TESTING The Weirdest Axe Tool Ever - AMAZING!
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- čas přidán 24. 01. 2020
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Link to Japanese Timber Scythe - amzn.to/2uAwM3y
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Reason Japanese farm, kitchen etc. “Tools” are so well made/sharp? Japan’s historical “weapons” control. Only the samurai class could own tools designed as weapons. Everybody else’s “tools” got real sharp. Think of California, the boneheads keep coming up with stupid laws and people keep coming up with workarounds.
You should try the roncola, an Italian tool used to cut small branches and trees but also to cut kindling.
It is also quite cheap, you are not going to spend more than 30$, and it’s well worth the money
get ur self a billhook
Said it was currently unavailable on the site
Do you still ride the husky dirtbike anymore?
"It's Mr. Miyagi-sharp. Did Mr. Miyagi sharpen things?... sharpened Daniel." Hahaha!
TheMitchyevans that comment floored me 🤣
In Brazil it's called a "foice rocadeira" used to mow thick grass. Outer uses are trimming trees and taking down coconuts on younger trees.
It got me as well! haha
Dying!!! 🤣🤣🤣
Yeah that was great.😂
5:51 "Is it severed?"
Was waiting for the tree to start comically spurting sap, some kinda anime moment right there.
Wranglestar: "Omae Wa Mou Shindeiru"
Sapling: Naniiiii?!?!!?"
That's the wrong sort of rabbit hole. 🧐
You lost me when you started chopping down a tree with a pruning tool lol
Likes this and calls a machette useless
@@j.chaitlal9421 I wouldn't say that a machete is better. They're not used for the exact same thing. Machetes aren't as good for a lot of things. Precision is one of them. This is obviously more of a precision tool than a machete.
@@kekness4939 you just need practice with your machetes lol
Teneuom could see the use spent a lot of time having to bushwhacked through swamps in Arkansas the hooking ability is definitely useful. Of course you could get a machete with a hooked end and those are pretty common. But something like this I think would be more user-friendly and easy for beginners. The two most dangerous handtools in my opinion are the axe a machete when put in unskilled hands.
Jesse Chaitlal sure Jesse when the last time you cut a piece of wood?
In Brasil we call it "Foice Roçadeira", or on a poor translation, a scraper scythe. You can find a ton of those, in various sizes in literally any little tools shop here. It's not exactaly compatable to an axe, or hatchet, it's just a type of scythe, for cleaning a big area of tall grass or something like it. But fun to know that it is kinda rare for you guys.
I've never used one of those to chop small branches as well...
I think that the things he tried to use it for, could be better acomplished with a good machete...
But he seems to not be very close to those, as far as I've seen...
Greetings from SP countryside ;-)
At least, in south Spain we call it "calabozo". We use it to clean the olive tree branches and get them clean of non fertile branches.
In Italy we have a version with a shorter handle called roncola
I've seen these similar scythes online but never in person. For some info I grew in the northeastern United States, and am not even close to understanding bushcraft but I have been chopping wood for years now since I have a woodstove.
Ainda vejo um facao fazendo melhor kk
We call that a "Billhook" around these parts. A traditional coppicing tool in quaint old England..
We call them "slash hooks" in Ireland. We use them for hedgerows and the occasional melee :)
I was about to post the same - until I saw your comment.
We have something similar to this but bulkier
But the same basic design is actually quite prevalent
It's a common tool for all of Europe too call it a "Serpe" was used for tree branches and came from the original tool made for harvesting grass, wheat and other cereals.
I thought it was a brushing hook when it’s got a long handle.
Did some quick googling in Japanese and found a few illustrations on how to use that scythe. Apparently, you're supposed to rest the base of the cutting edge against the twig / branch you're cutting (if it's fairly thick or tough), then yank the scythe towards you.
6:01 Chops down sapling, "Ah man, right on top of you guys, sorry about that." Love this guy!
In looking at the reviews for the Japanese Timber Scythe- I noticed someone mentioned using it to cut cactus and pricklys in the desert.
Seems like a great alternative use, and saves them from getting all pokey! I know there’s lots of comments, but just thought I’d drop that idea here in case anyone sees it and would benefit from knowing!!
Man Cody, when you started to hit that big tree, I was thinking that it's like digging post holes with your chainsaw!! LOL
Those are really good tools, and yeah sharp, and the long handle gives you a good swing to really cut stuff.
The other thing that hook works great on is bamboo, which is basically a weed here in Japan, it really hits its stride on bamboo.
Cheers from Tokyo!
I wish I had the time and money to come over to Japan and learn from a master woodworker, forger, and carpenter. So much knowledge has been handed down and unchanged for many centuries, It makes me wonder if the new way is so much better. The Horyuji temple has been standing for over 1300 years!
i cut green and dried bamboo for the first time and it's nasty stuff... light, flexible, and made of tough long fibers. You can't saw it or chop it. You need to one shot it with a sharp edge. Even in northern US it escapes from people's yards and begins to spread really fast.
@@jonc8074 I damn near cut my finger off breaking bamboo by hand as a kid. Almost cut to the bone, I've respected that stuff heavily ever since!
in my state you're legally resposnisble for bamboo damage... the 'running' kind forces its way up through wood frame buildings and can even lift the pavement off the ground
@@jonc8074 Viet cong would stake down POW's over fast running bamboo as torture
The American equivalent is the Brush Hook, or Billhook. I've cleared a lot of brush with one, but never bent one like that.
brush hook is more properly called a "Ditch Bank Blade"for your google search but yeah would be a better test than an ax
He actually has a brush axe. I don't know why he didn't use that for the test.
Notice their metal cutting tools are always thinner to me
i'm also guessing you didn't try to take down a tree with it either. Although ngl, as giddy as he seemed I probably woulda done it too XD
Man, I love my brush axe. Don't really use it too often, but that inward curve just flows right through things.
It's like whenever the axe touches a branch the branch just pops off in a clean line.
🤔😐 “See this tree here I would never cut down” chops tree down........ 😐🤔
He delimbed the tree.
Yea he delimbed jt are u dumb lol
The tree he chopped at was a different tree from the one he cut the limbs from! The smash cut made me think they were the same tree at first too
Not sure what video y’all watched but here you go. No need to get tilted just thought it was funny. 6:00 and 7:29 same tree 🌲
He didn't chop it down, just chipped it
We call these bills in the west, they've been used as medieval polearms and forestry tools in europe for centuries
They are still in use. You can buy those things in every hardware store here in germany.
@@hulkpeace I guess the hatchet has overtaken the bill in popularity here in the US, because the last semi-frequent showing of a bill would be in pictures of the Lewis and Clarke expedition, as they were given bills
@@nicholasricardo8443 Which seems quite odd for me, because a bill is a very efficient tool for removing small tress and bushes. I can't imagine doing that with a small axe head. By the way, fiskars also makes one in a short and long version.
@@hulkpeace It may have to do with the size and types of trees native to the united states. as you saw in the video, a bill or similar forestry scythe cannot handle a larger tree, and a stout hatchet, while possesing a smaller cutting edge, will bite deep along with being much stronger. I'm sure that the machete is so popular in south america due to the spanish using bills or similar cutting tools after the conquest of the new world.
@@hulkpeace Same in Italy, they are much sorterthan the japanese scythe in the video
I lived in Japan for three years in the mid '90's. A walk through a Japanese hardware store was a marvelous thing. I could spend hours in the garden section looking at various bladed tools trying to decipher what they must be used for. That was when I was first introduced to the traditional pull-saw. Always fascinating. Keep up the excellent content Cody.
Same here. I was in a Japanese hardware store in 2010 - pretty much the same experience. Good thing I had a very stringent luggage limit or I would have gone on a wild shopping spree.
I miss my pull saw. 8000 yen and was sooooooo perfect
You might want to check out some billhooks, and bush/brush axes. They have a very similar blade design and come in various qualities.
“I’m really excited so I’m getting a little outa control here” 😂😂😂
Here in Ireland we call them slash hooks, been around forever. Most useful implement for cutting dense brush wood, briars, nettle beds and laying down over grown hedges. Would never use it for chopping down large trees.
"This is a Japanese forestry scythe." That is a damn billhook.
@@adamlee581, Also the design is so old it has made it around the world a few times.
Until you realize that’s not actually a “damn bill hook”, bill hooks have a much larger and heavier blade that’s hung from an axe handle, not inserted like so. Furthermore the handle is too small and of the wrong shape to be even a small axe handle so I reiterate, it’s not a “damn bill hook”.
@@adamlee581 But, he's used a brush axe before. Isn't that the same thing?
Easy difference: billhooks don't have the recurve edge where these do. Try again
@@adamlee581 he's a West Coast guy
When you brought out your Cold Steel Trail Boss as a comparison tool I was pleased I bought one to add to my overland camping gear. It was slightly on the dull side when it arrived but I put a file and the Lansky puck to it. That baby is sharp! The Japanese produce some amazing tools and they take incredible pride in the sharpness of their cutting tools. My brother had a craftsman make a couple of Samurai swords for his collection when he was stationed in Okinawa; traveling to one of the islands where this craftsman had his shop. I bought a "hori hori" to use in my garden and it will cut, saw and dig. It works so well I use it when I'm bushcraft camping.
"Im excited, so im getting a little out of control here!"
Oh, haven't we all been there before!
I heard a story back when I was a sprout. The Swiss made the smallest drill bit ever, it was so small it could drill a hole through a human hair. They were proud of their achievement and sent one to all the other industrialized nations. The Germans, the Americans, and all the others were amazed. The Japanese simply drilled a hole through it and sent it back.
The too to me looks like a small version of a brush ax.
I heard the same story but when i heard it the japanese sent the bit to the swiss and they made the hole, a bit more believable since they have been known for their clocks for centuries.
@@drott150 You're not funny
When They Sent it to china, they got spooked as there it was written on the Bit. MADE IN CHINA
In Switzerland we have those as well
called "Gertel"
Without long two handed handle, but a stacked leather one
In ireland those are called slashers or slash hooks. A billhook here is a 1 handed version of this with a short handle no more than a foot long
Reminds me of a scaled down brush hook. As a surveyor myself I use either a brush hook or a swedish brush axe. Awesome tool! Love seeing the tools other countries use for their area. Take care!
Pat304 Yeah, we used to cut that forward projecting bit off so nothing was forward of the handle line. A modified brush hook is a line clearing machine.
I don’t know, the Scandinavians can also make a hell of an edge on tools also
The Vikings were well known for making some of the best iron and proton steel in their age, even better than something like Damascus steel. The Viking did this by folding it ALOT of times, to the point where it wouldn’t have the classic wavy look like other steel which would make it more durable
Every country can make incredible edges, simply put, pop culture is biased towards japanese stuff...
@@DirpyTurtle Vikings was not doing any "best steel" just stealing stuff and changing previus owners of that stuff into slaves. Then that stolen goods and slaves was sold to Arabs and Arabs was also trading with India... and that is how they were able to simply buy "damascus steel".
Few houndred years later the golden age in Sweeden started but that was after invasion of Poland ("Deluge"), they butchered 1/4 of population and was stealing everything jewelry, books and even whole buildings.
Vikings were good at producing death and destruction and nothing else. It is the main reason why that culture died thousand years ago.
@@DirpyTurtle culture.pl/en/article/17th-century-treasures-retrieved-from-the-vistula-river
Biały you talk about that like all they did was kill and destroy lmao, without the vikings the world we know today would be wayyy different than we know it.
Had a chance to use a hand held hook. Surprisingly effective. The one I was given was shaped more like a L at a acute angle. That internal angle was sharpen so that when you pulled it through a branch it would capture and cut. Along with a back edge for light chopping.
I'm in Hawaii, big island, my favorite tool is a Japanese kine sickel * almost cut off my thumb once. I use it for everything, God bless you all. In the name of Jesus Christ I hope you all are having a wonderful day.
Bless you as well! My brother and his now wife lived on a farm in Kauai for 6 months doing work, living in a shack with no water or electricity, and he had a Japanese kine sickle as well that he used all day every day. It broke his heart when he had to leave it behind because he couldn't take it on the plane
"Jack Robins..."
Where'd my hand go?!🤔
For those who are wondering, that's a bush-cutting sickle (Yabu-kari-gama in Japanese). A tool that combines a sickle, an axe, and a forestry sickle. It's used for cutting bushes, thickets, or branches.
I've been clearing 6-9ft tall guinea grass from a trail here in Hawaii, and I keep upgrading my sickles to larger and longer sizes. Near ground-level, this grass grows in clumps 6-20" in diameter, and the bases are 3/4" wide and semi-woody. With every swing, you risk hitting rocks or small tree trunks or dead limbs, so a blunt nub at the leading edge is invaluable. This thing would absolutely fit the bill for what I need. I actually broke a smaller stainless sickle at the root of the blade, so am always looking for thicker and tougher blades - this is serious work! Thanks for the honest review!
We call that tool "vesuri" in Finland. The name tells it is meant to cut young trees aka vesa.
Yea but our handles are also about a foot long, while that seemed to be around 3 feet, but sure, the steel and purpose are same.
Yep, this design of head is very common worldwide, however mostly in a machete form factor. I've never seen a long handled variant. Most hardware stores in canada sell short handled variants, and the forestry store near me sells two brands (silky[japanese] and fiskars[finnish]) I'm kinda tempted to pick one up now to try out - even though I already have way too many axes/saws/machetes.
@@Artyomthewalrus See Fiskars vesuri WoodXpert XA23
Ah, yes, long handled variants are no doubt easily accessible online. In canada atleast the short handled versions account for 90% of billhooks/brush axes in physical stores - from what I've seen atleast
Bill hook for laying hedges .
every day a school day
I've used similar tools in the ffields a surveyor. The technique is to swipe towards you as you hit the brush, it works better than a machete especially in swamp brush. Really really cool tool and I'm glad you got a chance to try one out. It's also really useful to cut holes in muskeg for control posts.
OH MY GOODNESS ! That is my laugh of the week. "Did Mr. Miyagi sharpen things?... He sharpened Daniel." The delivery was excellent... EDIT: rewind... replay... rewind... replay... I can't stop laughing!
When you first showed that scythe I was a bit confused. Surely that wasn't an exotic tool? My confusion comes from seeing these amongst the tools used by my father in his work as a gardener. As I continued to watch I could see that they were not identical though. Those he had were heavier versions, both in shaft and in the blade, and they were definitely not Japanese in origin. I'm pretty sure the blades were stamped with Solingen, which would make them German. In fact most of his cutting tools had blades made in Solingen. I never used these scythes, but from what I could tell they were not quite as sharp as the one in this video, but at the same time they didn't bend either. What I remember they were mostly used for limbing, though I was taught to use secateurs or limb saws instead as it's easy to damage the tree when limbing with a scythe, axe or other bladed implement. But that's something that's not as important when working in a forest as compared to when you are working in a park where it's all about aesthetics or in an orchard where your prime interest is keeping the fruit trees productive for as long as possible.
Still the cuts made by the Japanese scythe in this video is impressive. With training I'm sure it could be used for 90% of the limbing my father used to do. It's just a matter of skill, and that's were the limb saw and secateur has an advantage as they are easier to handle with less training. So it's a case of using the right tool for the situation and your level of skill. My father often taught his workers to use tools that fit to their skills rather than try to teach them to use tools that took years to master, as most of his workers would only stay for a few years before trying some other line of work. Thing is there's quite limited career options in that line of work, especially if you don't go all out when it comes to getting an education which takes several years.
Brody: You're such a good salesman that Amazon has sold out of this item
and they are not sure when the axe will be available.
Thanks
@@cryptomg lol
Who's Brody? You mean Cody?
In Germany there is a tool called "Heppe" which means hatchet in some sort. It has the same blade shape but a smaller handle for one-handed use. Its mostly used for trimming branches on trees you wanna cut down or have to clean up. I like it quite a bit, because you dont need to be as accurate as with an axe and its has a lot more cutting power due to its higher weight. Its mostly used for branches up to two fingers thick or smaller.
Land surveyor here, we use machetes a lot, something like this could be super useful though, if you had the room to bring it. Machetes are great for the size, can cut brush, small trees if you have to, dig for buried pins, and it all fits sheathed on your hip.
Here in Ireland its called a slash hook. Handle is a bit longer, head is a bit heavier to suit our stature.
I thought it was a common tool to be honest.
Was thinking the same, actually having a hard time finding one in my area(Kildare)
James Trotman down West, you’ll find them in all farmers co-ops. Easily found at horse fairs too for some reason. 😂
Looks like a mini version of what we in the south call a joe blade
Some folks call it a Sling-blade, I call it a Kaiser Blade. Mmm hmm.
I like them French fried potaters.
You mean a brush axe?
I made myself a little light weight khopesh from low carbon steel. It only had a work hardened edge but it was extremely good at popping off branches up too an inch thick.
Hi there, I love watching your videos. In South East Asia, those sickle/billhooks are commonly used in plantations and in the garden. In oil palm plantations, they are attached to long poles to cut the palm fronds and harvest the fruits. Ones with short handles like the one you are using is used for gardening, trimming branches like how you used it. Another common use for these sickles is cutting long grass. Most of them are made in China because of the low cost, but the steel used isn't as hard.
This thing is really sharp, let's go chop down a redwood😂😁
plenty of those bill hook things in England, they used be mostly used on clearence work along roadside hedges... farmers fields and such
Same goes for my Okatsune pruning shears. Amazing old school build for life quality in a moderately priced tool. They don’t mess with planned obsolescence like fiskars and Black&Decker.
Also when you talk about scary sharp it literally makes my scars hurt
“Gives you the willies” 😂 I’ll have to ask my brother about this tool, he is currently stationed in Japan.
Around these parts, we call it a tree hook or a pruning hook.
Easily one of my favorite videos you've ever done. Great job Mr. Wranglerstar!
Yup, that’s a long handled, lightweight billhook, heavier shorter ones are traditionally used in England for cutting coppiced poles up to 2 inches, like hazel and ash, as well as for hedging work, where thorny hedge stems are half cut through and bent sideways at an angle to create growing livestock fences. Some also have a straight edge on the back like a cleaver. The old pikestaff weapon from the Middle Ages was a very long handled adaptation of the traditional countryman’s tool. They were up to 12 feet long to reach through the front ranks of swordsmen with a hook to pull shields down and a chopping edge to injure heads and shoulders.
I think I witnessed Mr Wranglestar fall in love with a “Miyagi” sharp chopper/limbing tool??? Get a room, sheesh!
I'm from Spain and I've seen these type of tool in every hardware store. We call them tajamatas ( Bush chopper)
It really seems like you pushed that tool beyond it’s limitations. But we don’t know what it will do unless we try. Was very informative and interesting to hear about the Canadian people treating the Japanese people the same way during WW2. I bought the Cold Stone Trail Boss based on your recommendation. I absolutely love it. It’s my first axe and I couldn’t be happier. The axe and a Lansky puck grinding stone cost $35 off Amazon.. free shipping. What an incredible deal. The puck is great and the axe is amazing. It’s just perfect for someone starting out. I know you love the axe and I do too. Can’t say enough great things about it for the price. If not for you, I wouldn’t own these fine tools. My friend, God bless you and yours!!!
We learned that a bill hook still has a use, my grandad gave me his and I use it every year to clear over growth in my garden. Great tool
Cody, were you able to straighten the blade?
Scandinavian here,
I have something similar, an very old tool i picked up, had a old worn, short handle, gave it a longer, about 50-60cm handle.
Blade longer and thicker than the one in the video and after restoring the blade and some resharpening i found that it will cut through branches of up to about 2-3cm (1-2 inches).
Very lovely tool for debranching.
HoChiMinh slippers 😂😂
Mr Miagi joke got me howling.
Yeah Canada. “He who is free of sin shall cast the first stone.”
Eh, hoser take off, grab a beer EH!
@@Gr8WhytBuffelo24 don't really like IPA's, but moose yeah we got some👍🏻
Hi all, We have this tool in Greece, one of the oldest tools in this land, we call it Kladeftira, and it is THE best tool for Thinning bushes and cutting branches specially during spring and summer when the new branches are soft and flexing.
In NSW / Australia we call them a 'brush-hook'. Generally used to remove branches - a good 45 degree (downward) stroke can cut through a wrist-thick branch.
I swear it's cutting the branches before it even touches it.
"Welcome back friends of the shop" gets me fired up every time. It's like Mr Rogers changing his shoes and putting on the sweater, except for Men.
🇺🇸
You should try out a cane knife. They're basically short machetes with a hook on one side that were originally designed for cutting sugar cane, but people figured out that they were great for all kinds of stuff. If you're in rural Louisiana you'll see them tucked in between the cabs and beds of farm trucks and lashed on all kinds of tractors, atvs, etc. They get used for limbing, clearing brush, cutting sticks to get a vehicle out of the mud, splitting bones/joints at hunting camps, and many other things. I think Tramotina makes a good value one that would be worth checking out
Tools like that are rare to be able to buy brand new, good find there. For me, I already got a few similar old cutting-irons lying around without handles that I can put a new handle on, and then sharpen up when I need to use one, but for everyone else, getting one ready to use by mail-order is nice.
Then the question becomes: What is the best technique for the common man keep that curved blade that wicked sharp?
As the sharpness is it's strength.
The Japanese man, they even try to make samurais out of woodsmen.
@toeff7852 its also a very good way of thinking
I love visiting your channel for those camping methods than the the axes.. ehhe
USFS has a classification for these and have been using something very similar for many years. That would be a single edged bank blade or single edge brush blade, and they are not designed for hacking, you press it on the limb and jerk it towards you so the cutting edge slices the wood.
Loved the video
By the way: Hello from Portugal
Wow! I can see this thing removing your hand entirely
In Italy that is called a roncola except the italian roncola has a shorter handle . It usually gets clipped on to your belt for easy use. Its a very common tool . Great for trimming branches
In the UK they use a tool like that, and is called a "Billhook".
They are traditionally used for "laying hedge".
( The Blackthorn hedges used as fences to define the borders of pasture land, periodically need to be trimmed. )
Love the way the Japanese think about things!!
I want one. Or two. I might need three.
Kurtis & Stuff why would you need four
@@bencold2762 it's more exciting than two.
Hi Cody,
It's time for a little nomenclature assistance.
•The BOLE of a tree is the whole trunk, not just a part of it.
•Please don't leave stubs on the tree when you remove branches. This will encourage ROT.
A properly cut branch will grow over and seal that wound. In a case like this, the next thing to do would be to go back very soon and prune the stub properly. Your Katana or a similar saw will do the finishing cut very nicely.
Thanks,
Michael.
Just so you know, that’s actually really common in northern Canada , I used to do surveying in northern Canada and due to the type of brush they have there these little choppers work way better then a machete does.
Did you see the Oshaoffender Insta today of the guy up in a tree cutting off the top 50 feet of the tree... he really should have watched your last video
I just looked at their insta bc of that comment and it was an instant follow
The Japanese did a good Job but the Germans makeing even better edges and better Steel they are the Kings
Nah german engineering is best, but the Japanese make the best edges
And scientists, German scientists have always been the best scientists in the world.
@@thememe986 that's true
It is a pruning hook, used for pulling down low hanging branches and shaping trees. Not the most common tools, but very useful for gardening.
Cody, ever use a Swede Axe. As a Washington DNR Firefighter 80-83 in the Mt St Helens area, the Swede Axe was a road brushing and limbing tool of choice. Especially if you weren't cleared on a chainsaw.
Oh cool, it's like a machete but worse.
We have a similar tool in Finland, called vesuri. They're often more blade than handle compared to this japanese timber scythe, kind of more robust that way design wise.
Tried finding the stronger version of this Japanese hook on the internet without success. Its apparent, though, from the haft length of the one you tested that it is for the lighter, close work, while one with a heavier blade and longer haft is for serious swinging. I have a couple of european hooks, one German and the other Scandinavian. The former has a seriously heavy blade and a handle for single-handed use. The other, by Fiskars, is lighter but has a longer haft for 1 1/2 and 2-handed work although it is still easy enough for single-handed work when held about mid-haft. An earlier comment mentioned the Irish form ("slasher") - that is a much longer-hafted tool primarily for taking down brushwood, whereas the shorter hooks are used more for hedging. A final point is more of a rule-of-thumb. If a hook has a tang that is kerfed into the handle it is less robust than if the forging of the blade included "wings" (not sure of the technical term) into which the handle is inserted. This is inherently heavier construction, (more weight to the blade), and survives much better in heavy use where the exposed wood of a kerfed handle gets bashed. I had a kerfed hook years ago and the top end of the handle looked like the bashed hickory at the head of my ancient felling axe.
The closest thing to it is a bush axe, much sturdier looking, much more available, not such an aggressive curve.
@@samaelsandalphon5600 I think the "bush axe" type of bill hook is harder to form than the traditional fixing types. There is a tendency for a bush axe style to try to rotate if you miss-hit your timber. That doesn't seem to be a problem with either a socketed bill hook or a tanged type. Familiarity with the tools you have must be earned by using them until their safe use becomes second nature. I guess that my problem with the bush axe may well have been due to unfamiliarity. However, I feel that, with any long tool, having the centre of mass as near to the axis of the handle as practicable increases the comfort-in-use and, I think, safety in use. That's a bit subjective, though. The bush axe is more akin to the medieval pole axe. If the edge doesn't bite when you hit something with one of those the haft can twist so fast it can strip the skin from an un-gloved hand. After watching your video again I looked up a video online about the Fiskars range - and learned that they're from Finland. Now there's a country that loves its forest-craft.
Really cool video. Read a review for the timber scythe from a japanese buyer who mentioned putting a shorter handle on it, might be kind of a fun home project.
I wrap par-cord on my handle, for non-slip, usually for wet weather conditions...in Hawaii cost about $39.00
In italy we call a tool like that "roncola" and its used for cutting small trees and branches. Effectivness depend a lot by the dimension of the tool and of course the sharped edge
This sort of tool is simply not intended for chopping down a full-grown tree. It's not an axe. It's like a billhook or specialized machete.
I like that he really went at it and didn't hold back.
We call them brush hooks on australia although what we use is a little larger. Amazingly efficient tools for clearing small trees and shrubs and then using the hook to drag them out of the way. Can cut down Aussie hardwood 4-5inches in diameter in 1 or 2 hits.
Looks like what we call a brushhook downunder , really good for vines and smaller branches in thick scrub
I love how excited cody gets whenever he gets Japanese tools
My grandmother used one of these in her garden for all her trees, and is the first thing her and my grandfather showed me how to sharpen.
Here in Germany we have something similar, here it is called Hippe (or Gertel).
It is mostly used in forestry and gardening/farming.
I have a Schweizer Gertel (with leather grip) that I use for delimbing trees.
That first tree/sapling you tested the Japanese tool on: you mentioned using a silky saw on those in the past; would a set of heavy duty bypass loppers be too inconvenient and cumbersome to carry around for that?
I ask because while I know that's what works for me, I don't have the kind of property you do, so I don't know how practical such a tool would be for your purposes.
I'm just imagining having to saw down dozens of little trees like that, and my hands are aching sympathetically.
Thank you for all the knowledge and wisdom you share with us, and God bless you and your family!
0:25 now that's what I call a party
First thing that came to mind wasn't an axe, but a bill hook.
I can also confirm that cold steel axe has a permanent home in my truck. I've split ten inch felled trees with it to reopen a road. Took a while, but the axe didn't care at all.
In Chile we call it "Podón" and it's commonly used during pruning seasons and stuff like that. It is a good tool for close cutting branches.