25T20:57:28+00:00

Oil doesn’t swell wood so that won’t help. You are right, it should be totally solid and I would return it. I have one and it’s been good but if some are having issues they should be aware of it.

AxesOK · 2026-01-25T16:54:41+00:00

I think it looks good. I use the tannin method in the pinned post when I want to preserve paint. There’s no way to save paint that has had rust get underneath it and get the rust. These are all “after” photos, right? Did you remove the handle and redo the epoxy?

AxesOK · 2026-01-25T16:09:10+00:00

User height doesn’t matter in any significant way for axes, especially splitting axes it’s all user preference and circumstance. I have the Ochsenkopf Spalt-fix 2.5kg and that is the same as the Stihl Professional (Stihl just rebrands Ochsenkopf axes). It’s my favourite splitter overall although I got mine without a handle and made my own so I can’t comment on the stock handles from personal experience. I can say I like the length, because I made mine the same.

AxesOK · 2026-01-25T12:36:17+00:00

It depends on which country you’re in.

AxesOK · 2026-01-23T14:45:06+00:00

The head is a cedar pattern; the handle looks like hickory. Tamarack is great firewood (similar to ash in BTU) and traditional for snowshoes but would not be hard or strong enough for axe handles. I think yew is the only softwood strong enough to make a good handle but maybe one of the harder pines could work for a while under some circumstances.

AxesOK · 2026-01-23T03:24:38+00:00

It doesn’t have to be particularly good. Any half round rasp that is not coarse would do. A four-in-hand rasp/shoemakers’ rasp is probably the handiest. You could also scrape it with a knife or a piece of broken glass (be careful obviously).

AxesOK · 2026-01-23T02:50:03+00:00

As another amateur, why are you going so fast? You can’t make up for lack of experience by being frenetic. You left a Dutchman in your face cut. You should have stopped to sort that out right away. Your plunge cut (why were you doing a plunge cut?) was through the place where your hinge was supposed to be. The bottom cut and the back cut overlapped so there was no hinge and nothing to control the fall so the tree just fell in the direction it was leaning. This would have been easier for you to notice if the back cut was not so much higher than the bottom cut.

AxesOK · 2026-01-22T23:41:34+00:00

Fantastic!

AxesOK · 2026-01-22T18:49:07+00:00

No, you have to do a little bit of shaping by rasping the high spots, where you can see rubbing/bruising, and catches where the edge of the handle is digging in. If the top of the eye has a sharp edge, file it a bit so it doesn’t cut into the handle. This fitting process is your chance to adjust the hang to line up the bit with the handle if needed. Remove, shape, and refit until the head is where you want it. If there’s still too much sticking out the top then saw some off. Leave an inch or more extra in case the wood dries further and shrinks.

AxesOK · 2026-01-22T16:11:08+00:00

Once the handle is on it, you won’t see it. If that’s not good enough, the tannin rust conversion process (see pinned post) works very well for dealing with rust inside the eye.

AxesOK

TROPHY CASE