Artisans of Australia: Timbercraft

[@GCALcontent]

"Shave a mouse asleep - had to be pretty sharp to do that". Pure poetry said right there ...and a wonderful video of almost forgotten Australian bushmen.

[@LilacDaisy2]

Fascinating what skill and strength can do without modern tools. What an honorary glimpse of what women and children 200 years ago saw the men in their lives do to build their shelter. Sleeping and cooking in tents, waiting day by day, tree by tree, for your house to be move-in ready. So easy to forget how resilient and ingenious people are, in our easy, modern world.

[@thegodemperorofmankind7yea704]

Well said

[@LilacDaisy2]

@@thegodemperorofmankind7yea704 Thanks, I forgot I wrote that. I remember the video now.

[@HighMaintenancePS]

Thanks Belinda ❤️

[@antonyjh1234]

Well said

[@andrewcampbell8209]

A brilliant documentary of a dying craftsmanship. Important for our next generations to see.

[@TemplarX2]

Why? White people have cut all trees already. There is nothing left for nature to give that white people haven't destroyed.

[@wes4192]

Quetzacoatl was white

[@TemplarX2]

@@wes4192 No. Quetzalcoatl has two forms. A celestial form (represented by the feathers) and a terrestrial form (represented by the serpent). Quetzalcoatl can not only take the shape of any race but also any animal. The White Quetzalcoatl is a distortion and does not fit into Olmec canon, the oldest canon. Quetzalcoatl can never be pale because without melanin acting as an electrical conduit, he cannot connect to his celestial form. melanin reaches to the brain but not if you are pale. The neuroelectrical signals in the brain can be picked up by melanin electrical properties and sent through a sort quantum tunnel. This is why his preferred form is either a dark man, preferably a black man, or a melanistic animal such as a panther. Pale people are literally biological AI, restricted to the material plane.

[@wes4192]

@@TemplarX2 Ha. Nah he was a white dude. Blue eyes. Why else would he have been so revered by the savages?

[@TemplarX2]

@@wes4192 There is no evidence Quetzalcoatl was ever white. Shut your heretical mouth. Only demons are albinoid.

[@NFSAFilms]

Hi thanks for the positive feedback. Glad you enjoyed the film.

[@thomaselliott573]

This is, without doubt, one of your finest contributions to the appreciation of our origins, character and culture. The purity and beauty of that area are wonderful, along with the simplicity and craftsmanship of these men. Thank you for making it available.

[@NFSAFilms]

Thank you Thomas, glad you enjoyed the film.

[@jackavalon8366]

Wow, do those guys rock! They’re not exactly young, but they look super fit. Splitting from the head, not the root is fantastic advice.

[@Redbeard414]

I can watch that time and time again. So peaceful and quiet yet incredibly productive. No screaming chainsaws!

[@HornetsNest-MH]

Give me a chainsaw any day!

[@fsfer]

this is the type of stuff aussies should be watching and not some cooking show. Great bit of film.

[@AridersLifeYT]

Hey!!!!!! great to see your channel is still kicking!

[@MrRobin2285]

You are right. These shows have no filter, no re takes, no acting.. Just pure true knowledge of the past

[@arctichare8185]

Cooking is good too, as long as it's not only about desserts

[@ourcountryaustralia8549]

couldnt agree more too much crap on tv these days

[@sydneyshinshi]

People can watch whatever they like.

[@243WW]

Those Boys are throwing them Kelly's like they where rags and light as a feather. I would be knackered. Fantastic film.

[@coeuechtritz311]

The accuracy these fellas got with the broad axe to get almost level surface is a work of art

[@dresdenadventure3169]

That is skill that is being lost ,with all the modern tools we have now ,it will be lost for ever ,It shows how hard and skill full the pioneers where ,great to watch

[@kizzjd9578]

Its changed from quality over quantity back then to quantity over quality these days.

[@thecoolestkidinkalkallo9621]

White Australia this video reeks of white privileged aussies. Racists

[@zabaleta66]

@@thecoolestkidinkalkallo9621 Fuck up.

[@thecoolestkidinkalkallo9621]

zabaleta yo mumma fool

[@jesusislukeskywalker4294]

the pyramid on the roof of parliament house scam requires an additonal 250,000 immigrants per year duped into the satanic united nations slace system otherwise the pyramid scheme would collapse. plus on top of that 1 million international students here at any given time. studying rocket science . Hahahahahaha.

[@belumptuous]

Anyone who has ever attempted to do this will truly appreciate the tremendous level of skill these men are displaying. I have so much respect and awe watching them work. This video is so valuable, please keep it available online forever, there are so few people left who know how to do this level of hand-tool work on Australian timber species.

[@helenpearse1556]

We live in the wonderful town of Wauchope and have used this resource to teach students about the importance of the timber industry to the history of our town. Students were very engaged in the process.

[@NFSAFilms]

Great - thanks for letting us know.

[@davidduffy9806]

The skills so casually displayed by these magnificent men are breathtaking, in particular the use of the broad blade axe is inspirational

[@rossmcgarry8055]

To the NFSA, thank you so much for producing this wonderful film, and a special thanks to the two men in this documentary. They look and conduct themselves like real men. People like them worked hard for their families while building this great country.

[@NFSAFilms]

Thanks for the feedback and glad you enjoyed the film.

[@rowanharding5347]

its excellent to see this kind of old trades trying to make onto the scene to show what was done., thank you

[@bigears4014]

This beats modern TV by miles, no crap and detailed explanations

[@JacobafJelling]

I have been thinking of migrating so many times to this country.. Closest I got was a year in Australia as an exchange student. Greetings from Denmark

[@hoilst265]

You guys made fine axes for us down here! DSI - Danish Steel Industry axes!

[@stevelaw5]

As the son of a carpenter, I have seen some skills with woodworking and these guys are astounding. As with all craftsmen, they make it LOOK easy :-)

[@nikfish1]

Holy shit... the way they cut and square those slabs is amazing. That takes an enormous amount of skill and experience.

[@geoffrey6000]

Man, that lumber looks like an absolute treat to work with, those axes go through it like butter!

[@dfross87]

Good luck. Like all skilled craftsmen, those guys were making very hard work look a lot easier than it actually is through sheer skill and experience.

[@timburary]

The accuracy of these men is amazing, almost hypnotic. True Australia

[@garyreid9842]

Never get tired watching these gentleman. Their skill is mesmerizing. I hope Bill is still going. I heard Mark sadly passed a few years ago.

[@larrikinaxe3424]

I collect and restore axes and love to watch these two amazing blokes use them so efficiently - Incredible stuff.

[@hoilst]

Same. Swinging a lovely Cyclone Kelly Dandenong by the look of it.

[@Keggsy567]

True blue Aussies we owe so much to these men.

[@556WalkemdownTorrents]

i dont owe nothin to no one.

[@albertkelly7129]

@@556WalkemdownTorrents you owe thanks to your daddy for ya baby peepee

[@556WalkemdownTorrents]

@@albertkelly7129 drop ur address. im not into all this internet sht

[@ndhkroatien999]

@@556WalkemdownTorrents pussy

[@typgamer]

@@556WalkemdownTorrents Yeah dude nightcore and animated series is badass, you could prolly knock a timberman out in one punch

[@jaydenstephens3338]

Come on Australia 🇦🇺 we must keep these beautiful skills alive it would be an honour to even share a room with these men or any of the pioneers they built a country one tree at a time thank you to all my hard working ancestors

[@offgriddreaming5403]

These blokes had some real skills and were tough, that there is hard work!

[@traktorworks3200]

both those men and their skills are something to honour and be envious of. i oft use to look at the cut marks on the timber my grandfathers barn was constructed from. now a lot more is clear. sadly that barn was burnt down owing to its unsafe state from its poor condition. it was built soon after WW1 by my grandfather when he returned from the war. it was burnt down in the late 60s much to my angst and sadness as i spent a lot of time in and out of it helping my grandfather on his farm which was it Ballarat, Victoria. the efforts shown by these 2 men bring back so many memories of Pop and his working relationship with that barn. so my heart felt thanks to the 2 fellows.

[@RinkyWinkleton]

Beautiful. Pure skill. Side note, just imagine how calloused their hands must be.

[@jasonh6543]

So impressive these men still had the skill level to complete this job

[@barrybr1]

Even their way of speaking arcs back to the past. Amazing woodsmen!

[@jonh9561]

Traditional timber frame houses are lovely things to live in. You can see that these two blokes had a real natural feel for their work,

[@stephanecoffin1799]

They do burn great to in case of bushfire🙄

[@jonh9561]

@@stephanecoffin1799 Much depends on the type of building, its construction, type of materials e.g. combustibility rating, fire retardants, combustibility and management of fuel loads around the building/s, gradient of the land and fire fighting preparedness e.g. water source, pumps and delivery system (e.g. sprinklers, agricultural crop water cannons etc.) There are a number of good publications on the subject, for example; The Australian Bushfire Safety Guide by John Schauble. Stay safe.

[@Timberstuff]

Thanks I have most of those tools and over the years I've taught myself how to use sharpen and love this knowledge so glad you have this detail of explanation it's a real asset 🎉

[@postarica1767]

Beautiful piece of footage. With sharp tools and know-how you can build a home.

[@TombstoneHeart]

I've seen old photos of timber fallers here in West Aussie, working in the Jarrah and Karri forests, where some of the trees were so big, they would start two scarfs in the side of a tree, one on top of the other. Gradually, as they worked away on the tree, the scarfs would meet up as one. They must have been bloody tough men in those days, to make a living swinging an axe at a Jarrah tree. Once Jarrah is seasoned, you would be battling to drive a nail into it.

[@wickednotes1]

I couldn't even get my chainsaw through an old jarrah railway sleeper

[@aidansharples7751]

@@wickednotes1 They specced Jarrah through a swamp near me. Re purposed 20 of them a few years ago, turns out you dont mitre Jarrah, square corners are nice.

[@ThatBastardSnow]

My wife and I toured the southwest on our honeymoon. I remember looking at the old photos down in Pemberton and thinking how tough those fellas were back then. Beautiful forests.

[@HighMaintenancePS]

I’ve traveled your beautiful State. Immense.

[@makeit9121]

That 18min flew past before I knew it. Very pleasing to watch

[@Loribyn]

Here I sit in my bush homestead, built in 1884, with my open-fire blazing with redgum; and on my E. regnans (mountain ash) and Murray pine floorboards, still bearing the marks from the crosscut saw, and fixed with those wonderful big-headed nails, all hand-made by a blacksmith... I love that my house, just by existing, is a veritably living testament to the extraordinary skill of such men. She's a bit rough here and there (so will I be at 140!), a bit draughty in the winter, in an otherwise bloody hot and dry climate most of the year, but I wouldn't swap it for all the pre-fab, mass-produced, climate-controlled McMansions in suburbia ... no way! What a delight to see, in part, how it was done. Thank you!

[@NFSAFilms]

Nice

[@benmacleod1951]

I could watch this all day and night..

[@simplylifeau]

Well done, keeping this alive and thanks for showing the work detail on this, hard content to find...👍

[@mariegamble3053]

Amazing, bloody fantastic. Wish I was 30 years younger, because I know now what I would of learnt and be doing now.

[@markmathews6876]

the amount of work it takes to build a nation from scratch out of the scrub is hard to comprehend in these days of push button machines for everything

[@ElectricPhantasmagoria]

A few years ago stuff was going really bad in my life. I needed some time alone so I decided to redirect a lot of negative energy into making a Mors Kochanski super shelter to get away. Over those few weeks working on it I would unwind by watching the old ways of skilled craftsmanship and vintage logging documentaries. There was something so peaceful and clarifying about the activity that I needed. This video was one of those. Thanks for putting this up, it helped take my mind off of heavy stuff ✌️

[@NFSAFilms]

Thanks for sharing!!

[@nickdryad]

Meaningful work, that’s the secret to a happy life. Not the bullshit jobs so many of us do. You’re not alone. Best wishes to you.

[@ronin472100]

It’s always a joy for me to watch any Craftsman knocking something out.

[@urbanlumberjack]

Amazing. Australian timber is like nowhere else, and very unique building techniques. I believe I saw the corner posts were full round logs at the bottom and then tapered into a hewn square log. That’s brilliant, absolutely genius.

[@Phil_Cleaver]

After a bush walking trip, a friend and I stopped at Coolamine and Bill was still there finishing off the floor. He put us to work with a shovel and wheel barrow clearing the old stuffing from the chimney he had rebuilt. We used the dirt and rubble to fill in wombat burrows under some of the out buildings. When we had finished we came inside and his wife had made billy tea and scones in a pot. Since then I have had the opportunity to work on several restorations in the high country.

[@NFSAFilms]

Hi Phil, great story thanks for letting us know. Keep up the good work.

[@rorypawson8442]

How long ago was your bush walking trip?

[@Phil_Cleaver]

I remember that it was hot so we were trying out the idea of walking through the evening and into the night. We then lay about during the day. So probably January or February 1985. We kept on running into pig at night so didn't want to do it again.

[@dennisthemenace57]

The type of great men who built our once great Nation. Thank you gentlemen

[@juliegoodge2680]

Best axe man I’ve seen and the biggest froe I’ve seen being used proper work 👍

[@pstewart5443]

I've never seen a log apart so easily as it does with that tool and mallet. Really, a fantastic demonstration. I am not even sure we have any trees here in the SE, USA that will come apart like that. We have a lot of stubborn species here. There's deciduous, coniferous, and stubbornness types of trees here. A tree here may be 2 of the 3 types.

[@justcallmerichard7596]

These guys make cutting a tree down look easy.

[@samt5663]

17:54 Top Blokes, thank you for making this content. Great legacy of knowledge.

[@kurts64]

Thankyou for making this available for everyone. I often take my teenage kids woodcutting in the bush, and they know their tools, but too many kids have no idea about this awesome history of hard work and skill that helped build this country.

[@NFSAFilms]

You're welcome. Thanks for the feedback.

[@DeanS753]

I can't like this enough, its a shame these skills seem to have been forgotten. This film was made 8 years before I was even born. It's just eye opening for me to see how things were done before power tools.

[@NFSAFilms]

DeanS753 Hi Dean, yes it an amazing time-capsual and great that these fellows were trying to preserve the old skills. Even better that it's so beautifully captured on film and and now available on the internet.

[@paulmaloney8253]

DeanS753 Using mainly high grade quality steel tools (axes, hand planes, hammers, chisels, tenon saws & sharpening stones) & their brains, my great grandparents & grandparents built high quality wardrobes with ornate, near matching, scroll work & finished them off by varnishing them with only shellac & methylated spirits. They were rock solid, as the joinery was perfect. Today, I get lazy, unskilled, young blokes complaining about the wide range of power tools that they do not know how to use correctly. They want just one machine that they can simply chuck a block of timber into (without even making any adjustments), expecting that it will spit out a completed chair (& expect such a machine to cost only a few dollars). It is a bad workman who blames his tools. (However, also not acknowledging a poor choice when deciding to purchase low quality tools, as well as a lack of common sense & skill defines a bad workman). It is refreshing to encounter a young bloke like yourself who understands & appreciates such high levels of woodworking skills which, sadly, seem to be almost forgotten today. (I was born in 1949, & saw some amazing work).

[@catey62]

My ancestor came out from a place called Lusatia in 1854 ( it was sandwiched between East Germany Poland and Chzech at that time, now its basically a part of East Germany ) he was in his native Wendish tongue known as a tischler (builder, carpenter & cabinet maker) and when he and his family arrived here in South Australia they settled in a place called St Kitts in the Barossa..I have pictures in a family tree book my late Uncle published of the home he built with his own hands with the help of his sons there and its amazing to see it still standing to this day, though it was restored in recent years. with a heritage like that, and a love of working with my hands I enjoy doing woodwork and watching amazing skills being put to use by people like these in this video it inspires me even more.

[@rudolfsykora3505]

www.tesarskahut.cz We are keeping it alive ;)

[@steevo9656]

@@catey62 , I have Wendish ancestry too, arrived around 1860/70(?) and built a life in a similar area I believe. Built their own Lutheran church among the other things people needed to start a community. My parents visited the place a decade or so ago and brought back a dried pear fruit from the original tree that was planted. I do wonder where my share of the land went lol. I have the tischler in my blood, always loved building my own things from hand.

[@sniffy6999999]

I'm sitting in my central heated flat, all mod cons and I envy them.

[@andrewford80]

me too.

[@triple6758]

Modern life isn't very fulfilling.

[@michaelpage7691]

Absolutely amazed at the dexterity of both of you. Never seen these techniques before. Thanks for sharing this with us. 👍🏻😁🇦🇺

[@specialized29er86]

No better feeling in the world than to do work like this.

[@80ZX]

What a fantastic short film.

[@hughmcinally907]

Such a pleasure to watch real craftsmen at work, make the almost impossible look effortless. And what a wonderful project to work on.

[@ishure8849]

Thanks , listening to those two fellas talk is music to my ears .

[@rossmcgarry8055]

I agree. When I was a kid and later as a teenager, I would sit with my father or uncles or grandfather and simply listen to the men gather and talk and tell yarns. Back then, this is how most men behaved, dressed and talked. As a kid, i found it very reassuring, but miss that typical masculinity in todays very correct Australia.

[@bizzybugseverywhere7801]

I’ve been there , it’s an amazing place , there’s a few other huts and old homesteads to see too , worth a visit , we came in on broken cart track just before it shut down for winter , top spot to have a look at

[@andrewford80]

Fantastic insight into a simpler way of life.

[@jf7243]

Wow, what a treasure, the skill of these men was wondrous to watch!

[@CalaisRider]

WOW thanks for taking the time to video and show us how it was/is done. I'm amazed at how neat and tight those slab joints are, being totally hand made and all. Absolute wood artwork. Thank you again.

[@NFSAFilms]

Thanks for watching!

[@scottmatthews9975]

Enjoyed this movie very much, should be on free TV

[@GraniteValleyDave]

Their accuracy and speed are both amazing. I can't believe how fit these blokes were. I live probably 6 hours from Kosciuszko National Park, I wonder if this place is still standing.

[@NFSAFilms]

Yes still standing.

[@markfarnay1330]

I wonder if Bill and Mark are still around???

[@DavidGarcia-wr6ge]

@@markfarnay1330 Doubt it

[@bettyboyd8300]

@@markfarnay1330 Hi Mark, Bill is 85 this year and living in Laurieton Haven Retirment Village. Sadly, Mark passed away several years ago. Bill was awarded an AOM for this work and his time starting up a Chainsaw training school called Chainsafe with Barry Maxgregor.

[@fitrianhidayat]

@Greg I'm guessing survivor bias also play a part in that

[@ColinTonkasdad]

what a superb bit of heritage this is ,just magic and so rewarding to watch .

[@tisgazz]

Just wonderful watching the ease and skill these blokes went about their craft

[@sammathis]

These guys make it look easy.

[@Antipodean33]

I always think about those first settlers here in Australia and how rugged and single minded they must've been. To come across the oceans in itself was a great achievement, but then to go into the bush and fell trees, then cut into planks or posts etc is monumental hard yakka. I wonder how the last couple of generations we have today would cope in this environment , if they'd have the will, the strength both physically and mentally to actually do this work. Great clip, very interesting

[@Cheeseiest1]

Ummmm, you do know a lot of the original Europeans in Australia didn't choose to move there voluntarily right? Bit more of a "have to learn how to survive here because it's where I've been dumped" situation

[@kdegraa]

A lot of them died in the process. Heaps of people who came out here died prematurely.

[@scottmclennan6114]

blob blob and transportation went on for twice as long and with twice as many convicts in America, but no one talks about convicts over there affecting their society.

[@johnkinnane547]

What a fantastic glimpse into our past. I really enjoyed watching this video as it showed how back breaking it was to build a house, they were fit they didn't even raise a sweat. Thank you for showing this it meant a lot to me of a time in our history that will never be repeated. Kind regards John Tasmania

[@iansing5278]

"They were fit didn't even raise a sweat." nor "break their back" either...

[@iansing5278]

Hard work doesn't break your back. Using blunt tools will...

[@thornwarbler]

What sweet timber and great skill an absolute pleasure to watch.....Thankyou

[@MrTrapper28]

Very interesting and beautifully documented video.

[@NFSAFilms]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@niczoom]

Just came across this video, was great to see these skills.

[@PermieCulture]

I could watch this for hours. Great film, thanks for sharing.

[@fredflintystoneea]

Absolutely incredible. These men are amazing craftsman. Their accents aren't too far off a Lancashire (that is, an English) accent, either.

[@octonocular]

Seems like back in those days having clear-cut goals that relate to your survival and the survival of others would've made for a much more fulfilling life.

[@heyimamaker]

He makes that look so incredibly simple!

[@sparkiekosten5902]

"As long as you don't put it in back to front" That made me laugh!

[@PURPLEQUID]

Amazing workmanship

[@Chr.U.Cas1622]

Simply fantastic! Excellent craftsmanship showing a lot of experience/routine. Thank you very much for uploading and sharing.

[@NFSAFilms]

Thank you for letting us know. Glad you enjoyed the film.

[@holdenboy1960]

this vid is very educational for the younger generations of aussie's , it is an awesome ty to FILMAUSTRALIA for sharing

[@steevo9656]

Do you think many would actually watch it?

[@badpossum440]

learnt to do that as a kid now i puff going up stairs. dreams of yesterday.

[@sethwarner2540]

Beautiful, and precision cutting; very efficient!!

[@stefangheorghe3488]

This should be put on TV for everyone to see what hard work means and how it gets good people together not lazy people that finds escuses in everithong and aspect others to do theyr work! RESPECT TO ALL HARD WORKERS THAT RESPECT OTHERS PEOPLE WORK !

[@peterlovett5841]

What an amazing video showing some truely amazing skills. Thank you for posting this. I come back and rewatch this video at least once a year as I find their skills so impressive. I could watch them all day.

[@kaizoebara]

Wow, I was especially impressed with the hewing of the log.I haven't seen many craftsmen who would swing a broadaxe that high and still hit true.

[@robertocatrone715]

Thank you so much for this video. Extremely educational Outstanding craftsmanship.

[@NFSAFilms]

Thank you. Glad you enjoyed it!

[@zabaleta66]

Old world knowledge and skills...fantastic.

[@Smurphenstein]

Amazing how quick and accurate they are.

[@paulp1a]

Since i was a child here in the U.S i dreamt about building my own cabin and living in the wilderness. Even today as an adult i just cant help but think about how peaceful and stress free that kind if life would be. Besides the daily tasks needed to be accomplished just to survive i feel it would be worth it. In todays society we worry about paying the bills. Its artificial. Man was not meant to live with such anxiety. He was meant to hack it out of the wilderness with his own two hands...

[@ronprince1478]

Thanks I learned a lot from this and enjoyed it greatly. A pleasure to watch such skilled craftsmen at work.

[@NFSAFilms]

You're welcome. Keeping the skills alive.

[@TheOldaz1]

Excellent film, thank you for sharing.

[@NFSAFilms]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@moltopericoloso]

Impressive skills and construction methods too. As a side note for anyone interested, that's a Tasmanian pattern chopping axe he's using , It was developed specifically to handle the tough Australian hardwoods, some of which are literally iron hard, It was designed as both a working axe and a racing axe (competition wood chopping originated in Australia btw) and excels in both these regards with much timber being felled and split, records set and champions created using it.

[@jimkeating3067]

That’s great knowledge mate. I’d love to do some of this kind of work. Being a chippy now we just bang up houses quick

[@jessebaker1883]

It's hard work but a such a rewarding process from start to finish. We recently built our acreage fence post using a similar method, it was more rewarding than earning money for me.

[@englishhomestead]

Great video, thanks for posting. I love watching things like this, but it was worth it for the phrase "shave a mouse to sleep". There's some gold in here, they make it look easy, it's not. Grab an axe and go try it. Such a good skill to learn.

[@ChrisAnn...]

I'm impressed! That was totally amazing.

[@coyot2103]

Great video.. Peaceful, efficient, quiet.... How many people in the whole western world still can do (just with a few tools) such a things? Ehh, where are we going???

[@AussieHunta]

Shave a mouse in his sleep with an axe, thats pure gold! Amazing how much the effort the pioneering aussies had to put in just to have a roof over theyre head.

[@davidewhite69]

bloke in checkered shirt had incredible skills

[@deanno7067]

Wish there was a way to learn this craft in Melbourne, this work is nothing short of amazing craftsmanship. So much skill went into each individual piece of timber.

[@peterlovett5841]

@Dean no I know that for years the Mountain Cattlemen Assoc of Vic used to have a stand at the Royal Melbourne Show and they used to build a mountain hut from scratch using the same sort of tools shown in this video. They would have it completed over the 3 or 4 days the show was on. You might want to get in touch with the MACV and see if they still do this.

[@steevo9656]

They just showed you, now get out there and have a crack. You can do it!

[@samsnuts4716]

True Master Skill .I never knew what a broad axe was used for shaping until now.