5-Min Axe School: Cross-wedging German Ironmongery (The Work Axe Ep4)

[@ThomasShue]

Best axe you have done yet!

[@GiantPinhead]

Excellent demonstration of the cross wedging, and the why to, too. Extra points for muzak by which to be productive. And all just in time, as I mentioned on the Book of Faces.

[@thecomingofdune1486]

Giant Pinhead lol yes! Synchronicity haha

[@AshInTrees]

That wedge is beautiful. I love your explorations into pattern histories as well.

[@jastimbal60]

Very cool axe! Thanks for showing how to do the cross wedge install, i have a couple of European axe heads similar to yours that I was putting off rehafting new handles because I was unsure on doing the cross wedge technique

[@goorangegobigblue]

Outstanding insight as always Sir. Thank you

[@somatder]

great guide. I have been messing a bit with crosswedging, but never was 100% happy. Will try this out. As you say, cross wedging in opinion should only be used when a lot of material need to be moved in the front-back plane of the eye.

[@bigoldgrizzly]

Lovely looking job Sir ! Quite a few larger English axes have an eye length of 3 to 3 5/8 inches and quite a taper at the ends of the eye. I have done several of these with 2 sets of cross wedges in order to fully close both gaps. Two pairs of wedges are better than one, I think , to share out the lengthways bend of the wood in the eye. I normally space each pair about 3/4" from the end. Much more than this, reduces the 'willingness' for the wood to bend and you increase the chance of cracking the haft. The main wedge should be a tight fit to the ends. One thing to note is that the cross wedges are best tapered in two directions. The first, and obvious one, is the taper required to fill the gaps at either end and the second is to trim the outside of the wedges a little, to suit the taper of the eye. Cutting the x wedges to no longer than the depth of the kerf really helps as these are then flush when you drive the main wedge. After driving the main wedge in about a third to half of the way, I usually send x wedges in to their full depth. This gives the lengthways spread needed for good fit, before the main wedging makes things too tight to move as well as giving unimpeded access to the main wedge. Using a 5/8" square x 6" drift makes it much easier to get these little wedges home without breaking them ...... Hope this is helpful to someone.

[@bobsundquist2039]

Thanks, I have hung a couple like this since watching your video. Could you please do a video on doweling a wedge?

[@nate7843]

Great axe! Well hung 👍 I have an axe of the same brand, it's awesome steel. Also do my cross wedges the exact same, great video 👍👌

[@ColossalSwordFormAndTechnique]

I might have to do a cross wedge as well. Since the axe handle seller i bought the axe handle from, cut the wrong way lol

[@brianrust5275]

Love the video!! I appreciate the history you share with the ax please keep doing that!! Also where do you get your handles from?! That one looked like a thrane handle maybe? Thanks again man!!

[@BushcraftSisyphus]

It's hand carved, yes, from a friend of mine in Australia, Josh Curtis. Guy carves some lovely handles.

[@elemental4rce]

I'd do some work to the palm swell if you're planning on testing this. I've left palm swells similarly square in the past and they can be quite uncomfortable/ a hindrance. Look cool but annoyingly not functional! There might be ways around it to balance out the looks and functionality but i have yet to find one. p.s much less ramble in this video, good little tutorial overall!

[@timhart2652]

Hey sir after I talked to you twice and I start calling you brother..lol. nobody wants to be called sir but I respect people I was wondering if you sell the German axis like you just had.. my grandpa fled Germany when he was 15 and joined up for the United States Army and went back over and after the years between my kids and everything I lost the head and it looked just like that the only thing I used it for was to bang wedges into the trees but could you let me know if you do sell them thank you for your time.. and I love the little videos I love knowledge and I love to learn things please keep it up thank you

[@InPrimer]

I’ve always wondered how cross wedging was done.

[@heyb6268]

Me too. And then you see it and it’s like oh, well duh! haha

[@Highnz57]

Nice! Looks really good. Do you split the main wedge or the side wedge?

[@BushcraftSisyphus]

I like the main wedge to go all the way front to back.

[@Highnz57]

@@BushcraftSisyphus 👍🙏

[@seff2318]

viewer request: basque head on a traditional wedged handle

[@thecomingofdune1486]

Seth Wright I SO AGREE WITH THIS

[@HollyBoni]

It's so funny to see that a head like this is considered exotic there, while where I live pretty much every single axe that you will find in a store, on the used market, or in someone's backyard is a Rhineland. 😁 And of course i'm drooling over the American patterns that you're probably sick of... 😬

[@BushcraftSisyphus]

Yes, more trans-Atlantic axe exchange is necessary to correct these gross injustices!

[@mawuho1566]

I think the axe is a Berlin pattern, like the one shown on the old Wörder&Pandel picture at the beginning of the video. This pattern is narrower and flatter on the top and bottom of the head. All the best from the nice Rheinland, Maximilian.

[@AOMartialArts]

I mean..... Where would I even find ancient bogwood?!? 🤔 This guy's got bogwood wedges.

[@emanuil1046]

(grain orientation)

[@BushcraftSisyphus]

(satisfactory)

[@DiggaDiggaDug]

That almost looks too pretty to use.

[@BushcraftSisyphus]

I kind of agree... BUT SCIENCE!!!! 🔬👀