Great video and even more special because they belonged to your Grandfather and now another generation of the family will be using them! Thanks for sharing!
I love how your right eyebrow raises every time you take a swing with your right hand. Great video, makes me wanna go to yard sales looking for old tools!! Thanks Anne.
I have been a metal/nut&bolt person for 30 some years until last winter just before Covid. My grandfather’s jack plane opened the door to the land of hand tool restoration (without erasing his history) and hand tool woodwork. I love this video and your personality. Cheers to your school and I hope you have a lifetime of success! - Christopher
I just now came across your channel and I absolutely love it. You and I both share the same mindset on antique tool restoration. I always do mine with better than factory results. I always love to see someone else that has the vision for what the tool was meant for in the first place. What a wonderful refresher. Thank you for that.
I just found your video and subscribed immediately. I really like what you are doing, showing a great respect for history and tradition while adapting old things and old ways to modern times and needs. You give new life to nearly forgotten skills and techniques, and present them to a generation that may soon find them more valuable that they ever would have imagined. Thank you - you have been a wonderfully sweet and welcome encouragement to me today!
Nice! I've got three axes to restore - an "Our Very Best" large forest axe (Chicago early 1900s), an Isaiah Blood Ballston, NY hewing hatchet (that Ballston shop burned down in 1854), and an as-yet unidentified MASSIVE hewing axe. Great video Anne!
I JUST finished restoring an similar winchester tomahawk today! I used a torch to burn the handle black, and added blueing to the steel to hide the rust and pits.
We love Anne! We love Anne! We love Anne! Great Job! It's been a while since i've been on here. Looks like we're turning the corner on this thing that has blanketed us.
On small hewing hatchets like those, I always like to use straight handles whenever I can. Curved ones usually augment the way the tool comes in contact with the material being cut and can effect negatively the actions of a slicing cut. This tends to affect the ergonomics of the tool negatively and creates inefficiencies in the cutting abilities of the tool itself. Hope this helps in the future. Love the videos and keep up the great work.
Anne axe turned out very well there. Very nice video. Hopefully it gets great use out of it. Keep up the great craftsmanship and hard work my Anne. Can't wait to see ur next videos. Very nice resto on the axe. Keep Making. God Bless.
I discovered your channel only recently and I love it, there is something magical about the way you're showing and explaining what you're doing. I also like your story, so I have just subscribed.
Great video, I am also a refty and it comes in handy when working with tools. I consider my left hand my intelligent side and my right the strength. Nice axes.
-- I found an old axe head a few years ago while metal detecting around the house. It's amazing what you can find around an old homestead. There has been constant daily life at my house since 1818 and I find all kinds of stuff in the dirt. After watching this video, I am encouraged to restore the old axe head that I found and make a new handle for it. Would Pecan wood be a good choice for an axe handle?
Great demo! Even though I work primarily with machining tools, knowing how to use hand tools is an absolute necessity. Back when I had a woodworking shop, all employees had to demonstrate a finesse with hand tools - including sharpening. Without an intimate knowledge of hand tools, you cannot understand the basic principles of machining tools. That includes being aware of the sounds made by a machine that needs tuning, sharpening and attention to prevent damage to the tool or the employee. In over 40 years I never met a person injured by a properly sharpened and maintained tool, machine or hand. Go figure.
Harvesting your own wood and using it for tool handles is something I'm very passionate about. There's something special about it. It never gets old. I've probably processed 20 hatchet handle blanks of red oak in the last week. Glad you didn't use a chisel like some of the other great woodworkers on youtube who aren't really hatchet/axe users haha. There's no reason for it to bother me but it does.
Been watching your videos for awhile. I don’t think most people understand the skill required to handle a file correctly. So as to cleanly remove metal in a controlled fashion. It is not as easy as it looks. I have been a tradeswoman for 30 years. Lots of filing experience. Nicely done.
I just subscribed because I loved the way you restored your GF ax and because you are an ambidextrous woman in the woodworking trade. Good on you. I know I will learn a lot from you.
Hi Anne. Try KrudKutter, that’s the brand name. It is a phosphoric acid solution that works great to restore rusty items. I have used it on quite a few items and it works great without harming the metal. Congratulations on another great video.
Nice! I've not tried that one- what I like about citric acid is how inexpensive it is and the fact that I don't feel bad putting it down the drain- it's not gonna harm city water or septic which is a huge plus :)
@@AnneofAllTrades I re-use the acid multiple times, just pour it back into the plastic container. When I am finished I use baking soda as a neutralizer and then take it to the city on hazardous waste day. Other times I use 9% cleaning vinegar, it works just as well but takes much longer. I soak at least 24hrs, sometimes longer to get the worst off. I also neutralize with baking soda and then it can go into the septic. No harm to environment. I will check out the citric acid, it seems like a good product. Thanks and greetings from South Texas.
Plain vinegar works equally well but the iron acetate blackens the fingers. iron citrate is not black so Citric acid is cleaner. Oxalic acid works best but is poisonous but can be poured down drains. Pets will lick it if you let them.
You might want to mention how to tell the difference between a right or left handed hewing hatchet. A novice may simply flip the head over and think that that will do. What I’m trying to convey is the eye is larger on on the top of the hatchet. I also wanted to commend you on a great video.
Do not force it just get a bigger hammer. lol Lucky you moved to a place that wood grows on trees. What a wonderful way to honor your grandfather. Great video and a supper job on the axes. They look great. Glad your back, you have been missed.
Thank you Jeff! It's a wonderful thing to live in a place the wood grows on trees! I hope I did grandpa proud with his axe. It's been fun using it the last couple weeks :)
A long time ago when my father was an electrical engineering student, one of his courses required them to crate a perfect metal cube using a file. It was a tough skill to master and makes you think about the materials. He told me this many times and how critical angles & the feel are both needed to obtain the perfect result. That was back when all engineers had to have some practical experience. It brings you back to reality.
@@AnneofAllTrades In the old days metal working apprentices had to file a sphere from a cube. By filing the corners into ever smaller flats as more and more corners were made.Then draw filing medium, fine and emery paper of diminishing grain until it could be polished. In those days fitters made things fit; really close. These days fitters just fit new parts off the shelf…….
I'm semi ambidextrous. I Bat, and use an axe, right handed. I write and do most other things, left handed. I bought a hewing hatchet in the early eighties, and found I had to remove the handle and put it in from the other end, to comfortably use it. Handedness is a funny, but real thing. Great vidio you made, ambidextrously!
You can also use a belt sander belt and cut a piece of wood to fit inside of the belt. It comes in many grits. Also you can catch it on sale at Harbor Freight. Thus eliminating glueing sand paper.
I think you are really left hand dominant but as with most left handed people, since you/they are forced to do more things with your right hand while they are developing the right hand skills also get developed. I’ve watched many of your videos and from what I’ve seen, your default is always left but use your right hand for things when when it’s much harder to use your left. You can see this in your spoon carving videos. The bulk with the left hand, then you switch to your right when those cuts are difficult or impossible for your left. Either way, I wish I could use my non dominant hand (left) at least occasionally. Keep rocking it Anne!
Ha! So you have actually discovered a funny little thing- you are right to a certain extent about choosing left first- but there's actually a reason for that. Because so many things are made for right handed people, I have always been forced to use them, but when it came to woodworking/gardening, I have intentionally tried to split my time doing any strength related task equally between hands from the very beginning because I don't want my back getting messed up from developing too much muscle on one side. I even went so far as carrying a timer around with me the first couple years I was in the shop to remind me to switch hands. With tasks that require more finess, like sawing, I wanted to develop muscle memory with both hands that would serve me if I ever had a shop accident or something. But with spoon carving, Josh actually has been forcing me to do everything left handed for a few reasons, but one of the best reasons is that it makes it easier for us to teach classes with me doing things left handed and him doing them right so our students have both examples to follow!
Love your videos. As I'm watching and listening, I find myself checking out what's in the background. Like what is that fan on top of your wood stove. It looks so neat, old world, even steampunk. I also found the, what looked like, wartime era/propaganda(?) posters next to the chalk board interesting. Lastly, when you had both finished axes in hand, I couldn't help think, "now you're ready for the zombie apocalypse."
The fan is powered by heat, and displaces the hot air from the stove to heat the room more efficiently. The posters are block prints that I got from a friend when I lived in China. Though the messaging and topic are pretty dark, I love the colors and the block printing, and it reminds me of a really special friend and a time in my life I did a whole lot of growing and changing :). Everyone who knows me knows that Anne’s house is where you go when the apocalypse happens.
Ps well done for covering neutralising the acid, so many do not cover that. Sodium carbonate is very good for doing that. I think I’m America you class it as arm and hammer washing powder
both pawed actually, but I really like using left handed tools when I can find them because I have to do so many strength-based tasks with my right side because of the way most things are made, and I want to balance it out haha
In the future you might want to try distilled white vinegar as an acid bath. It works while you don't. I know it takes a while, but it does seem to work very well. It will also save you time to do other things while it destroys the rust even inside the eye.
I actually used to use white vinegar but moved to citric acid after the vinegar ruined several more delicate tools. The problem with the vinegar is that it doesn’t stop eating once the rust is gone. Citric acid is much gentler and works quicker. And the flash rusting after the fact is much less severe. I’ve restored hundreds of old tools and outside of evaporust, which is cost prohibitive and a pain to store and dispose of, this is the best method I’ve found.
I wish I had more insight to give- the froe is modern made, but isn't actually one I'd recommend, I'm working on making my own that will work better as we speak. The only new drawknives being produced en-masse that are decent are Lie-Nielsen, but those are pricey. Best bet is to hunt for vintage knives at estate sales and antique stores or find a modern blacksmith to make you one.
Awesome! Just picked up one of these hatchets and have loved experimenting. Always love these simple tips. I couldn’t get the short url link for the cheap sharpening set up to work. What am I missing to make it work?
I learned a neat trick (About 35 years ago). When plane irons or any edge are pitted, using an anvil, set the unbeveled side on the anvil and hang the edge About 1/8th inch off the anvil and tap the edge lightly with a hammer to bend it a little past flat. Then you can hone it flat and no more pits! You have fresh metal! (It takes longer to explain than to do).
Try not to use anything acidic it only enhances pitting. Brass wire brush and some elbow grease or evaporust are my go to and sometimes a razor blade as a scrapper.
I just bought an old hewing hatchet like this at a local antique shop. I’ve actually been dying to run across one, but didn’t want to just order one. So I finally found one, but one of the previous owners put a bevel on the back side :/ Also it looks like it was hammered on quite a bit on the back of the axe. Sadly it was probably used as a maul. I’m still happy with it and restoring and repairing it right now. I barely made out the stamp. All I could see was “XE MFG Co” Found out through pictures online it’s a Kelly Axe MFG Co.
Currently restoring a Philadelphia Tool Co. hewing hatchet that also has a Pennsylvania Railroad stamp. I’m looking into hewing hatchets, I discovered that the flat side should not be flat, but slightly curved. When hewing flat surfaces, you are removing scallops like when using a gouge. What are these flat backed hewing hatchets used for? What are your thoughts?
Hello Anne,I was watching another video you made on shave horses.I don't understand how to get the plans to build that you offered.Can you help an old retired guy out?
Hi I have been told that professional hewing axes of old came in sets of two , one right and one left. The handles were offset to each side not for the handedness of the person hewing , but the direction they were working in. The point being to clear your hand when working a big timber. Once you are past the depth of the blade, the offset comes into play.If you are above the log no problems . When you are half way down on a massive timber your knuckles would hit and the blade could not flatten that area . Ps. Nice work , but I don’t think your handles are quite offset enough, imho.
You're totally right about all of that- and if using the axes for hewing in timberframing was my intention, I'd have found handle material with a natural crook for that very purpose. But because I'm using these for prepping spoon material, working at the carving stump standing up rather than standing over a log and working below, these handles are much better suited for the uses I'll be using them for. That's the brilliance of restoring old tools to meet your needs or, for that matter, making your own tools! You can make them custom to your own needs ;)
@@AnneofAllTrades - Super interesting!!! I am going to go look right now to see if you have a video chatting about that part of your life....but, if by chance you don't I for one would be intrigued to learn more. : )
@@AnneofAllTrades I was wondering if there was a comment on reactionaries being paper tigers. We're coming up on the 55th anniversary of the cultural revolution.
Anne could you explain why using jojoba oil instead of anything else to protect the tools. They are many myths about what to use and I got lost trying to figure it out, I generally use WD40 after soaking in the vinegar ...
Can you do a video on the different kinds of axe blades (and knife blades), what they do and why their shapes help? I personally find it all very confusing...
Basically what kills (loosens) an axe, is the process of prying it out when it's stuck deep in lumber. Heavy axes and mauls tend to be fat, wedge shaped, because those tools are used for splitting e.g. firewood where you are going between the grain and deep (through the entire piece of wood). The wedge shape pushes the wood apart as you go down, minimizing the severity of how stuck the blade gets. Felling axes, boy's axes, hatchets and all that are generally going to be used for chopping and carving, and so a lot of weight is saved by taking the fat wedge shape out of the blade. When you chop you are going against the grain, and therefore the blade doesn't ever go super deep, so a thin blade is perfectly viable for this task.
Thank you Anne. Very nice video. I didn't catch which type of wood you were using but it looked like oak. Being Tennessee do you have a lot of hickory available? Take care and stay well.
Hi there from Northern-Germany. I`ve been watching your Clips fpr quite a while now. You are doing very fine and I must admit, you are a handsome woman, who is pretty awesome, in what you are doing. In this project, I would have used a Stel-Brush, to get rid of the corrosion and dirt on the surface of the Axe. You could have even used a round Steel-Brush, which can be mounted on a Drill. That would have given the surface a more shinnier one. I was educated as a Pipe-Installater on a Shipyard, where I made my Apprentice-Ship, which took 3 Years, from 1980-1983. I`ve been learning to handle Steel and other Metals from A-Z, then. I worked for some time as a Professional, until I had an accident, which forced me to quit the hard work on Shipyards. I`ve made many educations and qualifications in Electronics, Drywall-Building, Store-Logistics, been Trucking and what not. After a qualification for Facillity-Management, I am looking forward to get a Job in that field. Pretty tough now, while we all suffer from the Covid19 thing, world wide. But what I have learned over the years is always think positive and to get back up, after being tackled. That is, what I have learned, playing American Football over here in the 80`s, when this Sport was pretty new over here. We usually play Soccer. I also played Hockey (on Ice), where you get hit quite often. ;-) You both stay safe and get on with it, no matter how hard it hits you. Even if peoples leave you alone with your Learnig-School. Stay focussed and in the end, it will all work out! Many greetings :-)
I really don’t like using steel brushes because they remove the patina. Shiny isn’t nearly as cool to me as a tool that tells a story, but to each their own, if shiny steel makes you happy, polish away!! I’m sorry it’s been a tough year for you, here’s hoping things get better.
@@AnneofAllTrades Good call :-) The new Patina would build itself over the years again, anyway. ;-) My old Master would answer to it, I was too lazy, to polish it with a Steel-Brush. But tastes and views are different in each eye of its beholder. You keep it real and get on with it! Greetings from a fan of yours, from way over here! :-)
Very helpful! I just found some of my great grandfather's tools and will be doing the same thing. One question though, when the axe head isn't sitting straight on the handle, and you shave opposite sides; do you go the front opposite from the way the axe head is pointing?
My sister was ambidextrous. Me, on the other hand, not so much. If I try to do anything with my left hand something is going to get broken or ruined and or someone is getting hurt. Usually me. Nice job on those handles.
I'm just about to rehang 2 hewing axes that were my grandpa's, I couldn't quite tell from the video, did you make the handles with a slight curve away from the flat side?
I didn’t on these, because I didn’t have wood on hand that had grain that would follow that curve (which is very important to have, or your handle will be very weak right at the most important spot). I’ve seen folks do these handles straight and with the curve to protect your knuckles. Fwiw I’ve never scraped my knuckles with these axes.
@@AnneofAllTrades thanks Anne! I have only just discovered your channel, I'm loving it. I'm looking forward to getting the axes working, there's a bit of a UA-cam theme as I bought leather from The Essential Craftsman to make covers. As Scott would say, keep up the good work! And happy new year (when it comes) from Scotland.
I see in the intro you show you sawing into the top of the handle to make a slot for the wedge but the instructions are not in the video sadly : ( Is it just sawing a slot or are there other steps? I feel like the wood might split so perhaps it needs oiled first before wedging as well?
Unfortunately the video would be 2 hours long if it had every step- yes, we saw the slot for the wedge, I actually explain that part in this other video should you want further explanation ;) ua-cam.com/video/cQAuO2xPPME/v-deo.html
@@AnneofAllTrades - I would totally watch a 2 hour + video on that! :D Awesome, thanks....I look forward to checking out that video and learning more 👍🙌
If you have more old tools you want to get the rust off, try electrolysis. Just get a tub of water, add baking soda, hook up the battery charger, and let it sit over night. By the next morning, it should have sloughed off. Less issues with abrasive and great for hand tools like wrenches, lathes, hammers, and old vices.
I use electrolysis a lot, but this is a far less intimidating method that works fantastically well for folks just getting into restorations. I ran a business restoring antique tools for users for several years, and have tried just about every trick in the books.
Great video and even more special because they belonged to your Grandfather and now another generation of the family will be using them! Thanks for sharing!
I love how your right eyebrow raises every time you take a swing with your right hand. Great video, makes me wanna go to yard sales looking for old tools!! Thanks Anne.
I have been a metal/nut&bolt person for 30 some years until last winter just before Covid. My grandfather’s jack plane opened the door to the land of hand tool restoration (without erasing his history) and hand tool woodwork. I love this video and your personality. Cheers to your school and I hope you have a lifetime of success!
- Christopher
Thank you Christopher!
I just now came across your channel and I absolutely love it. You and I both share the same mindset on antique tool restoration. I always do mine with better than factory results. I always love to see someone else that has the vision for what the tool was meant for in the first place. What a wonderful refresher. Thank you for that.
I just found your video and subscribed immediately. I really like what you are doing, showing a great respect for history and tradition while adapting old things and old ways to modern times and needs. You give new life to nearly forgotten skills and techniques, and present them to a generation that may soon find them more valuable that they ever would have imagined. Thank you - you have been a wonderfully sweet and welcome encouragement to me today!
Wish you the best in all your projects. Thanks for helping me with mine.
that's the best compliment I could get! Thank you!
Nice! I've got three axes to restore - an "Our Very Best" large forest axe (Chicago early 1900s), an Isaiah Blood Ballston, NY hewing hatchet (that Ballston shop burned down in 1854), and an as-yet unidentified MASSIVE hewing axe. Great video Anne!
Very Nice. Always nice to be able to restore and use what has family history behind it. Enjoy your restored Axes. Peace from WV
Absolutely! Thank you!
I JUST finished restoring an similar winchester tomahawk today! I used a torch to burn the handle black, and added blueing to the steel to hide the rust and pits.
nice! Gun bluing is a great trick when you're wanting to keep that patina :)
14 seconds in and I love the intro!! I've missed your intro ever since you stopped using it.
I LOVE the ambidextrous hewing!!!! 👍👍👍👍
Thank you! I'm always trying to tweak to make the videos better, sometimes I tweak the wrong direction ;)
We love Anne! We love Anne! We love Anne! Great Job! It's been a while since i've been on here. Looks like we're turning the corner on this thing that has blanketed us.
Absolutely awesome thanks for sharing Anne take care my friend stay safe and warm god bless
Thank you! You too!
On small hewing hatchets like those, I always like to use straight handles whenever I can. Curved ones usually augment the way the tool comes in contact with the material being cut and can effect negatively the actions of a slicing cut. This tends to affect the ergonomics of the tool negatively and creates inefficiencies in the cutting abilities of the tool itself. Hope this helps in the future. Love the videos and keep up the great work.
I just found your channel and Subbed. I will be showing my students your videos. Thanks for all your work.
Thank you!
Anne axe turned out very well there. Very nice video. Hopefully it gets great use out of it. Keep up the great craftsmanship and hard work my Anne. Can't wait to see ur next videos. Very nice resto on the axe. Keep Making. God Bless.
Thank you Jared!
I discovered your channel only recently and I love it, there is something magical about the way you're showing and explaining what you're doing. I also like your story, so I have just subscribed.
Great video, I am also a refty and it comes in handy when working with tools. I consider my left hand my intelligent side and my right the strength. Nice axes.
You my be cool but you’ll never be Anne of all trades holding two awesome restored axes cool 😎
hahaha well after a lifetime of getting bullied, I'm glad to know I finally found the thing that makes me cool :)
Haha you was always cool
That’s just one thing that makes you cool. It’s a joy watching you work. I usually listen to you in my own workshop.
Great video. I'll be checking out your stuff. Looks like so much fun.
I bet few folks noted the proper wear of safety glasses! (Perched on TOP of the ole noggin!) Love your content lady!
-- I found an old axe head a few years ago while metal detecting around the house. It's amazing what you can find around an old homestead. There has been constant daily life at my house since 1818 and I find all kinds of stuff in the dirt. After watching this video, I am encouraged to restore the old axe head that I found and make a new handle for it. Would Pecan wood be a good choice for an axe handle?
Pecan would be excellent, especially if you can find a nice straight piece to use.
Wow great video. You have great technique.
Great demo! Even though I work primarily with machining tools, knowing how to use hand tools is an absolute necessity. Back when I had a woodworking shop, all employees had to demonstrate a finesse with hand tools - including sharpening. Without an intimate knowledge of hand tools, you cannot understand the basic principles of machining tools. That includes being aware of the sounds made by a machine that needs tuning, sharpening and attention to prevent damage to the tool or the employee. In over 40 years I never met a person injured by a properly sharpened and maintained tool, machine or hand. Go figure.
Funny how those two go hand in hand, isn't it?
Harvesting your own wood and using it for tool handles is something I'm very passionate about. There's something special about it. It never gets old. I've probably processed 20 hatchet handle blanks of red oak in the last week.
Glad you didn't use a chisel like some of the other great woodworkers on youtube who aren't really hatchet/axe users haha. There's no reason for it to bother me but it does.
hahaha there are LOTs of things that bother me that shouldn't, but that's just part of being a curmudgeon :)
Been watching your videos for awhile. I don’t think most people understand the skill required to handle a file correctly. So as to cleanly remove metal in a controlled fashion. It is not as easy as it looks. I have been a tradeswoman for 30 years. Lots of filing experience. Nicely done.
Learning proper body mechanics is definitely important, and a skill of it's own that comes in very handy if practiced well.
I just subscribed because I loved the way you restored your GF ax and because you are an ambidextrous woman in the woodworking trade. Good on you. I know I will learn a lot from you.
Welcome aboard! Thanks for the subscribe!
Hi Anne. Try KrudKutter, that’s the brand name. It is a phosphoric acid solution that works great to restore rusty items. I have used it on quite a few items and it works great without harming the metal.
Congratulations on another great video.
Nice! I've not tried that one- what I like about citric acid is how inexpensive it is and the fact that I don't feel bad putting it down the drain- it's not gonna harm city water or septic which is a huge plus :)
@@AnneofAllTrades I re-use the acid multiple times, just pour it back into the plastic container. When I am finished I use baking soda as a neutralizer and then take it to the city on hazardous waste day. Other times I use 9% cleaning vinegar, it works just as well but takes much longer. I soak at least 24hrs, sometimes longer to get the worst off. I also neutralize with baking soda and then it can go into the septic. No harm to environment. I will check out the citric acid, it seems like a good product. Thanks and greetings from South Texas.
Plain vinegar works equally well but the iron acetate blackens the fingers. iron citrate is not black so Citric acid is cleaner. Oxalic acid works best but is poisonous but can be poured down drains. Pets will lick it if you let them.
You might want to mention how to tell the difference between a right or left handed hewing hatchet.
A novice may simply flip the head over and think that that will do.
What I’m trying to convey is the eye is larger on on the top of the hatchet.
I also wanted to commend you on a great video.
Do not force it just get a bigger hammer. lol Lucky you moved to a place that wood grows on trees. What a wonderful way to honor your grandfather. Great video and a supper job on the axes. They look great. Glad your back, you have been missed.
Thank you Jeff! It's a wonderful thing to live in a place the wood grows on trees! I hope I did grandpa proud with his axe. It's been fun using it the last couple weeks :)
@@AnneofAllTrades I bet it brings a smile to you face every time you use it. And I bet your grandfather smiles too.
Nicely done! Thanks!
You bet!
Great tutorial Anne!
Thank you! 😊
awesome, was just planning to hit up the antique stores in town for some tools! thanks
heck yeah!
I know your grandpa would dam proud of to how far you come along 😊
Glad to see another new video.
Hope you enjoy!
A long time ago when my father was an electrical engineering student, one of his courses required them to crate a perfect metal cube using a file. It was a tough skill to master and makes you think about the materials. He told me this many times and how critical angles & the feel are both needed to obtain the perfect result. That was back when all engineers had to have some practical experience. It brings you back to reality.
Oh wow. That’s a pretty incredible feat with a file!!
@@AnneofAllTrades In the old days metal working apprentices had to file a sphere from a cube. By filing the corners into ever smaller flats as more and more corners were made.Then draw filing medium, fine and emery paper of diminishing grain until it could be polished. In those days fitters made things fit; really close. These days fitters just fit new parts off the shelf…….
Great video as always! Keep it up!
I'm semi ambidextrous. I Bat, and use an axe, right handed. I write and do most other things, left handed. I bought a hewing hatchet in the early eighties, and found I had to remove the handle and put it in from the other end, to comfortably use it. Handedness is a funny, but real thing. Great vidio you made, ambidextrously!
Great job, Anne. Best of luck!
Thank you!
Awesome video. I love old axes!
Me too!
That's a nice restoration job on those two axes Annie 🪓 .
You can also use a belt sander belt and cut a piece of wood to fit inside of the belt. It comes in many grits. Also you can catch it on sale at Harbor Freight. Thus eliminating glueing sand paper.
Great video thanks
Excellent work as always 👍👍👍👏🤝🙂
I think you are really left hand dominant but as with most left handed people, since you/they are forced to do more things with your right hand while they are developing the right hand skills also get developed. I’ve watched many of your videos and from what I’ve seen, your default is always left but use your right hand for things when when it’s much harder to use your left. You can see this in your spoon carving videos. The bulk with the left hand, then you switch to your right when those cuts are difficult or impossible for your left. Either way, I wish I could use my non dominant hand (left) at least occasionally. Keep rocking it Anne!
Ha! So you have actually discovered a funny little thing- you are right to a certain extent about choosing left first- but there's actually a reason for that. Because so many things are made for right handed people, I have always been forced to use them, but when it came to woodworking/gardening, I have intentionally tried to split my time doing any strength related task equally between hands from the very beginning because I don't want my back getting messed up from developing too much muscle on one side. I even went so far as carrying a timer around with me the first couple years I was in the shop to remind me to switch hands. With tasks that require more finess, like sawing, I wanted to develop muscle memory with both hands that would serve me if I ever had a shop accident or something. But with spoon carving, Josh actually has been forcing me to do everything left handed for a few reasons, but one of the best reasons is that it makes it easier for us to teach classes with me doing things left handed and him doing them right so our students have both examples to follow!
Beautiful Work Ane!
Thank you! Cheers!
Being a dad, I really liked the 'Anne-b-dextrous'. Or however you would possible spell that. Great video!
Being a dad, there are a lot of really bad jokes waiting for you on this channel. Welcome 😉
Great work!
Thanks!
How is there not an Annebidextrous shirt? Cartoon Anne chopping a log with two axes.
Because my mom would be the only one who would buy it haha
Let’s go Annie!
Finally someone using citric acid instead of evaporust! Works so good!
I had never heard of it being used for rust removal but will try it now.
Yes you're right, why wasting money and keep trying new products when not necessary, it also helps the planet a little bit ...
Always interesting to watch your videos.
Glad to hear that!
Good stuff Anne! Keep em coming...👏
Thank you! Will do!
Love your videos. As I'm watching and listening, I find myself checking out what's in the background. Like what is that fan on top of your wood stove. It looks so neat, old world, even steampunk. I also found the, what looked like, wartime era/propaganda(?) posters next to the chalk board interesting. Lastly, when you had both finished axes in hand, I couldn't help think, "now you're ready for the zombie apocalypse."
The fan is powered by heat, and displaces the hot air from the stove to heat the room more efficiently. The posters are block prints that I got from a friend when I lived in China. Though the messaging and topic are pretty dark, I love the colors and the block printing, and it reminds me of a really special friend and a time in my life I did a whole lot of growing and changing :). Everyone who knows me knows that Anne’s house is where you go when the apocalypse happens.
@@AnneofAllTrades I had an idea about how the fan worked, science teacher showing through.
@@dtiger1138 Yep, peltier effect.
@@AnneofAllTrades I too was a bit concerned about the posters. Thank you for explaining, Anne! And thank you Derek for asking.
Hi Anne, I use white vinegar to de-rust my metal items and it works very well, just do not put it on your fish and chips after.
hahaha that would make for some really iron heavy chips!
Vinegar will attack good metal and whilst yes it’s cheap and works well you don’t want to be using it on your planes
Ps well done for covering neutralising the acid, so many do not cover that. Sodium carbonate is very good for doing that. I think I’m America you class it as arm and hammer washing powder
Thanks for sharing that
You bet!
Those look like wrapped eye colonial style axe heads. Can you tell if they are hand forged? Maybe a makers mark?
They are both likely drop forged.
Nice job,good to see you not giving up ,southpaw eh ( I just noticed )
both pawed actually, but I really like using left handed tools when I can find them because I have to do so many strength-based tasks with my right side because of the way most things are made, and I want to balance it out haha
Anne of All Trades I'm kinda the same way ,I'm left handed but right hand dominated,it is very handy when you use both hands
Anne of Both Hands!
In the future you might want to try distilled white vinegar as an acid bath. It works while you don't. I know it takes a while, but it does seem to work very well. It will also save you time to do other things while it destroys the rust even inside the eye.
I actually used to use white vinegar but moved to citric acid after the vinegar ruined several more delicate tools. The problem with the vinegar is that it doesn’t stop eating once the rust is gone. Citric acid is much gentler and works quicker. And the flash rusting after the fact is much less severe. I’ve restored hundreds of old tools and outside of evaporust, which is cost prohibitive and a pain to store and dispose of, this is the best method I’ve found.
@@AnneofAllTrades Next time I do an antique tool, I'll try the citric acid. Thanks for the tip.
i noticed your draw knife and froe. can you give some information? finding quality ones is difficult. thanks.
I wish I had more insight to give- the froe is modern made, but isn't actually one I'd recommend, I'm working on making my own that will work better as we speak. The only new drawknives being produced en-masse that are decent are Lie-Nielsen, but those are pricey. Best bet is to hunt for vintage knives at estate sales and antique stores or find a modern blacksmith to make you one.
@@AnneofAllTrades thanks for the quick reply. lie nielsen has removed the drawknives from their site. they list their froe, but it is out of stock.
@@wendellsullivan2341 Lee Valley sells them.
Awesome! Just picked up one of these hatchets and have loved experimenting. Always love these simple tips.
I couldn’t get the short url link for the cheap sharpening set up to work. What am I missing to make it work?
oh! Thanks for the heads up! try this one, and shop "spoon carving" list. www.amazon.com/shop/anneofalltrades
Nice👍，and the 2 posters on the wall👍🤭
I learned a neat trick (About 35 years ago).
When plane irons or any edge are pitted, using an anvil, set the unbeveled side on the anvil and hang the edge About 1/8th inch off the anvil and tap the edge lightly with a hammer to bend it a little past flat. Then you can hone it flat and no more pits!
You have fresh metal!
(It takes longer to explain than to do).
Love the video! I'm not sure if it's just me, but I can't get the link to the sharpening setup to work.
oh! Thanks for the heads up! try this one, and shop "spoon carving" list. www.amazon.com/shop/anneofalltrades
Good vid. I am restoring some axes this week:] I like your carving set up however I use a axe to carve much faster.
What safety glasses are those?
Try not to use anything acidic it only enhances pitting. Brass wire brush and some elbow grease or evaporust are my go to and sometimes a razor blade as a scrapper.
Nice work.
Thanks!
Buon giorno Anne ti faccio i miei complimenti per la tua abilità, è molto bello seguirti tanti auguri
Fausto
I just bought an old hewing hatchet like this at a local antique shop. I’ve actually been dying to run across one, but didn’t want to just order one. So I finally found one, but one of the previous owners put a bevel on the back side :/
Also it looks like it was hammered on quite a bit on the back of the axe. Sadly it was probably used as a maul. I’m still happy with it and restoring and repairing it right now. I barely made out the stamp. All I could see was “XE MFG Co”
Found out through pictures online it’s a Kelly Axe MFG Co.
Currently restoring a Philadelphia Tool Co. hewing hatchet that also has a Pennsylvania Railroad stamp. I’m looking into hewing hatchets, I discovered that the flat side should not be flat, but slightly curved. When hewing flat surfaces, you are removing scallops like when using a gouge. What are these flat backed hewing hatchets used for? What are your thoughts?
I’m in the process of restoring a hewing hatchet. The head is almost done and sharpened. I’m just trying to figure out how long to make the handle.
outstanding
Thank you!
Does anyone know where she got her sweater from? I love it and want to buy one lol thanks!
Wanakome is the make, I asked her the same question a while ago and had to get one to 😅
@@dncwrx Thank you so much!
😉
amazing work 👌🏻.
Appreciate it!
Hello Anne,I was watching another video you made on shave horses.I don't understand how to get the plans to build that you offered.Can you help an old retired guy out?
Hey! Sorry to report the plans don’t seem to be available anymore.
Love it!!
Thank you!!
Where do those work pants come from ?
Greetings from Greece ! I find you awesome! Be well!
my job is to built woode floors and repair them
Thank you! You too!
Hi I have been told that professional hewing axes of old came in sets of two , one right and one left. The handles were offset to each side not for the handedness of the person hewing , but the direction they were working in. The point being to clear your hand when working a big timber. Once you are past the depth of the blade, the offset comes into play.If you are above the log no problems . When you are half way down on a massive timber your knuckles would hit and the blade could not flatten that area .
Ps. Nice work , but I don’t think your handles are quite offset enough, imho.
You're totally right about all of that- and if using the axes for hewing in timberframing was my intention, I'd have found handle material with a natural crook for that very purpose. But because I'm using these for prepping spoon material, working at the carving stump standing up rather than standing over a log and working below, these handles are much better suited for the uses I'll be using them for. That's the brilliance of restoring old tools to meet your needs or, for that matter, making your own tools! You can make them custom to your own needs ;)
So good to see new content from you Anne! Love your work.
Thank you so much!
What’s do the Chinese posters say or their meanings?
they are propaganda block prints from the cultural revolution. I used to live in China and I purchased them when I was there.
@@AnneofAllTrades interesting. Thanks for r
Thanks for replying.
@@AnneofAllTrades - Super interesting!!! I am going to go look right now to see if you have a video chatting about that part of your life....but, if by chance you don't I for one would be intrigued to learn more. : )
@@AnneofAllTrades I was wondering if there was a comment on reactionaries being paper tigers. We're coming up on the 55th anniversary of the cultural revolution.
Anne could you explain why using jojoba oil instead of anything else to protect the tools. They are many myths about what to use and I got lost trying to figure it out, I generally use WD40 after soaking in the vinegar ...
Hey first up, my highlight of the day
:) :) :)
Use a lead pencil on the inside of the axe eye, this will mark the handle. Showing the high points.
U. R. Awesome & Special !!
You rock!
You’re so cool. I need a drawknife real bad.
I recently put a handle on a old carpenters hatchet.
Can you do a video on the different kinds of axe blades (and knife blades), what they do and why their shapes help? I personally find it all very confusing...
Basically what kills (loosens) an axe, is the process of prying it out when it's stuck deep in lumber. Heavy axes and mauls tend to be fat, wedge shaped, because those tools are used for splitting e.g. firewood where you are going between the grain and deep (through the entire piece of wood). The wedge shape pushes the wood apart as you go down, minimizing the severity of how stuck the blade gets. Felling axes, boy's axes, hatchets and all that are generally going to be used for chopping and carving, and so a lot of weight is saved by taking the fat wedge shape out of the blade. When you chop you are going against the grain, and therefore the blade doesn't ever go super deep, so a thin blade is perfectly viable for this task.
Thank you Anne. Very nice video. I didn't catch which type of wood you were using but it looked like oak. Being Tennessee do you have a lot of hickory available? Take care and stay well.
Tons of hickory available! One of the handles was made of hickory, the other of sassafras :)
Hi there from Northern-Germany. I`ve been watching your Clips fpr quite a while now. You are doing very fine and I must admit, you are a handsome woman, who is pretty awesome, in what you are doing. In this project, I would have used a Stel-Brush, to get rid of the corrosion and dirt on the surface of the Axe. You could have even used a round Steel-Brush, which can be mounted on a Drill. That would have given the surface a more shinnier one. I was educated as a Pipe-Installater on a Shipyard, where I made my Apprentice-Ship, which took 3 Years, from 1980-1983. I`ve been learning to handle Steel and other Metals from A-Z, then. I worked for some time as a Professional, until I had an accident, which forced me to quit the hard work on Shipyards. I`ve made many educations and qualifications in Electronics, Drywall-Building, Store-Logistics, been Trucking and what not. After a qualification for Facillity-Management, I am looking forward to get a Job in that field. Pretty tough now, while we all suffer from the Covid19 thing, world wide. But what I have learned over the years is always think positive and to get back up, after being tackled. That is, what I have learned, playing American Football over here in the 80`s, when this Sport was pretty new over here. We usually play Soccer. I also played Hockey (on Ice), where you get hit quite often. ;-)
You both stay safe and get on with it, no matter how hard it hits you. Even if peoples leave you alone with your Learnig-School. Stay focussed and in the end, it will all work out! Many greetings :-)
I really don’t like using steel brushes because they remove the patina. Shiny isn’t nearly as cool to me as a tool that tells a story, but to each their own, if shiny steel makes you happy, polish away!! I’m sorry it’s been a tough year for you, here’s hoping things get better.
@@AnneofAllTrades Good call :-) The new Patina would build itself over the years again, anyway. ;-) My old Master would answer to it, I was too lazy, to polish it with a Steel-Brush. But tastes and views are different in each eye of its beholder. You keep it real and get on with it! Greetings from a fan of yours, from way over here! :-)
Very helpful! I just found some of my great grandfather's tools and will be doing the same thing.
One question though, when the axe head isn't sitting straight on the handle, and you shave opposite sides; do you go the front opposite from the way the axe head is pointing?
I know this is a Three year old video but i LOVE that hoodie, do you mind telling what it is please
It’s Naketano, but they’ve since rebranded as Wanakome
Wow! You are bad ass!
Where do you find citric acid? Grocery store? Hardware store?
all of the above! People use it for cooking and cleaning, so it's pretty widely available. I actually ordered that particular acid I used on amazon :)
One axe (hatchet?) for each side of the board.
My sister was ambidextrous. Me, on the other hand, not so much. If I try to do anything with my left hand something is going to get broken or ruined and or someone is getting hurt. Usually me.
Nice job on those handles.
Thank you!
I'm just about to rehang 2 hewing axes that were my grandpa's, I couldn't quite tell from the video, did you make the handles with a slight curve away from the flat side?
I didn’t on these, because I didn’t have wood on hand that had grain that would follow that curve (which is very important to have, or your handle will be very weak right at the most important spot). I’ve seen folks do these handles straight and with the curve to protect your knuckles. Fwiw I’ve never scraped my knuckles with these axes.
@@AnneofAllTrades thanks Anne! I have only just discovered your channel, I'm loving it. I'm looking forward to getting the axes working, there's a bit of a UA-cam theme as I bought leather from The Essential Craftsman to make covers. As Scott would say, keep up the good work! And happy new year (when it comes) from Scotland.
I see in the intro you show you sawing into the top of the handle to make a slot for the wedge but the instructions are not in the video sadly : ( Is it just sawing a slot or are there other steps? I feel like the wood might split so perhaps it needs oiled first before wedging as well?
Unfortunately the video would be 2 hours long if it had every step- yes, we saw the slot for the wedge, I actually explain that part in this other video should you want further explanation ;) ua-cam.com/video/cQAuO2xPPME/v-deo.html
@@AnneofAllTrades - I would totally watch a 2 hour + video on that! :D Awesome, thanks....I look forward to checking out that video and learning more 👍🙌
If you have more old tools you want to get the rust off, try electrolysis. Just get a tub of water, add baking soda, hook up the battery charger, and let it sit over night. By the next morning, it should have sloughed off. Less issues with abrasive and great for hand tools like wrenches, lathes, hammers, and old vices.
I use electrolysis a lot, but this is a far less intimidating method that works fantastically well for folks just getting into restorations. I ran a business restoring antique tools for users for several years, and have tried just about every trick in the books.