Thank You Jeff

Are you referring to a knife or your dick?

Thank you so much!

I swear I'll get a picture of the second any day now. I've been stuck cutting, chopping, and moving probably ~6 cords of wood. And I've got 3 more trees to cut down and process, too.

But I did get a thing up for a treadle hammer:

SpringsKnives on Instagram: "With an outdoor forge, my heavy hammer options are limited. So I'm building a treadle hammer."

2 Likes, 0 Comments - SpringsKnives (@springsknives) on Instagram: "With an outdoor forge, my heavy hammer options are limited. So I'm building a treadle…

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Dannes - ever considered getting into the axe game ? I've noticed that all axes manufactured in the USA are, well to put it accurately, are fucking pieces of shit. I have a hand forged one from Sweden - a Gransfors Bruk) - it's magnificent. There was a time when almost all axes in the US were really excellent, but now the only chance you have is estate sales some one made in the 60s. The shit the sell at Home Depot and the like are not only unsharpened, they are even not ground halfway. They are utterly useless for any task except using the back side as a hammer.

I shouldn't say manufactured in the USA - I should say SOLD in the USA. I'm sure they're all made in China, manufactured to lawyer specs.

Quote from Slamfire

Dannes - ever considered getting into the axe game ? I've noticed that all axes manufactured in the USA are, well to put it accurately, are fucking pieces of shit. I have a hand forged one from Sweden - a Gransfors Bruk) - it's magnificent. There was a time when almost all axes in the US were really excellent, but now the only chance you have is estate sales some one made in the 60s. The shit the sell at Home Depot and the like are not only unsharpened, they are even not ground halfway. They are utterly useless for any task except using the back side as a hammer.

Yes, I am getting into axes. The problem is power. For example, I got myself some 1.5"x1.5" 4140.

I've got the hand tools to drift the eye on the axe. But if I do it by hand, it could take me 1 or 2 hours just to drive the initial punch and the drift through. THEN I can really start forging on the axe.

Even forging them out of premade ball peen hammer heads, it still takes me an hour or 2 to do the whole thing, where as for a knife I can do it in 20-30 minutes. Though there isn't nearly as much grinding on the axe heads.

So that's why I'm building the treadle hammer. It's a giant post suck into the ground that I can hang a spring and sledge hammer from. Add on a chain and a foot pedal, and I can stomp it and get a lot more power compared to doing it by hand. We'll see how it goes. It's fucking cold here so I'm going to wait a full week on the concrete to set.

Yeah I get it - lots of metal... big ass hunk of it to work with...

I think the market is there though... there's loads and loads of new age survivalist hipsters who call themselves "Bushcrafters". What they don't get is it's illegal virtually everywhere to cut down a tree - unless it's your private property and general live on unincorporated land (you need a permit to cut down a tree on your own land almost everywhere). Most buy the gear and never use it, but hey, paying customers right ?

I use mine for yard work (lopping off shit) and chopping firewood into kindling as I like to sit outside in the cold months at Casa Del Slam with a nice fire. I like the light workout as well - I need all I can get.

My big home depot axe only puts little dents in kiln fired hardwood LOL. The swede hatchet obliterates it with ease.

Quote from Slamfire

Yeah I get it - lots of metal... big ass hunk of it to work with...

I think the market is there though... there's loads and loads of new age survivalist hipsters who call themselves "Bushcrafters". What they don't get is it's illegal virtually everywhere to cut down a tree - unless it's your private property and general live on unincorporated land (you need a permit to cut down a tree on your own land almost everywhere). Most buy the gear and never use it, but hey, paying customers right ?

I use mine for yard work (lopping off shit) and chopping firewood into kindling as I like to sit outside in the cold months at Casa Del Slam with a nice fire. I like the light workout as well - I need all I can get.

The one thing that I was VERY surprised to learn when I started doing this is that even if the metal is white hot and throwing sparks from being overheated, you still need to swing as hard as you can just to move it a tiny little bit.

When was young my dad gave me a hatchet from the 40s or 50s - all it took was a touch of strop every now and then and it could cut paper like a sharp knife. I wish I still had it. I always had it on my belt when I'd go into the wilderness with my uncles.

The swede axe I have is like that, even better - but they cost well over $150 and are hard to source.

I have a vaughn carpenter axe from Home Despot from about 15 years ago - it's horrid. Maybe if I took it to a belt sander I might be able to grind a useful edge on it. It's sharp like the spine side of a butter knife. It just bounces off wood. I've taken a file to it but it wears out files before any real edge can be formed. It's fat and convex, really no grind - just a rounded surface. It needs so much metal removed to make it useful. I think lawyers are half the problem - a good axe is a dangerous tool and needs to be treated with the upmost respect.

I've got a bunch of "hatchets" I've made out of the ball peen hammer heads.

It's better steel than a few hatchets and axes I've bought over the years. Those are just mild steel. And I can tell the difference. (Sharpen mild steel to a razor edge, and even just sitting in open air it'll eventually dull by itself.)

I can sell any of the hatchets for $75+shipping, but I'd have to go and get them all lined up for a picture. A few of them are in a display case at the local hardware store.

The new axes, once I finally start making them, will cost more.

Also I got the ball rolling on my high quality spatulas made from knife steel. Let's see the cost to get them before I commit, though.

I would ask Storch to post a pic but... you know....

I still call an exceptional blade a "Vorpal" blade (from the Lewis Carrol poem).

Celtic mythology... a blade capable of slaying an exceptional beast.

My way of saying "It can Keeeeeel" like that flipper on the forging reality show.

Quote from Slamfire

When was young my dad gave me a hatchet from the 40s or 50s - all it took was a touch of strop every now and then and it could cut paper like a sharp knife. I wish I still had it. I always had it on my belt when I'd go into the wilderness with my uncles.

The swede axe I have is like that, even better - but they cost well over $150 and are hard to source.

I have a vaughn carpenter axe from Home Despot from about 15 years ago - it's horrid. Maybe if I took it to a belt sander I might be able to grind a useful edge on it. It's sharp like the spine side of a butter knife. It just bounces off wood. I've taken a file to it but it wears out files before any real edge can be formed. It's fat and convex, really no grind - just a rounded surface. It needs so much metal removed to make it useful. I think lawyers are half the problem - a good axe is a dangerous tool and needs to be treated with the upmost respect.

My 3 latest and best hatchets I've got in the display case at the local hardware store.

I haven't made any in a while because I've been gearing up to make them from scratch.