Just a comment about a double sided axe and its use. From a 80 year old gypo logger that learned his trade in the logging camps of SE Alaska in the 50’s from old time hand loggers that were the best ax men in the world. A falling ax had reverse bevels, which means that one side of the cutting blade was flat filed, and the other side was slightly rounded or beveled. Each of those beveled faces were reversed on the other cutting edge. The reason for this is the flat side was the cutting edge and the rounded side was for wedging or pushing the chip away from the cut edge. On old growth fir, redwood and spruce, the butt of the tree was often swelled, so that a faller had to springboard up the tree to cut above the swell. Chopping the face in a tree 15-20 feet above ground, required a competent faller to be able to chop either left or right handed, hence the reverse bezel. When changing from right hand to left, the ax is rotated so flat side is still the cutting side. Axes were not used for the face undercut or the back cut or for bucking. That was done with a “misery whip”. A 6’ or longer thin steel falling saw. A bucking saw was thicker and wider. A single bitted ax generally used to drive wedges and a wider blade double bit was and sometimes used to limb with. It is important to note that fallers were so accurate with their axes, they could cot a 8’ face in a tree that was as smooth as a dinner plate. No sign of chopping at all. If a newbie faller left cut marks, it was called “beavering”. And that guy didn’t have an easy time of it until he could split a hair every time with his ax. Being a real “ north woods orangutan” was a club very few got into, and only then by their skill alone. I still know the names of many that were legends. “Alibi”, “Little Johnny Bobner”, “Swede Rezlin”, “George Tullis”, Speedball Don”, “Blacky Neely”, and many more.
This is amazing thank you so much for sharing your experience! Do you mind if I share this with my followers? I think they would be very interested. Do you recall the company you worked for and the nearest town? How did you get your first logging job? Thanks again! I would love to preserve this history.
Appreciate the video and knowledge. Special guests with the two goats they seem cool! Haha video started with one goat. I want to restore my big broad axe now
Wow !! Awesome video man, I really enjoyed this and I learned a heck of a lot !!! Thank you for making this. I don’t own a hewing axe or broad axe at the moment, yet I’ve been on the hunt for one. When I come across one I’d like to try this myself !!
Thanks for the encouragement! Broad axes are great. Every now and then I've seen an unmarked one on eBay or Etsy for around $20.00. Keep a look out for a one with triangles on the top and bottom of the head. There's a good chance it will be dated from 1860-1900, but this doesn't seem to be generally known, so they go cheaper, and are typically high quality.
Great video! Now there's plenty of videos teaching to hew with an axe. About ten years ago situation was different and you had figure out things by yourself.
curious, how and where do you find all the old axes you have. I love watching your videos even though I am not involved, nor ever have been, with anything other than a chainsaw. I find your videos educational as well as artful. We, as a people, have lost to many of the "OLD WAYS", along with the knowledge of the past. NEW isn't always better and knowledge is never out of fashion. thank you for the videos
Appreciate the kind words! As for finding axes, so many places! Some ebay or Etsy. Some the marketplace and Craigslist. A lot of them I find in the corner of an antique store somewhere. Need to be real patient, and the axes will find you! If you’re not in a ln axe rich area like the northeast or northwest, hop on eBay and search for vintage axes, filtering by price $10-$50, and “buy it now.” I find a lot of good axes this way. It does take patience and you need to be educated on what you’re buying but that’s a good way to find what you like.
I think you're mistaken about the flat side going towards the log. Any vintage hewed beam I've ever seen has concave scallops, even if slight, on the surface. The only way you're gonna get that with a broad axe is to use the bevel side towards the work piece. Because you are now attacking the log at an angle, instead of straight down, the curve of the cutting edge leaves a slight scallop.
That’s one way to do it, and I’m sure many good beams were hewed like that. There’s a guy on RU-vid who has become well known for this theory, and I don’t think he’s wrong.
Well Done! I’m hewing logs myself in Sweden with the goal to build a washroom at my cottage. What I don’t understand with all American hewing videos is why you balance on the log to score when it is as simple as turning the log 90 degrees to be able to stand on the ground to do the scoring. What I have found out, which helps me a lot, is that I use an axe with straight edge to do the scoring. By that I avoid the score marks in the finished log. Just a tip. In Sweden we do not have the double edge axes at all. I don’t want to say that we do it better, just in a different way. If you want to look at how I do the same thing, take a look at my video: Hewing a log - My way ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-LvPn7FDlVPg.html There are some other videos as well. In the shortest one I hew a 5 meter log which is a little bit thinner and then I skip the rough hewing and I go directly to the hewing axe. Just to highlight some differences. All the best!
Good work! My wife is Swedish, she lived near Husqvarna and my mother in law sold sewing machines for the Husqvarna company. I don’t think standing on the log is an American specific thing, but what I have noticed is the people who stand on the ground typically have the log lifted on supports. I think you’re working very hard standing on the ground making notches on a low log. From what I noticed the physics of the swing also work against you that way because the axe wants to land at an angle and not perpendicular to the log, unless you compensate against that happening which requires extra effort. Standing is easier to manage the rotation of the axe and preserve good corners. Of course that problem is minimized of the log is lifted. Europe doesn’t seem to use the double bit much. I believe it’s the perfect timber processing tool. One axe to fell, limb, and hew. Very efficient and economical.
Hello from USA, I like to score or joggle cut also while standing on the ground. I have slightly smaller support logs and then turn the log a bit away to make the axe cutting edge line up with the chaulk lines more. Its by far easier than trying to stand on the log. First log home for a customer in 78', still going. Best to ya
The bend of the handle is supposed to go the other way of the flat side of the axe, that way your hands will have clearance from the wood you're hewing. The only reason you're not having that issue is because you haven't tried hewing a very wide piece.
I make all my handles this way. It’s easier to track plumb and more comfortable. The broad axes I use most often have an offset and cupped head so contact with the log is very unlikely or impossible.
Very knowledgeable on your axes,you can really tell that you are passionate about them and so am I but C'mon dude,leave the logging to the guys who who wear logging boots and I mean that with the upmost respect to you and your channel because this is of course only my opinion but the tennis shoes will end up getting you injured eventually.
I appreciate it, but I don’t log, and never claim to be a logger. You can see what I do on my channel. 99% of the trees I work on have either fallen in a storm, or been taken down by a tree service and I buy or take delivery of the logs. From there I hew and mill. Sometimes I’ll wear work boots for hewing, but tennis shoes help a lot with dexterity, and that helps with accuracy. If you look at specifically, Japanese hewing, a lot of those guys he’s barefoot. Again I appreciate it but I very much am not a logger or a faller, and what I do is very different from that occupation.
