Hello everyone tonight

Today the cold has reappeared with vengeance around here, a time for things to slow down, a time for remembering, but as always a time to heat up the shop and make a few hand carved handles for a couple of orders that have come to my attention through that wonderful electronic medium--email--thanks to it we all can have these wonderful nightly conversations and exchange stories like those above.

I will be using black walnut blanks for these 3" offset broadaxe handles. You maybe noticed the tree in my "Broadaxe handle carving" DVD, it has given up many twisted limbs which contain the natural bent fibres for the handles above

Another lad from Utah wondered if I could carve out a "Casselman" style chopping axe handle for his early axe head that he intends on using for demonstrations out there next spring, so you can see I am going to have a fun winter ahead

Carving out handles was a winter pastime by the old wood stove, alittle each night--except saturday night--that was our weekly trip to town to purchase the supplies that we needed, provided we weren't snowed in which happened often back then

Maybe some of you can add a story or two

Well got to go

hope you enjoy

NH