I Don’t Do It, Because of Primitive Technology, Commonly Axed Questions

[@arcturus8016]

"If I were to do something to my axe handles to make them LOOK used... ...I would feel like I was the tool in the equation." 😂 LOL. Loved that. Unless it's just for decoration or reenactments, there's no substitute for the real thing.

[@SkillCult]

he he.

[@Shaun.Stephens]

I agree completely and this ties in to something I was shaking my head at the other day; Fender charging a premium for 'road-worn' finishes on their guitars and even more for 'reliced' guitars - these are quite heavily damaged finishes. Crazy stuff! All I can say is... People!

[@Logan-uf7hu]

I have to say I've been very impressed with all your videos where you discuss stress, strength, etc. I think you do an excellent job using solid mechanics theory to justify and explain axe handle design.

[@Moostery]

Speak the truth. Few things in life are more beautiful than a tool which has earned it's patina, especially axe handles and other wood handled tools.

[@newtsleatherandmetalsmithy1827]

Myself and a few others have decided to put together a blacksmiths family tree with leaves from every blacksmith we can find and we would be honored to have a leaf with your touch mark hanging from the tree. The tree will be donated to some entitie like sofa (southern Ohio forge & anvil) once the tree is completed

[@SkillCult]

Cool. Is there a deadline? My forge isn't set up, but I might make a ground forge. Or actually just get it set up. I've cleared a space for the smithy.

[@newtsleatherandmetalsmithy1827]

No deadline for more details please contact me @ [e-mail]

[@heidimoore4981]

Steven, I would love to see you set up your forge space. We have finally bought a (slightly) bigger block and now have a space to set up a small wood working and smithy area. I always value your experience and the way you explore topics, I’d love to see how you set up and know your reasoning for placement of items and choices of tools.

I agree. Char wood can resist longitudinal tension, but it's weak in torsion

[@fxm5715]

I think of charring wood like heat treating the edge of a blade or other cutting tool. Sure, you want the cutting edge really hard, but not the material that backs it up. That stuff you want tough and resilient to shock and stress. This works great for the tip a digging stick or a spear, but not for the shaft of an arrow or the handle of a tool.

[@leperousbeing]

I was told not to heat wood you want to bend to a temp where it starts to take a caramel color. That is where some of the sap (sugars) start to caramelize and will make it brittle. As you said, good for spear tips and the like, but not good to caramelize the sugars if you want to retain flexibility. Granted, flash charring probably doesn't effect very deep into the wood, but probably one of those things that just looks appealing.

[@SkillCult]

I don't know what the mechanism is, but I've experienced it first hand. It would have to turn the wood brittle very deep if my conjecture about failures initiating from the back of the bow is right. And if it's harder, hard things tend to be brittle things.

[@batmanacw]

The part that is not being accounted for is how much charring. I highlight the grain and achieve better stain penetration but I'm not modifying the wood in any substantial way. I have 66 axes and I have swung every single one. Some extensively and no handle I've torched has broken that I know of. I've sold quite a few and no one has ever contacted me about a breakage. Some consideration for light charring should be okay.

[@SkillCult]

I have actually taken that into account. As I said, my experience with charring other items is that there is a clear effect, even with light toasting, let alone any significant discoloration. That said, I don't claim to know the effect on an axe handle in a practical sense, given the differences between an axe handle and other items that the large number of variables. As I said, there may be some positive effect that I wouldn't know or couldn't account for. But with my background and theories on the initiation of handle breakage, I'll pass. I don't care what anyone else does. Clearly a lot of people get away with it.

[@wtfrankian]

Your point at 6:40 is correct, the centerline of any beam is under 0 load, and is called the neutral axis.

[@SkillCult]

makes sense.

[@renaudferte5610]

Really appreciate the exactitude of your vocabulary here. Have a great day !

[@clevernickname8492]

I've torched handles for wall hangers and a few working axes. I burn them just to bring out the grain, purely aesthetic, I don't char them or have any black spots. In my opinion they look cooler, I haven't noticed any significant difference in durability/life of the handle.

[@redactedcanceledcensored6890]

7:51, yep, that's why I don't cut fibers at the back of the bow. Sometimes I didn't even remove the bark, but the bark cracked during tillering, creating a weak spot. By the way, one can make those handles look older by just rubbing charcoal into them, I once used my hatchet with a bit of charcoal on my hands, so just few hours of light use added 5-7 years to it. I liked the new look better, but hey, these are tools, not sculptures! If it works, it is beautiful, 'nuff said.

[@marvinhanson6942]

My thoughts have always been like you said at the end of the video linseed oil repels water, when you char the wood it hardens it so it doesn't absorb the linseed oil very well. Good video.

[@stantheman5163]

When I was researching the shou sugi ban Japanese technique of charring wood for preservation (for a fence project), I learned that it works by burning off the soft wood fibers leaving only the hard fibers intact. The hard fibers are naturally more resistant to water penetration and rot. This works on the type of cypress wood found in Japan, not sure if it applies to all wood.

[@SkillCult]

That sounds suspect. It does burn out some of the soft wood on conifers, but not as much on hardwoods in my experience. And the softwood is still there, it's just recessed. I think it is much more likely that it carbonizes the wood making it somehow resistant to attack by organisms that consume wood. Unless it is sealing water out, which seems unlikely. Whatever the case, I think there are some hundreds of years old Japanese temples that show it works :)

[@stantheman5163]

@@SkillCult Yup, there must be some reason for it working in those instances. As I recall, the sugars in the cellulose fibers burned off attract the fungus, insects and bacteria which causes the wood to break down. I think they also oil the wood which may be the major factor at work sealing the sub-surface soft wood.

[@Joe___R]

As for your theory of cracks in wood always starting from the outside might be flawed since without scanning the wood with a ultrasound, x-ray or some other means you will not know if its cracked until it reaches the outside.

[@SkillCult]

That's why all of my language was tentative and not absolute. I'd guess that wood failure can actually be quite complicated, but this is my working theory and what I'm willing to base practical decisions on.

[@henchman_ben3725]

Great video, as always. I'm always learning from your videos. Love it when the chalkboard comes out.

[@MrThenry1988]

I've done it to wall hanger axes. People love it.

[@DaveyBlue32]

As a fella who has been holding and playing around with his wood for 53 years… in olden days it was a decorative technique to visually enhance the grain pattern of the wood… period! It’s a bad thing because it’s a unnecessary amount of surface damage and it’s going to change the woods ability to absorb the oil and it’s also going to limit certain areas absorption rate compared with the surrounding surface areas … we want to keep those fibers moist and flexible…. Unlike most other wood working applications where you are eventually going to be using your object in it’s “dry” state… with an axe handle if you aren’t doing a semi annual Oiling with WadCo or BLO… your eyes and wedges will loosen and your heads become loose… I’ve had a few folks give me a fine axe with a loose and wobbling head and I’ll simply drop it into the oil and call them in a week to take a look at it! All I did was rehydrate their existing handle!!! Every time you think about it… rub in some oil on your axe’s handle and into the eyes! If you don’t want a white wood handle then you would be leaps and bounds better off by finding the oil based stain that suits your fancy and rubbing that in. In the actual wood worker’s reasoning to burn your grain a little was even with the sandpaper sanding and those grain pattern edges have a little different grain pattern and you’ll have a little fuzz in those areas so they would simply touch them with the fire to eliminate them from underneath their hands and get a smoother surface… some stain and and a good coating of oil goes light years further in protecting your project. It’s a primitive and outdated technique but if playing with fire is your twist then better you practice safely by doing a little surface damage and then having some spotting in your oil layer where it’s not able to absorb into your wood so very well… then to having it twist your pickle’s into an uproar and you actually set something else on fire! If you are just really into the 1970’s woods look remember that you can always combine some oil based stains into your oil coating process to enhance their visual appeal! A little piece of scotch-bright after your burning will sand your hairs away that are sticking out of your grain pattern ashes and char layer back to some less damaged surface…

[@daveyjoweaver5183]

As a woodworker Steven, I say this Skillcult lesson is Excellent! Kind Thanks from my holler to your holler! DaveyJO in Pa.

[@SkillCult]

Thanks mate :)

[@kurts64]

Good vid, love the axe science. Had a few broken bows and more than a few broken handles. A good way to make a new axe look old- after the aussie bushfires last year I took an unused axe out to clear along my (charred) fencelines. After a few weeks of being covered in sweat and charcoal it looked a hundred years old.

[@tidge879]

So, it sounds like charring wood is like overheating a knife blade. Yeah, you'll increase the hardness, but vastly decrease the toughness. An oberheated blade will take an extreme edge, but it'll chip/snap if you touch a bone or stone with it.

[@whitespacemarines4308]

You are not opposed to giving a slight burn, when applying Pine Tar, Linseed Oil and Turpentine, to get the mixture into the wood. Are you? (Thanks)

[@dakillah6018]

I use fire and oils and beeswax and my handles dont need an overstrike guard . Because the wood after many many coats of the oils and wax plus fire was made much harder than the woods i split or cut . I dont char it but i brown it i darken it and the wax and oils are boiling into it and after the wood absorbed everything i put off the fire and refinish it with the oils(linseed , teak and tung oil plus beeswax ) and then the handles look like heaven . I really really enjoy the process awel .

[@lacklusterami]

Good video, I've toasted the belly of several bows. I can't tell you if it made much difference but I think that I got that advice from the bowyers bible. Supposedly when you do this, on the belly only to be sure, then the wood cells plasticize and collapse making them harder and resistant to taking set

[@T3hJones]

Interresting! One big difference is that bows are far thinner then axe handles so the burned wood look on an bow would be made up of a much higher percentage of the total bow wood then the burned wood look on an axe handle. That in combination with the less stretching of the wood in an axe handle make me think the burning of axe handles dont make a noticable difference except in looks :).

[@SkillCult]

In theory, for a given amount of flex, the outside of a thicker piece of wood is under greater stress than a thinner one. If I'm right about cracks initiating from the outside surface, and given that axe handles do break, breakage is breakage and compromised brittle wood probably doesn't help. It could be more complicated, but I'll pass on charring tool handles.

[@batmanacw]

I lightly torch my axe handles for color and for better blo penetration. The torching is only superficial and could be sanded or scraped off easily. I've done hundreds of axes with zero breaks. I think most of my current 66 axes are all lightly torched. Stephen, do you still have that axe head and West Woods handle I sent you? I haven't seen it in any videos in a while.

[@SkillCult]

Yeah, it's still around. I haven't ground it yet, so I never use it. Eventually I'll get around to filing it, use it a bit and then give it away. Are you still making handles?

[@batmanacw]

@@SkillCult No. I couldn't keep up with it. I wanted to make improvements and I didn't have the time so I moved on.

[@1südtiroltechnik]

From a Study: "At temperatures above 150 °C, hydrolytic splitting and condensation reactions occur. Due to the partial decomposition of cell wall components, thermally modified wood (thermowood) has a lower density and strength than untreated wood. The durability of the wood usually increases with the applied heat and exposure time, while the strength of the wood decreases at the same time. "

[@SkillCult]

that's pretty much my take. Higher dent and wear resistance, lower strength when bent.

[@JoseMr57]

As far i know ,the only good thing about the burning wood is for termite ,and also the looks like you mention .Like you put it in the drawing seems like the bow is failing also for the shear force ,(the same principle behind scissors ).Nice lecture by the way.

[@JayCWhiteCloud]

Great post Steven...!!! I too get this question all the time and TOO MANY are out there on the internet and KZbin making claims and giving direction without really having any understanding (or experience) with the actual traditional aspects of what we do or how it was traditionally done...in this case charring!!! Charring (aka flame washing) is a very useful skill...WHEN...it is used and/or applied properly and in context... "Flame washing" is almost always in an architectural applicaiton when its a deep char of a certain kind, done properly and with key understanding to species of wood, and where in a project (post, siding, etc) the wood is going to be placed. I don't know (???) of a single application flame washing is ever of viable purpose or value in tool handles, bows or otherwise. Heating would (by steam or proximity) has nothing to do with "flame washing" and the two processes are completely different. As you stated, most correctly, when wood is scorched, it is inevitably "case hardened" (aka "digging sticks" where we want this done!) and this is a huge issue in woodworking today with kiln dried and related..."let's do it faster"...modern mentality rather than lets do it correctly...or...in this case to make something "look old" or "cool" for no good or honest reason... As a side note, and what I suspect a lot of this is coming from...is the nonsense of...“Shou-sugi-ban," which is a made up erroneous name created by Europeans and those in North America trying to sell products or sound like they know something they actually don't!!! Grilled cedar, (aka: 焼杉 -Yakisugi ) on the other hand, is an acient method of preserving and extending the longevity of Japanese cypress wood siding...In other species it is a different matter and is then called (or translated into) "flame washing." Of these Japanese methods (which can with skill be used on other wood species) there is the 炭付 (Sumi-tsuki) “with charcoal” heavy burn method, or the 磨き (Migaki) (焼杉美杉 -Yakesugi Misugi) “polishing” smoothed out method...バーナー焼き Bānā-yaki “burner - “flame painting” method...and of course the list goes on depending on culture and craft we reference from Coopering to Shipwright... Great post as usual!!!

[@SkillCult]

Great comment Jay. Thanks for the run down! It's a very interesting subject, but typically treated very shallowly.

[@JayCWhiteCloud]

@@SkillCult Love your Channel Steve...Hope to meet some day in person, until then thanks for keeping it real and factual!

[@1südtiroltechnik]

From my observations on different tools like hammers, axes or Zapins (Pickaroons) on videos (internet), familytools,...the handles are all varnished all around.....EXPECT the most important point the Endgrain on the axehead.....Many tools i saw in reallife or videos had handles that still were in Axtheads-holes recessed. The wedge and handle still after many years were on the same plane, so it didnt come loose. It just that both wedge and handle dried out and shrunk minimally, but enougt that they were recessed in the hole for a few mm. In shool we had blacksmith hammers, the round iron wedge still was tight and dint move, the handle was super dry because it was used near the forge.

[@bortgov8624]

I see a lot of blacksmiths char their hammer handles as well, and i get it everybody is a pyromaniac in some way, but i don't char my tool handles, my black hands will stain them soon enought.

[@chuckthebull]

I was watching Shawn James burn his roof covering as a preservative for his cabin builds, but that is severe,,,, it seems to me it has been a traditional way of doing that..but I like how my axe looks when the grain comes out more by surface carbonizing that I don't think will weaken it. I do it with a torch quickly moved around that won't heat the bulk of the wood and just shows the grain. so far I don't notice any less strength. but your assesment does make sense if someone is throwing it in a campfire. Then you just deserve to split your axe in halve. Natural selection has been reduced due to modern technology..The world is a mess because most of these people today should have allready gotten the Darwin award.

[@SkillCult]

Yeah, it is good for preserving wood.

[@ACOUSTIC_4LOVE]

Another great Vid! Enjoy the Bow tutorial 👍. Never Crafted Decent Bow other than a temporary one as a kid in the 60s messing around in the foothills below Mount Shasta! Started seriously using Recurves about 1968’. Never ever wanted to go the Compound Route-and never did! I love the traditional bow. Own 5 of em. All vintage from the 50s and 60s-3 Browning’s one Red Wing’ Hunter and a Hand Craft Long Bow’ from the 50’s. They perform like they did 60 years ago.

[@redred333]

well explained, clear and concise points; I must agree. Thanks for the hard work

[@cbizkit84s61]

Exactly what I needed to hear! Thanks for this!

[@Stormcloakvictory]

Yeah done it before on different wood surfaces (but more of a light brown roast, never scorched black) And well wouldn't do it on knife or axe handles, it feels a little bit off in the hand, weakened and lighter?

[@tonythepwny]

Great info and comparison for example. A lot to think about.

[@eb282]

Great vid and info. Spot on about tension/compression but you’re technically leaving out One more stress; sheer stress. I think with the nature of flexible wood, its much more likely to fail in the bending tension/compression so sheer gets washed out so to speak. Ive read when a bow fails in the compression side, the fibers crinkle and permanently crease so a bow tends not to bend back all the way, loses flexibility and therefore also loses power.

[@SkillCult]

Yeah, I think you are right on the compression. I'm sure the failure of wood can be much more complicated, like if the compression failure is too high, it might increase failure on the back by increasing tension even more. But i think I made the point I wanted to make about tension and the sudden initiation of failure from the tension side.

[@mihacurk]

Great points there! While we are at it, a bow making video would be awesome and greatly appreciated!

[@SkillCult]

I'm actually much of a bowyer. There are probably some good bowyers on youtube. It's a popular subject.

[@codyrivenburgh7645]

As for the question u asked...does charing help lesson the damage from over strike ...I can say it doesn't make enough of a difference to even notice if it helps or not.....I have handles that are chared,handles that are lightly burned just to a Carmel color and a few that are left alone and just oiled as normal and over strike or hitting the handle on the log when your axe goes thru during splitting seems to damage them all pretty much the same in my experience...

[@demastust.2277]

How do you feel about burnishing the wood of your axe handle with a bit of bone or antler to make it smooth?

[@SkillCult]

I don't see any reason to bother really. I suppose you could. if an axe is used, it polishes. It doesn't even need to be that smooth to start with.

[@scottsurvival6960]

My understanding is that burned wood spear tips are less durable. Can't remember where I heard that.

[@SkillCult]

Sounds odd. I could be more brittle, but almost certainly would measure harder and resist wear better. Also should take a sharper point.

[@ajaxtelamonian5134]

I have the same argument with paint on the head. I dont really care it does make it easier to spot. Just use the thing and it will fade. Also thought when I was at the agricultural college seeing the smithing students charring their hammer handles it was kinda lame.

[@SuperFasterMaster]

Totally agree. Learned the hard way.

[@heidimoore4981]

Another great axe video, thanks man!!

[@frankda4]

In depending of using it for a tool does chard wood give you better protection for weather and longevity and bug resistance, fire resistance for structures or exterior siding or similar ? I’ve had a hard time finding info on this out side of people claiming it does and no supporting evidence or experience given.

[@quintond.7888]

Thanks man. I haven't ever charred one and don't plan on it. I've heard you mention bowyer work a few times in passing, did you make that little composite? It looks beautifully done. Is the whipping done with sinew or something else?

[@SkillCult]

Joe Dabill made it (RIP). I trade him a buckskin I think. I put the sinew on though. It shot without it. It's osage orange.

[@markdudley3831]

Good evening ladies & Gentlemen , Welcome to another commonly " axed " question ! Very witty for a yankee boy 😥 cheers from new zealand

[@CF_Sapper]

Hmm I wonder if charring the part of the shaft that fits into the eye would be worth while, as that would receive a impact force Vs a bending force.

[@SkillCult]

That's actually a very common region of breakage for reasons other than overstrikes, so I would think it would be more of a detriment. The video I linked talks a lot about that.

[@downeastprimitiveskills7688]

As I saw the preview coming a couple days ago I was concerned, silly me, clearly I should have know better. As usual, well put. Speaking of bows I am dominant left eye and right handed, I draw the string back with my right hand, this puts my arrow almost 3 feet to the left of the target. I am too lazy to switch to left hand shooting but need to give it ago. anyway, just grumbling about my eyes.

[@SkillCult]

My ex is wrong eye dominant for shooting and can't close her other eye. Almost has to shoot with an eye patch.

[@downeastprimitiveskills7688]

@@SkillCult Shooting with a hand gun is almost as bad, My son says I'm pulling to the left when I squeeze the trigger. I easily group about 3 inches to the left with the hand gun and almost 3 feet with a bow. I do okay with a scope on my rifle.

[@jeffreydustin5303]

Light toasting drives the gas out of ring porous woods. It makes the wood denser similar to drying to wood, in that there is material driven out of the volume of wood. Material can collapse as when the wood dries and warps in cupping, bowing, twisting, etc. Denser can lead to more brittle in the case of arrow shafts. With archery bows, this leads to wood having better tension strength in many maybe most ring porous healthy, sound wood when toasted. Most self-bows that are toasted have increased performance in terms of tension, harder wood, tougher with respect to abrasion, scratches, rough treatment in the field. Harder usually means more brittle while softer may mean more able to deform around hard strikes. This is similarly seen in steel. Hard knives chip, soft knives deform. I cite high hardness steel vs. bronze knives. I have around 326 failed bowmaking attempts to my standards. I can break any wood to splinters and have, but literally no bowmaking ability.

[@SkillCult]

Thanks for weighing in. There is not hard and fast rule, but hard things are often brittle things. I can see how heat treated wood could resist permanent deformity that causes string follow, or have more snap, but at what potential cost right.

[@netyr4554]

I've only ever heard of toasting the belly of a bow, the point being to increase compressive strength usually to reduce string follow and increase draw weight. Seems risky though as it will also increase tension on the back.

[@stephenkeefer3436]

Waiting! ( patiently) :)

[@gmoney6198]

I am excited

[@josephlathrop1914]

This Idea probably comes from the term Fire Hardening but the Method for that is entirely Different

[@Scuba11000]

I never understood why folks buy jeans with holes in them either.

[@nimrodayali5645]

Thanks! very intersting points

[@bigoldgrizzly]

A little thought and common sense defeats 'fad and fashion' every time !

[@toadstkr]

Because it’s so important to skills that your axe handle “looks” like it’s a hundred years old😂🤣😂🤣 that’s like people who force a patina on there knives because “it looks cool” instead of just using the thing. People are so funny with there concerns of looks of a tool over there actual ability to use it.

[@Steve_G88]

a forced patina protects against rust....

[@AnubisJuice]

Why do blacksmiths char their Hammer handles?

[@SkillCult]

Because of the internet, and it looks cool? I never knew a blacksmith to char a hammer handle before the internet. Not that I'm in with that crowd, but done some myself and rubbed shoulders with quite a few. They also are under very little real stress. 'Even a sledge if well used and the handle isn't slammed against the anvil in a gross miss, should not be under any stress it can't easily take. Lighter single hand hammers shouldn't be under much stress unless some ham-fisted, inexperienced guy is trying to drive it through the anvil. They should also be under very little attack by the environment unless left in the rain. I don't know where it came from, or where it is traditionally practiced if anywhere. But a good linseed oil treatment seems like a much better idea.

[@AnubisJuice]

@@SkillCult thank you for the reply and information. When I stop being lazy and replace my rounding hammer handle (which came char"d) I'll give it a soak in flax seed oil. I would also note that I am that ham-fisting noob.🐖🤛

[@SkillCult]

@@AnubisJuice Just let the hammer do the work when it hits and don't try to drive hard except under special circumstances, like trying to get that little extra work done in one heat for some reason. Pretty hard to break a decent smithing hammer handle if you aren't taking a death grip and driving it hard. If you look at old smithing hammers they are tuned down near the head for flex. many modern handmade ones are big fat things. Unnecessarily overbuilt.

[@AnubisJuice]

@@SkillCult I'll have to look into those handles. I have a bigger palm then finger length on my meat hooks which makes it more comfortable to have a fatter handle at the sweet spot.

[@SkillCult]

@@AnubisJuice they are usually large and comfortable at the main grip, but they have a skinny waist closer to the top. almost all old hammer handles do. Now even pro handles are often fat all the way to the top.

[@benscottwoodchopper]

I hate charred wood handles, zero point to it and I think its just to make a new handle look interesting. Real patina looks way better and has a story

[@KevinsDisobedience]

No need to comment. Well put.

[@SkillCult]

Yeah, of course you do :)

[@KevinsDisobedience]

Lol. Okay, so my main thought when I see a guy with a charred handle is he’s going to use that axe once and then not again for another year. Also, I just think it looks stupid. But to each his own. I’m not convinced it weakens the axe substantially. I actually intend on making a handle out of a 2x4 with the grain the “wrong way”, because I’m convinced none of it really matters “that much” if you know what you’re doing.

[@SkillCult]

@@KevinsDisobedience I think if you push materials, you'll find that you can get away with a lot most of the time, but there are those moments of excessive stress that will cause failures. One is removing stuck heads, which is one of the more stressful pressures on a handle. Very easy to snap weak wood off. Also, hard side impacts. But do it. It's an interesting experiment.

[@KevinsDisobedience]

I’m sure you’re right, but I’ll only believe it if I try. I’ve worked construction since I was 13 (36 now), and the guys broke so many shovels and sledge hammers that the company switched to all fiberglass with big rubber collars. Before I left and started my own company, I used to bring a slim, wooden-handled shovel (which I hid in the back of the tool trailer so the other guys wouldn’t use it) it and I’ve never broken one yet. Most of the time you can feel it before it snaps. Every time I saw it happen I’d think, “just lay off a minute, man. They have their limits.” But no, they’d just keeping leaning into it like it was a metal digging bar. That said, I have busted the handle on a splitting axe when I was younger, but I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. I’m sure I’ll break another one in my life, but I just don’t think it’s so common (with proper technique) in a modern context that we need to worry about it too much. Back when guys were using axes everyday to make a living, sure, all the little details mattered more. Anyway, please do more axe videos. You’re the reason I started using an axe for more than splitting back in 2017. I found you via the Essential Craftsman.

[@1südtiroltechnik]

How do look without beard? ^^

[@joeyjones9041]

Everytime I see you, you have less hair. Looks like you're running out of hair lol. Good stuff man, I agree.

[@SkillCult]

Thinning anyway, but this is also part of a top secret experiment...

[@joeyjones9041]

@@SkillCult I feel your pain, mine is on it's farewell tour as well. Top secret experiment...sounds unethical and interesting lol

[@dr.lexwinter8604]

I have no idea why people do this. It damages and weakens the wood. I see a lot of various made up excuses as to why they do it, but the bottom line is it has no benefits besides 'looking cool lol' and has significant detriments.

[@bye92]

I've always hated the burnt look. One guy does it on youtube and then everyone does it....

[@DevaJones03]

to stick and animal or person with....LOL

[@David-kd5mf]

There is a way for you to sinc your youtube with Odysee video platform where when you upload to youtube it automatically posts to odysee with no effort. Odysee is a subset of Lbry platfrorm. Just more youtube like.

[@emlillthings7914]

How is it with ads?

[@David-kd5mf]

@@emlillthings7914 No ads at this point in development as far as i can tell

[@David-kd5mf]

@@emlillthings7914 If yor looking revenue Rumble is another platform that deals in the dollar and pays better than youtube. There is more to learn about it but it seems like if they can do something like odysee where youtubers can import easily it can be viable

[@SkillCult]

Thanks, maybe I'll look into it. I make very little off YT ad revenue.

[@coen555]

Oh you tease me so bad man.

[@SkillCult]

ha, well, anticipation is sweet torture.

[@William_Asston]

YOOOO HE WENT BALD! this only further confirms my theory that 100% of bald people are cool and people get at least 20% cooler upon going bald.

[@SkillCult]

Bald is beautiful baby.

[@KevinsDisobedience]

Yes bitch! I’ve wanted to rant on this for awhile. Can’t wait to hear what you have to say.

[@Trav_Can]

Faux aged axe handles? So lame. I just want to look manly.

[@SkillCult]

Manly is and manly does. Faux aged handle making? Meh.

[@vlanza1999]

Just a little critique...next time go live for real..promise we wont judge. ✌

[@SkillCult]

Maybe just to hang out or chat about something. This is kind of heavy content . A lot of prep and time to get it right so it moves along well. This probably took two days to prep, shoot, edit, etc. with the accompanying blog post. I'll do live chats at some point though.