I got an ox and reviewed some of your older videos for some inspiration. Your work is so good! Miss your posts, we need some new axe science, my friend!
You could just sand that shoulder further up towards the head, obviously won't make the overall length shorter but gives you a much better handle shape when you get rid of that blocky neck.
Dude i hate how much they charge for something thats not even sharp when you can get some proper cheap brands of axes that are properly sharp out of the box. Like Ox are a high end manufacturer they should be at least not dangerous to use out the box lol
I dig it. Although I"m solidly in the camp of thinning and refining both the haft and the head. I personally would refinish in yellow, because axe science may hinge on variables too easily dismissed by skeptics.
I’ve looked at the various iterations of the Ochsenkopf as a potential “user.” Ben and Elemental4rce (whatever his name is) seem to have tuned them up nicely. I’d like a short-handled ~3 lb-er and the lack of suitable solutions in the States bugs the crap out of me. A couple questions/thoughts: 1) I’d have to thin the daylights out of that handle and carve the shoulder right up within 1/2 of the head. I don’t understand why they leave that big exaggerated shoulder. 2) Point #1 has prevented me from spending the $70 to $100 USD. Why, why, why can’t someone sell a full size axe that is in usable condition with minimal tuneup? Thinning handles is a lot of daggum work. And I had no idea they cam in at 35+ degrees. There’s a couple hours worth of filing to be done there. Seems to me that a nice vintage head and good handle could be slapped together with the same work and similar (or less investment). 3) Is that the ash handle or hickory? I think the cheapest version I’ve seen is the ash and have never tried an ash handle.
I feel your pain! More and more I don't understand why any company would WANT to make a tool that will require a fair amount of knowledge, time and skill to get to work well. Maybe they just don't get a lot of feedback and people don't know how great they could be otherwise? I'm also not exactly sure if the handle is hickory because on their website it seems like the "E" is for Ash with there being maybe an "H" version with hickory our there somewherez, and there is none of the usual "Real Hickory Handle" marketing stuff that you usually see when they really want you to know it's hickory lol And, it looks suspiciously like Ash. So...
Great to see. I just bought one of these. Absolutely bullet-proof but needed a lot of work on the bevel. I’m real close to getting the Ochsenkopf Iltis. Apparently that is awesome.
JPOANA: acronym \( jə-ˈ'pana) . . Justified Purchase Of A New Axe .!! Love my Ochsenkopf (Stihl) Universal Forestry Axe (Rhineland pattern 1000g.) never fails to impress! The Stihl versions have more of a "utility" finish on the head (like 36 grit haha) than the Ox but they can be made smooth, thin and sexy w/ a little love.
Cut it off flush under the head, drill out fort knox and rehang straight! I'd thin the handle and burn the end black instead of that yellow. And of course a better grind 😊
