How To Sharpen an Axe by Wranglerstar
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My dad used to carry a stone with him in his pocket. It was a natural sandstone he found in a brook.
this was the first video of Wrangerstar's i ever watched, it's what made me subscribe to his channel. oh nostalgia.
just one comment if you stop touching the work area of the file you won't need to use the file card as much it's the oil from your fingertips that allows the small filings to stick to the file Also if you put talcum powder on the file before brushing the debris out it will also clean away any oil at the same time Just some thoughts from an old tool maker in the cutlery Sheffield England
Thanks for taking the time to put this together and share it. 3 years on and it's still valuable information that we are all obviously still benefitting from. Thanks mate.
These videos are well made. I don't know why they came up in my feed but I just can't seem to stop watching them. I'm not even a woodsman or other nature enthusiast. I do keep my mental tool box open however and I hope I remember these things when the shit gets real.
I have really enjoyed your series on timber framing, and your building a tree house. Thank you for your willingness to demonstrate and explain basic process's clearly.
my grandfather retired from Nickelson file company nearly 40 years ago. he was a file cutter.
I got the marbles axe today! Watching this to learn how to sharpen by hand. GOD BLESS you and your family Cody!
Awesome series of Ax videos! I don't currently own a decent ax, but now, with your helpful information, I know what to look for, and how to recondition and care for them. Thank you, Sir!
Thanks for the video's. I recently moved to a rural area and love learning how not to rely on friends to fix or help with things. I appreciate the effort. T.Bone
Hey cody id like to thank you for teaching me many valuable lessons in life and about tools. You have inspired me to restore many axes and other "antique" tools.
Dear mr. Wranglerstar You have impacted my life big time. your videos are wonderful just as much as you are. you are a nice Christian man who lives "a simple kind of life" and has a caring heart you are very smart plz keep making videos God bless
slow but sure, I am accumulating all the tools a man 'ot to have. This channel is my guide and example for all my future endeavors... being 22 years old... i think i have a good head start on most... God bless...
Excellent. I already knew a lot of this, but you are an excellent teacher, and I learned a lot. Thank you.
I enjoyed your video -but I use 600 grit sand paper to sharpen my axe. I wrap it around a piece of wood then apply even pressure. You have done a great job making this and other videos. Thanks
Thanks for this video. Its nice to see how others do things. I'll be looking for a round sharpening stone this afternoon!
Well done! This is a vital skill for anyone that wants to be self-sufficient in an off grid or emergency setting.
Really enjoyed the lesson. I feel confident to give this a try now myself. Thank you.
Thanks for the video! working on my tools for my first house. It's going to be a cold winter so this will help me keep wood burning in my wood stove! :)
Good video. Same procedure that my Dad taught me 50 years ago. I still have my Norton round India stone for final sharpening.
"Get a good american one" Me: "laughs in german"
England made vises ftw! I want my view back.
Wow got my axe sharper than I have ever seen! Great Video! Seriously sharp!!!!
Nice, thank you for taking the time to teach me this skill.
Best video on the subject I've ever seen, thank you!
Excellent video, Few people seem to know that a chopping or cutting axe should be sharpened differently than a splitting axe.
Incredibly great instruction, thank you!
I've sharpened a few axes & hatchets this way over the years, and, while it does work quite well, it also makes me very thankful for modern technology like my Work Sharp Ken Onion Edition Knife & Tool Sharpener. It'll put a perfect convex edge on an ax in no time flat! It won't work without electricity of course, but while the power still works we might as well make the most of it! One thing that I always do when sharpening an ax, hatchet, tomahawk, knife, etc..., regardless of whether I'm using a stone or the Work Sharp, is to finish up with a leather strop. I know that an ax doesn't need to be razor sharp like a knife does, but using a file or a stone, even a very fine stone, will always leave a small burr on the edge. The leather strop removes the burr, and that makes the edge stay sharper for longer.
It's fun to watch the oldies again
Hi Cody, just a thought. I've seen a lot of people sharpen tools and use a Sharpie to color the edge so you can instantly tell where you've filed and where you still need to work. Keep up the great work.
What a cracking video, some really nice tips and hints. Thank you for taking the time out to make it. Lee
Thanks mate for sharing this video. It's very informative. John (Australia)
Love what you said about not getting too scientific about it..........hacking means steep angle, fine cutting means shallow angle. People will learn on the way. Good job.
The best way I've found to sharpen any tool is to clamp it flat to a bench and work the bastard or stone into the tool, minimizing any injury. Love your tips on working a blade. Larry
Thanks Wanglerstar great videos . just a sugestion here , this is for everyone with a file without a handle on it , I find that If I get a gulf ball drill a small hole in it about halfway threw it and gently drive your file into it works great for a file handle . Its then better getting gouged by the end of the file Try It Out ! Im 50 and my father gave me that advice . Thanks Again !
Used your technique and the old camp axe came out with a seriously sharp edge with only a bit of work! I did drill a small hole in the front of the vice jaw to rest the tip of the file tang into to make fixing the angle firmly and give me repeatability of angle. The technique required me to file off the steeper angle the axe had (for hardwood) and made it more narrow for softwoods like the pine around here. The final edge was 'honed' by using emery paper wrapped around file to give me a flat at the same angle as the file. The work paid off, and I will be using this method from here on out. Thanks for the vid, the technique does an fine job at what used to be a long and boring job.
This was a great and informative video, greatly appreciated.
Great instruction. my Eastman felling axe is an absolute nightmare. I've got some work ahead of me.
This is the video that brought me to you channel. The one that made me a loyal Wranglerstar fan!
Damn this video is good. Bravo with the instructions and logic behind each bit.
Great video. Thanks, man. I play the oboe and make my own reeds, which requires a lot of knife sharpening with surgical grade precision. I'm not used to this rough kind of work. Very great tutorial, though.
Thanks for the advice and know-how, good sensible video
Nice VID! Thanks for taking the time. Merry Christmas!
That was fine instruction for using a file and stone. I use a belt sander 120 grit 4"x36" instead of a file then hone with a stone. I can sharpen many axes and lawn mower blades with one sander belt many more than a file can do. Files are best used camping or away from the shop... or give the axe a few strokes with the file after sanding it. If you are just touching up the edge a file would do fine. The sander works best on a very dull and nicked up axe, never use a grinder they are the worst thing to use to put a keen edge on a blade.
I like how you support the economy of your country
I like your choice of music on this video.
Thanks Cody. This was a very good video. I learned a lot.
Thanks for doing the video, useful to me. I'll get a decent file next time I'm at the hardware shop, and a file cleaner as you suggest. Bruce Thomson in New Zealand.
Chainsaws and hydraulic wood splitters are nice tools to have, but well maintained hand tools can make a job well done worthwhile.
A couple of points: if you want to stop the file clogging just rub a stick of chalk on it before using, this stops the swarf from clogging the teeth, especially if you're filling non-ferrous materials. Second, if you want a really good quality vice buy a cast steel one. Record (UK manufacturer) makes vices in cast iron and cast steel but the Engineer's vices are always cast steel. The Chinese do make good tools (very high quality, precision tools) but you'd have to pay as much, if not more, than you do for USA made tools. As with everything in life you get what you pay for.
Smell that? You smell that? WD-40, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that. I love the smell of WD-40 in the morning. You know, one time we had an axe filed, for hours. When it was all over, I walked up. We didn't find one of 'em, not one stinkin' nick in the bit. The smell, you know that oily smell, the whole shop, smelled like [sniffing, pondering] rust free. Someday this war's gonna end...
Nice reference m8
Spray wd40 in a pond and watch the fish.
Great video. I am a long time knife guy but did not know the best way to sharpen my axes...Thanks... dogbugler
Nice tutorial, thank you.
Fantastic instructions thanks a lot!
Great video, very informative. But I would just like to ask shouldn't you use oil on your Lasky puck?
Thanks for posting this video. Good stuff!
Great video. Thank you for sharing.
in my experience, nothing beats german made tools
Very helpful!!! Thank you.
Good tutorial. Thanks.
Went to the local bunnings but couldn't find a Jon Snow file.
Hahahaha 😂
I am glad you have taken the time to explain "American quality" versus garbage from Pakistan or china.
Good job! Quite helpful!
this is really helpful for me thanks
Very nice simply explanation, i like the painted axe head and handles for you to identify which are yours, I do like shiny axe heads though!. Great Job!
A cool experiment with a painted handle. I like a bright color so it is not easily lost. That said, I tried Truck Bed Liner spray that is griping. It covers well and after it is dry it has a mild griping action which seems to work good at the but of the handle. You can paint over it with a bright color if you wish.
Awfully relaxing to look at people sharpening their tools.
you want a cast iron vice, does not matter what company or country it comes from , dont buy a welded one, buy a full cast iron. an old one will be best.
Very informative video, ty Sir.
Good Job, Proudly Made In The USA important. Quality and fair pay.
I love the ring sound @ 10:40 of the quality steel
I agree the nicholson files are great. My father bought a large set of then about 25 years ago and there still in great condition. Use a lathe/mill bastard as others may be too course and will rip off small particles of the edge.
Thanks for the good info
I love traditional work
Mr Wranglerstar, I have a draw knife, very old and rusty but sharp. I would love to see a restoration on a tool like this or a spoke shave or possibly just tell us the best way to remove the rust. I plan to use this tool if possible in instrument and furniture making. Love the videos.I am very happy for you , living your dream.
Useful information, Thanks.
Good Investment .. Thanks for posting.
I split my own wood and burn locally. Not only will I use these ideas on my axes I will also do the lawn mower which has been not been done recent enough. Thanks for sharing.
I learn so much from wranglerstar, thanks for putting these videos out its greatly appreciated, and generally but not always, I do agree that american tools are better built than let's say a Chinese made tool, they just don't put the same quality control standards into practice, and for good reason, if you were paid $2 or $3 a day would you care about your job? I generally try to buy american, if for no other reason than to support american jobs and to keep my hard earned dollars circulating in our own economy.
don't think of it that way. you can't apply Western standards for income and employment in the east, or any other country. we complain about less than $10/hr here in my state, and there are no jobs less than min wage, but in China the rate they get paid is the prevailing wage for that type of work, and if they don't want to work for $2-3 per day in a factory they will have a hard time earning anywhere near that much in the fields. it's not a lack of pride versus pay, or even pride in ones work but more a deliberate level of quality designed and intended in the outcome by the companies. they have always had the idea that more cheaper is as good as fewer higher quality. even military tools and weapons for their own use fit this concept.
don't think of it that way. you can't apply Western standards for income and employment in the east, or any other country. we complain about less than $10/hr here in my state, and there are no jobs less than min wage, but in China the rate they get paid is the prevailing wage for that type of work, and if they don't want to work for $2-3 per day in a factory they will have a hard time earning anywhere near that much in the fields. it's not a lack of pride versus pay, or even pride in ones work but more a deliberate level of quality designed and intended in the outcome by the companies. they have always had the idea that more cheaper is as good as fewer higher quality. even military tools and weapons for their own use fit this concept.
i have a question. when using the stone do you have to keep it going clockwise down the edge and back or can you go counterclockwise back up the clockwise down?
thanks for the great video. what do you use to paint your axe heads?
awesome video thanks!
For your information. I purchased a lansky stone sharpener (the puck). I tested the stone with a Geiger counter. The results: the normal back ground in my area is 15 to 20 counts per minute in millirem. I tested the lansky puck, the count was 140 millirem cpm. I suggest at the very least putting on a thick glove and a dust mask when using the stone.
Do you use any oil on the stone or soak the stone in mineral oil when you first get the stone at all?
Thank's!
Opinion of using a "double" cut file please. Thank you ...
looks relaxing
the song is black star by yngwie malmsteen
Just looking at this one again as reference for a project im doing and im just looking at the file where you recommend the plastic handle where in all your new videos you prefer wood handled tools like those beautiful screwdrivers you have. Just my observation I prefer wood myself lol.
What brings me here is finding a L.A. Sayre Co. Hudson Bay pattern hatchet at a garage sale last weekend. Never sharpened, original paint and very little forging marks/artifacts. To be highly polished up.... maybe. Cost one buck. Looks like it dates pre 1909. Files: some really good tips here and just to add to technique.... esp. left handers. In cleaning up a totally abused, rusted up and chipped edged axe, I start out with the good old rat tail used to sharpen your chainsaw. Removes a lot of metal fast and working the cutting edge aim it for the mid-highest point of the head. Progressing .... being left handed I've given up on single cut files and have gone to double cut (cross-hatched) files. Works equally well in both hands. Important to keep files oil free, so I use brake cleaner before cleaning with the file card. Honing stones: The Norton two grit rectangle stones you find at the box stores work just fine. Cost is 4 or 5 bucks. Buy two.... one as an oil stone and use the other as a water stone to use for touch ups when you're up in the timber. Wafer or pocket stones work great when working in your lap up in the timber. I like to hone horizontally. I've got a wood faced shoulder vise which allows that. A polished razor edge I use soft and hard Arkansas stone.Keep up the good videos here............
Great video brother
Great video. Did you apply the red paint? If so what is it?
Thanks man the video helped.
Geez, Cody looks and sounds 30 years younger 8 years ago!!
I have found that running files through diesel fuel removes almost all traces of built up metal rubbish in the teeth. I usually keep a cup or container nearby deep enough to submerge the file, and when I start to feel the files "glide" without grabbing, I swish it and I'm good to go in another few seconds. It only shaves off minute amount of time, but time efficiency shouldn't be disregarded when the effort is minimal. Thanks for the video man.
You also can use chalk on the file before filing.
Thank-you Great !
I like the American made thank u for this video
Hi Cody how would you sharpen a bill hook please as it has a curved cutting edge? Thanks
"Get a GOOD American made one" :D You´re really funny Regards from Germany Ps: Great Video
P.s.s Swedish axes. c;
Swedish axes are the best *-*
you should do a vid on how to properly sharpen a knife