My latest woodworking endeavor

[Tony Shea]

My last trip to The Tool Barn in Bar Harbor ended with me going home with a new Axe that looked to be very rough but potentially a nice bit. I have always wanted a small axe for rough carving purposes or just to take with me on camping trips around the area but just couldn't cough up the $ for a nice one from Gransfors or someone similar. So I got the axe home and did a little research on getting it re-handled (the original handle was in real bad shape and unrecognizable) and came across a whole community of Bushcrafter's (not sure if that term is proper). Well I made myself a handle, this was just by seeing examples online so my shape may be way off, and sharpened the edge. I planned on cleaning the whole axe bit but have not wanted to take the time to do so yet, it works wonderfully as is. I also did a lot of work on the edge, there was some really nasty chips and this took more time than I expected. The edge is a lot harder than any other axe I've used and the file really struggled with removing any material. I take this as a decent sign but I have no basis for what the hardness of a good axe is supposed to be. Finally I got the edge sharp enough to shave my arm with and went searching through the firewood pile for some fresh cut hardwoods.

My best resource I came across was Ben Orford. If you haven't heard of him I highly recommend checking him out. His site along with other bushcrafter's/spoon carvers really gave me some inspiration to give this stuff a go. I got to chopping and haven't been able to put the axe and knife down.

Bear with my work, these are truly my first stab at this sort of thing and they are really rough.
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And the knife is something I picked up at a local knife shop. They had this one Helle knife blank that I figured I could make a handle for. I've had the blank for over a year and just never really needed it until this spoon carving itch came along. So far the knife has been wonderful, really holds an edge forever. Although most of the work is in green wood so that really helps with cutting these down so quickly. And 90% of the work is done with the axe.

[Steve Voigt]

Hey Tony-
Wait, you just busted out those spoons like that? Very nice. Good axe handle too.
Tim Manney, one of the chairmakers I follow, has 4-part tutorial on axe handles:
http://timmanneychairmaker.blogspot.com/

-Steve

[Tony Shea]

Well, the spoons are about 2 weeks worth of work. That is a couple hours every night for the 2 weeks. It's amazing how quick work goes with an axe compared to most methods of stock removal. One can be surprisingly accurate with an axe before having to resort to the knife and gouge. I will eventually add a curved blade carving knife but for now the gouge works really well. It has given me some real incentive to learn how to sharpen my antique gouges I've acquired over the years. Some were in really rough shape and required some grinding which I was always nervous about with a gouge. But now it takes me a few minutes to get a good edge on them.

The spoon carving has been a nice little break from the larger scale work I'm doing at the moment. I'm building a curved front desk and there has been lots of heavy stock removal work.

[Jim Koepke]

Looking good Tony.

Spoons can be fun to make and then use in the kitchen.

Hope you have checked to make sure the species you are using are safe for food use.

jtk

[Chris Griggs]

I like this Tony. Very nice! Glad you posted. This is definitely on the ever growing list of things I want to get into. I seen some of Folansbees video of him doing this (I think on Roys show IIRC). It seems like something where once you get the hang of it you can get a lot of out put without a huge time investment. Seems funs!

[Tony Shea]

It is fun. Once you get going it is hard to stop. You have to set a goal before you start or you will end up with a tooth pick before you know it. The axe and knife work just goes so nice that you really need to tell yourself to stop. Seriously though I highly recommend checking it out as it is a nice way to produce something usable in a short amount of time compare to typical furniture pieces I'm accustom to.

[Steve Voigt]

I like this Tony. Very nice! Glad you posted. This is definitely on the ever growing list of things I want to get into. I seen some of Folansbees video of him doing this (I think on Roys show IIRC). It seems like something where once you get the hang of it you can get a lot of out put without a huge time investment. Seems funs!

This is totally OT Chris, but your rapid fire succession of cat-related avatars is making me dizzy. :cool:
In that spirit, I think you'll appreciate this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZLjs5PoAqs

[Chris Griggs]

This is totally OT Chris, but your rapid fire succession of cat-related avatars is making me dizzy. :cool:
In that spirit, I think you'll appreciate this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZLjs5PoAqs

HAHA! I do enjoy cat videos!

This is my favorite cat video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKffm2uI4dk

We some how some ended up being the owner of 4 cats (we had 2 until a couple philly street cats decided to move in...so I'm officially a crazy cat person now.) Though I always kinda was at heart as I do love the little buggers and find them endlessly entertaining.

As far as the avatars go the original that I had up for years was just a cropped pic of one of my cats faces, the one I put up last week was obviously me and one of my cats. Then I decided I didn't like it and didn't really want a pic of myself up so I put up the new one.

Anyone know who the new one is? Its not me! Hint...its a character from a Canadian TV show (I bet Rob knows, so Rob no giving it away). On of my coworkers says that I remind him of this character...I think I'll keep this one for a while.

[Steve Voigt]

HAHA! I do enjoy cat videos!

This is my favorite cat video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKffm2uI4dk


Ha! That's messed up. :p

Sorry for the hijack, er, cat-jack, Tony.

[Chris Griggs]

Ha! That's messed up. :p

Sorry for the hijack, er, cat-jack, Tony.

If you like that you should Google "diary of a sad dog". Also hilarious!

Also sorry for the hijack. Commence spoon making discussion.

[Tony Shea]

Well it just so happens I am a big fan of cats myself so the hijack is welcome. I just got back from a fair that had the most amazing cat story and I actually got to meet the one and only Throw Away Kitty called Freida. Just an awesome cat that I wish the best for. Her story really shows the terrible nature of some humans that exist but also shows the wonderful side of others. I have no affiliation with the outfit that is caring for Freida but have donated some $ to her. If anyone is looking for a great cause I personally can't think of a better one. Either way I have absolutely no problem with hijacking my thread with cats, or other pets for that matter.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Ni12uEwsMbw

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And here a stray cat me and my girlfriend found outside the building.