Is Wranglerstar on Youtube a reliable source of information about axes etc.?

His videos and information are to not be trusted as they are usually so way off and filled with misinformation that is scary, and what is scarier is to think all those people watching his videos taking what he says as true knowledge.
 
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Just think of all the people, first time users, who are looking for "correct" answers about how to use a tool properly. Who will take him at his word as an internet "expert".....And be told misleading or confusing information.

I'm always amazed at the number of internet experts on the net. They can and will get people hurt.

Tom
 
I agree although the actually field testing he did to compare axes made even less sense to me. When the head loosened up on a Autine axe that was gifted to his son from the maker- he spanked the guy. lol. Eventually he came to the conclusion that the "Casting" was not correct in the front at the narrowest point and it had been filled with weld. I don't agree with his findings- have yet to see anyone else take apart and show a $300 axe in a video. I also like that he has done a video stating he has turned down and will not appear in reality TV.

I don't watch much of his stuff but after your post I just had to see for myself.

What a waste of time for both him and the maker. Unless he lives on the coast that axe handle was going to loosen up. Different climate. Rewedge and coninue on.

I have a few antiques that where brought back from europe. You should see how much the wood has shrunk in my dry western climate.
 
I don't watch much of his stuff but after your post I just had to see for myself.

What a waste of time for both him and the maker. Unless he lives on the coast that axe handle was going to loosen up. Different climate. Rewedge and coninue on.

I have a few antiques that where brought back from europe. You should see how much the wood has shrunk in my dry western climate.

Yeah, everything that I find spends some time in my "holding area", which is my workspace in the basement- also where the furnace is. Also, it's dry in the winter. Bottom line is that there has been more than one old axe that has entered the house tight enough and loosened up pretty quickly. I have several saplings that I cut this year that will become hiking sticks in the same area because it is so arid.
 
My Dad always said, you can learn from the dumbest people - which I think meant that watching other people do it wrong is still learning.



Wouldn't he make 100 a day or so from the videos? Haven't checked what youtube pays recently...

No idea how it works but I was under the impression that the ads pay per click.

But that's why we have adblock.
 
QUOTE=flexo
"maybe you all should watch with the proper look, and listen with proper ears so you might understand properly"

That was funny :-)
 
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Yup. For a perfect example, see his video about brush axes where he brilliantly demonstrates how not to use one.

Speaking of which, is there a good source on how to correctly use them? Based on my (admittedly limited) searching, i generally find they are to be swung "like and axe" or to use a "slicing motion." I'm a visual guy...anyone know a good publication or video demo from an authority? I've found some vintage brush axes, and I almost grabbed them, but I'm not versed enough in their use, and I wouldn't mind having another option for a refurb project.
 
It's only a very short clip, but at 20:02 in this film on trail tools there are a few slashes with one. Doesn't show a very good cut being made (due to the nature of the specific target) but it has the action right. A low drawing slashing stroke, letting the tool do most of the work. You only use your muscles to aid in the acceleration a little.

[video=youtube;ekyJ8pMbTcE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekyJ8pMbTcE#t=1216[/video]
 
... is there a good source on how to correctly use them? ...

...from a USDA booklet titled "Equipment for Clearing Brush from Land" published in 1961:

books


Brush hooks.-- Brush hooks are useful in cutting the stems of growth. The brush hook is swung like a scythe. It is sharpened by grinding with an abrasive wheel.


Machetes are mentioned for cutting "stems or branches", but the brush hooks are said to be for stems (not branches). This is written in the section on "Small Brush", defined as woody growth having stems no larger than 2" diameter.

Farmer's Bulletin No. 2180, Equipment for Clearing Brush from Land, USDA, 1961

from this thread on Brush Axes:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1239807-Brush-Axes
 
I tend to disagree with the "swung like a scythe" bit as I think perhaps the fellow who wrote that was a "golf-clubber" with his scythes. You don't really use even close to the same kind of stroke with a brush hook as you do with a scythe, though it does cut more on the slice like a scythe does and less like an axe. If folks in North America were more familiar with billhook they'd probably find that a more analogous mode of striking/cutting.
 
My less-than-literal interpretation of that brief "swung like a scythe" instruction is that the brush hook should cut low, at stems near to the ground, and not be swung overhead at branches.
 
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Awesome, thanks everyone! I think I get it now. Now..time to add a few vintage brushhooks to my list when I'm at the flea markets!
 
My less-than-literal interpretation of that brief "swung like a scythe" instruction is that the brush hook should cut low, at stems near to the ground, and not be swung overhead at branches.


:thumbup:
 
I can applaud those that are looking to learn and try things for themselves. But to be a novice, and present one's self as an expert an wide reaching online platform is disconcerting. I'll be upfront and say I don't think his axe videos are worth much. He may actually put good use on his tools (which has been debated) but I'm not confident in his knowledge of axe design, fabrication, or maintenance to take much stock in his videos.
 
It's entertaining, he seems like a stand up guy and he was smart enough to find a wife that's not totally sure he isn't full of sh#$. Anyone that takes other people's advice without sorting things out for themselves is crazy. If the good lord came down and told me I should handle a tool a certain way I'd check him against my own experience. What works for you might not be exactly right for me anyway.
 
Just saw he has a rant about negativity because people were asking why he doesn't do certain things on the homestead (like raise chickens?!?). And there was also a recent one where someone gets hit in the face with an axe.

Sure, there's accidents. But anyone who ever brings up safety concerns will just be called a 'Safety Sally'. I remember one video where they switched for a week, the man doing the woman's job and vice versa. He had his sister bucking a log while standing 3 feet in the air or so, not the brightest method for someone experienced, and she was a beginner. And they were joking about it, poking fun at all the 'Safety Sallys' who would criticise in the video. And what do you know? She bucks through and then falls down to the ground. No injury but if you fall on an axe you might be bleeding out in minutes.

Seems there are numerous 'axe accident' videos on the channel. I'd point out the obvious mistake you could teach a child (from the 'Hit In Face With Axe' video), but that would make me a Safety Sally.

Hopefully they are alright, but it seems strange the way they go about it, as if you're the bad guy for pointing out that someone should be careful with tools. It's all just a little naive, and now they're trying to raise money to cover surgery.
 
Who is the person filming, is my first criteria for watching videos
If the guy is a smuck, then I go no further

I have blocked him on my uTube
 
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