Hi,

To quote Richard Harris - "Where there's a doormat there's usually a door".

The Bayeux tapestry is that doormat and it might well be that what we are seeing being hewed with a tee axe are planks and not beams i.e. this axe is being used as a finishing axe rather than a wood removal tool.

Will, you have the experience of using one of these axes - does this make any sense ?

Regards

Ken Hume

Ken, interestingly in the booklet Gränsfors puts out titled Ancient Northern European Axes

http://www.gransfors.us/AncientAxeBook.pdf

It pictures and refers to the Bayeux Tapestry, and under their own description of this ax they characterize its use as that of smoothing planks for house and boat construction.

What you ask does make sense, especially for light axes, but I may not be the right hewer to ask, I remove ninety percent of waste with a heavy Jersey pattern felling Ax, and have always seen broad axes as finishing tools.

I only own one Gränsfors, a used single bevel that belonged to DEW another lefty. I had an abundance of axes by the time they came onto the scene.

Reading the "Axe Book," it says the Bayeux Tapestry is approximately 70 meters in length (231 feet). Almost a football field.

Wow.

Hi Don,

I went to see the Bayeux tapestry in Bayeux, France with Tom Musco a few years ago and this is displayed in a horse shoe shaped artificially lit glass case which is located inside a dimly lit room. The last 5 - 10 meters of this tapestry is now missing and is thought to have been deliberatlely cut off and destroyed because it was thought to contain scenes that did not please the Normans. It contains surprising scenes of pre battle naked encounters between soldiers and lusty wenches leaving little to the imagination and along with Piers the Ploughman is one of the few visual record sources of early medieval life (and death). Just incase Will missed it I did post a relevant extract from the tapestry on page 1 of this thread.

Regards

Ken Hume

That's interesting Ken.
Axes and nudity, who'd have guessed

But seriously, the tapestry must be quite a sight. Glad you thought of it to further our discussion on the T-axe. Very interesting.

That T-axe is kind of a hybrid between an axe and a knife, like a machete. I wonder why it fell out of favor (into obscurity)? Most of us who have used and/or seen it like its design.

All:

I received a call from Jack this morning. He has given the green light for this video clip to appear on YouTube.

Unfortunately, the resolution is poor on YouTube. My camera took very clear footage. If you'd like a copy, I can mail one for you to play at home on your DVD player. PM me for details.



Jack and Mike Beaudry discuss hewing:




Enjoy the clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3f4YPtMQ4js

* YouTube said the video is "still processing." Resolution should improve w/ time.

Happy to report the resolution has much improved...

Nice footage, Don. Thanks.

Hi Don,

I much enjoyed your video and noted with interest how most people including Jack made a bee line for the Tee axe. The guy who took a few swings at the log with the tee axe pulled a chunk out of the cheek so I don't think that this axe was as sharp as needed to put a fine finish on the log.

There is no doubt that this kind of video is both informative and instructive and a little bit of fun as well.

Regards

Ken Hume

Ken, that was Gabel who was trying the tee axe.... he has posted in this thread.... Also seen in this video was Jim Derby who posts here as Housewright.
I'll have to watch closely again to see if Timbeal was there then or not....
He was there a lot but may have walked off to tour other nearby structures.... as part of our tour...

I was at my truck during that video....