Basque Axe Ongoing review ( Video ,Pictures)

DeadboxHero

DeadboxHero

Joined
Mar 22, 2014
Messages
5,355
Finally found were to buy these Basque axes.

I am in love with all things Basque

Basque country is a separate culture in Spain tucked away in the north east next to France.

Its hardcore. An entire culture of burly axe swingers from the young to the old.

While Japan is known for the Samurai,

Basque is known for its "Aizkolari" or Axemen



I've been so enchanted by swinging this exotic axe every day for the past week that I've worn my hands away.



I can't help myself

I'm in love with the performance.

Moth to a flame





here are my videos so far.


[Youtube]7gE9NOSOz1E[/youtube]


[youtube]i65QOYVpMqA[/youtube]


I'm really excited to share with you guys

I've been talking to Jon Ugalde and its really been enlightening to learn about something so different.

These axes really connect with my soul, so there will be lots of content here.

I'll post more when I have the time.

Shawn
 
DeadboxHero said:
...

I'm really excited to share with you guys

I've been talking to Jon Ugalde and its really been enlightening to learn about something so different.

These axes really connect with my soul, so there will be lots of content here.

I'll post more when I have the time.

Shawn
Click to expand...

Nice. Look forward to it DbH! (you have an acronym now I guess lol)
 
All power to you buddy!
That a mere axe (an 'authoritative Basque' version mind you) can change a man's philosophy on life and living is really nice to hear. Folks of today can't/don't 'bond' with their livelihood (or even recreational) tools because they're cheap, electric, gas powered, automated and fully disposable, and where maintenance and fine-tuning instructions largely involve throwing it out and buying another one.
I love that first picture! The crowd is large and enthralled and the lean fellow with the Basque axe is seriously intent on chopping through a car-sized log, in a hurry.
 
Good stuff. Glad you're enjoying it.

Maxiflex ultimate gloves will help with the blisters. Thin and comfortable, they provide amazing grip while keeping your dexterity. I wear them for any striking tool work now.
 
Nice, I figured the blisters would heal and my hands would be tougher.
Good looking out on the gloves though

Pulled out the ol'miserly whip and made some rounds







Basque up some Firewood








 
Sweet, thanks for sharing. How do you feel about the swell on the handle after using it? I've never used a haft with a swell oriented that way and it has always looked backwards to me, but there must be some reason for it.
 
When I'm fondling it. It feels anemic. But when I swing I don't notice it.

I think if I was doing more tree Felling I'd notice it more. But splitting and bucking I can't tell.
 
Glad to see these getting more attention! I love my basque axe, fantastic craftsmanship and quality. Especially at their selling price.
77CD23F8-21C7-479D-B082-EAA1334E1CD0.jpg
 
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Haha dang it! Is that the 1.5kg from Lamina?

I went to purchase it last night but they were out of stock :O

I was like noooooooo

Hahaha
 
Park Swan said:
Sweet, thanks for sharing. How do you feel about the swell on the handle after using it? I've never used a haft with a swell oriented that way and it has always looked backwards to me, but there must be some reason for it.
Click to expand...

It's a slip-fit haft so it can't have a proper swell. The little hook gives you a place for your pinky. I imagine the corner above that is what raised the blisters. A good swell will continue on past the heel of your thumb. That way the corner can't raise a blister. This is the problem with clipped fawns feet. It's why vintage hafts are better (or those made custom by guys like COTS).
 
The big reason for the gnarly blisters is the duct tape. I put a crack in the handle from trying to unseat the head like a tomahawk. The problem is that the bottom of the handle is at an angle.

I was hitting it at the wrong angle. Crack it, glued it, and reinforced it with duct tape until the glue set.

Of course I couldn't wait until the glue set and had to start swinging right away! Hahahaha
 
Square_peg said:
It's a slip-fit haft so it can't have a proper swell. The little hook gives you a place for your pinky. I imagine the corner above that is what raised the blisters. A good swell will continue on past the heel of your thumb. That way the corner can't raise a blister. This is the problem with clipped fawns feet. It's why vintage hafts are better (or those made custom by guys like COTS).
Click to expand...

[ManiacalCackling]

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[/ManiacalCackling]

In all seriousness, if you wanted to keep a slip-fit head able to be rapidly disassembled and wedgeless, you could do a nicer version of this. I just hacked this out in about 45 minutes for giggles just to see if it'd work.
 
^ That's funny, of course you could [probably] still hang the head on a traditional handle using a real fat wedge and some fine tuning.
 
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DeadboxHero said:
Haha dang it! Is that the 1.5kg from Lamina?

I went to purchase it last night but they were out of stock :O

I was like noooooooo

Hahaha
Click to expand...

Yessir! Thinking about carving a 28-30" handle for it, just for varieties sake.
 
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Yeah tape seems like it would be brutal on the hands. I'd just hang it like an American axe and of course you know I'm a big proponent of making your own handle ... which I think means my opinion on the matter is totally biased and therefor irrelevant but that's beside the point!
 
cityofthesouth said:
Yeah tape seems like it would be brutal on the hands. I'd just hang it like an American axe and of course you know I'm a big proponent of making your own handle ... which I think means my opinion on the matter is totally biased and therefor irrelevant but that's beside the point!
Click to expand...

Nah--bias doesn't necessarily make an opinion irrelevant. For instance, in this case, Jauregi makes handles for their racing axes that are wedged and have a large knob, though the eye is the same style as on their other axes (unless I'm mistaken) and you can hang their standard heads on wedged handles. It just takes more care than fitting a head with an eye designed specifically for wedging.
 
Time to share some more with you guys, I've been very selfish and have been just enjoying using this axe without caring to share.

I've really come to appreciate this axe for wood splitting, its great for precision work but can be swung rapidly with the short 30" handle without sliding up and down. It really shines when using a Tom Clark "buster" technique on big rounds or laying knotty pieces on the sides and going straight in through them that way.

The handle is holding up fine, I have not really been giving it the TLC like my hickory handles but it doesnt seem to mind :D

european beech is a lighter wood then hickory so it does swing nice.

here's a video of me showing my buddy how to swing this Basque axe on some irregular wood pieces that would not split with a standard technique.

[youtube]FolFzujaKMU[/youtube]
 
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