2018 Axe Cordwood Challenge

[rarefish383]

I'm gonna have to go get a job, you guys gonna kill me! Hundred year old ax, 62 year old fat guy, one little Gum tree. Took first swing at 12:05, tree was on ground at 12:10, had massive cramp in right shoulder, bicep and rib cage. Knocked the 5-6 little limbs and top off at 12:12. Started at little end and bucked 16 pieces of fire wood, finished at 12:32. Had to use a short half swing because of cramp. Gonna have to touch up ax because I chopped through a couple times. I don't let Gum near my stove, but I might burn this pile out of spite. Good thing you didn't specify 20" min, I'd be there till I collapsed. I was soaked through as it was. If I slipped and fell down, by the time someone got home and came looking for me, they'd have to take a pick ax and chip me off the ground. I thought about bucking 36" Oak logs with a crosscut for the exercise, you knocked that idea right out of my head, Joe.

 

[coutufr]

I'm gonna have to go get a job, you guys gonna kill me! Hundred year old ax, 62 year old fat guy, one little Gum tree. Took first swing at 12:05, tree was on ground at 12:10, had massive cramp in right shoulder, bicep and rib cage. Knocked the 5-6 little limbs and top off at 12:12. Started at little end and bucked 16 pieces of fire wood, finished at 12:32. Had to use a short half swing because of cramp. Gonna have to touch up ax because I chopped through a couple times. I don't let Gum near my stove, but I might burn this pile out of spite. Good thing you didn't specify 20" min, I'd be there till I collapsed. I was soaked through as it was. If I slipped and fell down, by the time someone got home and came looking for me, they's have to take a pick ax and chip me off the ground. I thought about bucking 36" Oak logs with a crosscut for the exercise, you knocked that idea right out of my head, Joe.

If Crocodile Dunty had an axe it would look like yours « you call that an ax, this is an ax »

 

[turnkey4099]

This is a neat idea that isn't realistic for me. I burn way more than a cord a year and don't have enough free time to cut and split any by hand. Cheers to those who do it though

I try to split all mine by hand - 6 cord worth. But then I don't have anything else to occupy time with. cut rounds spring/fall/summer and then split an hour or two a day in winter when weather permits. 'to be split' pile gets too big the splitter comes out. It also does the tough stu ff, knots, crotches, etc.

 

[Multifaceted]

Good points all around, Joe! I think stressing the risk factor and putting an emphasis on safety is very important. I don't see this challenge as a metric of one's cutting prowess, but rather an embrace of the ways of yesteryear. It's an underscore of self reliance in it's most raw form, getting a meaningful job done with a simple tool.

I love your double, and that old crosscut - looks like a western-style lance tooth for softwoods. I've got a few old one-man and two-man crosscut saws that I plan to restore, one is already coming along well - I just need to finish building a benchtop saw vise so I can properly set, swage, and file it.

Don't kill yourself, brother - we have nine months to complete this! Ease into it, get into"bucking shape". Take some Ibuprofen tonight, rest a few days and give it another shot. I might have my youth (sort of) still, but you know well enough that axe work will take it's toll if we overdo it. Heck, my shoulders and wrists are still sore. I have blisters on my inner thumbs and skin rubbed off by my own gripping. I plan to give it another go this weekend weather permitting. Got another standing dead ash a bit smaller and a dead white oak (I think) which is just a tad wider, maybe 10" at its base. Chips seem to fly and logs split more easily when it's bitter cold out like this, so I'm going to use it to my advantage!

ROCK!

 

[Multifaceted]

Here's a illustration excerpt from my copy of Dudley Cook's classic 'The Ax Book' on chopping safety:

 

[rarefish383]

Good points all around, Joe! I think stressing the risk factor and putting an emphasis on safety is very important. I don't see this challenge as a metric of one's cutting prowess, but rather an embrace of the ways of yesteryear. It's an underscore of self reliance in it's most raw form, getting a meaningful job done with a simple tool.

I love your double, and that old crosscut - looks like a western-style lance tooth for softwoods. I've got a few old one-man and two-man crosscut saws that I plan to restore, one is already coming along well - I just need to finish building a benchtop saw vise so I can properly set, swage, and file it.

Don't kill yourself, brother - we have nine months to complete this! Ease into it, get into"bucking shape". Take some Ibuprofen tonight, rest a few days and give it another shot. I might have my youth (sort of) still, but you know well enough that axe work will take it's toll if we overdo it. Heck, my shoulders and wrists are still sore. I have blisters on my inner thumbs and skin rubbed off by my own gripping. I plan to give it another go this weekend weather permitting. Got another standing dead ash a bit smaller and a dead white oak (I think) which is just a tad wider, maybe 10" at its base. Chips seem to fly and logs split more easily when it's bitter cold out like this, so I'm going to use it to my advantage!

ROCK!

Most of what I say on this thread is joking around, except safety stuff. As far as "rest" goes, rest is highly over rated. Of the 30 years at UPS 18 were night shift. You get used to sleeping 4-5 hours a day and maybe crashing for 6-7 one day a week. Besides, I'll get plenty of rest when they throw a pile of dirt on me. I was surprised that swinging that double side ways to fell that little twig worked those muscles differently than splitting on the ground. Also, I'm always leary of swinging a double over my shoulder to chop. Back when I used to throw doubles, I found if I choked up on the handle a little, I got a better flip on the throw. One throw I heard a loud rip, the blade hooked my flannel shirt and ripped it in half like a straight razor. If the blade had of been 1/4 inch closer to my back I would have cut myself in half. That's one of those safety things you can get away with for a long time, until something bad happens. You just don't think about the other half of that double being 3 inches closer to your back than a single.

I'm recovered now, I think that triple IPA did the trick. I did wind up with a red blood blister by the pinky on my left hand. That handle had been cut off, and was just a tad short. I found that I was gripping it with three fingers on my left hand with the pinky kind of wrapped around the end, so I think it was taking the shock more than with my usual grip. It isn't a friction blister and doesn't hurt at all. I do not wear gloves when doing any ax work. After changing the wet sweat shirt and doing some chores, I put the Fiskers to work on the 25" Ash I brought home a couple days ago.

I was digging around in some junk not too long ago and found a tooth set. I can't remember if it was for the crosscut or a smaller saw. If I find it again I'll trade ya for a home brew, Joe.

 

[Multifaceted]

Most of what I say on this thread is joking around, except safety stuff. As far as "rest" goes, rest is highly over rated. Of the 30 years at UPS 18 were night shift. You get used to sleeping 4-5 hours a day and maybe crashing for 6-7 one day a week. Besides, I'll get plenty of rest when they throw a pile of dirt on me. I was surprised that swinging that double side ways to fell that little twig worked those muscles differently than splitting on the ground. Also, I'm always leary of swinging a double over my shoulder to chop. Back when I used to throw doubles, I found if I choked up on the handle a little, I got a better flip on the throw. One throw I heard a loud rip, the blade hooked my flannel shirt and ripped it in half like a straight razor. If the blade had of been 1/4 inch closer to my back I would have cut myself in half. That's one of those safety things you can get away with for a long time, until something bad happens. You just don't think about the other half of that double being 3 inches closer to your back than a single.

I'm recovered now, I think that triple IPA did the trick. I did wind up with a red blood blister by the pinky on my left hand. That handle had been cut off, and was just a tad short. I found that I was gripping it with three fingers on my left hand with the pinky kind of wrapped around the end, so I think it was taking the shock more than with my usual grip. It isn't a friction blister and doesn't hurt at all. I do not wear gloves when doing any ax work. After changing the wet sweat shirt and doing some chores, I put the Fiskers to work on the 25" Ash I brought home a couple days ago.

I was digging around in some junk not too long ago and found a tooth set. I can't remember if it was for the crosscut or a smaller saw. If I find it again I'll trade ya for a home brew, Joe.

Glad you are doing well, Joe. I don't get much sleep either, 5-6 is my average, 6 hours being a "good night's rest". I hear you on the double bit safety, I often have to remind myself of it too, like making the mistake of sticking it in a block, then nearly glancing the exposed edge. Pretty stupid... I now carry my doubles to the work area sheathed until ready to chop.

Did the set look like this?
http://crosscutsaw.com/product/454-spider-set-gage/

If so, then that is a spider for setting the teeth on timber crosscut saws.

 

[rarefish383]

No, it kind of looked like a pair of pliers that would tweak the angle of a tooth. If I find it I'll take a pic. I split one block of Ash every time I walked outside today. Have about a 1/4 of a cord stacked. The wind is howling out there. Looks like I'm going to have to take the truck over the hill and bring half a cord up to the front porch, almost out.

 

[Multifaceted]

Yeah, I'd be interested in seeing it. I'm still collecting my crosscut saw maintenance tools. I have been working on and off on restoring a one-man I salvaged on a pick while in vacation in WV. Like anything I restore, I plan to have it back in proper serviceable working order. Crosscut saw maintenance I'm learning is no easy task, I've been reading extensively on the subject, also another dying skill. Once I get the final few tools and my bench vise completed, I hope to have it throwing noodles.

Let me know if you want me to restore one of those doubles for you, and if you want some homebrew. Should be tapping an IPA and Stout here in the next two weeks. Here's the saw:

 

[rarefish383]

That's a purdy one. I've seen two man crosscuts regularly go for $10-$15 at farm sales. My wife has a friend that is a pretty fair artist and she wants me to get her a couple to paint farm scenes on, stone barns, cows, and such.

 

[turnkey4099]

No, it kind of looked like a pair of pliers that would tweak the angle of a tooth. If I find it I'll take a pic. I split one block of Ash every time I walked outside today. Have about a 1/4 of a cord stacked. The wind is howling out there. Looks like I'm going to have to take the truck over the hill and bring half a cord up to the front porch, almost out.

That sounds like a 'saw set' for carpenter type saws. I last used one in shop when in HS.

 

[turnkey4099]

That's a purdy one. I've seen two man crosscuts regularly go for $10-$15 at farm sales. My wife has a friend that is a pretty fair artist and she wants me to get her a couple to paint farm scenes on, stone barns, cows, and such.

I bought an old house in town back in the 70s while I was in the AF. Retired and found that the 6' crosscut hanging in the garage had somehow grown legs.

 

[rarefish383]

That sounds like a 'saw set' for carpenter type saws. I last used one in shop when in HS.

I think you maybe correct. One of my Dad's uncles was a cabinet maker and I still have one of his hand planes. He kept it in a burlap peanut bag, still looks almost brand new.

 

[rarefish383]

Yeah, I'd be interested in seeing it. I'm still collecting my crosscut saw maintenance tools. I have been working on and off on restoring a one-man I salvaged on a pick while in vacation in WV. Like anything I restore, I plan to have it back in proper serviceable working order. Crosscut saw maintenance I'm learning is no easy task, I've been reading extensively on the subject, also another dying skill. Once I get the final few tools and my bench vise completed, I hope to have it throwing noodles.

Let me know if you want me to restore one of those doubles for you, and if you want some homebrew. Should be tapping an IPA and Stout here in the next two weeks. Here's the saw:

Just out of curiosity, have you ever tried to "Brown" a blade? I browned the barrels on a side by side 10 gauge, they came out very nice. I've seen the finish on some handles that I thought a browned blade would go well with.

 

[Multifaceted]

That sounds like a 'saw set' for carpenter type saws. I last used one in shop when in HS.

This sounds right to me, from what I have gathered over the months of reading, research, and hands on, timber saw teeth were set while locked in a vise using a spider set guage, sawyer's hammer and hand anvil.

Just out of curiosity, have you ever tried to "Brown" a blade? I browned the barrels on a side by side 10 gauge, they came out very nice. I've seen the finish on some handles that I thought a browned blade would go well with.

By brown, do you mean a controlled forced rust? If so, then I have done it as a step in the rust blueing process. Is that what you mean?

 

[rarefish383]

Probably, browning is a rust process, but it leaves the metal brown instead of blue. The formula used by the British on their firearms per "General regulations and orders for the Army, 1811"

Nitric Acid 1/2 oz
Sweet spirits of wine 1/2 oz
Spirits of wine 1oz
Blue Vitriol (Copper Sulfate) 2 oz
Tincture of steel 1 oz

I may have used Birchwood Casey's Plum Brown. You clean the metal, apply solution, hang in open air for 1 day card off, repeat till color brown required. The final step may have been washing/rinsing with boiling water. The boiling water got the metal hot enough it almost instantly dried from the heat. Beautiful color brown instead of blue.

 

[Multifaceted]

I have done that with salt and peroxide, but I feel if left in that condition it will continue to deteriorate. Something in the process you're describing must make it passive so that it is not corrosive.

 

[rarefish383]

Something stops the rusting process. I'm not sure how true to the original formula the new solutions are. I might get a bottle of the Birchwood Casey stuff and see how it works on old steel. It's only about $10, Joe.

 

[Multifaceted]

I've used Birchwood Casey Gun Blue on my 4.5 lb Shapleigh Hardware single bit and it easily scratches off, maybe the Gun Brown holds up better.

 

[AT sawyer]

I'm in for the challenge once this cold air passes through. Just not fun in the bitter cold. Around here there is plenty of dead ash, so splitting will be the easy part. Chopping dead, dry, seasoned ash, well.... not so much.

Joe-- that saw of yours looks like an Atkins 390, one of the finest one man saws ever made IMHO. I just filed up a 4-footer for a guy in Rockville who maintains trails on the Antietam battlefield.

Warren Miller made a great series of videos for the USFS on filing crosscut saws, but they focused on big two-man saws. This vid is a bit dated, but is aimed at smaller saws and the tools to file them: