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A Proper Brush Axe - Wranglerstar
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- Опубліковано 23 лют 2014
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Some folks calls it a Sling Blade, I call it a Kaiser Blade.......umhum
In the South it was used by the Chain Gangs to clear banks along the State Roads in lots of the Southern States. It was used to Clear brush & saplings closer to the ground. These tools work best where there's no spring on impact and while swinging in a downward angle, leaving a sharp stob sticking out of the ground 2-6" if done right.. Just one long, even, graceful powerful stroke with a downward sweep will slice 2+" saplings in one swing and ofter with just one hand. In the 50s & 60, the Chain Gangs in the Deep south used them exclusively. When I was 7-10 years old, we would drive past these Chain Gangs all the time...Work Release was different then, they had to work really hard. I watched crews swinging these Kaiser or Sling Blades every Spring and Fall.
It was like the movies we've all seen. Ive watched Men working with other Men they were chained next to. They were chained 6-10' apart and would sometimes fall into a rhythm with the other workers after a little while....just like in the movies. They would sometimes compete, seeing who had the best swing, strongest stroke, or who could cut down the most saplings with one swing of the blade.
One sweeping swing can bring down large saplings one after the other, time after time like a machine once you find a good rhythm and learn this tool. The perfect site has straight consistent saplings 1-2" thick with a bit of space between them & has no tangling under growth to tangle your blade and slow you down. ....matted areas make for slow going and tiring work because you cant get a rhythm that makes it more like a dance & less like a job.
I've used them quite a bit myself and they take much of the work out of this kind of job for sure. And yes, the hooked tip hits the dirt often but that's not where the work is being done, so it don't much matter. The hooked tip acts like your arm, gathering in thinner material to help pull/hold & steady it while the wider, heavier straight part of the blade delivers the shearing blow that does all of the heavy work. You hardly ever see a sharp tip on these blades when they are used day after day. All you gotta do is aim it, give it a push and hang on to it..as .it does most of the work when you learn to use it wisely, conserving your energy through the day. Once you really get the feel for it, you can work all day and not be nearly as tired as you might think.
The State Road Departments would clear the banks of saplings every few years like clock work, while the new growth was prime size for these blades, the Gangs would walk through these places like hot knives in warm butter....leaving an area covered with nothing but sharp little stobs sticking up 2-6" depending on who is swinging the tool and what's being cut.
Today, they have resorted to chemical sprays and we all know what that means for us. But, as long as 2 man crews can keep these areas cleared where it used to take thousands of Prisoners & Armed Guards State Wide, the State will continue to sanction these Chemical Management Programs that we are seeing today.....
Sorry for the long post! I love to write and do get carried away telling stories sometimes.
You beat me by over a year
Thanks for the read Raylon, I enjoyed it!
I loved that movie by the way
The Walking dictionary...
Cool Hand Luke movie has em....
Whenever I'm up late at night I invariably end up on this channel.
+keejinjohanson glad you like it
+Theik111 at least we're not the only ones
+keejinjohanson same .... 2:00am , here i am again
yeah me too even as I'm writing this it's pretty late
same
Its actually meant to be used on Brush. Like bushes it was also frequently used in fields. It was a multipurpose tool. I actually have one I use it mostly to clear small brush in the woods.
Also known as a bill hook, I believe. A medieval peasants tool and weapon. Classed as a pole arm,evolved into the halberd. Quite a useful tool.
I DON'T COMMENT MUCH BUT I WANT YOU TO KNOW. Your ministry and videos have help me get through stage 3B cancer. I can't thank you enough for taking the time with these vids and most of all your perspective on the scripture. I'm so blessed by the things God has convicted you to do and to keep up with. Thank you and God placed us together. All things happen for a reason. Semper Fi. USMC.
Semper Fi Mark and thank you .
wranglerstar
Thank for taking the time to reply. Very kind of you. God bless us all..
In the UK we call them Bill hooks, and almost every county has its' own variant, which are of different handle lengths and blade styles. For instance a Devon or Cornwall bill hook is a short one handed, single bladed tool, but a Yorkshire bill is a medium length, long handled tool with a flat machete blade on the back. They go back many hundreds of years, and were one of the most common tools for peasant farmers and foresters...and poachers. I have been using them for 27 years to brash thicker branches, and they are pretty much awesome on both hard and soft woods! I have one that is nearly 90 years old (but the blade is getting a bit thin now), but my main one is used virtually every day for forestry work.
Keep up the good wortk with the channel by the way!
Sammy Bee yeah, I was just thinking that! I just found one behind my garden shed in devon, not sure what type it is yet, it had a longer handle so probably a yorkshire.
A bill hook is a brush axe that was weaponized for war..
I love your work , keep the videos coming ! I live in a very small farming community in east Tennessee n cant belive people have the gall to comment on some of your videos. We need to pray for these people and our country. Thank you again.
Jody Davidson Yes, prayer helps! Thank you. MrsW here.
I worked with Dad doing some clearing with brush hook, Dad would swing it kinda like a golf club to cut the brush on the up swing. Dad helped me get the hang of using one and once you get the nack of using one you can clear ground rather fast.
Dad got good using one clearing the homestead in Alaska when he was a young man.
Kriss Femmpaws That's the way they are used around here. The up swing utilizes the hook more than the downward motion of ax cutting. Those used here have a longer handle to make cuts closer to the ground. Before modern powered tools and herbicides came into being, they were often used to keep brush cleared on power line right of ways. And, keeping the shoulders of rural roads cleared, as well. Another use, I remember was keeping fence lines and such cleared.
In Alaska one of the things you get to deal with is Devil Club... clearing it can be a big chore. I use to cut Grandma B's fence lines with a scythe in the summer and fall in the late 60s and early 70s. The brush hook was used for the saplings and black berries.
My dad had one of those, I have it now, and he called the brush hook a man killer, and we used it on the hardwood brush around our place here. We used it mostly on roots.
NOT A TOOL FOR WOMEN - WHAAAAT????? You're using it wrong, my friend! I'm a grandmother, a month shy of 69, 5'4" and 145 lbs, and I LOVE my two-handed billhook!!! For one thing, laddie, I chop right down at ground-level, swinging hard enough to cut through the trunks of bush honeysuckle, chokecherry, sumac, wild grapevines, and young black walnut and honey-locust that I tried to whack with a cheap Harbor Freight machete - and nearly destroyed in the process. I don't have time to chop them twice to clear my land. Mine has a regular-type wooden axe handle, and a heavy blade, with the sharp edge extending clear up and around the top of the hook. It's a LOT easier to use than whacking those same plants wtih an axe, or even with my Stihl chainsaw. I wouldn't hesitate to strap this on my back to take on a hike. It will split smaller firewood, cut brush, and chop weeds. I LOVE IT!!!!!!
When I was young and worked for the Ca. Forest Dept. and at that time the Ecology Corp. I used a brush hook and in Ca. brush fires that thing cut like crazy. The one I had was about 3/8 in thick at the spine and was a flat grind all the way from the edge. It went through 1 to 1 1/2 in thick brush with one swing. It was better than the one he has. We made firebreaks at an impressive speed. That was at the front.
The burk blade you pointed out is known as a ditch bank blade in the South/East/Southeast of the country. I've been using them all my life, and they're fantastic for:
- Clearing pine saplings and young stands of Chinese privet
- Pulling kudzu, honeysuckle, trumpet vine and wisteria away from trees and fences while also cutting them
- Dragging small logs out of the way, sort of like a pickaroon
Different designs, I think, are meant more for different things. Double-edged varieties are meant more for lighter work, even though they're still super heavy. They just don't bite as well as a good axe or cane knife for taking out small trees.
A billhook and a Glock?? Lots of zombies then in that part of the woods I presume.;-)
medieval english infantry used something like this called a "bill hook"
Cold steel makes one.
Awesome! I used brush hooks growing up to clear huckleberry and salal for dirt bike trails up here in the NW. I have been looking for an older one like that and recently picked up an old PEXTO Bell System brush axe that I am restoring. I will be putting it to work soon. I find that striking the brush lower toward the stem is much more effective and eliminates the flex and deflecting. Shin guards are a must!
Great video. I really dig the way you emphasize using the tools of our grandparents. As to the brush axe's use, it's a great general clearing tool for survey and forestry crew. I work in the engineering field and we use the brush axe to clear away small brush to take survey shots. The hook is great and tearing briars and brambles down to the ground so they won't snag you and chop down small trees as you've demonstrated. The brush axe is a multipurpose tool that is best suited for brush clearing and small saplings (
Beautiful job with the clearing, I wish I had a woodland to spend some time in.
Whit
If your going to compare a brush axe to a weapon of war it is a lot closer to a bill than a kukri.
A bill is a weaponized brushhook
Christopher Blaziek Thank you for saying that!
I used to spend my summers, during my teen years, clearing brush in South Georgia. we used the bush axes with both edges sharpened. Definitely my go-to tool. Especially for cutting roots and getting after the palmetto brush where the snakes like to hide. When I started working on a bush hog crew cutting right of way for transmission lines, it became my go-to for not spending 10 hours bent over, swinging a chainsaw when we had to hand cut an area too soupy for the tractor.
I really enjoy seeing you restore the forest. Me and my old man are cleaning up our property which has been over grown with cedars. I look to your videos for incite and the proper way to do things thanks alot!
can you make a video on how you suggest someone can start modern homesteading because when i am older i would love to live like you do but i dont know where to start
I also would love a series like this. I was born in california and I lived in Los Angeles but now I've managed to get out (currently in alaska). Nothing would bring more joy than to work my own land.
***** Some of his early videos talk about this very subject.
"some people call it a sling blade. i call it a kaiser blade"
that thing reminded me of the movie slingblade lol
old gregg, my elders have always called it a Kaiser blade
That's a sweet billhook. Me and my father use one-handed billhooks while out undertaking forestry work. It's just coupling swinging technique with strength, easy to remove all branches from thin trees(7 inches thick and lower) no matter the tree's species. Oak, beech, fir, you name it.
It might also partially be a cultural thing I find a billhook handier than a hatchet or machete when in the brush, but it's basically been the Western/Northern European equivalent of machete in the diverse ways it was used in old times.
It's wonderful seeing such care and effort going into a tool. You're an inspiration.
Best weapon for the zombie apocalypse as well.
Most of them are too heavy, if you can even find one. They're like cutting brush with a sledge hammer. Mine was home made by some clever unknown farmer and it's great.
One of my favorite brush clearing tools. The curved head comes in handy a lot
Hey Cody just watched this video and seeing the bush ax brings back memories my dad use to have one a long time ago .when i seen it being used it was used on bushes similar to the one you trimmed but i think from what i seen back in the day it was used a lot closer to the ground hence the reason for the hook blade think golf . the bush is sturdier closer to the root area giving you a lot better bite as you swing .it is a dandy tool and very versatile . great video thanx for sharing
Viva La SFC
First rule of SFC, you don't talk about SFC.
in ireland we call a burke blade a slasher well at least we do we have one of them. we use ours for clearing thorns and grass when we go fencing around ditches
+The Pilot Penguin Here in Florida we call it a ditch blade, because they are excellent for cleaning out brush clogged ditches & culverts.
makes sense
I realized that in this video you said this tool is not for women or children because you need a lot of upper body strength. are you implying that women cant have that upper body strength?
9:00 Did you just pull a Bob Ross?! LOL!
I just picked one of these up at a flea market for six dollars. I cleaned up the blade and put a new edge on it, along with refinishing the handle. I have been using it a lot and love it. I tried to get mine shiny like yours but instead it came out looking more like a rust blued gun barrel finish, which is fine by me. Keep up the great videos!!!
Samuel Williamson Oh and I forgot to mention that mine says True Temper on the blade and then under that it has an unreadable word and then Works. Could be we have the same tool!
the curve of the blade acts on the thinner springy stuff because as it bites in the material slides down the blade. The first cutting action is the wedge, then the material sliding the length of the blade and retained against the blade by the inward arching curve is cut by shear.... two cutting actions from one stroke.
The English developed these for coppicing small wood and maintaining hedgerows..... they call it the Bill or Bill hook.
The short version the U.S. Army fielded at one time as the fascine knife. Fascines are bundles of sticks used where sandbags are used today.
Cody, I used several similar Brush-axe over my years in SAR. We mostly used them when we had to clear brush for evidence searches. Ours seemed to have a slightly more pronounced hook that allowed us to catch those springy scrubby vines. They worked especially well for clearing the thick blackberry vines that grow everywhere here in Western Washington. The preferred technique was to hold the blade low along one's side and use a stroke that was both upwards and forward. Imagine paddling a canoe backwards. This helped to keep the user clear of the dangerous end. Cheers.
And in a pinch, the peasant can use it to fight in the line against the enemies of the king.
Ever notice how the peasants use tools similar to what they used on the farm while the coddled, wine-drinking nobles sit way up on a horse all covered in armor? Put that noble warrior on the ground with the same armor and weapon as a peasant and he wouldn't stand a chance.
@@briangodfrey5079 you are no grasp of history if you think knights weren't highly trained professional warrior. they 100% would kill untrained malnourished peasants is almost any situations with any equipment.
@@TheAmazingKoalaDolphin You didn't read what I wrote. Put them on the ground with the peasant's farm tools - the ones those peasants used all day, every day - and they wouldn't stand a chance. Peasants were farm labor and farm labor before the machine age was very strong and very tough.
@@briangodfrey5079 you clearly have no concept of what kind of training knights went through and how long they trained for. peasant's where for the most part malnourished back then, you vastly overrate their strength not even counting the fact they have no combat training. It would be like putting a Special Forces member versus a random guy in the street.
I'm sorry to break your little fantasy about "blue collar people are the best"
Thanks for the video. I have my grandfather's bank blade & have used it for 25ish years. Even in hard Texas stuff, it's my goto for clearing fencelines or back-grown areas around stock ponds, Sumac falls like tin-soldiers to it. As you demonstrated, it can fall smaller trees, up to 6" in a pinch. As you use your new one, you'll notice it definitely has a sweet spot on big stuff. Have fun!
So my fellow viewers, it is just a pleasure to be a member of Cody's SFC. Membership always has its benefits. =D Oh if only you knew what a wonderful society the SFC is! Also great video Cody, keep the content coming as it is always a pleasure to watch.
Narrow is the path to membership and few be that find it. Long live the SFC.
***** Viva LA SFC
Surveyors using them
Women have upper body strength aswell
Hate Life yes. But men scientifically have more.
Only those women with male hormones.
StupidAngryScotsman: By your logic, horses and bulls should be in charge. They are far stronger than any man. You Incels insult women and then wonder why you can't get a girlfriend.
Tommy Truth: You stupid ignoramuses don't even know that all men and women have both estrogen AND testosterone--just at different levels. Only a weakling is afraid of a strong woman.
So do children I suppose. It's A matter of scale.
I just got one a few months ago. I had no idea what it's purpose was. So I used it to pull up old paving stones that grass has grown over. It worked lol.
Now I know how to use it proper! Thanks
That’s awesome, we have them here in England and they are great for clearing brash, the smaller billhooks (pretty much the same tool as you’re using except the handle is a lot smaller) are used for laying hedges. They’re a great woodsman’s tool, widely loved in the UK.
Considering the weight of the tool, and the length of the handle, the penetration is rather poor. It seems to me the edge geometry has to be optimized. This thing deserve a real grind to realize it's potential. Right now, it seems to only have a steep bevel, which "artificailly" slows down the blade, dissipating many joules in prying the wood fibers appart for no use. Basicaly, it seems they just took a rather thick sheet of steel, cut the blade from it, welded the eye, and applied some sort of mock bevel as on a machete. But what works with a machete because it is thin doesn't work with a blade about three times as thick.
Regarding the "centuries of refinement as a tool", I have all reasons to believe you're wrong. I'm a billhook collector and edged tool enthusiast, from France, and I'm interested by anything that's got an edge from all over the world, as far back in history as archeology can find. I know there is no similar tool in France or Italy, and I don't recall anything like a brush axe in Britain or Germany either. To me, it looks like a typical 19th century american product, designed to be easily made industrially.
Regarding the brush axe variation that got the axe eye at its heel instead of in the middle, I know some japanese tools that look quite similar though, but it can't seem to recall the name right now. The classical american brush axe head looks astonishingly similar to some types of medieval polearms, like a perfect mix of a bill and a bardiche.
MadNumForce This design certainly is all about making a shaft-hole billhook (serpe à douille) easily hafted on a standard felling axe handle. The best way to put the eye adapted for an axe handle is to weld it on the back of the blade, etheir on the heel (simple douille extérieure), or in the middle plus another riveted eye strap on the heel (double douille extérieure).
Blah, blah. Learn to use it, then advise.
I've not cleared as much brush as a prison road crew in the 45 years I've been using brush hooks, but maybe almost. :-) Look how the brush bounces and absorbs much of the blow. This guy would have much better results hitting the brush lower and chopping downward at a steeper angle. That reduces the spring and a sharp hook will slice rather than chop so it goes through a lot more wood.
Also, the filework it takes to make a new brushhook usable will get your arms in shape to use it. Then just watch it cut! Much faster than an ax for up to 3"-4" diameter because the blade is so thin. Thicker than that and you do need the chip-out of an ax.
And it should only take one swing - at the right angle - to lop off a 2" piece of green brush without excessively tiring yourself out. Depending on the species and time of year, even a little guy like me could whack a 3" piece in one swing - but you gotta do it right and if you need to do that all day, get a chainsaw.
These are also better than an ax for limbing trees you've taken down if you'd rather not use your chainsaw. You're usually swinging at an awkward angle and that 12" blade doesn't usually miss the branches like a little ax blade can and the narrow, sharp blade doesn't glance off so easily. So you can swing real hard. Work from the bottom to the top of the tree, then roll it for the ones underneath. Stand on one side of the tree and whack on the other if you can to help keep the blade away from your legs. Sometimes you can zip right up the side of the tree and take off quite a few small branches in one swing. (Small to medium size trees, obviously, like you might be cutting for firewood.)
Finally, pay attention to what is behind the wood you are chopping. That point can really dig in deep and takes some effort to pull it out if you stick it deep into another piece of wood.
Saw the end of the video. Those chops are going halfway through - you can see the heart. You are right about needing more practice. Two accurate chops and maybe a little push would save you quite a bit of work.
@@aryafeydakin It's also about leverage and durability. With the ax eye on the heel of the blade, there is a lot of leverage trying to bend it backwards, break the weld, or break off the end of the ax handle. Putting the eye in the middle of the blade reduces that leverage by half, and the strap at the heel of the blade further reduces the tendency to wrench the blade backwards. It is a very rugged design, even if not a thing of beauty.
i always thought they were for knocking the brash off felled trees
Derek Waddell that is what we use it for and cleaning the woods like the end shot
As a young surveyor I used a brush axe to clear sight lines and find survey pins in hedge rows. It has to be ultra sharp to work effectively. A dull one just slides along the saplings. Many surveyors and foresters have dull ones in their tool box and never use them except to give to newbies to tire them out.
We use quite a lot of similar brush hooks here in northern Europe. The most common kind is a short handled tool for removing the branches from small felled trees. They are also excellent tools when roaming in wild forests. With a longer handle, similar to the one you used in the video, they are mostly used to cut thick brush where the stems are around 1-2 inches at the most. The long edge is to make it easy to use, as you said it doesn't require much precision. And the hook on the end snags the stem if it springs away. The important thing, as you stated, is to find the correct method when using them. One key thing is it has to be very sharp, and you swing it more lengthwise across the brush, not as much in a cross cutting motion. The tool you got I would say is for clearing larger areas of dense brush, for lighter clearing of single stems a shorter brush hook would probably be more practical (and can be carried in a sheath on your belt =) ).
Ditto on the tool down South (Greece). My country's equivalent is called among other names "branchcutter". Itis like the Fiskars model but has a rolled steel handle that can accept a wooden handle to reach higher standing branches.
For anything up to 4 inches it is vicious, Pic imageshack.com/a/img823/2584/webigp8289.jpg
GreekPreparedness
Looks awesome. I have a short Fiskars myself =) At the cottage we have 2 or 3 old ones with the same style rolled steel handles, but they need a lot of restoration to be useful =)
It's the same here in italy...
You and that word "Proper". I think it's your shtick, or the Wrangler star catch phrase. You need Wranglerstar T-Shirts to sell. "This is a proper T-shirt" or " Wranglerstar only does it properly". I see internet marketing in your future.
I consider this comment to be proper.
Since I've been addicted to wranglerstar I now all day say," is this proper". LOL.
Starving kids in Africa could have eaten those trees
This channel is above those childish, trendy comments.
Exile N Subjugate. Well guess what persona. They didn’t.
I've never seen anything like it. I love seeing the work you're doing clearing out the forest and taking care of it. Looks great
I've used a similar tool. You can also "hook" the fallen residue using the hook portion as a rake. It's also good for really tall weeds. Great Videos!
Absolutely right about the raking it's very handy for dat
Not a tool for women?!? I used on to clear out a patch of brush along a fence line 8' x 80' up to 3" thick!
Women have there places in this world
EVERY place!
?
+Terese Duffy cody is quite old fashioned in his thinking on gender roles, i wouldnt think much of it, if i were you..
dolmandabean, I don't. I like Wanglerstar and enjoy watching his video, support his UA-cam channel by watching the full ads and clicking on their links. I have purchased several items on his online page, their book and calendar, and other items that he has reviewed and recommended. If he would have said that the tool required a moderate amount to strength and endurance to use and may be difficult for some people to handle I would not have thought twice about it. I will continue to support him and his family as they become and teach others to be more self reliant.
are people really upset about the women comment? I always assumed it's common sense that the majority of women and children are weaker than men. it's natural.
I'm female and I cut down small weed trees all the time with a hand saw. Stuff grows like crazy in the fertile soil of my one acre backyard. You do what you have to in life, and it makes you stronger. Horses and cows are far stronger than any human man, but who's in charge? It's brains and determination that count.
My wife uses our brush axe... it was either a stupid comment, or my wife is a rare exception (or both).
We have a couple brush hooks / brush axes here from my father and grandfather. I don’t use them much, but in Pennsylvania we have a lot of grapevines and honeysuckle vines where they come in handy. I find swinging on an upward angle puts tension on the vine from the roots and eliminates the springiness problem you spoke about.
It seems like it would be a good tool for trail maintenance/ making or something to keep in the back of a truck to clear brush and small limbs from an unused road.
Those offended by what Cody said about the needed upper body strength required for using this tool offend me. Get over yourselves. That's what this country is in the toilet. Everyone is SOOOOO offended by everyone and everything.
Peter Kolovos. Agreed my fine sir. Society is but a dead thing nowadays that no one can accept anymore. An opinion is like killing someone.
I think I'd be a lot more interested in this channel if I didn't wince at a lot of the things you said, then come down to the comments section and see you kind of...
You don't take criticism well. At all. It's incredibly offputting to see a grown, capable man practically have a meltdown at the slightest slight. It also unfortunately makes me far, far less likely to take anything you say credibly if I know that you're probably not going to take advice that isn't your own.
Still, interesting tools, unique channel.
Agreed
Ross James I mostly wince at the religious anti-science drivel. He didn't say anything wince-worthy in this video though.
Ross James I agree, but I have not seen any meltdown clips yet though. Can you tell me one?
+Ross James (MrNumbers) You could stand to grow a thicker skin and stop projecting so much. If you don't like this channel or this guy's opinions, nothing's stopping you from going somewhere else.
The truly childish person here is the one that's trying to chastise another person for holding a different set of beliefs to them; ie, you.
Kriplovski
Everything you just said applies equally to yourself. You do realize that?
You don't criticize my statement, just my right to have it. Which is weird.
Just purchased a Collins Brush hook off ebay after seeing this. This should really help with clearing the brambles, locust, misc. and will help keep my forest axe out of the dirt. Thanks for the heads up Wranglerstar.
I was able to find a brush hook at a local flea market today in very good condition. We were in the market for one in this style after an Amazon delivery fail earlier this week. The person we bought it from said it was previously used by a fire crew.
I couldn't see any makers mark on it out in the sun, but when I got home and inside I found the faded mark. Turns out it was exactly the one you have here, a True Temper Kelly Works. What an exciting find!
I felt that what you said toward the middle about this not being a women's tool was kind of sexist, there are plenty of strong women who could use this tool
Grant Campbell Yes the facts are now sexist,
Grant Campbell He also mentioned it not being a tool for children either, you gonna complain about that as well? If you're gonna get all butt hurt over "discrimination" at least include the children, They're people to.
wranglerstar
Not so much.
wranglerstar SEXISM - prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination, typically against women, on the basis of sex.
Go cry about it
4:48 SJW Feminists are triggered. Haha.
Too f.ing bad.
Good advice on the shin guard. I had a friend hit me across my right shin while we were clearing brush for a new barbed wire fence 40 years ago. You can't get much done while getting stitches.
use to use this for clearing underbrush, and green briers. Here on the east coast they can get very thick and are difficult to remove. Brush hook was perfect because you can reach in, cut the base in a pull motion. And as you have discovered, take down smaller trees too.
Thanks as always!
Dude you make a lot of assumptions about women. Some of them might be strong enough to deal with that tool.
+Kenneth Correa Yes some might. Generally men are stronger than women. No offense meant.
+Kenneth Correa realistically that's less than about 5% of all women if you factor in every possible variable. His comment was very much on point, taking that into consideration.
+Wranglerstar Thanks for the answer back I appreciate it. Have a lovely day. :)
+Rich206L In fact, if you assume an equal state of fitness, pretty much 100% of women are outmatched by men. Sure, a strong woman could outperform a weak man, but if you take a woman and a man and put them through the same training schedule for a year the man will come out on top every time.
I don't mean to say that that makes men better than women, I love women and I know plenty of women who'd whoop my ass in a lifting contest. Women can do anything they set their mind to, except compete against men in physical tasks where they're on equal ground in terms of training.
One interesting exception to that rule is rock climbing. I've never seen a competition where men compete against women but they're really not far off. There are some amazing female climbers.
women shoot babies out wholes the size of peanises that must take streangth
Used one of those starting younger than I can remember. Helps to keep hits closer to ground as that helps take the springiness out of the hits. Also one can attack from mid area with high swing going downward sharply. That is useful to do when dealing with long things for you can clear it back enough to get nice low hits. It is a great tool for undergrowth clearing and path making. The different parts of blade lends themselves to different tasks for sure. I spent hour upon hours just walking thru woods making paths with mine as a child. It gives you a great work out.
We use it for "limbing" trees after we cut them down. Start from the bottom to the top, cutting from the underside of the branches into the trunk. If you cut downward it tends to want to cut the branch but also strips the bark on the underside keeping the branch still attached and hanging on.
Great for cleaning brush from fence lines. Worked on a pipeline maintenance crew years back. Called them Kiaser Hooks. Once you learned how to swing it, this thing was magic. No gas, no oil.
A long handled billhook. Billhooks are great for clearing brash off cut branches and great for coppicing up to three year old growth. Also for hedge laying (pleaching and splitting long bolts). The small, one handed ones are more versatile and ergonomic than a hatchet. Closer control with a short handled one. When you have mastered the wrist action and you cut closer to the ground... you can cut through a 1 1/2" springy stem with a single sweep.
Hey wranglerstar, my grandfather raised me in his brush clearing business, i leaned how to clear brush and i have one of those "brush hooks" that has the blade edge all the way around, its about 50ish years old and its awesome with the dual blade edge, now the other day i was at lowes and i saw that true temper still makes them snd they run about 45-60 bucks, the one you have in the video is beautiful! But if you want the one that shows as a "bank blade" they are easily obtained at co-ops and even big box stores. Keep making great content!!!
AT 6:11 on the tape we never cut that high we used it to cut down & up with part of the roots all at the same time. I have the one sharpened on both sides & the pull side works in the clumps & the flat side works on the tree. I loved mine when younger now it just stays in shop. Good video
My wonderful DAD called (the one with centered handle and two sharp edges) a "Ditch Blade" and I used one extensively during a summer job in the '60s (Sabine River Authority/Orange TX Canal Division.) The hook on the tip was ESPECIALLY effective up high to cut and clear the VINES along the rice canal levies that our crew was responsible for clearing lines of sight. And of course it slices through brush and small saplings at a much more effective rate than an axe.
I have a brush hook in the style of the first one you pointed out in your book, I believe you called it a Burke style. My Grandfather used it on a railroad crew. I use it quite a bit. I have an old hedge next to my house composed of Osage orange and it really does the trick on small to medium limbs. It's hard to describe just how easily it lops off limbs. I wouldn't trade it for a dozen machetes.
I live in Tenn. and these were everywhere when I was growing up. My father worked for a state park and used one of those to clean up brush and overgrown areas that had been previously cleared and grown back in. We used them on our farm to clean up overgrowth. very neat.
The videos often seem to start out quite informative and interesting and if anything, upbeat. However during certain times you throw in just the right song and it makes my heart yearn for the simple, hard-working, natural lifestyle you portray... a nostalgia I fear I'll never truly know washes over me. I hate modernity.
Your deductions make a lot of sense. We use them in England historically as a copicing tool as well as weaving hedgerows and branch trimming/bark shaving. The usual variation in the UK is a billhook - often double sided (one straight and one curved side, possibly a little thinner than your example). Great tools, but yes - many a foot has been lost.
First time I saw a brush axe was over 15 years ago doing volunteer work for a National wildlife refuge. It was a short handled one and well used ( probably an antique) it worked well on woody plants, grass brush briars maybe a little less dangerous looking vs a regular machete. I liked it so much I bought a Fiskers brush axe for myself and I like it and still use it. I can tell you it is a useful tool even on the east coast along a tidal marsh and woods field hedge row environment
O and there great for taking limbs off of trees which you used yours for at the end of the video. I bet it would work on sage brush too. I always wanted to use mine on a fire crew when we’re in sage country just never got the chance
I had a job as on a survey crew about 40 years ago. If I remember right, they told me the best way to cut the small diameter brush was to hit it at a very steep angle. It was very effective, and I remember cutting through brush so thick you couldn't see through it. I even saw them cut down large trees with them.
Thanks, I have a Friskers brush hook for the back yard and it worked great on the tall weeds and such. When trimming trees I like to cut up the brush to fit the trash cans. I tried the brush hook and it kind of worked but the hook got in the way,then put a small log on my stump to clear the hook and it was better. I was looking on line for a good machete and they were about $40 that I did not have. The book you showed had one sharpened on the back. I never thought of that. With that sharp the hook is not in the way. I am going to try that thanks a lot for the idea.
I was taught, with an axe, when clearing overgrown lots to swing as close to the ground as possible and as parallel to the ground as possible. It's awkward and hard on the back, but this eliminates possible movement of the item, and it usually just popped off. I think I would've liked to use this for underbrush or bush/shrub type undergrowth. Then my dad got a brush hog, and we just had to cut down 2-3 in. items before mowing. Just my experiences, thanks for the great videos Cody!
It seems that we also had a version of that tool with a longer hook on the end. It seems I watched the older folks using them in a pulling action rather than chopping. It has been a while, and I am glad to see such things are still around.
Hmm, reminds me of all the happy hours I spent on behalf of my (UK) fishing club, working around the lakes with vintage Irish slasher and billhook! Fabulously effective tools when used for their intended purpose. Many thanks for the video - and memory prompt!
I have a great old barn find one that I refurbished while still in highschool about 15 years ago. I've used it a bit, but rally didn't know much about the tool in general. Thanks for the great information!
I have the same one (well same exact style at least, squared off hardware and such)... I do think mine was home made, or at least repaired because of some sloppy welds and the eye is not symmetrical. I picked it up at a junk shop for 5$ years ago and slapped a new handle on it (after about 2 hours of profiling with a draw knife) ... cleaned the blade up and sharpened it.... it is now a staple in my yardwork shed... I love that thing... Not too many people see them that often either so it makes for a great conversational piece as well.
I know this is old but seems like the perfect tool for cutting out a trail in the northeastern woodlands with all the vines and bryers we deal with. I just ordered the modern council tool version and I'm excited to put it to use.
In the south, we call these bush hooks and the blade is usually mounted on top of the handle. I'm a land surveyor and use these and machetes all the time. Great video.
I've had a Burke blade for years, my dad always called a corn knife. Always used it for brush piles while cutting and maintaing trails.
There is nothing cooler than a Mackinaw Cruiser, except cruising across the Mackinaw Bridge to open up the cottage in the west end of Mackinaw County for the summer;-) NICE JACKET!!!
We use those here in Finland for clearing mostly young trees. For bigger Jobs brush cutter is the way to go, but for smaller job I will always take my fiskars "vesuri" brush axe.
Helpful tip. When brush is to springy to chop and the area around is to tight to swing, you can put the blade at the base of the brush and yank upwards at a 45 degree angle it'll slice the "vine like" brush. I have a handheld version of that. It's very good for limbing logs without the risk of chopping something off.
Absolutely awesome! Love the clean forest and thank you for all you great videos.
I've used a brush axe in Arkansas as a kid. It was good to clear out areas of overhanging vines such as Honeysuckle vines. The curved blade allowed the user to swing and drag the vines toward themselves to clear them out.
Thanks for putting that little progress shot in, I love seeing the difference it makes.
I have a beautiful one handed Brush Axe that i acquired in italy last year and brought back. it has stacked leather handle i don't know the steel type but i know it was hand forged because it was made by a good friend of my grandfathers who has a great passion for blacksmithing. the best thing was it was free the man wouldn't let me pay him.
but mine doesn't look like yours its basically a one handed brush axe. either way it performs beautifully and seems like it will last a long long time with proper care.
I appreciate the video you've done. Loved the informative style you offer in a longer form than a shorter 3 minute blitz. Concerning the comments at @5:02 I'd add that a person, even young adult city kid, could use this even if they are weak by just going slow and easy with it to the point you hold the tool over head or out to the side and bring towards the wood just an inch at a time. Building the ability to stabilize and control the tool before attempting a hog wild swing. Week or two of these breaking a sweat sessions would get the fairer of our people up to snuff. Good stuff.
Very cool! Wow what an obscure tool! Thanks for another awesome video!
We had one of these growing up, of the exact same design but a different make. My grandad and uncle had no interest in learning or maintaining any of the tools we had but oddly enough, I did. I feel a little better hearing that other people think they're unwieldy. I'm a chick and I can still use one but it feels awkward and inefficient. I'll reach for an axe or heavy machete before the brush axe. My Ontario military 18" will go through anything two inches in diameter or smaller with less effort. The handle on ours was original with a beautiful patina and a surprisingly skinny handle, while the blade had a hideous green paint job that probably was added later. Great videos! Just subscribed.
i had one of those awhile back when i didn't appreciate a good axe . i used it on my ranch in socal foothills as a teenager. it worked wonders on shrubs like sage and golden rod. i used it as a thick brush cutter in place of my weed wacker. i set it down one day and went to lunch and havent seen it since
When I working on a farm in the UK back in the day, we used something very similar to yours for clearing blackberry brambles, Rhododendron and the like. Great tool that was probably overtaken by a bush cutter sadly. Thanks for sharing, take care as always.
Alwyn
Used for cutting down BlackBerry bushes, brier bushes and vine like bushes. Also good for bringing down small lower branches covered in vines.
I love using my brush hook to clear mountain laurel. Cut at a steep angle and it just goes right through. Great channel!
WranglerStar Fan Here. Great review Cody! (as always). I used both the type of axe you're using as well as the double-bladed type brush hook when I was working as a land surveyor years ago. I will say that I enjoy using the double bladed type best since it has 2 blades which I can use longer before having to sharpen as well as its lighter in weight which causes less fatigue. Also the double-bladed brush hook, with its lighter weight I found I can get more swing speed with less effort. I would choke up on the handle and with experience you can swing left and right to clear a path with non-stop walking. The double-edge brush hook I've found also works better than the axe you're using on briars and really thin stuff. I also found I could kill snakes easier with the longer thinner blade. Also, the double-edge brush hook has edge on the tip in a way too which can be used for digging or prying some when looking for something. A thinner blade is quicker and easier to swing, easier to sharpen in the field, gives you more edge which takes longer to dull, and I think more balanced. I prefer a straight handle too instead of the traditional handle of that of an axe handle. We sell both types and the double-edge type is more popular.
www.engineersupply.com/brush-axes.aspx
I failed to mention, the double-edge brush hook that is thinner, and less weight, one would think it could not cut down larger trees but that is untrue. My rodman and myself would stand back and take turns chopping at a 12" oak or popular and have it down within minutes using. They are amazing at cutting down larger trees as well as thin briers, making the double-edge thin blade what I consider way more versatile than the heavy axe you're swinging.
For a couple of summers during college, I used a Swedish Brush Axe for trail maintenance. Just a wonderful tool against thorn bushes and 1-1/2" trees.
I believe the brush axe is a French tool. I'm not sure but I think the earliest reference I saw for it was as a French brush axe.
A 45 degree angle swing through springy brush on the middle back of the swing gives a nice easy cut.
I found the easiest way to cut with one of these is from the ground up instead of from the air down.