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#1
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How Sharp Do You Keep an Axe?
So? Do you keep an axe scary sharp like a knife or not, because there's
too much force applied to the blade? I'm talking about an axe, not a splitting wedge. -- -MIKE- "Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life" --Elvin Jones (1927-2004) -- http://mikedrums.com ---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply |
#2
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How Sharp Do You Keep an Axe?
-MIKE- wrote:
So? Do you keep an axe scary sharp like a knife or not, because there's too much force applied to the blade? I'm talking about an axe, not a splitting wedge. May sound strange, but for optimal performance I think you have to take into consideration how you are going to be using the axe (type of wood, for instance). The angle of the bevel will clearly determine the strength of its cutting edge. I won't offer any numbers as frankly I lack the experience to prescribe them. Sharp axes are known to be safer than dull ones! Bill |
#3
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How Sharp Do You Keep an Axe?
On Tue, 12 Apr 2011 23:37:56 -0400, Bill wrote:
-MIKE- wrote: So? Do you keep an axe scary sharp like a knife or not, because there's too much force applied to the blade? I'm talking about an axe, not a splitting wedge. May sound strange, but for optimal performance I think you have to take into consideration how you are going to be using the axe (type of wood, for instance). The angle of the bevel will clearly determine the strength of its cutting edge. I won't offer any numbers as frankly I lack the experience to prescribe them. Sharp axes are known to be safer than dull ones! I don't take the time to Scary(tm) an axe, but I sharpen frequently on a 600grit diamond hone to DamnearScary(tmLJ). I'm taking out an apple tree in the side yard right now and the first couple licks on a 4" diameter root blew me away. It sounded like rifle shots as the axe hit that superhard wood. Amazing. And after seeing a deep lateral almost the size of my waist, I have decided to dig around it and cut it off beneath the surface with a chainsaw instead of digging the roots out or stump grinding. -- The United States of America is the greatest, the noblest and, in its original founding principles, the only moral country in the history of the world. -- Ayn Rand |
#4
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How Sharp Do You Keep an Axe?
"Larry Jaques" wrote in message ... On Tue, 12 Apr 2011 23:37:56 -0400, Bill wrote: -MIKE- wrote: So? Do you keep an axe scary sharp like a knife or not, because there's too much force applied to the blade? I'm talking about an axe, not a splitting wedge. May sound strange, but for optimal performance I think you have to take into consideration how you are going to be using the axe (type of wood, for instance). The angle of the bevel will clearly determine the strength of its cutting edge. I won't offer any numbers as frankly I lack the experience to prescribe them. Sharp axes are known to be safer than dull ones! I don't take the time to Scary(tm) an axe, but I sharpen frequently on a 600grit diamond hone to DamnearScary(tmLJ). I'm taking out an apple tree in the side yard right now and the first couple licks on a 4" diameter root blew me away. It sounded like rifle shots as the axe hit that superhard wood. Amazing. And after seeing a deep lateral almost the size of my waist, I have decided to dig around it and cut it off beneath the surface with a chainsaw instead of digging the roots out or stump grinding. -- LJ: I'll go with DNSS and up that to SS assuming mill wood or that you are talking any wood clear of rocks, nails or other hard, blunting inclusions that, say, a tree may have acquired over its growth. You want the axe to have the maximum penetration your selection of force allows and, lordy, under any circumstances, you don't want the thing to jump, deflect or skip. Blunt axes will do that. Should they then land outside of your target zone--or on parts of the axeman--a guy may have a real reason to hate long division. Sharp axes stick. But I sure wouldn't use them for peeling or without clearing the area an arc would take them to if you heman it through a limb that should have been tougher than that. If you're felling, the difference between a powerful axe blow and one a tenth as powerful not only wastes time but it practically convinces you that 1x10 doesn't equal 10. With a 10 blow you shatter and crack. So, other things come into play in assessing what works best. Those things are the heaviness of the head and the length of the handle. Force being equal, a weightier head and a long handle rule. A practical trick that also works well is to wrap a length of inner tube about 4" wide in two layers just below the head on the handle and use automotive band clamps to keep it there. This protects the handle from protuberances and the head from loosening. Wrap it much thicker and you might get that ill bounding we talked about and want to avoid. But, done as indicated and after sentences of practice, the only setback seen with this procedure is that the clamps will break or crack sooner or later in. Lastly in the area, another jeopardy from extended hours with a heavy axe is "trigger finger". Your handle reverberates and causes a traumatic knot to occur in the finger tendons that cross the palm, especially on the topmost hand. Symptomatic is a finger starting to lock closed, then opening with a pop. Keep on keepin' on when the sign first appears and you win an operation which alleviates the difficulty without remedy of the damage. In other words, go and do something else for a month or so if the omen shows. Another alert from persistent use is "white finger" but I won't get into that here except to say if the digits go numb, quit and get reading. Prevention for the cited maladies is to wrap a handle tightly in foam pipe insulation along with the wearing of some expensive gloves whose name can be fetched on demand. If the wrapping reduces your handle control, it isn't tight enough or it's too thick. This last paragraph works for sledges too. There's an odd lanyard technique for allowing the release of sledges before the acutal moment of impact but we'll save that one until we meet on the rockpile. See how a simple question hooks up one thing with another? Regards, Edward Hennessey |
#5
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How Sharp Do You Keep an Axe?
Scary sharp is not required, but a good sharp ax is. If splitting
wood lengthwise, the bevel angle should be relatively high. When cutting cross-grain, the bevel angle should be lower. Buy an old ax or one with reasonable metal, so that it doesn't dull so easily. The handle should have coarse grain, not close/tight grain, to prevent/reduce vibration or splitting easily. A sharp ax will leave a clean cut on a hard wood. Problems cutting those apple roots: your ax is either dull or the bevel angle is too high. Sonny |
#6
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How Sharp Do You Keep an Axe?
On Tue, 12 Apr 2011 23:45:28 -0700, "Edward Hennessey"
wrote: "Larry Jaques" wrote in message ... On Tue, 12 Apr 2011 23:37:56 -0400, Bill wrote: -MIKE- wrote: So? Do you keep an axe scary sharp like a knife or not, because there's too much force applied to the blade? I'm talking about an axe, not a splitting wedge. May sound strange, but for optimal performance I think you have to take into consideration how you are going to be using the axe (type of wood, for instance). The angle of the bevel will clearly determine the strength of its cutting edge. I won't offer any numbers as frankly I lack the experience to prescribe them. Sharp axes are known to be safer than dull ones! I don't take the time to Scary(tm) an axe, but I sharpen frequently on a 600grit diamond hone to DamnearScary(tmLJ). I'm taking out an apple tree in the side yard right now and the first couple licks on a 4" diameter root blew me away. It sounded like rifle shots as the axe hit that superhard wood. Amazing. And after seeing a deep lateral almost the size of my waist, I have decided to dig around it and cut it off beneath the surface with a chainsaw instead of digging the roots out or stump grinding. -- LJ: I'll go with DNSS and up that to SS assuming mill wood or that you are talking any wood clear of rocks, nails or other hard, blunting inclusions that, say, a tree may have acquired over its growth. You want the axe to have the maximum penetration your selection of force allows and, lordy, under any circumstances, you don't want the thing to jump, deflect or skip. Blunt axes will do that. Should they then land outside of your target zone--or on parts of the axeman--a guy may have a real reason to hate long division. Sharp axes stick. But I sure wouldn't use them for peeling or without clearing the area an arc would take them to if you heman it through a limb that should have been tougher than that. If you're felling, the difference between a powerful axe blow and one a tenth as powerful not only wastes time but it practically convinces you that 1x10 doesn't equal 10. With a 10 blow you shatter and crack. So, other things come into play in assessing what works best. Those things are the heaviness of the head and the length of the handle. Force being equal, a weightier head and a long handle rule. Ayup. And I take a wide stance on roots since the trajectory of the axe head is between them if anything does wrong. A practical trick that also works well is to wrap a length of inner tube about 4" wide in two layers just below the head on the handle and use automotive band clamps to keep it there. This protects the handle from protuberances and the head from loosening. Wrap it much thicker and you might get that ill bounding we talked about and want to avoid. But, done as indicated and after sentences of practice, the only setback seen with this procedure is that the clamps will break or crack sooner or later in. I'm about ready to spend some money on a new handle for this $3 garbage sale axe, but it hasn't finished itself off yet. Ditto the $5 gs pick mattock. Lastly in the area, another jeopardy from extended hours with a heavy axe is "trigger finger". Your handle reverberates and causes a traumatic knot to occur in the finger tendons that cross the palm, especially on the topmost hand. Symptomatic is a finger starting to lock closed, then opening with a pop. Keep on keepin' on when the sign first appears and you win an operation which alleviates the difficulty without remedy of the damage. In other words, go and do something else for a month or so if the omen shows. Another alert from persistent use is "white finger" but I won't get into that here except to say if the digits go numb, quit and get reading. Prevention for the cited maladies is to wrap a handle tightly in foam pipe insulation along with the wearing of some expensive gloves whose name can be fetched on demand. If the wrapping reduces your handle control, it isn't tight enough or it's too thick. This last paragraph works for sledges too. There's an odd lanyard technique for allowing the release of sledges before the acutal moment of impact but we'll save that one until we meet on the rockpile. I'd never, ever wrap a handle with foam. The rake is the only implement which gets that treatment, and it's not critical to my wellbeing if it slips. Besides, I only use the axe when there are a few laterals and I can't get the mud out of the way easily. I don't mind getting a few dings on the axe from the dirt. I wouldn't do that with a felling axe I used for real work, but I don't do that, anyway. I give the wood to neighbors willing to take their chainsaws to it and haul it off. See how a simple question hooks up one thing with another? Like me asking (with a giggle) "On what prison farm did you learn these tough life lessons, Ed?" -- The United States of America is the greatest, the noblest and, in its original founding principles, the only moral country in the history of the world. -- Ayn Rand |
#7
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How Sharp Do You Keep an Axe?
On Apr 12, 11:03*pm, -MIKE- wrote:
So? *Do you keep an axe scary sharp like a knife or not, because there's too much force applied to the blade? I'm talking about an axe, not a splitting wedge. Sculpting axe, yes, if I want the hewing marks part of the finish. For a regular utility axe, file or coarse stone, the edge isn't going to be babied. |
#8
Posted to rec.woodworking
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How Sharp Do You Keep an Axe?
In article ,
Edward Hennessey wrote: Prevention for the cited maladies is to wrap a handle tightly in foam pipe insulation along with the wearing of some expensive gloves whose name can be fetched on demand. The special tape used for wrapping up tennis racquet handles is good. Sticks well, has some cushioning but also provides a good grip without requiring too much of a squeeze from the hand. This is a tip I learned from a blacksmith. My favourite hammer is treated this way and it works well. -- Stuart Winsor Midland RISC OS show - Sat July 9th 2011 http://mug.riscos.org/show11/MUGshow.html |
#9
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How Sharp Do You Keep an Axe?
"-MIKE-" wrote in message ... So? Do you keep an axe scary sharp like a knife or not, because there's too much force applied to the blade? I'm talking about an axe, not a splitting wedge. Well.... I generally sharpen my axe, hatchet and machete "shaving sharp..." I want them to cut and stick, not whack and bounce. A dull one of any of them can be down right dangerous. As needed, I do a relief grind on a slow speed grinder or water grinder. The machete is finished with a buffing wheel and the others on Arkansas stones. My intent is to keep these tools out of the dirt. On that note though, I've encountered embedded dirt, rocks, barded wire, bullets, and other things in trees. If I'm chopping roots I use a sharpened Cutter Mattock (e.g., http://www.easydigging.com/Garden_To...k_mattock.html. This is sharpened on the grinder only... it's cutting in dirt after all! The right tool and a sharp tool make the job easier and safer! John BTW, I sharpen my shovels, post hole digger, and other gardening/digging tools on a grinder also... I don't personally know of anyone else that does that today but do recall back in the 1960s an elderly man whom had apprenticed as a blacksmith as a child in Poland who did so. He came to the US after WWII and had acres of hand turned, and maintained vegetable gardens. I recall watching him cutting fields with a scythe! He had a stone in his pocket to keep that sharp too. |
#10
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How Sharp Do You Keep an Axe?
On Tue, 12 Apr 2011 23:45:28 -0700, "Edward Hennessey"
wrote: "Larry Jaques" wrote in message ... On Tue, 12 Apr 2011 23:37:56 -0400, Bill wrote: -MIKE- wrote: So? Do you keep an axe scary sharp like a knife or not, because there's too much force applied to the blade? I'm talking about an axe, not a splitting wedge. May sound strange, but for optimal performance I think you have to take into consideration how you are going to be using the axe (type of wood, for instance). The angle of the bevel will clearly determine the strength of its cutting edge. I won't offer any numbers as frankly I lack the experience to prescribe them. Sharp axes are known to be safer than dull ones! I don't take the time to Scary(tm) an axe, but I sharpen frequently on a 600grit diamond hone to DamnearScary(tmLJ). I'm taking out an apple tree in the side yard right now and the first couple licks on a 4" diameter root blew me away. It sounded like rifle shots as the axe hit that superhard wood. Amazing. And after seeing a deep lateral almost the size of my waist, I have decided to dig around it and cut it off beneath the surface with a chainsaw instead of digging the roots out or stump grinding. -- LJ: I'll go with DNSS and up that to SS assuming mill wood or that you are talking any wood clear of rocks, nails or other hard, blunting inclusions that, say, a tree may have acquired over its growth. You want the axe to have the maximum penetration your selection of force allows and, lordy, under any circumstances, you don't want the thing to jump, deflect or skip. Blunt axes will do that. Should they then land outside of your target zone--or on parts of the axeman--a guy may have a real reason to hate long division. Sharp axes stick. But I sure wouldn't use them for peeling or without clearing the area an arc would take them to if you heman it through a limb that should have been tougher than that. If you're felling, the difference between a powerful axe blow and one a tenth as powerful not only wastes time but it practically convinces you that 1x10 doesn't equal 10. With a 10 blow you shatter and crack. So, other things come into play in assessing what works best. Those things are the heaviness of the head and the length of the handle. Force being equal, a weightier head and a long handle rule. A practical trick that also works well is to wrap a length of inner tube about 4" wide in two layers just below the head on the handle and use automotive band clamps to keep it there. This protects the handle from protuberances and the head from loosening. Wrap it much thicker and you might get that ill bounding we talked about and want to avoid. But, done as indicated and after sentences of practice, the only setback seen with this procedure is that the clamps will break or crack sooner or later in. Lastly in the area, another jeopardy from extended hours with a heavy axe is "trigger finger". Your handle reverberates and causes a traumatic knot to occur in the finger tendons that cross the palm, especially on the topmost hand. Symptomatic is a finger starting to lock closed, then opening with a pop. Keep on keepin' on when the sign first appears and you win an operation which alleviates the difficulty without remedy of the damage. In other words, go and do something else for a month or so if the omen shows. Another alert from persistent use is "white finger" but I won't get into that here except to say if the digits go numb, quit and get reading. Prevention for the cited maladies is to wrap a handle tightly in foam pipe insulation along with the wearing of some expensive gloves whose name can be fetched on demand. If the wrapping reduces your handle control, it isn't tight enough or it's too thick. This last paragraph works for sledges too. There's an odd lanyard technique for allowing the release of sledges before the acutal moment of impact but we'll save that one until we meet on the rockpile. See how a simple question hooks up one thing with another? Regards, Edward Hennessey Some of the new fiber-glass handles reduce both problems significantly. I like the ones with molded rubber grips. |
#11
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How Sharp Do You Keep an Axe?
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#12
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How Sharp Do You Keep an Axe?
"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
... On Tue, 12 Apr 2011 23:37:56 -0400, Bill wrote: And after seeing a deep lateral almost the size of my waist, I have decided to dig around it and cut it off beneath the surface with a chainsaw instead of digging the roots out or stump grinding. A sawzall with a long coarse blade is the best way to cut roots... unlike a chainsaw it does not mind the occasional dirt. Cheers, Shawn |
#13
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How Sharp Do You Keep an Axe?
On Wed, 13 Apr 2011 23:10:34 -0800, "RimaNeas"
wrote: "Larry Jaques" wrote in message .. . On Tue, 12 Apr 2011 23:37:56 -0400, Bill wrote: And after seeing a deep lateral almost the size of my waist, I have decided to dig around it and cut it off beneath the surface with a chainsaw instead of digging the roots out or stump grinding. A sawzall with a long coarse blade is the best way to cut roots... unlike a chainsaw it does not mind the occasional dirt. Shawn, you make a bloody good point there. I have some 12" woodworking blades for my recip, too. I'll try that later today, iffen the rain stops long enough. The smaller recip will get into tighter areas, too. I like it! -- The United States of America is the greatest, the noblest and, in its original founding principles, the only moral country in the history of the world. -- Ayn Rand |
#14
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How Sharp Do You Keep an Axe?
"Larry Jaques" wrote Shawn, you make a bloody good point there. I have some 12" woodworking blades for my recip, too. I'll try that later today, iffen the rain stops long enough. The smaller recip will get into tighter areas, too. I like it! Those recip saws are handy. Had a neighbor who had a bunch of junk to get rid of, but it would not fit into the garbage can. I brought my recip saw over there and cut everything up into small enough chunks to satisfy the garbage man. I have done the same thing myself. Roots, branches, old office chairs, etc. It is versatile. And when it bogs down, just change the blade. I did not have one for along time. But when I got it (on sale) I have been finding uses for it again and again. The only problem is when the stock is not secure. As long as the stock is secure, everything else works just fine. |
#15
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How Sharp Do You Keep an Axe?
On Apr 14, 3:10*am, "RimaNeas" wrote:
"Larry Jaques" wrote in message ... On Tue, 12 Apr 2011 23:37:56 -0400, Bill wrote: And after seeing a deep lateral almost the size of my waist, I have decided to dig around it and cut it off beneath the surface with a chainsaw instead of digging the roots out or stump grinding. A sawzall with a long coarse blade is the best way to cut roots... unlike a chainsaw it does not mind the occasional dirt. Cheers, Shawn AAMOF, you can get pruning blades for a Sawsall which work great on roots. BTDT |
#16
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How Sharp Do You Keep an Axe?
On Apr 14, 9:00*am, "Lee Michaels" leemichaels*nadaspam* at comcast
dot net wrote: "Larry Jaques" wrote Shawn, you make a bloody good point there. I have some 12" woodworking blades for my recip, too. *I'll try that later today, iffen the rain stops long enough. *The smaller recip will get into tighter areas, too. I like it! Those recip saws are handy. Had a neighbor who had a bunch of junk to get rid of, but it would not fit into the garbage can. *I brought my recip saw over there and cut everything up into small enough chunks to satisfy the garbage man. *I have done the same thing myself. Roots, branches, old office chairs, etc. *It is versatile. And when it bogs down, just change the blade. *I did not have one for along time. *But when I got it (on sale) I have been finding uses for it again and again. *The only problem is when the stock is not secure. *As long as the stock is secure, everything else works just fine. Besides a standard Milwaukee with a tail, I also have an 18 volt Milwaukee Sawsall. Talk about handy. |
#17
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How Sharp Do You Keep an Axe?
On 4/14/2011 9:00 AM, Lee Michaels wrote:
The only problem is when the stock is not secure. As long as the stock is secure, everything else works just fine. That reminds me of when I tried to cut hardboard with a scroll saw. It didn't work At All. At the time I was in disbelief. The problem was explained to me (in this forum). Bill |
#18
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How Sharp Do You Keep an Axe?
On Thu, 14 Apr 2011 06:56:28 -0700 (PDT), Robatoy
wrote: On Apr 14, 3:10Â*am, "RimaNeas" wrote: "Larry Jaques" wrote in message ... On Tue, 12 Apr 2011 23:37:56 -0400, Bill wrote: And after seeing a deep lateral almost the size of my waist, I have decided to dig around it and cut it off beneath the surface with a chainsaw instead of digging the roots out or stump grinding. A sawzall with a long coarse blade is the best way to cut roots... unlike a chainsaw it does not mind the occasional dirt. Cheers, Shawn AAMOF, you can get pruning blades for a Sawsall which work great on roots. BTDT "demolition" blades are great - they'll even go through spikes or fence wire without damaging the blade, and they are aggressive enough to handle wet roots quite quickly. |
#19
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How Sharp Do You Keep an Axe?
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#20
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How Sharp Do You Keep an Axe?
On Apr 14, 12:45*pm, wrote:
On Thu, 14 Apr 2011 06:56:28 -0700 (PDT), Robatoy wrote: On Apr 14, 3:10*am, "RimaNeas" wrote: "Larry Jaques" wrote in message . .. On Tue, 12 Apr 2011 23:37:56 -0400, Bill wrote: And after seeing a deep lateral almost the size of my waist, I have decided to dig around it and cut it off beneath the surface with a chainsaw instead of digging the roots out or stump grinding. A sawzall with a long coarse blade is the best way to cut roots... unlike a chainsaw it does not mind the occasional dirt. Cheers, Shawn AAMOF, you can get pruning blades for a Sawsall which work great on roots. BTDT *"demolition" blades are great - they'll even go through spikes or fence wire without damaging the blade, and they are aggressive enough to handle wet roots quite quickly. I tried that and on the roots I was cutting (young and succulent) the standard demo blade filled up very quickly rendering it practically useless after a few strokes. I can see a standard demo blade being just fine for something a bit more dense, dryer, and mature. |
#21
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How Sharp Do You Keep an Axe?
On Thu, 14 Apr 2011 09:00:42 -0400, "Lee Michaels"
leemichaels*nadaspam* at comcast dot net wrote: "Larry Jaques" wrote Shawn, you make a bloody good point there. I have some 12" woodworking blades for my recip, too. I'll try that later today, iffen the rain stops long enough. The smaller recip will get into tighter areas, too. I like it! Those recip saws are handy. Had a neighbor who had a bunch of junk to get rid of, but it would not fit into the garbage can. I brought my recip saw over there and cut everything up into small enough chunks to satisfy the garbage man. I have done the same thing myself. Roots, branches, old office chairs, etc. It is versatile. And when it bogs down, just change the blade. I did not have one for along time. But when I got it (on sale) I have been finding uses for it again and again. The only problem is when the stock is not secure. As long as the stock is secure, everything else works just fine. Ditto here. I have some of he old back porch roof to cut up, where the flashing was glued to the perimeter with hot tar. I'll cut it to length and send it away with the garbage next week. They're the only thing for demolition...unless you can afford a carbide chain saw chain for $200-400. -- The United States of America is the greatest, the noblest and, in its original founding principles, the only moral country in the history of the world. -- Ayn Rand |
#22
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How Sharp Do You Keep an Axe?
"Larry Jaques" wrote in message ... On Tue, 12 Apr 2011 23:45:28 -0700, "Edward Hennessey" wrote: "Larry Jaques" wrote in message ... On Tue, 12 Apr 2011 23:37:56 -0400, Bill wrote: -MIKE- wrote: So? Do you keep an axe scary sharp like a knife or not, because there's too much force applied to the blade? I'm talking about an axe, not a splitting wedge. May sound strange, but for optimal performance I think you have to take into consideration how you are going to be using the axe (type of wood, for instance). The angle of the bevel will clearly determine the strength of its cutting edge. I won't offer any numbers as frankly I lack the experience to prescribe them. Sharp axes are known to be safer than dull ones! I don't take the time to Scary(tm) an axe, but I sharpen frequently on a 600grit diamond hone to DamnearScary(tmLJ). I'm taking out an apple tree in the side yard right now and the first couple licks on a 4" diameter root blew me away. It sounded like rifle shots as the axe hit that superhard wood. Amazing. And after seeing a deep lateral almost the size of my waist, I have decided to dig around it and cut it off beneath the surface with a chainsaw instead of digging the roots out or stump grinding. -- LJ: I'll go with DNSS and up that to SS assuming mill wood or that you are talking any wood clear of rocks, nails or other hard, blunting inclusions that, say, a tree may have acquired over its growth. You want the axe to have the maximum penetration your selection of force allows and, lordy, under any circumstances, you don't want the thing to jump, deflect or skip. Blunt axes will do that. Should they then land outside of your target zone--or on parts of the axeman--a guy may have a real reason to hate long division. Sharp axes stick. But I sure wouldn't use them for peeling or without clearing the area an arc would take them to if you heman it through a limb that should have been tougher than that. If you're felling, the difference between a powerful axe blow and one a tenth as powerful not only wastes time but it practically convinces you that 1x10 doesn't equal 10. With a 10 blow you shatter and crack. So, other things come into play in assessing what works best. Those things are the heaviness of the head and the length of the handle. Force being equal, a weightier head and a long handle rule. LJ: Ayup. And I take a wide stance on roots since the trajectory of the axe head is between them if anything does wrong. A cheapo and available purchase at garage sales, flea markets and the like are catcher's shin guards. They'll go nice with your steel-toed sneakers. The thick plastic ones sure beat unadorned Levi's. A practical trick that also works well is to wrap a length of inner tube about 4" wide in two layers just below the head on the handle and use automotive band clamps to keep it there. This protects the handle from protuberances and the head from loosening. Wrap it much thicker and you might get that ill bounding we talked about and want to avoid. But, done as indicated and after sentences of practice, the only setback seen with this procedure is that the clamps will break or crack sooner or later in. I'm about ready to spend some money on a new handle for this $3 garbage sale axe, but it hasn't finished itself off yet. Ditto the $5 gs pick mattock. When it's possible, I've had good returns pulling the wedge in the handle eye, backing out the handle, keying surfaces with 50 grit, slathering everything with epoxy and putting the wedge back in , snugging components up so the wood-to-steel interfaces on the head and wedge aren't starved of adhesive. Have some acetone on hand to tidy up because it's a mess. Lastly in the area, another jeopardy from extended hours with a heavy axe is "trigger finger". Your handle reverberates and causes a traumatic knot to occur in the finger tendons that cross the palm, especially on the topmost hand. Symptomatic is a finger starting to lock closed, then opening with a pop. Keep on keepin' on when the sign first appears and you win an operation which alleviates the difficulty without remedy of the damage. In other words, go and do something else for a month or so if the omen shows. As a footnote, I know I read some guys get TF trying to take up golf. Golf. Susceptibilities vary widely. Another alert from persistent use is "white finger" but I won't get into that here except to say if the digits go numb, quit and get reading. Prevention for the cited maladies is to wrap a handle tightly in foam pipe insulation along with the wearing of some expensive gloves whose name can be fetched on demand. If the wrapping reduces your handle control, it isn't tight enough or it's too thick. This last paragraph works for sledges too. There's an odd lanyard technique for allowing the release of sledges before the acutal moment of impact but we'll save that one until we meet on the rockpile. I'd never, ever wrap a handle with foam. The rake is the only implement which gets that treatment, and it's not critical to my wellbeing if it slips. Done right, it won't. I have a roll of some thinner stuff but on sledges especially, there is massive improvement in the vibration dampening and you can compress even the regular product real tight with tape. Add glue. Remember you're holding it too. A friend thinks similarly but first makes a bunch of very slight conical depressions all over the handle with a countersink, thinking that these make anti-slip keys for the foam when compressed by either the tape or swinging hands. Likely, he's right. The killer foam for the application was developed for seating in the FB-111. That pads my gloves. When I saw your basic 6'8" demonstrator do a dead knee drop on concrete covered by a 1/4"-3/8" pad of the product, the wallet made like an airborne butterfly giving live birth to dollar bills. One day, the wallet may have further fits and buy a roll of the material. Besides, I only use the axe when there are a few laterals and I can't get the mud out of the way easily. I don't mind getting a few dings on the axe from the dirt. I wouldn't do that with a felling axe I used for real work, but I don't do that, anyway. I give the wood to neighbors willing to take their chainsaws to it and haul it off. See how a simple question hooks up one thing with another? Like me asking (with a giggle) "On what prison farm did you learn these tough life lessons, Ed?" Larry...Larry...Larry, 7734 inverted, I just can't tell you nothing. If I pull out the alumni directory, you're what, Angola class of '73-4? Regards, Edward Hennessey |
#23
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How Sharp Do You Keep an Axe?
wrote in message ... On Tue, 12 Apr 2011 23:45:28 -0700, "Edward Hennessey" wrote: "Larry Jaques" wrote in message ... On Tue, 12 Apr 2011 23:37:56 -0400, Bill wrote: -MIKE- wrote: So? Do you keep an axe scary sharp like a knife or not, because there's too much force applied to the blade? I'm talking about an axe, not a splitting wedge. May sound strange, but for optimal performance I think you have to take into consideration how you are going to be using the axe (type of wood, for instance). The angle of the bevel will clearly determine the strength of its cutting edge. I won't offer any numbers as frankly I lack the experience to prescribe them. Sharp axes are known to be safer than dull ones! I don't take the time to Scary(tm) an axe, but I sharpen frequently on a 600grit diamond hone to DamnearScary(tmLJ). I'm taking out an apple tree in the side yard right now and the first couple licks on a 4" diameter root blew me away. It sounded like rifle shots as the axe hit that superhard wood. Amazing. And after seeing a deep lateral almost the size of my waist, I have decided to dig around it and cut it off beneath the surface with a chainsaw instead of digging the roots out or stump grinding. -- LJ: I'll go with DNSS and up that to SS assuming mill wood or that you are talking any wood clear of rocks, nails or other hard, blunting inclusions that, say, a tree may have acquired over its growth. You want the axe to have the maximum penetration your selection of force allows and, lordy, under any circumstances, you don't want the thing to jump, deflect or skip. Blunt axes will do that. Should they then land outside of your target zone--or on parts of the axeman--a guy may have a real reason to hate long division. Sharp axes stick. But I sure wouldn't use them for peeling or without clearing the area an arc would take them to if you heman it through a limb that should have been tougher than that. If you're felling, the difference between a powerful axe blow and one a tenth as powerful not only wastes time but it practically convinces you that 1x10 doesn't equal 10. With a 10 blow you shatter and crack. So, other things come into play in assessing what works best. Those things are the heaviness of the head and the length of the handle. Force being equal, a weightier head and a long handle rule. A practical trick that also works well is to wrap a length of inner tube about 4" wide in two layers just below the head on the handle and use automotive band clamps to keep it there. This protects the handle from protuberances and the head from loosening. Wrap it much thicker and you might get that ill bounding we talked about and want to avoid. But, done as indicated and after sentences of practice, the only setback seen with this procedure is that the clamps will break or crack sooner or later in. Lastly in the area, another jeopardy from extended hours with a heavy axe is "trigger finger". Your handle reverberates and causes a traumatic knot to occur in the finger tendons that cross the palm, especially on the topmost hand. Symptomatic is a finger starting to lock closed, then opening with a pop. Keep on keepin' on when the sign first appears and you win an operation which alleviates the difficulty without remedy of the damage. In other words, go and do something else for a month or so if the omen shows. Another alert from persistent use is "white finger" but I won't get into that here except to say if the digits go numb, quit and get reading. Prevention for the cited maladies is to wrap a handle tightly in foam pipe insulation along with the wearing of some expensive gloves whose name can be fetched on demand. If the wrapping reduces your handle control, it isn't tight enough or it's too thick. This last paragraph works for sledges too. There's an odd lanyard technique for allowing the release of sledges before the acutal moment of impact but we'll save that one until we meet on the rockpile. See how a simple question hooks up one thing with another? Regards, Edward Hennessey Some of the new fiber-glass handles reduce both problems significantly. I like the ones with molded rubber grips. C: If you have any specific names to mention or any other structural detail or tests that you've come across, it would be great to hear. Comparative data would be a specially good find if that is handy. I know there are ways to make the handles both strong with better vibration dampening but until that can be accomplished at a cost the market is willing to profitably support.... There's a sledge with the handle attached to the head by a short length of cable. It's obviously a bit floppy; that's immaterial for most breaking What it does for diminishing user wear and tear is amazing. Now if only there was a more durable method of reliably attaching the cable. Regards, Edward Hennessey Regards, Edward Hennessey Regards |
#24
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How Sharp Do You Keep an Axe?
On Apr 12, 11:37*pm, Bill wrote:
Sharp axes are known to be safer than dull ones! I guess this guy's axe is pretty damn safe then, but I bet you still cringe when you watch it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueIB0h4SzHc R |
#25
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How Sharp Do You Keep an Axe?
"RicodJour" wrote in message ... On Apr 12, 11:37 pm, Bill wrote: Sharp axes are known to be safer than dull ones! I guess this guy's axe is pretty damn safe then, but I bet you still cringe when you watch it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueIB0h4SzHc The technique doesn't look any different from how they did it here in yesteryear... Having worked in leather soled 18th century style shoes, that aren't particularly "grippy," barefoot might actually be better. Also, like a good chef keeps his fingers curled while using a knife, this craftsman has his toes curled (and maybe his sphincter muscle)! John |
#26
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How Sharp Do You Keep an Axe?
On 4/15/2011 2:24 AM, RicodJour wrote:
On Apr 12, 11:37 pm, wrote: Sharp axes are known to be safer than dull ones! I guess this guy's axe is pretty damn safe then, but I bet you still cringe when you watch it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueIB0h4SzHc R I love that axe that he has! I am going to have to see about finding one like that. It does not make me cringe when I watch him. But I am one of those that believes that the best safety equipment is your mind and your skill, not gadgets. -- Robert Allison New Braunfels, TX |
#27
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How Sharp Do You Keep an Axe?
On Fri, 15 Apr 2011 09:12:33 -0500, Robert Allison
wrote: On 4/15/2011 2:24 AM, RicodJour wrote: On Apr 12, 11:37 pm, wrote: Sharp axes are known to be safer than dull ones! I guess this guy's axe is pretty damn safe then, but I bet you still cringe when you watch it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueIB0h4SzHc R I love that axe that he has! I am going to have to see about finding one like that. That's just a regular, unsided broadaxe, Robert. Some were built for lefthanded or righthanded people and the blade is offset to one side. Pics of the various profiles: http://goo.gl/Y2mUd I like the bearded style 1800s broadaxe by Gransfors Bruks. It does not make me cringe when I watch him. But I am one of those that believes that the best safety equipment is your mind and your skill, not gadgets. He's fairly safe. A newbie doing that would be unsafe. Hmm, did he appear to be missing that left little toe...? -- Some people hear voices. Some see invisible people. Others have no imagination whatsoever. |
#28
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How Sharp Do You Keep an Axe?
On Apr 12, 10:03*pm, -MIKE- wrote:
So? *Do you keep an axe scary sharp like a knife or not, because there's too much force applied to the blade? I'm talking about an axe, not a splitting wedge. -- * -MIKE- * "Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life" * * *--Elvin Jones *(1927-2004) * -- *http://mikedrums.com * * ---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply When cutting with an axe, keep it SHARP! However, if splitting wood, u |
#29
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How Sharp Do You Keep an Axe?
On Apr 15, 3:12*pm, Nahmie wrote:
On Apr 12, 10:03*pm, -MIKE- wrote: So? *Do you keep an axe scary sharp like a knife or not, because there's too much force applied to the blade? I'm talking about an axe, not a splitting wedge. -- * -MIKE- * "Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life" * * *--Elvin Jones *(1927-2004) * -- *http://mikedrums.com * * ---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply When cutting with an axe, keep it SHARP! However, if splitting wood, u Sorry, that one "sent" before I wanted it to! When splitting, use a dull axe, the theory being that it wedges the the wood fibers apart, rather than slicing through them with a sharp axe. I caught the devil one time when I tried to sharpen the woodshed axe. Nahmie |
#30
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How Sharp Do You Keep an Axe?
On 4/15/2011 12:45 PM, Larry Jaques wrote:
On Fri, 15 Apr 2011 09:12:33 -0500, Robert Allison wrote: On 4/15/2011 2:24 AM, RicodJour wrote: On Apr 12, 11:37 pm, wrote: Sharp axes are known to be safer than dull ones! I guess this guy's axe is pretty damn safe then, but I bet you still cringe when you watch it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueIB0h4SzHc R I love that axe that he has! I am going to have to see about finding one like that. That's just a regular, unsided broadaxe, Robert. Some were built for lefthanded or righthanded people and the blade is offset to one side. Pics of the various profiles: http://goo.gl/Y2mUd I like the bearded style 1800s broadaxe by Gransfors Bruks. It does not make me cringe when I watch him. But I am one of those that believes that the best safety equipment is your mind and your skill, not gadgets. He's fairly safe. A newbie doing that would be unsafe. Hmm, did he appear to be missing that left little toe...? -- Some people hear voices. Some see invisible people. Others have no imagination whatsoever. $450.00 for an axe! No wonder I don't have one. -- Robert Allison New Braunfels, TX |
#31
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How Sharp Do You Keep an Axe?
On 4/16/2011 1:09 AM, Robert Allison wrote:
$450.00 for an axe! No wonder I don't have one. When did Festool get in the axe business? -- www.e-woodshop.net Last update: 4/15/2010 KarlC@ (the obvious) |
#32
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How Sharp Do You Keep an Axe?
On Fri, 15 Apr 2011 21:35:21 -0700 (PDT), Nahmie
wrote: On Apr 15, 3:12Â*pm, Nahmie wrote: On Apr 12, 10:03Â*pm, -MIKE- wrote: So? Â*Do you keep an axe scary sharp like a knife or not, because there's too much force applied to the blade? I'm talking about an axe, not a splitting wedge. -- Â* -MIKE- Â* "Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life" Â* Â* Â*--Elvin Jones Â*(1927-2004) Â* -- Â*http://mikedrums.com Â* Â* ---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply When cutting with an axe, keep it SHARP! However, if splitting wood, u Sorry, that one "sent" before I wanted it to! When splitting, use a dull axe, the theory being that it wedges the the wood fibers apart, rather than slicing through them with a sharp axe. I caught the devil one time when I tried to sharpen the woodshed axe. The person who told you that probably wanted to punish you, Nahmie. The sharp end starts the split by allowing the splitter to enter the wood, especially in crosslinked woods. The width of the head or wedge forces it. Doing it all by brute force takes a lot more energy than necessary. I'll use a sharp axe, TYVM. Hydraulic splitters don't have to worry, as they have the mechanical advantage. P.S: Did you ever get that truck out of that ditch? (Some synapses never die; memory persists;sorry!) gd&r -- Some people hear voices. Some see invisible people. Others have no imagination whatsoever. |
#33
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How Sharp Do You Keep an Axe?
On Sat, 16 Apr 2011 01:09:04 -0500, Robert Allison
wrote: On 4/15/2011 12:45 PM, Larry Jaques wrote: On Fri, 15 Apr 2011 09:12:33 -0500, Robert Allison wrote: On 4/15/2011 2:24 AM, RicodJour wrote: On Apr 12, 11:37 pm, wrote: Sharp axes are known to be safer than dull ones! I guess this guy's axe is pretty damn safe then, but I bet you still cringe when you watch it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueIB0h4SzHc R I love that axe that he has! I am going to have to see about finding one like that. That's just a regular, unsided broadaxe, Robert. Some were built for lefthanded or righthanded people and the blade is offset to one side. Pics of the various profiles: http://goo.gl/Y2mUd I like the bearded style 1800s broadaxe by Gransfors Bruks. $450.00 for an axe! No wonder I don't have one. Yeah, they're truly beauties, but he's a bit too proud of his axes for my budget. (I think he's in cahoots with that Festool guy.) I found a broadhatchet, a saw set, and some other tool (3pcs) on eBay for total delivered price of $14.34. Unfortunately, the handle came separately and was unusable. Most everything you buy used will have been abused. Hammering on the tail, nail chips on the face, cracks and gouges in the handle at the head. But a little work makes 'em yours, and they'll be every bit as functional as a very expensive axe. -- Some people hear voices. Some see invisible people. Others have no imagination whatsoever. |
#34
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How Sharp Do You Keep an Axe?
On 4/16/11 9:04 AM, Larry Jaques wrote:
On Fri, 15 Apr 2011 21:35:21 -0700 (PDT), wrote: On Apr 15, 3:12 pm, wrote: On Apr 12, 10:03 pm, wrote: So? Do you keep an axe scary sharp like a knife or not, because there's too much force applied to the blade? I'm talking about an axe, not a splitting wedge. -- -MIKE- When cutting with an axe, keep it SHARP! However, if splitting wood, u Sorry, that one "sent" before I wanted it to! When splitting, use a dull axe, the theory being that it wedges the the wood fibers apart, rather than slicing through them with a sharp axe. I caught the devil one time when I tried to sharpen the woodshed axe. The person who told you that probably wanted to punish you, Nahmie. The sharp end starts the split by allowing the splitter to enter the wood, especially in crosslinked woods. The width of the head or wedge forces it. Doing it all by brute force takes a lot more energy than necessary. I'll use a sharp axe, TYVM. Hydraulic splitters don't have to worry, as they have the mechanical advantage. P.S: Did you ever get that truck out of that ditch? (Some synapses never die; memory persists;sorry!)gd&r Yes and no. With the research I've done since posting this, I've found that an axe (what I asked about) can be scary sharp, and should be kept pretty darn sharp. A wedge (or maul) should be kept dull and was never intended to be sharp. A splitting axe (dual purpose) is to be kept sharp like a regular axe. For those who care.... I quickly discovered the benefits of an axe that is sharp enough to "stick" and have to be pulled out, rather than bounce off. -- -MIKE- "Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life" --Elvin Jones (1927-2004) -- http://mikedrums.com ---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply |
#35
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How Sharp Do You Keep an Axe?
On Apr 16, 12:36*pm, -MIKE- wrote:
For those who care.... I quickly discovered the benefits of an axe that is sharp enough to "stick" and have to be pulled out, rather than bounce off. Makes a whole lotta sense to me. A survey crew I worked on one summer (we laid out the monument system for Bruce Nuclear Power plant back in '67) had a few 'axe-men' as well as a few chainsaw guys blazing a trail to create line-of-sight for the surveyors. Those ax guys gave those blades a quick file and hone every chance/ break they had. "To stop the ax from bouncing." Those guys would take care of a 3" maple sapling with a couple of one-handed swipes with a small ax. |
#36
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How Sharp Do You Keep an Axe?
On Apr 16, 9:04*am, Larry Jaques
wrote: On Fri, 15 Apr 2011 21:35:21 -0700 (PDT), Nahmie wrote: On Apr 15, 3:12*pm, Nahmie wrote: On Apr 12, 10:03*pm, -MIKE- wrote: So? *Do you keep an axe scary sharp like a knife or not, because there's too much force applied to the blade? I'm talking about an axe, not a splitting wedge. -- * -MIKE- * "Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life" * * *--Elvin Jones *(1927-2004) * -- *http://mikedrums.com * * ---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply When cutting with an axe, keep it SHARP! However, if splitting wood, u Sorry, that one "sent" before I wanted it to! When splitting, use a dull axe, the theory being that it wedges the *the wood fibers apart, rather than slicing through them with a sharp axe. I caught the devil one time when I tried to sharpen the woodshed axe. The person who told you that probably wanted to punish you, Nahmie. The sharp end starts the split by allowing the splitter to enter the wood, especially in crosslinked woods. The width of the head or wedge forces it. *Doing it all by brute force takes a lot more energy than necessary. *I'll use a sharp axe, TYVM. Hydraulic splitters don't have to worry, as they have the mechanical advantage. P.S: Did you ever get that truck out of that ditch? *(Some synapses never die; memory persists;sorry!) *gd&r -- Some people hear voices. Some see invisible people. Others have no imagination whatsoever.- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - Yup, got the truck out late that night. How did you remember? I'd forgotten it until you mentioned it. BTW, that was the same axe my Uncle used for splitting all the time. It wasn't really DULL dull, just didn't have a real sharp edge. It was also a double-bit axe, wwith the other end sharpened. I've always liked a double-bit, just seems to feel better balanced.(to me, anyway) Long as we're digtging up memories . . . . do you still have the speil about "dark suckers" Thatb was you, wasn't it? Nahmie |
#37
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How Sharp Do You Keep an Axe?
On Sat, 16 Apr 2011 16:23:06 -0700 (PDT), Nahmie
wrote: On Apr 16, 9:04Â*am, Larry Jaques wrote: P.S: Did you ever get that truck out of that ditch? Â*(Some synapses never die; memory persists;sorry!) Â*gd&r Yup, got the truck out late that night. How did you remember? I'd forgotten it until you mentioned it. The incident inspired me. (To what, I have no idea, it just did.) BTW, that was the same axe my Uncle used for splitting all the time. It wasn't really DULL dull, just didn't have a real sharp edge. It was also a double-bit axe, wwith the other end sharpened. I've always liked a double-bit, just seems to feel better balanced.(to me, anyway) I agree, and balance is important to me. I get more work done with a 5 or 8# sledge than a 20. OTOH, I have a 5# one-sided sledge with just a bit of triangular head on the other side. It has caused more misses than any single hammer I've ever had the misfortune of grabbing. Someone gave it to me and I haven't been successful in finding a new home for it. I guess I don't want the karma that might come with passing it on. Long as we're digtging up memories . . . . do you still have the speil about "dark suckers" Thatb was you, wasn't it? Yeah, I still have it. Someone recently posted it either here on on Wreck.Metalheads. And while we're in the land of memories, let us not forget antigrav. --snip-- Asking the mystic Oracle... Question: If you drop a buttered piece of bread, it will fall on the floor butter side down. If a cat is dropped from a window or some other high and towering place, it will land on its feet. But if you attach a buttered piece of bread, butter side up to a cat's back and toss them both out the window? Will the cat land on its feet? Or will the butter splat on the ground? And in response, thus spake the Oracle: Even if you are too lazy to do the experiment yourself you should be able to deduce the obvious result. The laws of butterology demand that the butter must hit the ground, and the equally strict laws of feline aerodynamics demand that the cat can not smash its furry back. If the combined construct were to land, nature would have no way to resolve this paradox. Therefore, it simply does not fall. That's right, you clever mortal, (well, as clever as a mortal can get) you have discovered the secret of *ANTIGRAVITY*! A buttered cat will, when released, quickly move to a height where forces of cat-twisting and butter repulsion are in equilibrium. This equilibrium point can be modified by scraping off some of the butter, or removing some of the cat's limbs (not recommended, as it produces an unfavourably high demand for fresh cats), allowing descent. Most of the civilized species of the Universe already use this very principle to drive their ships while within a planetary system. The loud humming heard by most sighters of UFOs, is, in fact, the purring of several hundred tabbies. The one obvious danger is, of course, that if the cats manage to eat the bread off their backs they will instantly plummet. Of course the cats *will* land on their feet, but this generally doesn't do them much good at all, since shortly after they make their graceful landing several tons of red-hot starship and ****ed off aliens come crashing down on top of them. --snip-- -- Threee days before Tucson, Howard Dean explained that the tea party movement is "the last gasp of the generation that has trouble with diversity." Rising to the challenge of lowering his reputation and the tone of public discourse, Dean smeared tea partiers as racists: They oppose Obama's agenda, Obama is African-American, ergo... Let us hope that Dean is the last gasp of the generation of liberals whose default position in any argument is to indict opponents as racists. This McCarthyism of the left -- devoid of intellectual content, unsupported by data -- is a mental tic, not an idea but a tactic for avoiding engagement with ideas. It expresses limitless contempt for the American people, who have reciprocated by reducing liberalism to its current characteristics of electoral weakness and bad sociology. --George Will 14 JAN 2011 Article titled "Tragedies often spark plenty of analysis" |
#38
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How Sharp Do You Keep an Axe?
"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
... On Sat, 16 Apr 2011 16:23:06 -0700 (PDT), Nahmie wrote: On Apr 16, 9:04 am, Larry Jaques wrote: P.S: Did you ever get that truck out of that ditch? (Some synapses never die; memory persists;sorry!) gd&r Yup, got the truck out late that night. How did you remember? I'd forgotten it until you mentioned it. The incident inspired me. (To what, I have no idea, it just did.) BTW, that was the same axe my Uncle used for splitting all the time. It wasn't really DULL dull, just didn't have a real sharp edge. It was also a double-bit axe, wwith the other end sharpened. I've always liked a double-bit, just seems to feel better balanced.(to me, anyway) I agree, and balance is important to me. I get more work done with a 5 or 8# sledge than a 20. OTOH, I have a 5# one-sided sledge with just a bit of triangular head on the other side. It has caused more misses than any single hammer I've ever had the misfortune of grabbing. Someone gave it to me and I haven't been successful in finding a new home for it. I guess I don't want the karma that might come with passing it on. Long as we're digtging up memories . . . . do you still have the speil about "dark suckers" Thatb was you, wasn't it? Yeah, I still have it. Someone recently posted it either here on on Wreck.Metalheads. And while we're in the land of memories, let us not forget antigrav. --snip-- Asking the mystic Oracle... Question: If you drop a buttered piece of bread, it will fall on the floor butter side down. If a cat is dropped from a window or some other high and towering place, it will land on its feet. But if you attach a buttered piece of bread, butter side up to a cat's back and toss them both out the window? Will the cat land on its feet? Or will the butter splat on the ground? And in response, thus spake the Oracle: Even if you are too lazy to do the experiment yourself you should be able to deduce the obvious result. The laws of butterology demand that the butter must hit the ground, and the equally strict laws of feline aerodynamics demand that the cat can not smash its furry back. If the combined construct were to land, nature would have no way to resolve this paradox. Therefore, it simply does not fall. That's right, you clever mortal, (well, as clever as a mortal can get) you have discovered the secret of *ANTIGRAVITY*! A buttered cat will, when released, quickly move to a height where forces of cat-twisting and butter repulsion are in equilibrium. This equilibrium point can be modified by scraping off some of the butter, or removing some of the cat's limbs (not recommended, as it produces an unfavourably high demand for fresh cats), allowing descent. Most of the civilized species of the Universe already use this very principle to drive their ships while within a planetary system. The loud humming heard by most sighters of UFOs, is, in fact, the purring of several hundred tabbies. The one obvious danger is, of course, that if the cats manage to eat the bread off their backs they will instantly plummet. Of course the cats *will* land on their feet, but this generally doesn't do them much good at all, since shortly after they make their graceful landing several tons of red-hot starship and ****ed off aliens come crashing down on top of them. --snip-- ROTFL!! |
#39
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How Sharp Do You Keep an Axe?
On Apr 16, 10:39*pm, Larry Jaques
wrote: On Sat, 16 Apr 2011 16:23:06 -0700 (PDT), Nahmie wrote: On Apr 16, 9:04*am, Larry Jaques wrote: P.S: Did you ever get that truck out of that ditch? *(Some synapses never die; memory persists;sorry!) *gd&r Yup, got the truck out late that night. How did you remember? I'd forgotten it until you mentioned it. The incident inspired me. (To what, I have no idea, it just did.) BTW, that was the same axe my Uncle used for splitting all the time. It wasn't really DULL dull, just didn't have a real sharp edge. It was also a double-bit axe, wwith the other end sharpened. I've always liked a double-bit, just seems to feel better balanced.(to me, anyway) I agree, and balance is important to me. I get more work done with a 5 or 8# sledge than a 20. *OTOH, I have a 5# one-sided sledge with just a bit of triangular head on the other side. It has caused more misses than any single hammer I've ever had the misfortune of grabbing. Someone gave it to me and I haven't been successful in finding a new home for it. I guess I don't want the karma that might come with passing it on. Long as we're digtging up memories . . . . do you still have the speil about "dark suckers" Thatb was you, wasn't it? Yeah, I still have it. *Someone recently posted it either here on on Wreck.Metalheads. * Aw, c'mon "C-less". I really wanted you to repost it, as I don't remember seeing it here, and don't frequent Metalheads. (or just email it to me, my addy is good. Norm |
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How Sharp Do You Keep an Axe?
On Tue, 19 Apr 2011 15:01:13 -0700 (PDT), Nahmie
wrote: On Apr 16, 10:39Â*pm, Larry Jaques wrote: On Sat, 16 Apr 2011 16:23:06 -0700 (PDT), Nahmie wrote: Long as we're digtging up memories . . . . do you still have the speil about "dark suckers" Thatb was you, wasn't it? Yeah, I still have it. Â*Someone recently posted it either here on on Wreck.Metalheads. Â* Aw, c'mon "C-less". I really wanted you to repost it, as I don't remember seeing it here, and don't frequent Metalheads. (or just email it to me, my addy is good. Ax and ye shall receive: --snip-- For years, it has been believed that electric bulbs emit light, but recent information has proven otherwise. Electric bulbs don't emit light; they suck dark. Thus, we call these bulbs Dark-Suckers. The Dark-Sucker Theory and the existence of dark-suckers prove that dark has mass and is heavier than light. First, the basis of the Dark-Sucker Theory is that electric bulbs suck dark. For example, take the Dark-Sucker in the room you are in. There is much less dark right next to it than there is elsewhere. The larger the Dark-Sucker, the greater its capacity to suck dark. Dark-Suckers in the parking lot have a much greater capacity to suck dark than the ones in this room. As it is with all things, Dark-Suckers don't last forever. Once they are full of dark, they can no longer suck. This is proven by the dark spot on a full Dark-Sucker. A candle is a primitive Dark-Sucker. A new candle has a white wick. You can see that after the first use, the wick turns black, representing all the dark that has been sucked into it. If you put a pencil next to the wick of an operating candle, it will turn black. This is because it got in the way of the dark flowing into the candle. One of the disadvantages of these primitive Dark-Suckers is their limited range. There are also portable Dark-Suckers. In these, the bulbs can't handle all the dark by themselves and must be aided by a Dark Storage Unit. When the Dark Storage Unit is full, it must be either emptied or replaced before the portable Dark-Sucker can operate again. Dark has mass. When dark goes into a Dark-Sucker, friction from the mass generates heat. Thus, it is not wise to touch an operating Dark-Sucker. Candles present a special problem as the mass must travel into a solid wick instead of through clear glass. This generates a great amount of heat and therefore it's not wise to touch an operating candle-type Dark-Sucker. Also, dark is heavier than light. If you were to swim just below the surface of the lake, you would see a lot of light. If you were to slowly swim deeper and deeper, you would notice it getting darker and darker. When you get really deep, you would be in total darkness. This is because the heavier dark sinks to the bottom of the lake and the lighter light floats at the top. This is why it is called light. Finally, we must prove that dark is faster than light. If you were to stand in a lit room in front of a closed, dark closet, and slowly opened the closet door, you would see the light slowly enter the closet. But since dark is so fast, you would not be able to see the dark leave the closet. Next time you see what is called an electric bulb, remember that it is really a Dark-Sucker. - Thanks to Russ Jones, Scoutmaster, Troop 575 & National Jamboree Troop 1636, South Plains Council, Lubbock, Texas --snip-- -- Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air... -- Ralph Waldo Emerson |
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