Finnish/Earlier Scandi axes - Kirves

Agent_H said:
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I wood glued that and a small start-up in the kerf last weekend and just left it clamped all week. I think it will stay put now.


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I have a similar situation (head sits on a shoulder and crack starting down the shaft). What do you mean by "start-up in the kerf"? tia


Bob
 
There was about .5" crack at the base of the kerf on one side. I spread it just a little and worked wood glue into it.

Not much to worry over but since I already had it apart I figured, why not?
 
Thought i'd throw this in the thread,

The Finnish folk metal band, Wolfhorde had an interesting axe on one of their album covers
a0622802716_10.jpg

Weird lookin thing

I should get pics of my rakas' fathers axes, he had some antique ones
 
Dair said:
Thought i'd throw this in the thread,

The Finnish folk metal band, Wolfhorde had an interesting axe on one of their album covers
a0622802716_10.jpg

Weird lookin thing

I should get pics of my rakas' fathers axes, he had some antique ones
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Please do Dair! Maybe that one is related to one of these patterns:



Tervapiiluja – Google translates “Terva” as “Tar” - "sap" maybe?

I originally misspelled it... Try a Google translation from Finnish to English the term “Terva pilluja” for a laugh.
 
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Agent_H said:
Please do Dair! Maybe that one is related to one of these patterns:

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Hey, cool! This is the first time seeing anything like that beyond the pic i posted! I have looked around before too

Agent_H said:
I originally misspelled it... Try a Google translation from Finnish to English the term “Terva pilluja” for a laugh.
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I am still laughing haha! Gotta be careful with Finnish, one wrong letter and it can result in a slap across the face! haha
 
I'm not exactly sure,by the photo,but axes shaped like that could be a few different ones.A broad-axe,for the finer end of the finish-work on beams,for one.

But also any number of peat,sod,et c. axes.Some of these,over time,+neglect,+abuse,can become indistinguishable from the wood-planing axes.The difference,really,could be hard to spot,thickness,probably,and of course the grind itself.

I've a few cool photos of Swedish "jordyxa","earth"-axe (for sod),and also the "torvyxa",the "peat-axe",and this is what that root-word "terva" refers to,i'd bet...turf,or peat....

Look in the Billnas catalog at the #31,yet another type of either of these two,jord or torv/terva...:)....

And here,just for a few photos of these:http://rusknife.com/topic/11230-финские-топоры/page-36#entry690164
 
Rusknife.com is an terrific site in general but the axe guys there come up with some of the coolest stuff.

post-9880-0-59616300-1489346893_thumb.jpg

http://rusknife.com/topic/11230-финские-топоры/page-36#entry690164

On the same page is this is a monster kirves:
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Wow.


I had not looked closely at the catalog entries for the 30/4-30/7 but it looks like they are the same head but one is listed as “Musta” or “Black” and the other “Hiottu” or “Ground”.
Does Black probably mean “unground” in this context?
 
Agent_H said:
....... I tried to reproduce the handle as close as possible with just a little more meat on it. "Almost “Finnished”.
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Nice touch laddy, and an opportune occasion to utilize an apt pun. Gotta a chuckle out of me.
 
olli69 said:
You've carved a beautiful handle Agent_H!
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Thank you Ollie! You have seen a lot more of them than most so your input is encouraging.
It does help that I had top-notch materials and was able to start and work with such a nice example and of course the forum members’ input/discussions here to guide the planning and approach.

I final shaped and wedged it with a piece of Cherry last night. It’s a little thicker than the original but it feels right in use – thinner right behind the collar so you can kind of “pinch hold” it for lack of a better expression – at least that is how it felt natural when carving with the original one.

There was actually a large amount of material at the end and I started at making an exaggerated swell but caught myself. I just rounded it up to a smooth ridge down the center line, having a little flat on the forward part more or less. I can’t find the picture I was thinking of when I did it but I think it might have been on one of Earnest Dubois’ axes from a while back.

I only own a couple of hatchets but of them, this is one I probably won’t part with. “An axe to make other axes”.

It did claim a bit of one of my knuckles off my right hand at the end of wedging it. Careless user error. I sharpened it before hanging and didn’t tape the edge like I make a regular habit of doing (and advise others of all the time…). I guess giving good safety advice doesn’t make you wise, following it does.

Once they taste blood…

Anyway, here are some pictures of the finished project.










300Six said:
Nice touch laddy, and an opportune occasion to utilize an apt pun. Gotta a chuckle out of me.
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300Six, thank you. Cheap puns can derail even the best conversation more often than not. I was kind of fishing to see if Olli69 was still hanging around with us here. Bob appropriately reminded me – that gif got a good chuckle out of me coupled with "Well, I did have it coming".
 
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Agent_H said:
. . . that gif got a good chuckle out of me . .
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Handle looks great. Glad to hear you and 300Six got a chuckle from the gif. That was the only intent. I love puns. So I'll “Finnish” this post by saying: KEEP THE PUNS COMING FOLKS!


Bob
 
I have been searching for a Finnish axe for a while now. I have always found them incredibly interesting, and aesthetically, they have been growing on me more and more. I finally tracked one down for sale, it should be here this week. I've always found most of them to be ugly...but that's also why I like them for whatever reason. Some variations are the most gorgeous axes I've ever seen, I even found a custom maker who makes them at a reasonable price. I think I found the pattern I want to collect from now on; I've never had a favorite pattern until I found these.

TEUJ1js.jpg


K9Yp8b9.jpg


xHFrjLM.jpg
 
Oooh. Nice! I am with you on that.

My understanding is they might be older if the stamps are punched in and “Bruk” follows the “Billnäs” as opposed to the Billnäs alone. The raised letting on them sort of corresponds to the newer production methods and the model number revisions with the “1” added in there . That is just what I think – not what I know for sure.

I also think “bruk” is a synonym to “Tehdas” or “factory”.

Can you make out the model number on it? The diamond looks large enough to have a double digit in it or a single digit with a sub model.
TEUJ1js.jpg


Just visually I will assume you have medium to large hands so… a full-size model? That pattern is like a scaled up model of the carving hatchet – 61.x or say the Kellokoski 15.x

Number 7? (Uudenmaan)


Number 3 (Turun) or 4 (Hameenlinnan)?

DeadFall27 said:
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This is interesting as well – it looks like it might have the birch bark wrap around the eye to shore it up on a rehang. I’m not Finnish or a “Kirves” expert but if I acquired one of those I would probably try to get that tongue out of there in one piece – it will make hanging the first one a lot easier to have a template for the eye - at least to line it up with your handle. They tend to need a slightly closed hang to have the bit meet flat on your target – and there isn’t any room to adjust it after it’s about a third on the tongue.

Between our Axe Ambassador Olli69 and our Blacksmith Ethnologist Jake Pogg, there probably aren’t any questions that can’t get an educated guess or outright answer.

Get us some process pictures if you can – those are harder to find than the Kemi models! :thumbup:
 
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I'll get more photos up when I actually receive it. Those hands are from the man who found it for me :eek:
I'm not sure how everyone else here finds them, but it looks like I'm going to have to go through other for them. I've handled Finnish axes years ago, but never owned one. I could never track one down for sale...
 
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