The second article in the Bangor Daily News from my discussion with Sam Schipani is titled “How To Pick An Axe” and was published on November 12, 2020.
Link: How To Pick An Ax
Ms. Schipani lists six things to consider when choosing an axe. As with the first article she wrote based on our discussion, I think she did a great job with this one. Since speaking with her I’ve gone through and read a bunch of her other articles, all of which I enjoyed and learned something from.
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Another solid article!
I didn’t know about the file technique for finding a good axe head….That makes sense though.
When you make axe handles, do you start with a pattern blank, round lumber, or milled board?
Keep the posts coming!
We usually start with a part of a tree similar to a bow stave – a 1/4 round of the tree trunk. You can also start with lumber, but it should be quarter-sawn to have the growth rings line up correctly. I’ve only broken one axe handle in my life, and it sheared off along the growth rings. It was a crappy, hardware store handle that had been painted so I couldn’t see the growth rings. For a look at how the growth rings should line up, see Mors Kochanski’s book Bushcraft.