Axe, Saw & Billhook: Traditional Tools for The Northern Forests

[@brianmaldonado3723]

"it's all about the context and learning how to use them." True of life. Ty.

[@TheAnonymousSword]

You have a great frequency of content lately. Thanks Ben, appreciate the work you are doing with these for us axe-enthusiasts!

[@MsLori62]

Excellent video. Thanks.

[@stevenjohnblundell2768]

Great,informative work... Thanx Ben

[@alliswell-pb9vo]

For me: Axe: Long term maintenance: Sharpens easily and handle can be made expediently Best for splitting, can handle all other tasks beside fine ones Needs skill and has learning curve, has large amount of different styles for different situations Saw: Very hard to maintain: requires adjusting the kerf and sharpening using specific tools Best for cutting across grain, each kind can only handle a specific usage Only requires correct stance and movement for efficient use Billhook: For the ones with collet design, as easy to maintain and make different handle as tomahawk; for the ones with tang design, needs specific tool to maintain Has the heavy kind for chopping green wood and the light kind for brushing; almost never used on dry wood Easier to use than axe since many people just put their body parts in front of the axe and swing and disregard momentum, but billhook is usually swung outward so even inexperienced people will be safer For me, the axe is a pioneering tool or a tool for longer-term heavy use The saw is very versatile if you have the form that fits your needs The billhook is the jack of all trades, and the only tool rural people carry when they go to the mountains in my area

[@ajaxtelamonian5134]

Lovely I'm enjoying a French style I picked up not sure what style but has a very pronounce hook and a belly towards the handle which works very well. That said also been using the Marbles Parang a fair bit too. A bit weird weighting wise but works well learning how it works.

[@TheudBaldM]

Thanks Ben for showing once again that the Axe is king if we know how to sharpen and swing it. (I also love that thin Bergamo pattern!)

[@Joey-L]

I have dad's old bow saw, I think I'll try and find a new blade and add it to the kit. Thanks for the video.

[@harvesterbladeco]

I like Parangs, but have never tried a billhook. Nice video!

[@GoLongboardBroseph]

Great demonstrations throughout but here (2:09) is a great example of the axes efficiency. Quite incredible ~and wonderful to watch~ the amount of wood processing you can get done with a good axe and good technique vs a saw.

[@brettbrown9814]

I've never used a billhook but it's quite an impressive tool! Equally impressive is how well that adhesive price tag has held up on the Muller.

[@pasjooter1039]

Informative vid as usual, I ditched my bowsaw since I got a Silky Biboy 2000, cuts very efficient, can be stored safely in a backpack, can be used 1 or 2 hands, is compact but you can still cut 4-5” up to 6” branches, and you’re able to reach places were a bowsaw or axe can not be used for example when thinning out or reach for higher branches…. Yes it’s bit more expensive but the price difference justifies all the pro’s vs a bowsaw IMO.

[@benscottwoodchopper]

Yeah i do like silky saws too

[@kurts64]

Lovin these vids man!

[@MrDesmostylus]

Great video

[@southafricanaxeenthusiast9144]

Great stuff as usual, Ben. I think I need to look out for a small billhook. I've also noticed there's dry and green wood blades. But with felling there's seldom a need for dry wood blades.

[@davedook3959]

Good job there Ben, 2 30 am in Trinidad atm, and i am looking at some real life productive information, very good work, does the company martindale still make tools ? I particularly liked your video on using garden tools , cheers mate👍

[@benscottwoodchopper]

Yes martindale still make tools but a lot of the processes are outsourced

[@basteward4567]

Bilhook is a great tool for coppice work and also hedgelaying. Different parts of the country have different patterns. The one you have has a very long blade ,.Most are quite short and some are two sided with a normal billhook shape one side and like a small axe the other . That made it more multi purpose when hedgelaying as it could be used to cut bigger stems/ Bowsaws have a choice of blades, one for greenwood and a finer tooth dry wood blade . The greenwood blades with large teeth are awkward on thinner branches i would say.

[@benscottwoodchopper]

Yeah for sure, i have quite a few billhooks now and id like to make a video on them at some stage. The green wood saw blades do snag a lot

[@vinniesdayoff3968]

I nearly took my thumb off with a bouncing saw Ben. I spent weeks in a plaster cast and more weeks doing physiotherapy afterwards. I put my hand over the back of the blade so it can't bounce out. I hear bushcrafters saying how much better a saw is on many videos however the type of dead fallen limbs etc one would use for a "wilderness" fire can usually be easily and quickly cut with a hatchet. I find you don't really need to buck that type of dead wood. A few cuts around the outside of the log and then smack it on something to break it can cut even fairly thick wood. It can be very tedious to saw every little piece of wood. I think it is fair to say that saw and axe together is king as you said. Great video 👍

[@harvesterbladeco]

I feel like Axes are way more dangerous. How does a saw bounce?

[@benscottwoodchopper]

@@harvesterbladeco large toothed saws can snag, mid cut then suddenly release and jump up

[@benscottwoodchopper]

Sorry to hear that, was that fairly recently?

[@vinniesdayoff3968]

@@benscottwoodchopper No Ben. About 36 years ago

[@vinniesdayoff3968]

Ay edged tool can be dangerous

[@Codi_Clapper]

Billhook is definitely overlooked as a tool for woody brush and limbs. Far superior to the machete in my opinion. How are you liking that rinaldi? I thought the handle on mine was a bit too chunky, but a great tool nevertheless.

[@daweed4255]

This Mueller Canada is such a beauty. 80€ in Germany. :/

[@maleindividual7437]

This is why I love my Kent patterns, I'm not felling trees but my 300g one will cut clean and quickly on small stuff, I swap between Bill and Kent for small brush, the 2.5lb Kent swung like a golf club goes through 3 to 4 inch green wood goes through in one hit (most of the time) it's so quick and efficient, on dry I put the wood down and cut it at a 45 degree just like you did, it's quick and efficient with very little waste, it's almost as if English "commoner" tools were made for my kind of work hmmmm, as of yet I've no real use for a felling axe and the larger Kent can be pressed into use on upto 12 inch wood if I must although it's not as fun or pleasant as just golf clubbing through smaller gear and cleaning up chips and splitting everything down is just a pain in the bum imo

[@benscottwoodchopper]

Yeah been saying this for years, light thin axes are far more handy than the 'perfect american/australian patterns'

[@maleindividual7437]

If I was using an American pattern for my traditionally British wood cutting jobs it wouldn't make much sense, I very much like my gransfors SFA visually but it makes little sense, it's a nice thin stock like a Kent but a very skinny head in a felling pattern side on, it just makes no sense for what I'm upto, the accuracy required to make use of the thin bit with short edge and lack of weight while OK for short periods of time starts to really tell after time, being in British woodland it's not like we're walking for miles on end, if we did have to walk or snowshoe all day before getting to just chopping enough for one night's fire and carving a few spoons then the gransfors would make sense but for a short walk into an English woodland to golf club enough wood from the limbs of fallen trees for a few weeks worth of wood then the traditional Kent is perfect for the task, as you know yourself traditional English patterns for the average person were literally designed for our small woods and most average persons requirements, I would love a use and excuse to have a felling axe though, can't say I don't feel a pang of envy at your access to, and requirement for larger wood lol

[@maxw-h]

I’m very interested to learn what it is you do for a living (and dare I say, how one also pursues that career!)

[@benscottwoodchopper]

firewood and sawmilling mostly. a lot of my videos are based more off what i do on weekends

[@KevinsDisobedience]

Pretty much agree. What size tree you reckon negates the efficiency of axe? I imagine even a good axeman can’t keep up with a consistent, well-sharpened sawyer after about 6-7”, green or cured. In Willow or Aspen maybe slightly bigger…you?

[@benscottwoodchopper]

Depends on the tree type and how many limbs, but yeah 8" and under is where the axe has the clear advantage for sure

[@daweed4255]

There are two different sawblades for the baco saw. One for dry and one for green wood. Did you ever compere these two? Which one would you buy?

[@benscottwoodchopper]

I prefer the green wood blades for most use but both are good to have and are cheap so why not

[@BlueGorillaInTheMist]

Which Rinaldi billhook model is this? What's the blade length? How do you like it compared to shorter ones?

[@michaelsinclair8279]

I'd just been thinking of asking you where the billhook was and how you got on with it. Whats your take of sharpening one, any special techniques?

[@benscottwoodchopper]

Not really any different to sharpen one

[@insatiable_mind]

The billhook looks like a hawkbill machete. I’ve carried a hawkbill pocket knife for years and find it much more useful and often safer to use than other knife blade designs. It’s common in my trade for stripping insulation off of wire and I believe historically it was used by sailors. The billhook looks useful in other ways.

[@TheAnonymousSword]

I think such a design would be well suited for cutting cordage, so it makes sense as a sailors main knife. I don‘t own one yet but will look into it.

[@bundufundi]

Quite a different shaped Billhook there Ben, looks a lot lighter than British traditional versions?

[@benscottwoodchopper]

yes its an italian one, its kinda like halfway between a machete and british billhook in feel

[@DogFishAttack]

Hi, I have the same Bahco bowsaw as yours and cut very well and fast. But when i saw a big log 15cm and over, about halfway through the way the blade didnt cut in straight line no matter how hard i try to keep it straight. Did you have noticed the same problem?

[@benscottwoodchopper]

Curved cut means likely the teeth are out of alignment

[@DogFishAttack]

@@benscottwoodchopper Ohh!....I will try to straighten tooths with pliers. Thanks for your answer!

[@benscottwoodchopper]

@@DogFishAttack pretty sure the blades are £3, you are unlikely to get them perfectly set without propper saw doctor tools so i'd just advise getting some spares

[@DogFishAttack]

@@benscottwoodchopper I don't have any special tools, I will try as much as I can, still have the original blade. Also I sharpen it by myself with very good results. However, I have also purchased replacement blades 3€ but none of these cheap ones cut as well as the genuine Bahco ones...

[@DogFishAttack]

@@benscottwoodchopper Now that I think about it, I have the same saw in 2 versions. 30 inches and 21 inches. The 21 inch is newer, I got it a few weeks ago. From the first use it also made a curved cut... I will have to direct it kink so that the blade cuts straight. It is strange. I will try to change the position of the blade back on the saw placing it in the second holes on the edges.

[@Bkellyusa]

What axe is that? Love your videos.

[@benscottwoodchopper]

Muller biber canada 1000

[@Bkellyusa]

@@benscottwoodchopper - Thanks!

[@jordanbailes7349]

Thanks for the video. What do you mean by the Northern Forests?

[@benscottwoodchopper]

North Europe/America Boreal, not tropical or subtropical forests

[@jordanbailes7349]

@@benscottwoodchopper really appreciate the reply thank you!

[@max_fjellstorm]

Did you use a good old Iltis axe in this video?

[@benscottwoodchopper]

Close, Mueller biber canada 1000. Its pretty much the same as the ochsenkopf but a little thinner

[@max_fjellstorm]

@@benscottwoodchopper there’s a Canada model from Ochsenkopf aswell. Is it also thinner?

[@benscottwoodchopper]

@@max_fjellstorm ochsenkopf iltis is similar

[@anelpasic5232]

The bow saw technique where you bring the wood to the saw was inefficient because you didn't put a small branch through the bow that you step on with both legs so the saw gets clamped down to the ground and doesn't life on the pull stroke.

[@benscottwoodchopper]

I see yeah that would probably improve it. still dont like getting stabbed in the chest though

[@anelpasic5232]

@@benscottwoodchopper Can't argue there, haha.

[@anemone104]

Interesting post, thanks. Never used axes except for working green wood with a hatchet or side axe or splitting logs. Used hooks a lot, can be very efficient and something like a Yorks hook is great for putting in a birds mouth and a saw for the felling cut. Then brash up with the curved edge of the hook. Used saws all the time for firewood when I was a kid - Dad or Mum on the big end and me on the little end. I take it you know about saw sets? If not, I invite you to have a shufti at this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nJysYYJplKuifqs

[@benscottwoodchopper]

for some reason yt didnt show this comment till now, i'll check it out and subscribe

[@anemone104]

@@benscottwoodchopper Thanks for the subscription. My stuff is pretty varied, so you'll have to ignore the marine stuff and anorakky coppice, woodland flowers and tree stuff, most likely. Unless you want to look that is!

[@davedook3959]

DOH!!!!!

[@brettbrown9814]

First!