Thar's gold in them thar barns...
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wrote on 7 Nov 2021, 13:02 last edited by
It's hard to buy a good double-bit ax nowadays. Council makes one that's ok, but the best of the older axes was a True Temper Kelly Perfect. That's what my grandpa used (and wore out), it's what my daddy used. Sadly, I lost his old ax working in the woods.
Thought I would check on eBay. Wowsers! Current bid for one is $125 for the head.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/224676067457?hash=item344fbcb881:g:YsIAAOSwQr9hhCDC
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wrote on 7 Nov 2021, 16:08 last edited by
Compared to long long ago, most consumer goods have turned disposable. Before that, many/most things were built to last "forever".
A famous example is the Phoebus Cartel for light bulbs back one hundred years ago.
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wrote on 7 Nov 2021, 16:17 last edited by
In the case of the ax, those were being made in the 1980's, when production ceased.
Timeline...
In 1930, the "True Temper" brand of axes began after the American Fork & Hoe company acquired the Kelly Axe Manufacturing Co.
In 1949, "True Temper" became the new corporate name of the American Fork & Hoe Co.
In 1982, True Temper's Kelly Works (Charleston WV) factory was closed.So, there were a lot of those axes out there. But like any tool, they are sharpened many times over their life and wear out. And on a double-bit, you keep one side very sharp, the other, not so much. Each side has its own purpose.
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In the case of the ax, those were being made in the 1980's, when production ceased.
Timeline...
In 1930, the "True Temper" brand of axes began after the American Fork & Hoe company acquired the Kelly Axe Manufacturing Co.
In 1949, "True Temper" became the new corporate name of the American Fork & Hoe Co.
In 1982, True Temper's Kelly Works (Charleston WV) factory was closed.So, there were a lot of those axes out there. But like any tool, they are sharpened many times over their life and wear out. And on a double-bit, you keep one side very sharp, the other, not so much. Each side has its own purpose.
wrote on 7 Nov 2021, 16:33 last edited by@jolly Interesting. I dont know anything about axes other than what i see them doing to cut down trees. LOL
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@jolly Interesting. I dont know anything about axes other than what i see them doing to cut down trees. LOL
wrote on 7 Nov 2021, 17:50 last edited by@taiwan_girl said in Thar's gold in them thar barns...:
@jolly Interesting. I dont know anything about axes other than what i see them doing to cut down trees. LOL
That's a romantic notion.
Saws have been around a long time, both bucking and felling. You might, just might use an ax to cut down a tree in the 1800's, but you cut the logs with a saw.
And yes, I'm not half-bad on either a cross-cut or a buck-saw. Here's your trivia question for the day: Why do people cut the handles off of a buck-saw?
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@taiwan_girl said in Thar's gold in them thar barns...:
@jolly Interesting. I dont know anything about axes other than what i see them doing to cut down trees. LOL
That's a romantic notion.
Saws have been around a long time, both bucking and felling. You might, just might use an ax to cut down a tree in the 1800's, but you cut the logs with a saw.
And yes, I'm not half-bad on either a cross-cut or a buck-saw. Here's your trivia question for the day: Why do people cut the handles off of a buck-saw?
wrote on 7 Nov 2021, 18:00 last edited by@jolly said in Thar's gold in them thar barns...:
Why do people cut the handles off of a buck-saw?
To get to the other side.
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wrote on 8 Nov 2021, 01:36 last edited by
Well, obviously we have a bunch of ignorant city folk around here. Probably all starve, next Apocalypse.
Most bucksaws we had, had a metal frame. If you notice on the saw above, one leg of the frame sticks down. That's to hold onto. But if you are sawing pulpwood on the ground, which is what they were usually used for, that leg sticking down got in the way. So, folks sawed it off.
It also works better as a two-man saw, which is how they're used, lots of times...
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wrote on 8 Nov 2021, 02:36 last edited by
I have an old wooden one - like this
It doesn't get a lot of use, but I have used it a few times on tree limbs
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