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Re: historic hewing questionnaire [Re: TIMBEAL] #14300 02/14/08 02:16 PM
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Kevin Holtz Offline
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Thanks Tim- It does seem like people have a few different takes on getting the job done. In the competitions I'm in I have to cut footholds to stand on for the underhand chop. I end up making a small scoring V on the top of the block with my axe and then slab the piece off. I've seen some pictures of people working down the the top of a log in a similar fashion. In that case I would want the log on my right, up off the ground a bit (to save my back) and use a left bent broad axe?

Re: historic hewing questionnaire [Re: Mark Davidson] #14303 02/14/08 02:49 PM
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Kevin Holtz Offline
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Hey Mark-

Thanks for the input, you guys have been very helpful. If you're serious about letting my try some gear, I'd love to. Are you going to the TTRAG conference? I'm waiting to hear about a job for that weekend but if it falls through I'd like to go. It's kind of a catch-22. I need the money from the job to fund the barn project but I need the knowledge from the conference to work on the barn project.

I'll have to post some pictures of some of my axes. They aren't anything you guys would find useful, but they are pretty cool pieces of craftsmanship.

Re: historic hewing questionnaire [Re: Kevin Holtz] #14304 02/14/08 04:40 PM
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Mark Davidson Offline
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no, I'm not going to the conference. please post some pics of your axes! I'll show you mine if you show me yours.....

Re: historic hewing questionnaire [Re: Mark Davidson] #14307 02/14/08 11:41 PM
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TIMBEAL Offline
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Mark, I like the straight handles. The last one I made broke before I had chance to use it, I was just tapping the head on. It had a curved handle the grain was all wrong, my bad. A straighter handle and rived next. As for TTRAG, go. It only comes once a year, work is every day. See you all there. Tim

Re: historic hewing questionnaire [Re: TIMBEAL] #14308 02/15/08 02:24 AM
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northern hewer Offline OP
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Hi Kevin and everyone --back to my favorite topic!

Kevin--if you grasp (any) axe with your right hand the closest to the head of the axe, then it is official that you are right handed. You will feel comfortable using a Broadaxe with its handle gently swinging in towards your body, (this swing is away from the cutting edge or the flat of the axe.), also the log will be on your left hand side as you work along.

If in the above senario your left hand is the closest to the axe head then you are a left handed chopper, and everything is in reverse, for starters you will be hanging the handle from the opposite side of the head of the axe, but will swing out away from the flat of the blade. the log will always be on your right hand side as you work along.

The above instructions are for broadaxes that have their heads placed in the centre of the blades. The European heads generally would have to be either right or left handed models, so you would have to select one that suits you as an individual.

Some people can chop right or left handed and feel quite comfortable. My grandfather Michael who worked extensively in the lumber camps, could chop right or left handed but not many could.

Thanks for bringing this topic up it seems that from time to time it needs to be reviewed, and as noted above it may take a few tries before you actually have a properly curved handle that feels like it will be a keeper.

I personally like the feel of the antique handles for the chooping axes rather than just a straight handle. To me the swing in the body of the axe handle and the sharp bend at the end gives you more control, and you can place the cutting edge of the axe head to the exact angle of the cut, taking your height into account.

The only case of a straight handle being proper in my books is for a double bitted axe head, where you can flip it over and work with both cutting edges. These were used extensively in the lumber camps to help keep the choppers working steadier between sharpenings.

NH

Re: historic hewing questionnaire [Re: Mark Davidson] #14309 02/15/08 02:30 AM
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Kevin Holtz Offline
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Hey Mark-

Nice collection! I thought I could post my pictures in this reply but I guess I need to get them up on my website to link them. I'll have to get after that.

I have a great (tragic) picture of one of the axes that I damaged in Australia last year. I was staying with a family there and training in the back yard on some snappy gum. The axe was ground at 14 degrees and the edge of the axe broke off in the block. I actually pulled the little foil edge out of the block and took a picture of the wreck. I had to build a jig and file the axe back up (to 17ish degrees this time) Some very hard wood over there. Stay tuned for some pics.

-Kevin

Re: historic hewing questionnaire [Re: TIMBEAL] #14310 02/15/08 02:33 AM
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Kevin Holtz Offline
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Hey Tim-

I am going to do my best to get down to the conference. I should know by the end of next week. Hopefully I'll see you there.

Re: historic hewing questionnaire [Re: Kevin Holtz] #14312 02/15/08 03:36 PM
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Kevin Holtz Offline
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Hey Mark-

Here are the only picutres I have handy right now. I left them kind of big so you could see the little foil edge that broke off of the axe. I'll have to snap some pictures of the rest of the collection when I get back in town and get them up on the web.

Re: historic hewing questionnaire [Re: northern hewer] #14313 02/15/08 08:03 PM
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Kevin Holtz Offline
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Thanks for the response NH-

What are your thoughts on the pictures I've seen of the log elevated with people scoring and hewing the top of the log? It's similar to the technique that I use to cut the footholds in my underhand blocks (you can see a bit of one in a pic I posted earlier). I thought that it might be an option for me since it would be like putting in a series of footholds.

A friend heard about the project and claims to have an old broad axe I can use. I'm going to check it out and see if I can breath some life back into it.

On the double bit axe... More than once when I've had one out at a demo or competition I've had somebody ask "You know why they had double bit axes back then dontcha?" I've gotten the explaination that you shared, jokes about guys cutting down two trees at once, etc. More than one person has told me that one side was sharper for felling/chopping and the other side was kept more blunt and durable for knocking spruce limbs off (and other abusive work). It seems plausible... any thoughts?


Re: historic hewing questionnaire [Re: Kevin Holtz] #14314 02/15/08 10:27 PM
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Mark Davidson Offline
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NH, I will once again disagree and say that I prefer a straight handle on my scoring axe, the curvey stuff just messes me up.
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