I once had an instructor, named Robert, who was telling the class the name of the file was a bastard file. When nobody in class believed him, he showed the name stamp to a student and asked him to tell the class what the name was. The student looked at the file and said, “Robert”. The instructor was not a nice person, so it fit better than I could tell.
An old and almost blind man thought me that when I was in the scouts.. it amazed me that someone with about 10% sight in only one eye could bring a axe so sharp he could shave with it. He gave his life to the scouts movement and sadly was never recognized for it other than by the kids he taught his skills.... May you rest in peace you amazing man😢.
Very good man, yet Again he wasn't recognized for it,, As YOU could have just given his due to All of us, yet you didn't. Your taking all the credit for yourself here. Hmmm
@@theyreoutthere.huntinggear ohhhh don't worry he's got one already his name was Wilbert Landry. I just didn't see the point in naming him here since I figured no one on RU-vid would know him. We got a stainless axe made for him with a spotted maple handle. The axe head has his name, birth date, pass date, and the handle has his saying engraved in it: ( gimme that thing it cuts like a belly ache) (translated the real thing is in French): donne moi ca icite, ca coupe comme un mal de ventre.
Dr Seuss’ Moral of the story: If you have an ax to grind or need to grind an old ax, be a bastard and use a bastard and grind that ax to the max and don’t be lax, mister Max. Use a towel and not a dowel, finish with paper made of sand and don’t be bland with your hand And when you’re done You’ll feel like you won with an ax that’s filed to the max Whether you chop Or you lop Your ax will slice With this man’s advice!
How sharp do you like your axes? In the fire service we kind of keep them blunt so it can break through roofing and walls. When we keep them too sharp they tend to get stuck. Now for my axes at home how sharp should I keep them? But this is an awesome way to sharpen! I'm going to show the guys at the station! Thanks for the great info!
Each type of axe has a purpose and edge geometry should be suited for that purpose. My carving axe is about 22 degrees and as sharp as I can get it with 400 grit.
Just discovered your channel a few days ago and am learning much-I thank you! This is a fantastic tip. I do believe that you could improve your demo by calling your rag “a common red shop rag” as not all rags are created alike. These formal red commercially ( or blue sometimes) available shop rags have a consistent size/thickness and therefore provide the most consistent angle that you are demonstrating-not to nit pick on what a rag is. We go through pallets of the “bricks of rags” ( which are old cut up tee shirts) every year and they are not the average shop towel, in that they don’t have the density of these red wonders! I was just thinking about this fact while at Harbor Freight yesterday; they’ve got bags of these red shop towels, and I’ll be grabbing some for my upcoming axe sharpening sessions thanks to you! Stay safe , and thanks again !
I have a wood shop at home and grew up using every kind of tool , I've sharpened edge tools with strops, oil stones, water stones, and diamond plates, used files and plate glass and sand paper. I've never seen this method but I can tell it's a great one!
Tried this method on a really cheap, dull hatchet I bought from Harbor Freight. This idea works, and it's surprising how fast it works. And the slight convex makes for a really tough edge. To see your progress, ink the edge with a black felt marker. This method also really cleans up an edge that's badly notched.
Your dad was right , never drag file backwards, and iwas taught to sharpen against the edge. I can make an ax shave your armhair. Mowing blades, and sickles too.
@@cooperswan534 It isn't a myth at all troll, you've never even used a file or probably a real tool in your life. It absolutely ruins the cutting edges fast if you file backwards
@@escapetherace1943 okay buddy take a deep breath and calm down for a sec. let’s imagine for a second that you’re right, why do die filer machines exist?
Good idea to use a cloth to get a consistent angle. I never use metal files to sharpen any edged tool. Always use Arkansas sharpening stones. Starting with white stones which are for course cutting. Finishing with a surgical grade, black Arkansas stones. There are other fine grits stones. A green stone for even finer work. A rare red Arkansas stone. Arkansas stones are Novaculite rock that was formed in a small area in southwestern Arkansas going into southeastern Oklahoma. Novaculite rock can be found around the world. Just the unique geologic conditions made a different and unique Novaculite rock in this particular area. Surgical grade black Arkansas stones are very much like 3M lapping paper.
@@old_iron_axe_and_tool It does take practice and patience. I spent 8 months sharping my combat Kabar, stamped US Army. I don't do that Marine thing. Starting with my course white Arkansas stone. Then months on my surgical grade, black Arkansas stone. From the factory edge to a razorblade edge that I can shave hair with. That's my sharpened knife test. The only steel I have trouble with is that D2 type steel. That stuff is just too hard. Tried diamond sharpening stones with no success. Have one of those Fairborn Sikes commando knives, actually made in Sheffield England. That steel is a booger bear to sharpen too.
@@whomagoose6897 I dont understand how it could take so long, I have a katana my uncle gave me as a child and I can get it shaving sharp down the entire blade in 20 minutes after chopping pine saplings for fun. I use a Arkansas stone then a thing out of a light bulb ( dont know what its called) to get the final polish. I also sharpen freehanded, only using a bevel guide when I'm completely changing the bevel with a file.
Very similar in principle to another technique I saw years ago. I like this technique for its relative ease of use in any situation. Thank you! Will try it!
Thanks for the tip I've always used a file like you have there but never use the rag to change the angle angle I've always used blocks of wood. That's a good tip for a quick sharp thank you
This changes the your bevel quite a bit. I've done this trick with several axes. It ends up being a thinner, more aggressive cutting edge. I happen to like that. Good for resetting bevels on a yard-sale axe head that hasn't been properly sharpened. I have a few factory new axes that I think I will change to this more aggressive bevel. The big thing to watch out for, is making sure the axe blade is centered to the eye. Otherwise you'll end up with two different bevels. Also, this technique is kinda pointless for really cheap axes. They come with a poor bevel so It takes forever for this trick to work. And they're not heat treated well enough to maintain that aggressive cutting bevel. I once spent 4 hours sharpening some home depot brand axe to a good sharpness, only for it to dull immediately on the first use.
The axe does not need to be razor sharp actually on the contrary, If you try to sharpen the ax too much then the edge will become too thin and weak, this will make it prone to chipping, breaking, or becoming rolled over. Remember an axe is typically for splitting wood not for slicing it like you would do with a knife.
There are different types of axes. One for felling a tree should be stupid sharp because you’re trying to dig deep and take out big chunks against the grain. Splitting mauls are wider wedges so it can split the wood with the grain.
I personally prefer my hatchets to be about as sharp as my camp knife, should I lose one or the other, I dont want to be left hindered by being stuck with either a wedge or a scalpel, I need them both atleast moderately capable of fulfilling each others roles
The rag trick is an excellent method for making a razor sharp AND long lasting edge. However, this does reduce the bevel angle changing what it's good for. The term he used is "convex" which is better for limbing, kindling, wood working and target throwing, but reduces its ability to buck and split logs or chop down trees. Most people (and I mean like 95% of tool savvy people) don't know that axes are specialized tools. Most will see the difference in a hatchet and a full axe or a single bit vs a double bit. However, most won't know a roofing axe from a rigging axe, a felling axe from a rafter, a hewing vs a masting axe or even that a doubled blade axe actually has 2 different edges for different applications.
Thank you for including the spelling of that file in your description and for being a girl, I'm excited to sharpen my ax 😁 Just one question, do I need to use any type of oil with that file? I don't have anyone to teach me and I've never done this before!
No, generally files don't go well with oil. They make the file bite less causing it to skate. There are some exceptions, like when filing soft metals, but it's better to chalk the file in those situations.
My grandfather (who was a logger from 1948-1994) always said you don't need splitting axes razor sharp, its more dangerous but a fallers double bit axe should have one razor sharp side and then one side thats just sharp.
I wonder if this is more appropriate for setting a new bevel and edge as opposed to sharpening with a stone to bring a blunt edge back to service sharp
I just had an experience with a hospital sharp blade. Opened and Poked through my pant leg and when I threw out the trash I drew the back of my arm up the knife point. 4 internal stitches and 9 on top and were good! Stay aware and safe yall
