Forging a Finnish Style Axe: A Journey into the History of Nordic Blacksmithing

In this video I try to forge a Finnish style collared axe.
I really enjoyed the experience and learned a lot during the filming of this video.
Enjoy!
/Nils
CONTENTS OF THIS VIDEO
00:00 - Forging the Collar
01:12 - Bending the Collar
02:09 - Forging the Blade
04:55 - Up to this point
05:45 - Welding the edge
06:32 - Fitting the blade & collar
07:05 - Welding the collar & blade
08:15 - What I've learn't
08:45 - Grinding
08:55 - Finishing touches
10:25 - Heat treating
11:15 - sharpening
11:35 - Making the handle
12:55 - Final words & some history
Find me on instagram:
/ nilsogren
My Website:
www.nilsogren.com/
Email List:
www.nilsogren.com/contact
LINK TO NORDFORGE:
www.nordforge.com/
/ nordforge
#finnish #vintageaxe #blacksmith

Hey Thank you so much for watching the video! Some things that are important to mention: The edge steel is SS2090 I also did NOT well on the poll of the axe. Historically they were usually welded on, on more "modern" versions they are not. I went somewhere in between on that point. I have done that in the past and its a very hard weld in my opinion. Thanks again for watching!

[@mountainwolf1]

Brutal as always nils ögren thanks for sharing with us. That looks like a very hard axe to forge you always make such beautiful pieces great work. One of these days i will be able to afford one of your axes for my blade collection be safe and take care.

[@tommihelminen6430]

Wau!! Hieno kirves👍 olet helkkarin taitava ja mahtavaa että pidät perinnettä yllä👌👌👌. This is Finish language. Same in eglish: wow !! Nice axe👍 you are darn skilfull and exelent that you keep tradition aliwe 👌👌👌. Terveiset Suomesta 😎👊🇫🇮

[@TheoryMaK15-255]

Dusen tak!! Glad to see a fellow Seeds 😁 doing what love watching in craftsmanship and blacksmithing !! Sense I'm 30% Swedish, I love to see My Swedish Brethren, on KZbin. Tak!! And SKOLL!!

[@user-st4bu9yd6v]

Дякую за відео. Це дійсно хороший досвід. Такого способу ковки топора не зустрічав. Було цікаво і приємно дивитися.

[@NewMoonTelescopes]

Wow That is first rate Well done Absolutely my FAVORITE axe pattern

[@quovadis5172]

That was very interesting to see. Regards from South Africa.

[@benonablacksmith454]

Very nice work. I attempted a Finnish collared axe once. I went about it a bit differently and mine was a bit smaller. Yours turned out much better too. Well done, keep up the good work!

Thank you very much!

[@lukelofgren4108]

I have been anticipating this video for quite some time now. Awesome build, and a fantastic job! I would LOVE to add this axe to my collection

Thank you Luke!

[@lukelofgren4108]

@ are you putting it up for sale or going to keep it? I sold a beautiful wrapped eye felling axe out of 4142 with an 80crv2 edge and I miss it all the time

[@emptyskullranch3964]

I am a more recent subscriber, and a Smith as well . Still being relatively new to the craft I mainly do Bowie knives, but I want to get into axes. This particular video was of interest to me, because I am first generation Finn in America, both my folks came from the old country, and I have visited several times. I do have a decent amount of , older finish knives and other weaponry but I would love to make one of these for myself. Thank you for the inspiration and I will continue watching!

[@Robin-rr2ue]

Well done it looks really faithful to the traditional finnish axes.

[@Brandon-so9fp]

I absolutely bombed trying this many years ago.

[@pukinpaja1974]

Very nice Axe! Thanks to video! 🪓🎅🏻👍🏻🇫🇮

[@transshieldmaidensBexKasey]

I love you work, I'm a trans woman in the United States and I have been blacksmithing since I was 5 (I'm 38 now) I was taught by my grandfather. My wife and I lost everything 5 years ago and your videos as well smith's like Torbjörn have helped me through I hope to have a forge again soon but we are still don't have a home. Your content helps me so much thank you so much. Sincerely Kasey

That's very nice of you to say, thank you! Hope everything works out for you!

[@refinersforge1781]

Love it, hoping to try some of these techniques.

[@outbackladas]

That was a great build 👍. Enjoyed watching the whole process, also enjoyed hearing about the history of your country and this style of axe. Regards from Down Under.

[@donaldmatthies6026]

That's awesome work! That turned out really nice. Thank you for taking time to film, build, edit and post this video.

[@robs1184]

Nice job, I've enjoyed watching your video.

[@tapanimettinen6703]

Thanks from Finland! Have to make one after seeing your video!

[@stevenlisk2468]

Mate that's truly inspiring work fantastic job well done 👏

[@user-dc8uj1cq9j]

prawdziwy mistrz wielki szacun

[@manuelwebe]

Outstanding. That is a beauty of a Finnish style axe. Thanks for sharing.

[@stephenjohnson6841]

It turned out great. I really appreciate the way you do your videos. I hope you are doing well and thanks again!

[@moonshinerphd9523]

Great video as always, I really enjoyed it!

Thats great to hear! Thank you :)

[@garetkonigsfeld2]

Really nice job. Thanks for sharing 👍

[@jdenmark1287]

Great history lesson and axe

[@greghartslief9907]

awesome stuff dude, really enjoyed this one 👍

Thank you!

[@lancemillward2462]

another excellent video

[@KingdomCard]

Excellent work, love the step by step. The Finnish collar is one of my favorites! Dave @ Kingdom Armory - bra jobbat fortsätt så, och Tack!

[@nicklessig]

I really like the history aspect of your builds. It makes them even more interesting. Keep up the great work!

Thank you very much!

[@maxnash4620]

Thanks for the free tips and ideas!

Oh Thank you so much!

[@FantasyWeapons]

Great job. 👏🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@Maltinis]

What a looker, and really impressive forging.

Thank you!

[@mynamingislackluster3710]

fantastic!

[@1873Winchester]

I love collared axes! Billnäs is a household name here

[@1873Winchester]

I quite like that technique you do where you weld the front of the collar on as a separate piece like you did with your scandinavian hewing axe. It turns out very nice looking. I think it looks simpler than trying to fold the collar over swedish style, and gives the axe "more meat" in that area. But it's more difficult to weld?

[@MarcelTeugels]

Nice build!

[@normandbujold6677]

Great work. The axe is beautiful. Enjoyed your video and your narration at the end. Keep up the good work. Cheers from Québec

thank you very much!

[@Ordrock7]

Great work. Scott in Southern Oregon, USA

[@graemebrumfitt6668]

Very interestingly shaped axe I like it Dude! TFS, GB :)

[@SchysCraftCo.]

Very beautiful job. Forge On. God Bless.

Thank you Jared!

[@SchysCraftCo.]

@ your very welcome.

[@robertkarlsson3746]

Snyggt yxsmide!👌 Varför har jag missat dig på youtube?! Nåja, nu har jag hittat dig.🙂

[@donaldniklasson1020]

Vi har finnarna till att tacka för det mesta!

[@brioshoveit]

I love how you kept the drop and The Fudge in video.

fudge? like the candy?

[@brioshoveit]

@ A nicer, but also the sweeter way in English to say Faan! :)

[@stefankarlsson9401]

Riktigt fin yxa!

[@kurtbogle2973]

You made a beautiful axe , no question about that!

thank you Kurt!

[@AnubisJuice]

True Artist, wonderful craftsmanship and linguist (you speak English well).

Many thanks!

[@ylovaht2097]

Kellokoski ,old fashion .. collar protecting wooden part

[@kingmankona]

Great video! Just make my first ax last weekend. Figured a tomahawk was a good starter, also a good way to learn forge welding. Maybe you could do a video on one?

Been thinking about it. I just know very little about them

[@johnrodriguez9571]

Deserve big like 👍

[@Mr229357]

Fin yxa😊👍🏻👍🏻

[@stevengrimes4473]

Very interested in the dish you talk about at the end of the video, what is in the dish?? Thanks love the videos!

[@Theodinsson]

Very nice video! I enjoyed the way you made the construction. Definitely some very good power hammer control there. Do you think it would be practical to forge weld on a butt plate (and historically accurate?).

Yes, as i mentioned in my comment. The poll was historically welded on to the plate. I cheated a little bit ;)

[@Theodinsson]

@ I have tried doing it. The weld was very challenging and like you mentioned you need way more steel for it. Takes at least 6 heats. Very nice work!

[@vesapenttila9459]

👍💪 duktigt gjord

[@Emil_Nielsen]

Skulle gärna se en ny video om ässjan, hur den håller upp, vilka inställningar du har mm.

[@TheSolo1papi]

This is by far my favorite video of yours. Your attention to detail is amazing and you made this look like it was easy. Beautiful axe by the way. Question, does the integrity of the handle weaken as it tapers through the eye being so thin? Amazing job!!!

Thank you! Notto my kowledge. Now it was a bit smaller in the top than I intended, but some of the very old hewingaxes has very small eyes. My friend Nick erb know alot on the topic, @40axes on instagram

[@oldwaysrisingfarm]

No, it does not weaken it. In fact, the long eye provides a lot of extra friction holding the head on, and helps distribute the force of impact over a longer length. A lot of early Pennsylvania Dutch hewing axes were made the same way, and this comes from the same tool making tradition. I have heard that making eyes in this was was a originally a reaction to a lack of highly elastic handle woods (such as oak and ash) in Northern Europe--and that easy access to imported hickory is part of why the style diminished in importance in the 1900's. I would love to have access to more access to information on this flow of knowledge and tradition in Northern Europe--anybody have any suggestions?

[@mrkiky]

Always looked at those axes and asked myself "how the heck do you even begin to forge that?". Now I know 😂

[@klemenmarkovec6942]

Nils👍👍🤞🤞

[@lukelofgren4108]

Nils I meant to ask a long time ago what steels you used for this axe. I'm going to make my first attempt at a collared axe much like this one but more of a carpenters axe bit. The collar and blade will be made of wrought iron, the poll will be a separate piece of railroad clip and the edge will be 80crv2. It will be quite the process but it will be one I keep and hand down to my children

In this case it was just mild steel for the body and collar. And the edge I think was ss2090 spring steel. If I remember correctly

[@gordaro2828]

Kitos! I've been searching for a Billnas axe head for the better part of two decades. Thing is...I'm a Finn in Canada -they exist here but they remain at other peoples cottages. I guess the question is...do you make these solely for your channel or would one be availible to aquire? Cheers from B.C. (Canada)

[@SlesarPOtakelaju]

Мастер!!!

[@Duckrabbit_Forging]

2:34 I am a child 😂😂

[@oldwaysrisingfarm]

Are there any books on the history of these axes (that are accessible to an English speaker) that you would recommend? Thanks!

[@timidb]

Finnish to English usually translates pretty well I don't think there even are books on Billnäs or Kellokoski in Finnish

[@Sobieski_IV_Emperor_Gods_mercy]

Jetzt haben die wieder soviel mit dem Satellit geröngt, das ich mir dieses Video nicht bis zum Schluss ansehen kann.

[@frankheger5185]

👍👍👍🍻🍻🍻

[@molotoboec70]

интересная конструкция топора

[@lancemillward2462]

it was a long time till it looked like an axe

[@Thetracker69]

What I wouldn't do to be doing this rather than my current job.

[@savonjaakari412]

An example of disturbing fine finnish axe. Det samma på svenska.

[@jaysanders7472]

That is a little better but still seems to long . However I have never done this so take it with a grain of salt and toss it over your left shoulder

[@adroaldoribeiro4529]

I love that handle. What is that Finnish? 🤣🤣 No really... Is that paint?

Its stain! Check my woodstaining video :)

[@ugodelfatti5012]

The best