Understanding Axes - getting the right shape

[@michaelroeder9987]

In the last hour watching your videos on axes has given me the best information of any other video out there. Well done!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thanks Michael - that's very kind of you

[@icjinu]

I was suprised how well this video explained axe types. Good job, thank you for bringing out this content.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

I'm really glad it was useful! Hugh

[@LiveFree765]

Best explanation of axe head geometry I’ve seen, very well done.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thanks Ron 👍

[@unitytira4954]

Thank you so much for explaining the functions of the different geometry of an axe, it is a great help, blessings.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

You are very welcome

[@ObamaoZedong]

This may be one of if not the most useful axe videos for beginners! Thank you!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

I'm so happy that you think so - thank you!

[@raysanguinetti7208]

Intelligent, articulate and hands that reflect well earned knowledge. So nicely paced compared to so many of todays computer compressed language content. Your advance preparation helped me learn and reaffirm! Thank You. Best Regards! Ray

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thank you Ray, that's very kind of you. Hugh

[@Ryanosaurr]

Clear, all the way from a bird's eye view, down to the nitty gritty. Great video and I can clearly see how the mechanics also apply to knives (of which a convex edge becomes the specialty and carving straight edge is likely the norm).

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Yes indeed although knife design is even more complex - full flat, Scandinavian (with or without secondary bevels etc.)

[@iDerbas]

Great explanation which I was looking for. Thank you!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

You're very welcome. Any questions, don't hesitate to ask 🙂

[@Clemduchateau]

Thank you ! There is a lot of videos and tutorials on how you should reshape your axe. But very few explain why. You just made my day, thanks a lot :)

[@EnglishCountryLife]

I'm glad it helped 🙂

[@pondlife1952]

I wish I had watched this video first, before grinding down an old axe head that had been found many years ago. It might not be what I actually need in an axe head. Good informative video, thanks.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

I'm so glad it was useful 🙂

[@jakecharlesworth5575]

I couldn’t find the info I needed anywhere else...great video

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thanks Jake, that's great to hear! Hugh

[@JeepsterDave]

Working my way through these videos and learning / reinforcing a lot. Those wooden models are particularly good - they illustrate your points very well indeed. Appreciating your clear presentation style too. All in all a very good job sir!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thank you Dave! I confess I was very worried about this video, but I couldn't think of any way to explain the shape and profile that an axe needed to be to perform various tasks well without making this,. Without that understanding, its daft to start filing away because the shape thats created may well be the wrong one!

[@willcarmack1242]

First off....Merry Christmas to you and your family. A great channel and an excellent vid on axes. I have always been interested in old world cutting technology and techniques related to forestry and woodworking. I'am so glad I found your channel. Very educational and informative....with spot on visual and model examples. That make it easy and clear to understand the science of this art. Fantastic presentation and many thanks to you for sharing your time.. knowledge and dedication..Much Respect from St Petersburg Florida....

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thanks Will - Merry Christmas to you and yours 🎄⛄

[@Growmetheus]

Thank you, 10:30 is exactly what i wanted! Its for designing a halberd!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Oh that sounds fascinating!

[@brun8902]

Very clear explanation. Well done.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thank you!

[@mikemcg3921]

Seriousky very well donr and thorough. Great content !

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thanks!

[@dannickstrom469]

Great explanation with the wooden shapes. Thanks a lot!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@livio_morais]

Amazing!! Thank you for teaching me this concepts.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

I'm glad that you liked it 🙂

[@MrDanKnapp]

Good models. I appreciate the time you've taken to explain this.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thanks Dan, not too nerdy?

[@MrDanKnapp]

Not to my tastes, but it depends what you're trying to do. If you are trying to create a library of really informative videos, you're doing the right thing. If you're trying to create short and snappy videos to get people whizzing through them nice and fast (ugh) then prob too long. But then, I like slow TV with people taking time to actually explain things. It makes a big difference. We've got too used to short and fast, and often superficial, content.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

We ate trying for useful and interesting. This video always worried me because it is rather "axe nerd" but I just couldn't figure out how else to explain the shape we were going for when sharpening.

[@barbara-deleted-8434]

Thanks for this wonderful explanation, it's exactly what I needed to learn!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thank you, if you have any questions at any point, please let me know

[@robphone4895]

Very informative, thank you!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Glad it was helpful 🙂

[@paulclarke267]

very well explained cheers

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Glad you liked it!

[@AndrewTinory]

Thank you very much, sir

[@EnglishCountryLife]

You are most welcome!

[@bealdorrochebourg7810]

Excellent and informative, I am using my axes instead of power tools.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

There is huge satisfaction and often great satisfaction in using and maintaining hand tools I agree. Something about a long, whisper thin shaving curving perfectly from a plane is almost Zen like.

[@RobertsBulgaria]

Very good use of aids to demonstrate your points. I for one hadn't really understood the differences and am trying to understand where my Bulgarian Bearded Axe falls into the equation.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

There are many variations - always happy to look at an interesting example. You can send us a picture on X or Instagram

[@RobertsBulgaria]

@@EnglishCountryLife I may well do that as I find I need to split kindling at the thicker end of the chopping blade as otherwise, closer down the blade over the shaft results in the wood coming into contact with the shaft itself before splitting and why I have to protect the shaft with paracord whipping. I have a SHORT on my Channel called Cheap Axe Mask where you can no doubt see the axe I am referring to.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@RobertsBulgaria Just saw it. As you observed it's quite a thin blade and shallow bevel so it won't necessarily split quickly. Mauls and splitting axes are generally a more obtuse angle. Roselli make a bearded splitting axe that's really wide fir just this reason. The beard is great for "choking up" on the blade though

[@Pines_Druid]

This was excellent. My only problem, I really wanted you to use the word for ‘bundle of sticks’ that would shock the yanks. Cheers from the states.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

😁 the F word?

[@Pines_Druid]

@@EnglishCountryLife That’s the one. I suppose youtube might not approve.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@Pines_Druid Probably not!

[@Mat-kr1nf]

I got a lot of good info from this, I have my grandmother’s axe dating to around 1920s, it’s about a lb weight, I think it’s a Kent pattern, not got it here to check, just waiting for a haft to arrive (earlier today, I would have said “handle” ! 😂) I’m putting a 12” hickory haft on it. It’ll be for camping with a bit of shaping before spoon making, now known as bush crafting, so I gather🤓. Anyway, got to say, you are a very good teacher, will be checking out your other videos.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thanks Mat. That sounds like a wonderful heirloom from your family! If you get any problems with the process, feel free to ask questions, we do have a while video on fitting a haft

[@Mat-kr1nf]

English Country Life Hi, I’ll check that out before I put the new haft on. It’s a 1.25 lb Riley & Sons 1186 Kent pattern hatchet head, made in Sheffield. It’s in really good condition, it was a bit rusty, so I’d cleaned it in white vinegar, but the poll hasn’t been hammered at all by the look of it, the edge wasn’t nibbled either! It’s going to be a treasured tool. I’m going to make a nice collar and sheaf for it, I think I’ve got a zigzag leather tooling punch somewhere that I got 30 odd years ago, so I might “tart” it up a little, not too much though, understated is more my thing.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Sounds ace! Would write more but am curing bacon!

[@ajaxtelamonian5134]

One of my favourites in coppice or just clearjng really big Rhododendrons is a Kent felling Pattern 2.5lb on a 25 inch handle seems about the best of both worlds as its got a good wedge to it but its also got a good edge length to it. The Swedes are good for small wood but they have quite short edges so have to be more accurate when limbing though.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

I have a 24" double bit "cruiser" axe that's really useful, it's a very handy length

[@ajaxtelamonian5134]

@@EnglishCountryLife Nice what make? I've been interested by the Ox head ones.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@ajaxtelamonian5134 It's an old Craftsman. I have a slightly larger Kelly True Temper as well 🙂

[@ajaxtelamonian5134]

@@EnglishCountryLife Cool I've got an old True Temper 3.5lb Michigan I keep around for splitting and kinda rough work as the poll is Dryads saddle mushroomed but weirdly the bit is is fantastic nick.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@ajaxtelamonian5134 I confess that I do take a file or even a flap disc grinder to mushrooming. I have to dress my splitting wedges regularly. I don't use a poll for pounding unless it's a maul with a hardened striker - but so many old heads have been used that way

[@buddysmith407]

Would you explain a little bit about the hardness of the metal in the axes?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Of course Buddy, what is it you want to know particularly?

[@buddysmith407]

@@EnglishCountryLife What is the hardness of the average off the shelf axes? How do you know if the metal is to soft?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hi Buddy, The hardness of an axe generally varies across the head. It is hardest and consequently most brittle at the bit where wear and blunting are an issue, hence why an axe bit will chip if it hits a nail. It is softer around the poll and eye to be more resilient to cracking, hence why a poll will deform if you hit it with a metal hammer. At the bit I would expect the hardness to measure 56 - 59 HRC depending on purpose, make & geometry. You need a set of special punches to measure hardness - you can often see a dimple on old axes showing where hardness was tested. Hope that helps? Hugh

[@hillbill79]

Nice video Hugh. Hope all is well mate.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hello, great to hear from you! Hope all is well your end?

[@hillbill79]

@@EnglishCountryLife Yeah, all good mate, finding my way again. Your place looks nice. Only ever seen pics of your veg garden on BCUK lol. Consider me jealous. I wasn't aware you had a youtube channel. Ill have to have a watch of some of your other videos later. Subscribed.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Its a recent thing Mark, we were showing some stuff to people on Twitter using short videos but were limited to 2 minutes, so folk asked us to shove stuff on KZbin. And here we are! Lovely to hear from you, keep in touch!

[@hillbill79]

@@EnglishCountryLife Will do mate. :)

[@jodyfree953]

👍🏻💯

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thank you!

[@bealdorrochebourg7810]

Going a bit to far me thinks! My grand father was a carpenter and made coffins, when he died he left loads of hand tools my father then threw them all out!!!!!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

I can see sometimes with tradesmen that "time is money" and they don't have the time or sometimes skill to use hand tools. I am not averse to using power tools, but use hand tools often as well. It's nice not to battle a power lead or charge a battery sometimes!

[@bealdorrochebourg7810]

@@EnglishCountryLife power tools are great for some tasks, I am binning my petrol driven power tools, if I buy new ones they will be electric, simple over here no fossil fuels used to power them just good clean nuclear. I prefer hand tools as they help keep me fit and healthy and also give me a good appetite come feeding time.