The Traffic Hazard Tree - chopping Blackbutt Gum with an Axe

A spur-of-the-moment video with some hard lessons learned. The goal was to get some seasoned wood with the saw, and maybe find some smallish cordwood to test a few axes, including the beautiful TRUE TEMPER Jersey generously gifted by Matt @The Vintage Axe Hoarder. Blackbutt is tough!
The Vintage Axe Hoarder : / @matthewamsbaugh
Cordwood Challenge Facebook page / axecordwoodchallenge

[@willcarmack1242]

Good Lord!!!!....and to think of myself crying about oak we have here in Florida....My hat goes off to you my Brother.... unfkn believable.... it's like ironwood out of Texas.... And your accuracy and stamina is still there...Believe me....Godspeed and safety to you and your family... Much Respect from St Petersburg Florida U.S.A.

[@kurts64]

Gday Will, cheers mate, I reckon that oak over there would be a bit of a challenge too. Thanks for watching this one, the Traffic Hazard is one of my favourite days ever 👍👍🪓

[@MattKeevil]

Would I really watch 45+ minutes of chopping? Yes, yes I would. A simple video with a narrative arc. Great axes and a beast of tree too.

[@kurts64]

Cheers for the feedback mate. I was a bit unsure how such a long vid would go but figured if I'm gunna show how it went I had to keep it all in there, pant adjustments and all😆😆 thanks for sticking it out!

[@mikewasowski1411]

Wow. Your precision with the hits is impressive. No wasted blows. Just came across your channel. Loving it 👏

[@kurts64]

Gday, thanks a lot mate! 🤝👍👍🪓

[@haraldkrahl612]

As always, a very nice video. You use the ax very precisely, which I like. 💪 Best regards from Germany

[@kurts64]

Gday Harald, thanks a lot mate, and cheers for watching!👍👍🪓

[@KevinsDisobedience]

So glad you’re talking in your vids some more. I enjoy your personality and we can all learn more easily from your experience.

[@kurts64]

Thanks man that means alot, cheers!

[@stevenjohnblundell2768]

Wow 👏 Incredible, guts and stamina... Possibly the best chopping and comittment I've seen. I hope you enjoy a gd fire from that wood.

[@kurts64]

Thanks a lot mate! 🔥🪓👍

[@MatthewAmsbaugh]

I knew it was coming, but it still hurt to see lol That tree is not only extremely dense, but holds together for dear life! Sucks about the handle, but I’m glad she went out swinging! Breaking a handle on a tree like that is plenty justified. Jersey seemed to preform alright in that black butt as well. For a lighter axe that is. Gotta get a new handle on her and take her back to get revenge on the rest of that tree!

[@kurts64]

At a few times I was glad of the light weight, allowed me to keep enough head speed to still sink in. The grind and edge you put on held up great, surprisingly it was the Plumb with its notoriously hard steel that took edge damage. Oh yeah, THERE WILL BE REVENGE!

[@brettbrown9814]

Well that was quite an adventure! You definitely earned a 10 out of 10 for the dismount and degree of difficulty. It's no wonder the Forestry Corp put up a sign instead of cutting it up haha. Really enjoying your voice on camera mate!

[@kurts64]

Haha cheers for coming along mate! Forestry Corp= lazy buggers 😆! Thanks for the encouragement mate, means a lot👍👍 take care over there!

[@veshtitsacraftsandtunes4693]

Watching this stuff calms me down, thank you for the video man!

[@kurts64]

That's great mate, thanks for watching! Theres nuthin like some quiet time out bush!👍👍

[@samzeng159]

"Who does this sort of shit? " LOL

[@MsLori62]

That was awesome!

[@kurts64]

Gday, thanks for watching!👍👍🪓

[@Lukeslittletribe]

Big effort mate. That moment at 46.02 is very satisfying! Makes you think of the old folk and how much work they put into clearing land back in the day.

[@kurts64]

Thanks Luke! Was a good moment to finally get that thing on the ground. The old timers definitely did it tough that's for sure. Cheers for watching mate!👍👍🇦🇺

[@KevinsDisobedience]

Harder than woodpecker lips, as they say up here. It’s crazy how quickly we get out of Buckin shape. More than a week and it takes two or three notches to get my accuracy back.

[@PencilProper]

Another great video Kurt! Need to turn on my notifications so I stop missing them lol

[@kurts64]

Haha no worries, cheers mate!👍👍

[@bundufundi]

Some lovely looking axes there Kurt, and the usual super accurate chopping. Clearly the Traffic Hazard was a challenge too hard to resist!!

[@kurts64]

No way was that tree getting away with it! Haha thanks mate!

[@aussieaxedude154]

Man that stuff sounded hard AF!!!!! sweet clip man the misso was in the other room and asked if I was watching gun videos again while this was playing lol. Solid stamina dude keep them coming. Loved it!!!!

[@kurts64]

🤣🤣 Good ol Aussie gun trees! 🔫 haha cheers mate!

[@TOURBON]

an amzing tember

[@kurts64]

Sure is, cheers for watching!👍

[@KevinsDisobedience]

Not a bad way to spend any day, chopping or watching someone chop.

[@kurts64]

Cheers Kevin, that's what I reckon too😁

[@peterfletcher8411]

Holy shit.... Hard as nails mate. Awsome.🙂

[@kurts64]

She was a tough tree! Definitely showed me what for 😆😆

[@BasajaunMM]

Man this video hurts, what a hard wood to cut with an axe! Last week someone told me they tried (I think it was eucaliptus globulus) for axe competitions here in the Basque country. And when they tested the wood, the racing axes were completely destroyed. Wow, now I know why🤣 Cheers man, love your videos!

[@kurts64]

Thanks for watching man! Cool to hear about globulus/blue gum being used in other parts of the world. It is a pretty tough timber, shame about the axes though! A Basque racing axe has been on my wish list for a while. Thanks mate!👍🪓

[@BasajaunMM]

@@kurts64 Hell yeah! Keep up the good work man🤘🏻

[@guyvanderveken5595]

Good to see you choppin' again Mate, not many would see the almighty laying in their path and deem it as a gift. Great vid as usual, nice to hear the chat on the go, love a little walk and talk. All the best mate.

[@kurts64]

Thanks Guy, cheers for watching mate!👍👍

[@MykeCompany]

EXCELLENT CONTENT

[@kurts64]

Thanks mate!👍👍

[@Joey-L]

That was truly tense there for a minute, I really thought that tree was going to spring up and launch you into the bush ! This was probably a dream scenario for a lot of us. Driving out in the forest and come across a tree blocking the road. Man with axe saves the day.

[@kurts64]

Haha yeah it was a bit iffy! A truck and a few mx bikes came through just after I'd finished filming. I still had axes all over, the look on thier faces was worth it🤣

[@Dmoriarty1993]

I wonder how the Tui would have performed. Especially the Working axe model. Nice work and good perseverance! I don't know if anything in England is that tough but I doubt it!

[@kurts64]

Gday mate, thanks for watching the older vids too👍 A Tui work axe has been on the cards for a while, I'll get my hands on one one day, would be a beast axe for this size timber. The Camp axe would do pretty well on this log I reckon, even with its lighter weight, it's a handy little chopper

[@Brian2bears]

Twenty-fifth. Mr. Kurt I really enjoyed "HAZARD", after you said it the fourth time I was really cracking up. Lots of "gum" varieties over there, nice chopping sir...

[@kurts64]

Thanks mate, glad you liked it! Sorry again for swearing, it still rings true to me your thoughts on the matter from your vid a while back. Definitely a big variety, I've been trying to show most of the major ones through the vids, still a few more to hunt down! Thanks again!👍👍

[@Jesusiskingamen7]

I love this axe I had to take mine way back to get it to cut like I wanted though

[@kurts64]

Gday, yep gotta find that sweet spot

[@ianmoone2359]

You need more of a racing axe at 12-15 degrees for cross grain chopping. The Tuatahi work axe is ground sharpened at ~22 degrees for splitting - while their racing’s axes for cross cutting are more around 12-15 degrees. Your doing all your cross cutting with splitting axes which which is just harder work. Also your v needs to start out wider so that you have a shallower angle through the grain direction, to clear the chips easier.

[@kurts64]

Yeah this one definitely needed a bigger axe, and your right about the v's on this one. Tried narrower, steeper notches in an attempt to not have to make extra step cuts, these axes just couldn't bust out a full-width chip

[@bluegrassoutdoors]

What an interesting tree! Great chopping as well. Keep up the good work my friend and God bless!

[@kurts64]

Gday mate, cheers for watching! Take care👍👍

[@williefick]

Blackbutt with an axe?! Blackbutt is harder than Bluegum. We have some of it here in South Africa also. Enjoy the workout.

[@kurts64]

Blue gum is one I haven't managed to film yet, there's plenty around here but most grow around water courses where they're hard to fall with an axe. Both make beaut lumber and great firewood. Cheers for watching from South Africa!👍👍

[@williefick]

Some of the best looking floorboards come from gum. Seen some Red River Gum floors. Beautifull.

[@KevinsDisobedience]

Bro, at 33:33 that Tassie won’t even bite into the tree at all! WTF!

[@kurts64]

Insane! Bloody tree.

[@timwatsonphotography]

Great video Kurt. Good to see you out again. Definitely held my breath for a few minutes and half expected to see your feet dangling from a tree in the background :)

[@kurts64]

Haha flirting with danger mate😆😆 cheers for watching and commenting 👍 👍

[@urbanlumberjack]

That hytest is a beast! Sounds great in the timber.

[@kurts64]

Cheers mate!👍👍

[@Southernlandbushcraft]

Maaaate! That was a mission, well done. That tree was a bastard lol. Shame about that handle. Anyway I enjoyed watching the vid mate. Good job.

[@kurts64]

Gday mate, thanks for checking it out, definitely qualifies as a bastard tree I reckon! Cheers!👍👍

[@moonlightfarmer]

That is some beautiful work!

[@kurts64]

Cheers mate, thanks for checkin out the vid👍👍

[@polderfischer8565]

Well done mister! And i literally felt your pain...what a hard tree!!

[@kurts64]

Thanks for watching mate, she wasn't giving up easy, that's for sure!

[@polderfischer8565]

@@kurts64 Right, she was a bit beasty ;-)

[@tedmartin5402]

Put a cut down the middle of that scarf if the chips are hard to spit out .makes it a bit easier.

[@kurts64]

Cheers, yeah I did a couple of step cuts on the back, was a bugger of a tree!

[@implexidens5539]

Mate, that was epic!

[@kurts64]

Cheers mate!👍👍🪓

[@implexidens5539]

What was the Plumb that you were using on that one? Was it a 4.5lb permabond? Looks like a nice profile.

[@kurts64]

@@implexidens5539 gday, yep a plumb 4.5, would have been a permabond back in its day but this one's on a 750 Hultafors handle, thinned with laminated palm swells. Been a great allrounder axe for a few years now!👍👍🪓

[@implexidens5539]

Cool. Good to see one getting some action. I’ve got the same head… just needs a handle. It’s in the line up. I might have to bump it up the queue!

[@kurts64]

@@implexidens5539 yeah mate, get her swingin! Great axe🪓 🪓

[@maxhannum4616]

I've been looking for a kelly perfect in the states, glad you got a nice one

[@kurts64]

They are a beautiful pattern, I was very lucky Matt sent me this one. Pretty special axe! Thanks for watching mate!👍

[@MidCoastAdventures]

I'd have just ridden around it 🤣🤣 Cheers for the vid Kurt 😎👍

[@kurts64]

Haha I'd wondered if you'd passed this one in your travels through Tamban lately! Cheers for watching mate👍👍

[@MidCoastAdventures]

@@kurts64 Nah, but if I do, I'll make sure to film it, and recognize the time and effort for the fella who carved it up 💪😎

[@elemental4rce]

fuck me man made me jump then she pinged! We do loads of windblown trees for highways. Stay safe and well chopped! Shit was like glass

[@kurts64]

Hahaha thing made me jump too!😬 🤣 Cheers mate👍👍

[@taztaz6539]

I don't blame you for cussing - I would have been too - that tree looks proper solid in fact I would have got my chainsaw out in the end but am lazy Love the commentary cos of the emotion you put into your graft

[@kurts64]

Thanks mate, I appreciate that! Cheers for watching👍👍

[@Codi_Clapper]

Very impressive work Kurt! It’s no wonder you are accustomed to heavy axes, I don’t think your Montreal would make a dent in that stuff😆. That first dismount was awesome, I was really worried how it was gonna go when I saw how big the root swell was. The jersey’s handle really took a beating. I’d say it performed very well all things considered. It’s crazy that you cut that stuff lol. Sounded like every stroke was hitting a knot. Not often do I see downed trees in our parks. It’s usually cleaned up in a hurry. Wish I did, looked like a lot of fun! I was surprised there weren’t people out there. Did anyone approach you during the time you were chopping?

[@kurts64]

Thanks Codi! Cheers for watching too. Haha yep would have been hard work with the little Montreal! Devastated I lost the Jersey, was asking alot of it toward the end though. We'll get her rehung soon and send her back out there! This is a working forest and sections are actually being logged at the moment, the tree was on a link road though so happily escaped attention. A few bikes and a truck came past just as I was finishing up, but they were the only traffic I saw all day. There's a few other little vids on my FB if you wanna have a look, cheers mate!

[@Codi_Clapper]

@@kurts64 Awesome, thanks Kurt! Will have to check those out👍

[@chimmy4244]

DUUUDDEEE!! Good on you for sticking it out! Gotta be honest if I ran across hard wood like that and had a saw in the truck...... Unique looking sap at least here in the states is it in the tree year round or does it flow with the seasons?

[@kurts64]

Thanks mate! The sap/gum pockets like that, it's common to come across them, I wasn't expecting it so flow so freely in winter but we've had such a long grow season this year with all the rain. I should have collected some and tried it for a few things.

[@chimmy4244]

@@kurts64 Be cool to mix it with blo and see if it makes a good handle finish.

[@kurts64]

@@chimmy4244 I'll have to try that!

[@KevinsDisobedience]

Black butt…do they loose their bark higher up like that all the time?

[@kurts64]

No that's them, got a rough flaky bark up about half way (or to the first major fork) then they're smooth like a spotted gum, beautiful tree and can get huge!

[@BAD-kq6ec]

Hello. What wood is used on the broken axe?

[@kurts64]

Gday mate thanks for watching. It was a hickory handle👍👍🪓

[@djhotshot67]

ahh yes a good day for mate Kurt to try out Mats kelly perfect he built you awsome 😁👍

[@djhotshot67]

ahh hell brotha handles ar replaceable just ask the guy you got the jersey from I used to call him mat the handle braker 🤣👍 no worries mate im sure a gum handle would look grate .

[@kurts64]

@@djhotshot67 gday mate! Haha still feel bad about it but Matt told me he's broken the odd one or two! I've got another pretty special handle here, she'll be back up and swingin again soon!

[@ethicalaxe]

Fantastic. The master is back. It's great to see the extreme timber in your region. Can't be a better place to send an axe to be tested than to Kurt S haha. You save and dry any timber for handles? Can the timber there even be rived?

[@kurts64]

Thanks mate! Straight grain stuff can be split into boards, when the grain starts to interlock at all ,not without difficulty. I've split out a lot of fence posts over the years, was hoping to do a vid of it at the farm but didn't get a chance. When I get back to this tree I'll give it a good look over and see what we can do with it

[@ethicalaxe]

@@kurts64 American sweetgum (supposedly) and black tupelo have interlocking grain. I was able to rive sweetgum somehow. It was easier than beech by a lot. Black Tupelo is awful though. But neither compare when it comes to the toughness of the timber you have to work with. By the way. That was a big tree to take on!

[@kurts64]

@@ethicalaxe that sweetgum you split in your last vid had a nice look to it with that sheen that it gets, there's a few Acacia's here that look and behave very similar. Relatively lightweight (compared to gums) when it's dry, but can be very bouncy to split until it decides to peel apart. Makes beautiful decorative lumber. Do you have any vids of the tupelo? Have read about that in Kephart before

[@ethicalaxe]

@@kurts64 I hope to show the properties of black tupelo in the future. It's a ridiculous timber. I tried riving it when i didn't know much and it was impossible. I don't think I'll try that again even with my added experience haha. Even bucking it was difficult at the time. I hope i can get some for a video soon.

[@MatthewAmsbaugh]

3rd!

[@kurts64]

Awesome!

[@Jesusiskingamen7]

That’s a hard tree

[@kurts64]

Definitely a stubborn bugger, cheers for watching mate👍

[@Jesusiskingamen7]

Yes brotha love seeing different types of wood how different they are. One of our hardest woods is oak that mostly what I cut and use

[@kurts64]

@@Jesusiskingamen7 from what I've seen oak is pretty tough, especially white oak. Red oak looks cool though!

[@KillingerUSA]

second!

[@kurts64]

Nice!👍

[@KevinsDisobedience]

First

[@kurts64]

First!

[@ildarvaliahmetov9760]

Почему, нельзя, потуже затянуть ремень, вам не надоедает постоянно подтягивать штаны или это такая аменриканская мода ?

[@kurts64]

Haha nah my buckle was broken! I've since got a new belt😁👍👍🪓