My Aussie Racing Axe...the HELL

[rabanwelsch]

Hi all,
yesterday my Aussie racing axe has arrived !!!!

And....its like HELL.

Only WOW...Thanks, Dave from axeoexa.

The shop-owner Dave is a really nice guy with a passion for axes, old tools and farming equipment.

Some pics..

[Samson]

wow! gert beast that one mate!

what's the weight then?

[Gordo-uk]

A beauty..

[rabanwelsch]

Thanks.
Its about 3 kg or 6,6 lbs.

[Iron Hoarder]

Nice one!! What did the shipping on that cost?

[Samson]

Thanks.
Its about 3 kg or 6,6 lbs.

phwaor! I guess it's a felling axe then

how old is it?

[rabanwelsch]

@Iron Hoarder
You got a pm.

@Samson
I think it was made in the 90 th.

[Longstrider]

That's a lovely looking bit of kit fella However, I can see in your picture that there is a definite shoulder between the main convex bevel and what seems to be a secondary bevel. The piece of card you cut with the axe shows signs of tearing (frayed edges towrds the bottom of the cut).
If you re-shape the edge geometry on this so that there is no shoulder there, sweeping the convex right down into the cutting edge with no secondary, and then polish this all up you'll find it becomes a far more effecient tool. The shoulder between the secondary and the main bevel will act as a sticking point for the material being chopped, hindering the penetration of the axe. Smoothing it off and polishing the edge will make this thing cut in a fearsome manner

[mrcharly]

The shoulder is probably deliberate, to prevent the axe from sticking in the cut. you want a heavy axe that cuts deep but doesn't stick in the cut.

the racing axes are only ever used for crosscuts. Stainless steel is favoured because it takes a mirror smooth finish that is less likely to stick.

[Longstrider]

I can see I'm going to have to make an axe sometime ......

[mrcharly]

as a kid, I used to love watching the chopping contests at country fairs.

There were two kinds. The basic one you stood on a log, about 10-12" diameter and 3ft long. Log supported on steel frame so it couldn't roll. Everyone on a counted down handicap, so the slowest people started first.

Standard uniform of white plimsoles, pale/white trousers and a blue singlet. Aussie class!

The quickest people were amazingly fast. They'd drive the axe in inches deep with every blow.

the more advanced contest had them supplied with two planks and a 'telegraph pole' something like 12ft in height. I was only a kid and it seemed like they were 50ft in the air.
A couple of feet from the top two bands were marked. The axeman would chop a notch maybe 3ft from the ground, jamb a plank into the notch, stand on it, make another notch and jamb the 2nd plank into that. Two or three iterations and they were able to reach the banded area. Now they chop the top off the pole.

Amazing stuff, athletic and skilled. I believe these days they use synthetic logs.