Billhook covers !

[Paulm]

Getting ready for some coppicing and green woodworking a bit later in the year and decided to knock up simple, crude wooden covers for the billhooks, stop them rattling around getting damaged (or damaging me! ) in the tool bag.

Thin ply, glued and riveted and a bit of wax, old rucksack straps to hold in place although they don't really need that as they friction fit quite well.

Not sure I need several billhooks really, but you know how it is with tools !

 

[snappingturtle]

Good set up! what's the use of the long rectangular blade?

 

[Paulm]

The one at the top is just a standard Martindale machete, quite handy for clearing bracken and brambles.

The one on the right is a froe, for splitting of wood, used with a beetle or large mallet fashioned from a log

Sent from my SM-A530F using Tapatalk

 

[Paulm]

Martendale machete at the top, couple of lovely old Elwell hooks in different styles, and modern Bulldog cheapy at the bottom. Froe on the right.

 

[Dreadhead]

nice improv there i like it

 

[Paulm]

Not pretty but they work very well indeed !

I was going to make them from leather but only had enough for one and it seemed a bit extravagant for simple working tools

 

[Laurentius]

I make full leather sheathes for mine.

 

[Sparky415]

Nice job Paul, mine are PVC

 

[Dave Budd]

that's a novel take on a wooden cover, but I certainly like it! I might be tempted to make some like that myself for some of my tools that are littered around the place with cloths wrapped around them

I've seen a similar idea done using sheets of plastic cut out of old chain oil bottles and then stapled together with fencing wire. I think the guy who did it must've been bored on a job during bad weather or something!

 

[MartiniDave]

That's a nice selection of tools you have there. It would be interesting if any one of them becomes the "go to" tool over time.

Dave

 

[Kepis]

Lovely job, i made a wooden sheath for one of my hooks a while back, its not as pristine these days, used some wooden place mats that were just hanging around the house not being used.

DSCN4780 by Mark D Emery, on Flickr

DSCN4769 by Mark D Emery, on Flickr

DSCN4776 by Mark D Emery, on Flickr

 

[Paulm]

That's a nice selection of tools you have there. It would be interesting if any one of them becomes the "go to" tool over time.

Dave

I was thinking the same Dave, later this season will be when I get to use them properly for a decent amount of work. I've used the wee bulldog one today as it happens as it was small enough to slip in my day pack for the woods, and of course safe now with the cover on ! Used it to cut down a few hazel rods (too early I know but needs must !) for fixing the dunny roof and found it a bit too light for that, but easy to handle for then skimming the leaves and side shoots off them after. I'll do a bit more work on thinning the shoulders on it and see if that helps, but suspect this one may not turn out to be the go to one which will probably be one of the Elwells, but which one I don't know yet !

 

[Jackroadkill]

Good, functional stuff there.

I was thinking about recycling some HDPE for this purpose. I've made a knife sheath out of it with reasonable results and think it would do a good job on a billhook.