I ruined my family hammer when I was younger and snapped the head off. I immediately hid it. It sat accusingly in my toolbox for 20 years until I decided to get a hickory handle, but the one that delivered was practically a baseball bat. So I was thinking of getting a spokeshave - and that's what I was looking into when RU-vid eventually served up your channel. The few days off, and this video might be the kick in the arse I need to get it started.
I'm surprised how many more people watch your shorts than these long videos. I hope you don't stop because of that. I LOVE watching you go through processes like these :')
Thank you for making videos! Several trees were recently cut down by mistake on my property, mostly black walnut and a couple Ashe trees. You’ve inspired me to pick up my grandfathers wood working tools and give the logs new life! I wish more people appreciated the value of the skills you are teaching. Hope all is well!
Love the idea of converting/restoring all of your hand tools with local Irish ash. That could be a recurring segment on your channel. You could also make a really nice 3 tier wooden tool box to house all of your tools when you finish converting them.
Beautiful old school wisdom and craft, delivered by a skilled and youthful professional….in an Irish accent to boot!! A fascinating watch….well done sir 😁🤝
I love watching you work as it reminds me of watching my dad do this sort of thing when I was a kid. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!!
I love the look of the semi charred ash axe handle that you put your grandfathers axe head onto and I think that would look lovely on a hand plane, go for it lad!
Ash is also my go to wood for making shafts for say axes hammers and similar. I live in Finland, and as you say, its hard, but flexible enough to take the shock quite nicely. :)
I have my Dad's 16 oz claw hammer. The octagon handle is very comfortable in my hand. Try it for your next replacement, it can always be made round. Really enjoy your videos.
That reminds me, I need to go and buy some more linseed oil. I use boiled linseed oil for garden tool handles and raw linseed oil for my other tool handles. I enjoy using it. It’s satisfying to apply it to a project and watch the grain pop. I’m a new sub and you’re inspiring me to get back on the tools. My vice needs to be remounted as it rotted out of the table I had it mounted to. It was outside in the weather.
The cold weather has caused an awful lot of condensation as it warmed up again. In my shed there was a good bit of damp, even with the dehumidifier on. Lovely work on that handle.
You missed one important step that you did. I am sure it is because it is just automatic. You didn’t draw attention to the direction of the grain. Great video. I love to see you using a Froe. Most people have never even heard of one let alone use one.
Thanks to you i’m going to try to get into tool restoration💀💀 i did one with my friend. We didn’t replace the handle but it was a broad head axe, i sanded the handle and put a new stain on it and my friend used the wire brush to get the dried dirt and rust off.
I’d like to do some of my handles very soon I have quite a few hammers in need ash is a good handle I can’t wait because all my handles are oval and I prefer a hex handle so much more comfortable for me take care and have a merry christmas
You should consider getting a de-humidifier or throw some of what we have in the states around called "Damp Rid" and it'll suck out the moisture near your wood pile.
I'm fortunate to live in an area of the world with native species of American Yew, Ash and Hickory. I have made ash and yew longbows though I still prefer hickory for most handles of tools in a pinch I have used ash for axe and hatchet handles.
I’ve had more condensation / moisture than I’ve ever seen just this last week in the workshop…all my carbon tools / surfaces have the odd bit of rust now. Lots to sort out so you’re not alone. I put it to the extremes of temperatures 🥴
Hey I'm into the vintage tools, planes, axes & woodworking too,, also in cork if yeh ever want to chat about them/hangout 😀👍 also I have a few spare double bit axe heads from america for sale which would look lovely on ash handles !
Where did you learn all of your woodworking? Especially the use and creation of traditional tools! I'm wondering if you know of any intensives in Ireland or abroad that teach traditional carpentry, tool making, and/or timber framing. Thanks!
I have an old antique hammer I got at a place called the construction junction up in Pittsburgh I think her I don’t know I live in Pennsylvania and I didn’t think the handle was safe so I took it off because I thought I could make my own handle and it turns out I’ve done it before but turns out I figured out Pine isn’t really good for that I’ve never been in the woodworking until I watched your videos and went to carpentry class and I actually Have a number five in the number four on my list for Christmas and a tradition we do a zoom my family we open on Christmas Eve then we go to family on Christmas day and some guy I work at this museum where I’m an apprentice apprentice for a blacksmith one time the guy didn’t show up so I had to be the blacksmith thanks for inspiring me and woodworking keep doing it I love it see you in the lifestream later
Being a blacksmith is cool as hell, but don't discount the importance of grammar and writing. It's important to be able to communicate your thoughts and ideas with others.
I’m a blacksmith so new handles and replacements are always necessary but thing is where I’m at we have neither ash nor hickory so I resorted to the most common material Oak and surprisingly it’s worked extremely well and I am rough on hammers
Off topic of this video. But how would one go about drilling out a hole, lets say for a dowel, at an angle. As a mental picture, thinking like making a coat hanger out of 2x4 and dowels. Trying to figure out how to make a hole at a consistent angle
I was told by a New England ship builder ash is the preferred wood for handles because on a cold day ash will warm to your hand , hickory will stay cold
Ha, ha! Up to the time of my viewing your videos, to me, a "fro" was a hairdo, as in Afro. Who knew? Also, there once was a fellow, name of Roy Underhill, who wrote a book, Using Wedge and Edge, all about woodworking. He could be seen on public television here in the (United) States. Perhaps you could follow in his footsteps as regards topics and ideas for future programs. Just a thought.
I realize this video is two months old, but it's not the only one in which I see Eoin's vice isn't holding material very well. In this one, he's HOLDING the piece with his left hand while sawing two inches away. Yeesh! In another video, he's contouring an axe handle with a spoke shave and it keeps flopping around in the vice. Instead of chopping off fine hickory handles, police your vice, she needs some caring, boy. [EDIT: Even in this video, when he gets to contouring the handle, it's floppin' aroun'! You're going to get hurt, Eoin, I couldn't take it if you did.]
While I appreciate the job, I think there's a reason they use hickory. It's hard as hell! But I do have an ash tree in my yard... now I know what the wood looks like. Do you happen to have any elm for a project? I got a big tree that needs trimming.
I think the wedge usually goes in the other way - I don’t mean with the thick end first (ha), I mean turned 90º so it presses against the ends of the hammer head, not the sides. I don’t really think it makes a difference - it would if it was a wooden mallet, obviously. Perhaps that’s where that comes from and it’s only a tradition, but I’d be interested if there are other reasons - or any particular reason why you did it this way. I wouldn’t have replaced the hickory handle, but I see where you’re coming from: I’m planning to replace the plastic handle of a Japanese saw, complete with the blade changing mechanism, even though the existing handle works fine. I’ll be using ash for that, too - not critical for a saw handle, I just chose it because it matches a lot of other handles I have.
We do hammers to wedge out to the cheeks and hatchets and axes to push to the bit to keep from putting undo stress on the forge welds at the front of the eye.
Not sure on the setup, but if you have wood drying in your garage loft then that will be increasing the moisture in the garage. There might be lots of air circulation however, so I'll happily be told I'm wrong.
@@EoinReardon I am signed up for his July workshop. So, I will meet and learn from Mr. Chickadee this year, God willing. I'm very excited for it, I admit.
No disrespect, but how does a lad of your young age have these fantastic old school skills?... A lot of the skills shown in your clips take decades to learn!. 🙂 Nuff said.
You’re definitely Irish! Sprinkle in a few freckles on your cheeks and some flaming red hair you could be the spokesman for all of Ireland 😊 Great video!
Everytime i go into the shed i feel like I'm gonna make something. Usually end up with a mess and an injury. Grabbing nothing but a claw hammer and a phillips screwdriver and feeling like a carpenter. More like a carpet turd.
Feeling bad for the poor castaway excellent hickory handle who was serving well faithfully, now rejected and alone, and afraid on foreign soil who's only fault being not of local birth...terrible.
