90 second axe build- KEECH TIMBERMAN

Building up a Keech/Keesteel Timberman kc23. Beastly axe. Handle is a Krugers 80cm hickory, with pinned and laminated "Tasmanian Oak" palm swell, and Merbau wedge.
Keech axes have a solid reputation in Australia and i was looking forward to this one. The head came well finished with a 22 degree grind, but unfortunately mine had a few voids on the edge- enough to have to grind the edge back up to 5mm in spots. This meant a lot of extra grinding, but ended up with a decent 20 degree convex edge.
Thanks for watching!

[@voodoosausage4137]

Oh, if only it took 90 seconds to do an axe build like that! 🤣 Great vid, loved the quick cuts. Excellent work also. Keep em coming.

[@kurts64]

😆😆haha we'd all end up with way to many axes! It's good fun doin these 90 second vids. Cheers man

[@MDR-hn2yz]

Nice work. You’re a real Jack of All Trades! 👍

[@kurts64]

Thanks mate! I've actually been rebuilding this axe over the last week or so, hoping to put a vid together soon. Cheers for watching!

[@92barton]

Mate that was soo sick! 🤘🤘

[@kurts64]

Thanks mate!👍👍🪓

[@bundufundi]

Very slick, nicely done mate!

[@kurts64]

Cheers mate, thanks for checking it out!

[@aussieaxedude154]

Awesome axe nice work

[@kurts64]

Cheers mate!

[@pulse2162]

this was satisfying to watch👌👌👌

[@lifebehindtheaxe3835]

Very cool to watch. Anxious to see it in action

[@kurts64]

Thanks mate, hopefully get to swingin soon. lookin forward to see yours too

[@GeoterricsOutdoorsAustralia]

Very cool!

[@kurts64]

Glad you enjoyed it mate, cheers! Just had a look at your channel, some cool stuff on there I'll have to check out. Always good to find more Aussie stuff!

[@MatthewAmsbaugh]

Saw that leather work! I’m going to give that style sheath a shot next!

[@kurts64]

😃Good stuff mate!👍

[@Joey-L]

wow.....that was amazing

[@kurts64]

Cheers Joey thanks for havin a look! Wasn't real sure where I was going with this while filming it, thanks!

[@jamesgroves5294]

Amazing!

[@kurts64]

Cheers mate!

[@guyvanderveken5041]

Cool project, very professional Brother me like a lot, cheers

[@kurts64]

Thanks heaps mate, and cheers for leaving a comment!

[@brettbrown9814]

Awesome video Kurt. I see you are a jack of all trades. Nice work. Real beast of an axe. I also use Kiwi Dubbin on all my leather. What are your thoughts on glueing wedges?

[@kurts64]

Thanks Brett, I've tried all sorts of fancy leather finishes over the years but dubbin is the simplest I've found, and easily available. I've never tried to glue a wedge, usually just put a bit of linseed oil, and add a barrel wedge down the track if it needs it. Cheers mate!

[@coconutfleetsleeper5717]

Nice sheath/mask :)♡

[@kurts64]

Cheers mate👍

[@tobilogie1612]

Awesome!

[@kurts64]

Cheers Tobias, thanks for watching, and commenting!

[@urbanlumberjack]

Wow nice work! Really clean stitching on the leather. Beautiful end result. I’ve got the itch to try and inlaid handle, does it work fairly well to sand the side flat, or was the recess cut and then sanded smooth?

[@kurts64]

Thanks mate, I find the quickest way to flatten the handle is with an angle grinder and flap disc, then scape it flat with a knife edge. I then usually just slightly rough it up a bit with some sandpaper to give the glue some bite. Good luck!👍

[@theodorewood5083]

Nice head. Never had a Keech.

[@kurts64]

They're a beasty axe. There's a slightly smaller, 2kg version I'd love to get my hands on too. Cheers for watching man

[@samulikilpinen1233]

Dem aussie axes, man. I wish my leather game were on that level or rather on any level. My axes could really use some sturdy leather masks like that. Short but sweet video.

[@kurts64]

Thanks man, we'll get to testing her soon! Have you tried any leatherwork before?

[@samulikilpinen1233]

@@kurts64 I've done puukko knife sheaths from proper leather and few axe masks from thin leather. The kind of thick leather I used for the knife sheaths is very costly so I haven't gotten around using it for axes yet.

[@kurts64]

@@samulikilpinen1233 yeah it's pretty expensive here too, I try to save every scrap pretty much

[@8thsinner]

I have that same bosch sander but it started sparking this week whilst touching up the edge on a chogan, I changed the brushes and it's still sparking, don't suppose you 've any idea why that could be? Nice build btw, bit too quick though.

[@kurts64]

Thanks for watching mate. Not too sure about the sander, brushes would be my first guess too, maybe could have some steel grit around the motor or pulleys, might just need a blow out. Cheers for the feedback👍

[@ivanlyons6466]

Slowed it down by half , just so I can enjoy it for longer , hahaha. Another great video Kurt. I have both KC 20/23 had to put a micro bevel on the 23 ( goes well now ) just hung the 20 , can’t wait to give it a go .

[@kurts64]

Cheers Ivan, I've been hanging to grab a 20 but haven't had the chance yet, probably a more versatile size. What handles did you go for yours? This was an 80cm, if I get the kc20 I'm thinking a bit shorter. Also did you have any voids in either of yours?

[@ivanlyons6466]

@@kurts64 , I used a Kruger 80 cm hickory on the kc20 ( reshaped ) and the kc23 came with hung with a Tuatahi race handle . Both are a joy to use ( the 20 just a couple of test runs ) , in my opinion the 80 cm is perfect for the 20 . The heads both came pretty good as far as casting goes , the 20 is near perfect.

[@kurts64]

@@ivanlyons6466 cheers for the reply, would the Tui handle be worth the cost over say the Kruger or a hultafors? I've never used a Tui, but have been curious how they'd go on a standard Tassie or kc20 as a "Sisyphus mini racer" style for larger bucking.

[@ivanlyons6466]

@@kurts64 the Tui is a big handle ( a bit of a overkill but hey , we’re blokes and that’s what we do 🤣) the Kruger hickory is pretty good for a hardware handle.

[@kurts64]

@@ivanlyons6466 yeah I've used a few Kruger over the years. Another local company called Cattledog (formerly red dog) has been putting out some spotted gum but I haven't tried them yet. Just checked the Tui website, spare handles length is given at 800, same as the Kruger. I thought they'd be shorter, about 750 or so. All good, cheers mate

[@skinnybearthedogs2654]

That's some fine work, what a lovely axe. What is the blue on the head for, is it some sort of protection ?

[@kurts64]

Thanks mate, no this was my first attempt at painting an axe. Started off factory black, then two different blues, then I'd had enough and stripped it back. Much rather the natural look..

[@gumboot65]

What's did the blue paint go, I thought it looked cool ! 👍😆 Beautiful work !!!!

[@kurts64]

Thanks mate, she went through a few changes in this one, in the end I had to go with the bare look! Cheers!👍👍🪓

[@Southernlandbushcraft]

Great vid mate. Very enjoyable. The axe and sheath came up treat. Thanks. Do you have a favorite axe?

[@kurts64]

Thanks a lot mate, I think my fave is the old HB 4lb tassie, but been enjoying the Lamaca and looks-wise this one is pretty cool...hopefully get to swing her soon

[@Southernlandbushcraft]

Nice mate. Cant wait to see it in action

[@olevollbrecht2946]

Awesome axe- can't wait to see her bite ;-)

[@kurts64]

Thanks man, me too! This was shot over about a month, and it's been killin me not using it

[@KevinsDisobedience]

Fantastic video! Good looking axe. Good to see someone else who feels an axe isn’t complete unless it has a sheath. I also went back to drilling my holes as well. I couldn’t quite tell. Do you use a saddle stitch or lock stitch? Looks like a saddle, which is mostly what I use anymore.

[@kurts64]

Cheers Kevin, yeah the sheath often drags out the build a bit, but is a must have I think. I started out years ago with a speedy stitcher and lock stitch, but have been using a saddle stitch for a few years now, comes out very neat without the pull-thru that sometimes happens with the lock stitch. I've just had to restock on leather, needles and thread, got a few more builds in the works...

[@KevinsDisobedience]

I’ve pretty much had the same experience with leather work. Started with the speedy stitcher and lock stick and have moved on to saddle stitch. What kind of leather do you use? As far as dyes go, I’ve switched to pro dyes on most exclusively. The water based stuff just doesn’t cut it now that I know better, and I should have from the beginning being a painter. Lol.

[@kurts64]

@@KevinsDisobedience I'd wondered about your sheaths, I like the one on I think the 3lb HB with the ash handle. This stuff was just natural veg tan.Buying leather here can be hit and miss, but I aim for un- dyed veg tan between 3 and 8oz. I do keep some chrome tanned stuff, it looks nice but not as useful for wet mould, tooling etc. Same, used water based to get me out of trouble at times but oil dye is the go. I use feibings(?), seems to work really well

[@KevinsDisobedience]

I use the same brand of leather dye, too. I dip dye, although I’ve tried other ways of doing it. The only color I find that doesn’t matter if it’s water based is black. It dyes so easy.

[@kurts64]

@@KevinsDisobedience speaking of builds, how are you going with your Arvika?

[@loungelizard3922]

Can't using an angle grinder mess with the steel's tempering? Just wondering if you have any techniques to stop that from happening, or if its not really something to worry about.

[@kurts64]

Gday mate. Yes using a grinder can affect the temper. Go easy until you get used to how much pressure and time you can apply. Feel the steel with your hands, including the edge. I work bare handed and check the temp as often as every few seconds if I'm going hard, maybe every 20 seconds if I'm going easy. If it's more than warm to the touch, give it a quick dunk in a bucket of water. Coarser discs keep cool longer than finer ones. If you do apply the final edge with a grinder, keep it cool, take your time and watch out for any dark spots on the steel. Dark spots along the edge can mean "burnt" steel. Even using a grinder it can still be an hour or more to get a tassie down to where you want it. Cheers for matching mate! 👍👍🪓🪓

[@loungelizard3922]

@@kurts64 Thanks for the detailed reply. Hard to believe that 3 seconds of grinding in your video equates to an hour or more of work, wow. Take it easy mate.

[@peterfletcher8411]

Hey Kurt, Can you give me a 101 dummy explanation on the paint on this one. Original head...no paint Then....full paint... Then.....Angular cutout The....back to bare metal.. Looks great by the way. Lovely work . Yep... I know it's old.🙂

[@kurts64]

Haha no worries mate! It started off factory black, then I stripped it and decided to paint it Aussie blue. Primer, then two coats. Didn't come out right, so I stripped it and painted it another Aussie blue....three coats. Then decided I don't like painting axe heads so stripped it back again to the pure, bare Keech glory 🤣🤣 thanks for checkin out the older ones mate!

[@mickaeldeguil5924]

Pouah!!! Tu me fais baver...mec! Magnifique ! Est ce que tu en vends à l étranger ou c est juste pour le fun? Par avance merci pour ta réponse 👍

[@kurts64]

Gday mate sorry for the late response, these 90 second build are my own user axes, I don't really sell any. Cheers for watching mate, much appreciated!👍👍🪓

[@guyvanderveken5041]

When are you going to play with this puppy?

[@kurts64]

Haha, it gets let out from time to time...its a bit of a monster! Hopefully get a comparison vid out between this and a few others eventually, cheers mate