Axes. Why?

[Samon]

Different here as well:

To to south of me the Air Force has approximately 900,000 acres with about 1/2 of it open to public recreation. Among other thinggs, you can purchace a firewood cutting permit. Each permit is good for 1/4 cord (about a pick-up load) for $10 each and each familly can purchase up to 10 permits per year. Also available are Christmas tree cutting permits for $5. To the west is a State Forest with a somewhat larger area, ALL of which is open to public recreation and logging.

To the north is a National Forest of roughly the same size as the State Forest which is also open to public recreation and logging.

These three areas range in distance (from me) from about a 7 minute drive (to the Air Force reservation) up to a 20 minute drive (for the State Forest) to a 40 minute drive (for the National Forest)

That's the benefit of living in a country 40+ times larger than Britain with only 6 times the people.

Everything over here is either privately owned, protected or 'public' i.e policed with nanny laws like the rest of the country, so with that in mind the axe has another set back in practicality compared to the less offensive folding saw. Or something like that..

I have no worries about taking an axe into public woodland though, it's blatently a tool I will always find a practical use for it (without murdering the tree population!). I can't say the same about my machete collection though, great tools but way to 'weapony' in ignorant eyes for my liking.

 

[santaman2000]

Samon, it's not always as free and easy over here as I have it now. I grew up in rural Mississippi where most of the land was privately owned; mind that most of that was farmland owned by my familt and families that my family had known for generations (I still own 73 acres there) When I was stationed in the Southwest (Nevada/Arizona) there was more desert and even in the mountains the climate was dryer than here so fires were generally more closely controlled than here. Even here in Florida fires on public land (the National or State Forests, etc.) need to be in approved areas and if the climatic conditions warrant it, the county can (and will) issue a burn ban which even includes no burning of garbage or yard waste.

But generally yes, there is more opportunity and the attitude is definitely different.

 

[Samon]

Samon, it's not always as free and easy over here as I have it now. I grew up in rural Mississippi where most of the land was privately owned; mind that most of that was farmland owned by my familt and families that my family had known for generations (I still own 73 acres there) When I was stationed in the Southwest (Nevada/Arizona) there was more desert and even in the mountains the climate was dryer than here so fires were generally more closely controlled than here. Even here in Florida fires on public land (the National or State Forests, etc.) need to be in approved areas and if the climatic conditions warrant it, the county can (and will) issue a burn ban which even includes no burning of garbage or yard waste.

But generally yes, there is more opportunity and the attitude is definitely different.

are there any laws regarding carrying axes, knives etc in the woodlands? (can a person legally carry/use a gun in those public woodlands? over here you can be charged with armed tresspass if you are on private land without permission with an air pistol and will also be commiting a serious offence if found on public land with one)

An axe is great for dead standing trees, it got me thinking earlier and I recall years ago finding several dead standing trees and dropping them and using the wood over a period of months with friends when camping or just enjoying the evening by a small fire with beers. I used a small hand axe to drop the trees (12" thick!) and remove all of it's outside material for easy fires, branches to stoke the fire and the main body to sit on and eventually break down and burn.

 

[santaman2000]

are there any laws regarding carrying axes, knives etc in the woodlands? (can a person legally carry/use a gun in those public woodlands? over here you can be charged with armed tresspass if you are on private land without permission...

LOL. Over here if you're on private land without permision you may very well get an armed response from the landowner.

On public lands it varies. Generally on State or National Forests you can carry a gun and use it during hunting seasons (although carrying one outside those seasons might well cause the authorities to assume you're poaching) On State or National Parks hunting is generally NOT allowed at all and concealed (or open) firearms carry must be in accordance with State law.

 

[santaman2000]

...An axe is great for dead standing trees, it got me thinking earlier and I recall years ago finding several dead standing trees and...

Ironically dead trees are more protected right now. The Red Cockaded Woodpecker (An endangered species) will only nest in dead pine trees. The firewood cutting permits I mentioned are for living trees; scrub oak to be specific. The Christmas tree permits are for living sand pines. In all cases the stump must be no higher than 1 foot. There are also permits for harvesting various other forest products; all at nominal fees.

Forest land out west had different species allowed for cutting and somewhat different regulations more fitting for the local environment.

That said, generally it's NOT allowed to just cut whatever you will on public land. There are controls but not a total ban on what can be harvested.

OOPS!!! My bad. I said the Red Cockaded Woodpecker is the one that nests in the dead trees. It's the other way round. The Red Cockaded is the only woodpecker that bores its nesting hole into living trees. It's ALL the other woodpecker species that need the dead trees.

 

[Everything Mac]

Well!

I've not seen a thread with so much BS in it for quite a long time.


So I'll try and cut to the point.

Axes are a very useful tool for a number of different things. Like any tool they require some skill to use.

I am left wondering if people who do not see the point of an axe, have ever used one properly/ are able to use one.


Like most tools - they are more fit for a certain purpose than other tools. For example - the bill hook is very good for brush clearing, particularly in hazel woodland where I use mine for coppicing.

The axe is the quintessential tool for splitting.

You wouldn't take a disc grinder out to cut wood now would you? Of course you wouldn't.


It boils down to using the right too for the job. I don't take an axe with me if I want to be coppicing. Likewise I don't take a billhook if I plan on splitting wood. I wouldn't take one of my larger axes if I just splitting kindling, and I wouldn't take a hatchet if there was a chance I had to split something bigger or needed to sned a felled tree.

A saw is the best tool for quickly trimming dead branches. It is also very beginner friendly, light weight etc etc etc.



Is there any "NEED" for any of these tools in the UK. No. However they facilitate what I want to do for pleasure, and in certain circumstances what I need to do for business/ heating the house etc.

Andy

 

[HillBill]

I genuinely have absolutely no idea what you are talking about.

No idea if your trying to be pedantic or your genuinely confused

Actually it would appear that you are confused. What i said is clear enough.

Reductio ad absurdum seems to something you practice. I've noticed it on many posts you have made. Post no 8 on this thread, your reply to Santaman2000 being an example of Reductio ad absurdum.

"Reductio ad absurdum - Extending an argument to ridiculous proportions and then criticising the result"

Seems you like to argue with yourself

 

[Ivan...]

I thought i had finished with this thread ! it appears not , i felt a little guilty by feeling i had been a bit hard on old cbr6fs, and sort of apologised for some of my comments , i don't know anything about latin or Greece , but iknow a fair bit about axes and taking the mickey !

I love any subject that provokes a reaction , providing the rules of the site are adhered too, although it is quite clear cbrr6fs , is no fan of the axe, fires cutting down trees bushcrafting or wild camping , he does however enjoy some other things he has listed , and for a man in a fortunate position of spending time in Greece and having a piece of land in this country , i think he has too much recreational time on his hands , to not be enjoying the benefits of the two places listed before .

Still lets not let it get all nasty , each to their own , but on a slightly final note i hope , some of you will understand .

The op has named himself after a Honda CBR 600 F , which i have personal issues with myself, one it is half a proper motorbike , in my eyes , up and down the gearbox to get the thing to perform , and that i spent some considerable time in hospital due to one !(not my fault )

So for tose reasons "I am out ! "

 

[Harvestman]

Just thought I'd better say that cbr6fs is not the OP.

And in line with another thread currently running, let's keep the discussions friendly if we can. There's quite a bit of useful information and interesting opinion being generated here.

 

[Andy BB]

Just thought I'd better say that cbr6fs is not the OP.

And in line with another thread currently running, let's keep the discussions friendly if we can. There's quite a bit of useful information and interesting opinion being generated here.

Quite right - wouldn't be seen dead on a CBR6!


(No place to carry my axe..... )

 

[cbr6fs]

I thought i had finished with this thread ! it appears not , i felt a little guilty by feeling i had been a bit hard on old cbr6fs, and sort of apologised for some of my comments , i don't know anything about latin or Greece , but iknow a fair bit about axes and taking the mickey !

You have absolutely nothing to feel guilty about Ivan.
Your posts have been extremely polite and entertaining.

I love any subject that provokes a reaction , providing the rules of the site are adhered too, although it is quite clear cbrr6fs , is no fan of the axe, fires cutting down trees bushcrafting or wild camping , he does however enjoy some other things he has listed , and for a man in a fortunate position of spending time in Greece and having a piece of land in this country , i think he has too much recreational time on his hands , to not be enjoying the benefits of the two places listed before .

I am neither a fan of axes nor a hater, as i say i regard them simply as a tool to do a job.
As i rarely need to cut big logs of wood they are a tool i have no use for while out camping (wild camping) or hiking.

Still lets not let it get all nasty , each to their own , but on a slightly final note i hope , some of you will understand .

The op has named himself after a Honda CBR 600 F , which i have personal issues with myself, one it is half a proper motorbike , in my eyes , up and down the gearbox to get the thing to perform , and that i spent some considerable time in hospital due to one !(not my fault )

So for tose reasons "I am out ! "

It does tend to take a bit of foot stirring to get the best out of it i agree.

Bit of a coincidence on the hospital thing as well unfortunately
Hope you made a full recovery Mr Ivan.




Cheers
Mark

 

[cbr6fs]

Quite right - wouldn't be seen dead on a CBR6!


(No place to carry my axe..... )

 

[Large Sack]

Heck of a thread...read it all so far with interest and a wry smile here and there.

However, having read all the posts there seems to be one fundamental point which has not been raised in relation to the OP (AndyBB lest we forget )...

I have had two career paths in my life so far, neither of which have entailed my carrying an axe for work purposes. My point, therefore, is that some of us just enjoy going out in our free time and playing with all sorts of outdoorsy stuff that we don't normally get to play with during the course of our normal daily lives. Knives, stoves, lanterns, axes etc. Of course, this doesn't account for everyone, but I think it important to make the point.

Cheers
Sack