Ray Mears Bushcraft - Choosing and Using an Axe

Подписаться 269

Просмотров 390 тыс.

50% 1

This is a short, free excerpt from Ray Mears' website. This is a small example of the bonus features which come along with purchasing the Ray Mears Bushcraft Survival Series 2 DVD. The DVD can be purchased from Ray Mear's website, www.raymears.com/ , along with many other top-notch instructional videos.
Apologies for the bad quality! It can be found in a much higher quality version on Ray Mears' website.
Here, Ray shows three axes, all made by Gränsfors Bruks of Sweden. Smallest to largest, he shows the Wildlife Hatchet, the Small Forest Axe, then my personal choice, the Scandinavian Forest Axe. He then shows some techniques on how to use an Axe.
I highly recommend all of Ray's DVD's. They all include Ray's thorough wilderness wisdom for numerous types of environments across the world. Many of the videos also include short stories / reenactments of people in real survival scenarios, where Ray points out what they did right, what they did wrong, and what they could have done. Great stuff.

Опубликовано:

15 сен 2024

Ссылка:

Скачать:

Готовим ссылку...

Добавить в:

Мой плейлист

Посмотреть позже

Комментарии : 175

@NIBOR7658 13 лет назад

RAY MEARS makes you want to get out and give it a go. I saw one of his live talks in Eastbourne, this man can talk for England and is so interesting you could listen for days

@Elk17 12 лет назад

Ray has a way of teaching like that, which is surely why he's become an icon for woodsmen and bushcrafters across the globe.

@tombstone7577 3 года назад

Ray Mears definitely the one who will be walking out the bush better fed than most others.

@JetJockey87 14 лет назад

I'm an Australian and I Learnt a lot about chopping thanks to this video, Spare Grylls eat your heart out.

@dillotexan 11 лет назад

This was a very useful four minute investment of my life. It answered both a nagging question I'd had about which axe to carry AND provided some very useful axe-wielding basics. Thank you for sharing.

@MTBJester 14 лет назад

im an eagle scout and an avid backpacked/kayaker. i learned quite a bit from this vid. good on ya' Ray!

@littlejpl 10 лет назад

I second that comment ... well said .... Mom and Dad taught me that "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all"

@aa112211 15 лет назад

I love that splitting technique - throwing the axe head to the side upon contact so it twists the wood apart. I'll have to try that.

@ataraxic89 13 лет назад

wow, that was awesome. I have never split wood oddly enough but have been yearning to go on a mild survival trip. This will be useful

@msven 11 лет назад

haha, many of us still appreciate the upload! Good information and thanks! I have a smaller axe and never thought about many of the points you brought up! Now to check out a medium size axe for more versatility.

@stuartw12345612 14 лет назад

Ray Mears is the god of outdoorsmanship, if I could afford to go on his bushcraft course I'd be there for sure! (maybe watching a few of these videos on youtube will do the job?!!

@Elk17 14 лет назад

I've seen more than one person comment about how perfect and knot-free the firewood he uses is... It actually isn't so difficult to have ideal firewood to split. Usually, especially with conifers as seen here, there are descent sized gaps between the knots of the tree. Cut the sections of firewood from in-between the knots. The leftover "knotty" pieces are usually quite resin-soaked, so don't be shy to burn them whole.

@DETNAITE 13 лет назад

Oh god, I didn't know the last trick there. This guy is already a good source of information.

@Asgardt 14 лет назад

I like his clear and calm way of explaining things :)

@mryellow123 13 лет назад

@Fischereco2 "Hey I just walked outta the rain forest, bit thursty, might drink my piss." Bear Grylls is just comedy.

@X_explorer 7 лет назад

Excellent channel! I like contemplating nature, explore and calm down...

@HoganLong 2 года назад

Both the axes and the content are very sharp -- but the resolution could not be blurrier -- can we please get a version that does not look like it was filmed in the 1960?

@Huwevans5209 13 лет назад

@Fischereco jeez leave the guy alone, what bear and ray do are two completely different things. Massive respect for both men.

@TheJohn8765 14 лет назад

Damn. I've been chopping firewood for many years as well as doing solo camping for a few years. I thought I was paranoid, but I just learned a few things preventing a catastrophic injury while alone. Very 'obvious', but not obvious, indeed.

@StevieDminesapint 15 лет назад

Exellent chopping advice yet again from the irriplacable untouchable Ray Mears.

@MicrocebusRufus1 12 лет назад

You must remember that every show is different. Ray Mears and Les Hiddins bet on education and history, Bear bets on stunts and adrenaline, Dave Canterbury and Cody Lundin bet on the team work but more in manner of an action show, Les Stroud bets on minimalism and self reliance. Everybody got his pick. If you like to see action, you'll watch Bear, if you want to feel how it is without leaving your house, you'll chose Les Stroud, if you wanna learn something, you will chose Ray and Les Hiddins.

@Echo4PapaBravo 12 лет назад

Those are commonly referred to as a "Boys Axe" and are roughly 18" overall usually. Hand axes are generally staged in 6" increments, hatchet/camp axe usually 12", boys axe usually 18", and splitting axe usually 24".

@DanielLane1987 13 лет назад

I cut wood for years and that looks so much easier, definately learnt a few things today.

@AlpesHaches 13 лет назад

Your Video is Great ! Cogratulations ! I hope to see more of your work

@Echo4PapaBravo 12 лет назад

I thought it was funny that in this video he did not once split a piece of wood that was felled with an axe. You don't normally get such nice and smooth, flat angles, such pretty cuts, with a piece of wood hacked down with an axe. It was also nice of him to use such well seasoned and dried wood for his splitting, makes it look almost effortless. He should have told people that they would be better off with a boys axe along with a folding saw and a year or two to season the wood.

@CanItAlready 13 лет назад

He makes it look so easy. Wonder what kind of wood that is, 'cause I tried that splitting technique on some fallen pecan in my yard today and couldn't make a dent even though I could chop through it easily enough. Granted, I'm a hatchet newbie, so maybe I'm doing something wrong.

@sc00ny 15 лет назад

I have these three also ***** These days the Wildlife hatchet no longer has the recurved handle as seen here, it is mostly straight with a kink at the end knob

@uzb1 12 лет назад

Great video! Ray is a great teacher. And when it comes to Bear Grylls, i think he is great and of course it isnt 100% real in the show but its the same with all the "survivor shows". Do people actually expect a man to go out and risk his life for your entertainment? NO They show you "how you could survive in some of the worst places on the planet". People who think the shows should be real go ahead and make a "real" one your self!

@TheGrillsgt1 12 лет назад

Very informative, I've been looking for a good pack axe and this has helped a lot. Thanks Ray

@deerhunterp 14 лет назад

Great review! I really enjoyed this one! One thing that people who live in North American should consider however is the fact that this style (old world European style) of axe does not work well with many of the hardwoods that Americans and Canadians often encounter in our forests. For that I would recommend something like a fiber handled splitting axe (not to be confused with a splitting maul). This will cut North American wood much better. Again Great review! 5/5

@ArrowSmith95 12 лет назад

@Elk17 that would be a good idea . both people are amazing at what they do .

@JuicyStake 13 лет назад

So easy in those ideal conditions...perfect blocks, nice straight cut wood with no knots... As if it was like that in the wild.

@itsumonihon 10 лет назад

nice video, i thought this stuff was common knowledge but apparently not. i grew up chopping wood for my house's wood stove, we didn't have any electric heating so we had to keep the fire going or we'd be cold come morning. i agree with ray that the medium sized axe tends to be the most useful. heavy axes can really tire you out, though they do get more work done in a single swing. bring a heavy axe if you need to cut down trees but otherwise a medium axe is nice to have in general.

@Y0utube5ucks 14 лет назад

I like the twist and split, pretty slick stuff Ray :)

@Elk17 15 лет назад

Yeah, same here. He's right, through practice, I use the Scandinavian Forest Axe one-handed without too much trouble. I have no problem fitting it into my backpack either, given that my pack is a large internal frame and its a bit on the 'tall-and-thin' side. Ray's pack is a bit more on the short and wide, so I can see why he prefers the small forest axe.

@AustralianLeprechaun 11 лет назад

If I ever get stuck in the wild I hope I got Ray Mears with me!

@SuperRabski Год назад

spent my childhood chopping logs for the home fires, i knew how to swing a big axe at twelve. i wish i had been shown that technique for splitting kindling then, it would have saved me a lot of hours trying to balance an already split log and trying to hit it with a big axe. i was only small.

@howtypical100 12 лет назад

Indeed, I learned on a larger axe, and it provided me some more room for error than with a smaller. However, to each his own. I'm sure learning on a small one has its own advantages.

@s9TeeN 13 лет назад

Very Informative video sir! Thanks for sharing your info!

@DENMONKEY 11 лет назад

Handy info

@MicrocebusRufus1 12 лет назад

You must just remember one simple fact. Bear Grylls is a stunt performer and a TV celebrity. He has many skills but there's no point showing them on his show since it's not really about survival but stunts and adrenaline. I admire his charity work etc. but I don't like him as a TV personality since most of these stunts will never be useful in the real survival situation. Ray Mears is completely different. His shows might b boring to some but they're extremely educative and you can actually learn

@SecretTechniqueGuy 14 лет назад

great video - informative, concise, competent!

@klausbjarne 11 лет назад

thank you for a lovely and very informative video, I needed it and more importantly I'll be using what I learnt from it : )

@Amidat 14 лет назад

@JDFeniello - you are correct that it was named after the continent and not the person. Point being the continents were named after a person. I seriously doubt it would be Amerike because the expeditions he funded - were thought to be to Asia - not to a "new" continent.

@smackroscoe 12 лет назад

I learned something today and I thank you sir.

@Echo4PapaBravo 12 лет назад

Not knocking him, just saying that its not like he chopped a deadfall apart and then commenced to splitting with such ease using only that axe. Try using that "hit and twist" method with a piece of wood with a large knot in it and you could strain your wrist. Everything looks and works perfectly when you have a few cords of seasoned wood to choose from for your demo.

@meandkg 14 лет назад

Hi, im wondering if i should get a plastice handled axe, or a wooden handle?

@Fischereco2 13 лет назад

@atheistdawn I guess my problem with Bear Grylls is that he doesn't emphasize preparedness. The best way to survive in a survival situation is to never put yourself in one. Ray Mears hammers that point home by informing his viewers on what kind of gear you need to actually thrive in the wilderness. Grylls gives his viewers the impression that if you buy his $30.00 knife at Walmart and carry a water bottle you'll be okay. Most people are not as fit as Bear and don't have the training he does.

@goldatra3 12 лет назад

I have a question,i would like to buy a Hatchet to attach on my sack, but i plan to use this axe in cold weather conditions, so, should i go for a Hard plastic axe or wood or sometype of metal ? I'll take your advice :)

@Cult1022 12 лет назад

very good vid, learned some tricks. and thats what makes a good vid. like.

@MrAndyMcQuade 11 лет назад

fair point. you could maybe use the first method he said tho hitting both the wood and the axe on the tree.

@mavct 12 лет назад

@HDL2112 I was wondering the same thing. How many inches is the middle sized axe in this video

@max465t 14 лет назад

i got a question, are all gransfod bruks axes hand forged? im really lookin into buying one and i want to kknow

@bonkertown 13 лет назад

@Fischereco2 They're both different, Bear Grylls doesn't teach you how to live in the wilderness, he teaches you basic things to survive for a few days to get out of the wilderness.

@adaman04 14 лет назад

What are the lengths of these 3 axes?

@LimitedPeopleSkills 14 лет назад

@Amidat just letting you know america is named after Richard Amerike a welshman. Amerigo Vespucci's name is unlikely to be the origin of america as first names were never used to name a place unless on behalf of royalty and Amerike was the chief sponsor of John Cabot's voyage to Newfoundland and In 1955, a letter was found in Spanish archives confirming the discoveries of Bristol sailors in Newfoundland before Columbus. as amerike sponsored voyages his name would be on maps i.e amerikes

@NoShamans 13 лет назад

What sort of axes are those? What's a good brand of ax?

@Quodge 11 лет назад

The one on the left is the scandi forest axe right? It looks HUGE there but its actually still only a larger mid size.. I guess his POU is backpacking so American Felling axes are out of the question.

@MrDeadwater 13 лет назад

anyone know what kind of axe he's using? thanks in advance.

@mrdanny5 12 лет назад

How long is a medium sized axe???????

@SavageArms357 12 лет назад

@uzb1 Les Stroud does, though he has a an emergency radio, he is completely alone for a week.

@sudsmeister 10 лет назад

I think it's a Gransfor Burks. Am I right?

@TheNorthernSurvivel 10 лет назад

YES

@LimitedPeopleSkills 14 лет назад

@Amidat oh i agree its doubtful but so is the vespucci story, as for the african faces and asian sea vessals this is why i love, and facinated by history, theres so much we dont know how anyone says they are'nt interested in history ill never understand,aaaaaaaaanyway dont want to get sidetracked from the video so ill wish you all the best and take care.

@pipus4444 12 лет назад

one thing, you had perfectly dired wood in this clip , try with not so dry wood ... wont split in one strike

@Amidat 14 лет назад

@Masoukishin - no I'm not incorrect. and for the record there were people living in America before the Europeans came here. And no the British were not first. "America" is named after an Italian with the last name Vespucci. Spaniards and French were also here in large #'s. The British were just the ones who held the "original" 13 colonies. That's not to mention that they bought New Amsterdam from the Dutch and made it New York. If you are going to "wave the flag" you should know history.

@LulJam 15 лет назад

man he is really skilled with that thing.

@WthzoroProductions 13 лет назад

@OutdoorSurvivalist1 there are some other good brands but yeah mainly the hand forged ones are realy nice

@underterraingrunter 14 лет назад

A CAT tourniquet is a sensible addition to an axe users kit.

@boyrichboy 13 лет назад

It seems like such simple logic.. Yet.. I bet most people don't realise it and do it.. I'm glad i just learnt this :p

@ZjAc0 13 лет назад

Wich axe is he using?

@96machete96 13 лет назад

one of the best axe

@Wyndstarthedruid 13 лет назад

i tried the splitting technique with ash wood, and it just bounces off lmfao, i guess that only works with conifer wood.

@bludaxxe2010 13 лет назад

I don't think Ray is anywhere too wild doing this video. At 2.35 you can here a train horn (Britsh Rail I think!

@Amidat 14 лет назад

@Masoukishin - actually more white americans have direct German ancestry than any other European nation... and also the English as we know them now have a mixed ethnicity...which is why they are called "Anglo-Saxons" is because the Saxons (from a part of what we know as Germany) went to the British Isles and forged a relationship with the Anglos. "American" is not a pure race...even the Natives had dozens of different bloodlines.

@mrdanny5 12 лет назад

Thank you... i appreciate your reply

@spartanses 15 лет назад

2:35 whats that horn?

@JustinBaker2567 14 лет назад

Honestly, i think large knives or kukris are a better choice. They chop extremely well and are way lighter.

@thegeno64 14 лет назад

@OOjiBoy ... are you from england?

@Tegulicious 14 лет назад

I thought there wasn't a place for an axe in my pack, boy was I wrong! He made it look so damn easy that I actually started to get jealous. An axe of that size would go perfectly with my rat 7!

@akzorz 12 лет назад

@mavct it should be an 18"

@andreassolomou 12 лет назад

nice one ... thank you for sharing

@Smonjirez 13 лет назад

@krazy4knives The face Grylls pulls when he's climbing or running on a hill or whatever he's doing always looks like he greatly exaggurates his fatigue. I mean, I'm everything but sportive, and still climbed / runned up hills and stuff and don't even remotely look as fatigued as him.

@Masoukishin 14 лет назад

@john22112 but u said he's british?

@Amidat 14 лет назад

@Masoukishin - we all have to learn and be taught..so don't feel dumb. Btw- a little known (but verifiable) fact is that some of the "Founding Fathers" like Benjamin Franklin were influenced by the Iriqouis Confederation of Native Americans living in upstate NY (aside from the Romans and Germans). They had a central government with independent "states". You can go read it...but it's not taught to children in school. The natives did not all live in "tee-pees".