Tools worthy of a mention.

[sime42]

1 hour ago, Stere said:

Thought the old brands - ones like brades and gilpin etc that they don't make anymore were regarded as the best?

 

Called them slashers with long handles

 

Morris  ones are still around but heard the new ones aren't  of a very good quality, and the blade needs re profiling from new?

 

 

 

The japanese make some nice billhooks (and hand tools generally) tempted with one for triming hazel rods.

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.objectsofuse.com/products/garden/saya-nata-right-handed-hatchet

 

 

Other german branded ones:

 

Nordforest Bush Hook with a 40 cm Aluminium Handle

WWW.CHRISFORESTRY.CO.UK

---

This really useful Nordforest Bush Hook with its 40 cm aluminium handle is a great tool for tree nurseries. It has a...

 

 

Sickle Bush Hook

WWW.CHRISFORESTRY.CO.UK

---

A particularly light and versatile design with an additional blade on the back edge. Comes fully sharpened and ready for use...

 

 

Now the test of sharpness would be if it can trim a hedge like this:

 

 

Great video. Essential tools for hedging;- a billhook, a slasher, an axe and a nice pipe!

Those tools were bloody sharp.

 

The modern Morris billhooks certainly do need a serious re-profiling. I bought one for my brother a while back, it was shocking. The profile was like a chisel, must have been about 30 degrees or more. More like a BnQ tool or something. Odd as Morris used to be a well respected brand I think.

 

I was lucky enough to have an impromptu factory tour of their place in Devon years ago. It was quite a treat, the main guy was a real character. He gave us a demo of the final stage - grinding the shoulders back to produce the proper edge profile. He was doing it on a huge stone wheel, big plume of sparks, no guarding or PPE in sight! It's now closed sadly. Maybe why the tools are a bit crap these days.

 

 

[sime42]

1 hour ago, Stere said:

Thought the old brands - ones like brades and gilpin etc that they don't make anymore were regarded as the best?

 

Called them slashers with long handles

 

Morris  ones are still around but heard the new ones aren't  of a very good quality, and the blade needs re profiling from new?

 

 

 

The japanese make some nice billhooks (and hand tools generally) tempted with one for triming hazel rods.

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.objectsofuse.com/products/garden/saya-nata-right-handed-hatchet

 

 

Other german branded ones:

 

Nordforest Bush Hook with a 40 cm Aluminium Handle

WWW.CHRISFORESTRY.CO.UK

---

This really useful Nordforest Bush Hook with its 40 cm aluminium handle is a great tool for tree nurseries. It has a...

 

 

Sickle Bush Hook

WWW.CHRISFORESTRY.CO.UK

---

A particularly light and versatile design with an additional blade on the back edge. Comes fully sharpened and ready for use...

 

 

Now the test of sharpness would be if it can trim a hedge like this:

 

 

Great video. Essential tools for hedging;- a billhook, a slasher, an axe and a nice pipe!

Those tools were bloody sharp.

 

The modern Morris billhooks certainly do need a serious re-profiling. I bought one for my brother a while back, it was shocking. The profile was like a chisel, must have been about 30 degrees or more. More like a BnQ tool or something. Odd as Morris used to be a well respected brand I think.

 

I was lucky enough to have an impromptu factory tour of their place in Devon years ago. It was quite a treat, the main guy was a real character. He gave us a demo of the final stage - grinding the shoulders back to produce the proper edge profile. He was doing it on a huge stone wheel, big plume of sparks, no guarding or PPE in sight! It's now closed sadly. Maybe why the tools are a bit crap these days.

 

 

[Stere]

Wonder if that means  now  they  are made in china?

 

Does  anywhere in the UK still actually makes any agri/forestry hand tools axes etc?

 

Some small blacksmiths still making billhooks etc but any larger scale makers left?

Edited July 26, 2022 by Stere

[openspaceman]

1 hour ago, Stere said:

Wonder if that means  now  they  are made in china?

 

Does  anywhere in the UK still actually makes any agri/forestry hand tools axes etc?

 

Some small blacksmiths still making billhooks etc but any larger scale makers left?

I don't know  but the Elwell billhook I have holds its edge like no recent edge tools I have. I would have thought with all the knowledge of alloys gained since it was made from good old carbon steel they could have come up with something better.

 

Could it be that steel made from all those scrapped cars is now contaminated with so many stray molecules of other metals that its difficult to control its properties?

[GarethM]

Don't think you can contaminate steel production, it's more down to who is making it and to what price.

[youngsbury]

On 23/07/2022 at 08:12, bmp01 said:

As above. 

And knackered pc hard drives for little flat magnets - neowotsits

Good for cleaning up filings and swarf - but use magnet in a plastic bag so magnet and ferous junk can be separated (preferably over the bin).

Good idea using the bag 👍🏼. I’ve got a two foot piece of roof batten on a broom handle with those counter sunk neodymium magnets all along it ! . Perfect for finding that little screw you drop and can never find ! One sweep and hey presto 🔩👍🏼. 

[sime42]

22 hours ago, openspaceman said:

I don't know  but the Elwell billhook I have holds its edge like no recent edge tools I have. I would have thought with all the knowledge of alloys gained since it was made from good old carbon steel they could have come up with something better.

 

Could it be that steel made from all those scrapped cars is now contaminated with so many stray molecules of other metals that its difficult to control its properties?

Isn't it just that there's very little demand for decent quality edge tools nowadays? So no real commercial incentive. With so few people working on the land most people buying billhooks etc aren't relying on them to make their living, so it doesn't matter if they're not very good.

There must have been plenty of impurities in the old carbon steels. I think the key is just the high carbon content. The Morris guy said he uses spring steel, (automotive) to make his tools.

[coppice cutter]

On 25/07/2022 at 10:21, Bob_z_l said:

I've had one for a while. It's light.

It's light unlike the regular billhook but with that extra length of handle cleaves branches right off.

Don't need to put a lot of effort in to get good results, but enough to get through the big stuff....as it's quite light.

 

It sits happily in the collection of Fiskars axes. All fantastic tools. 

It's so light that I seldom go out in to the wood now without it, even walking the dog.

 

There's always a briar trying to encroach on a path, a low hanging branch about to snap, a fruit bush getting smothered by cleavers, etc and you can deal with it there and then. Light enough to safely use one handed as well.

 

I've one of the original S3 brush hooks, I've trimmed many loads of coppice with it and it's still going strong. This is shaping up to be a useful companion for it come winter time as well.

Edited July 27, 2022 by coppice cutter

[coppice cutter]

On 25/07/2022 at 09:26, Stere said:

Thought the old brands - ones like brades and gilpin etc that they don't make anymore were regarded as the best?

 

Called them slashers with long handles

 

Morris  ones are still around but heard the new ones aren't  of a very good quality, and the blade needs re profiling from new?

 

 

 

The japanese make some nice billhooks (and hand tools generally) tempted with one for triming hazel rods.

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.objectsofuse.com/products/garden/saya-nata-right-handed-hatchet

 

 

Other german branded ones:

 

Nordforest Bush Hook with a 40 cm Aluminium Handle

WWW.CHRISFORESTRY.CO.UK

---

This really useful Nordforest Bush Hook with its 40 cm aluminium handle is a great tool for tree nurseries. It has a...

 

 

Sickle Bush Hook

WWW.CHRISFORESTRY.CO.UK

---

A particularly light and versatile design with an additional blade on the back edge. Comes fully sharpened and ready for use...

 

 

Now the test of sharpness would be if it can trim a hedge like this:

 

 

Big fan of Japanese stuff as well, I've a collection of Silky saws and now cut mostly by hand.

 

Also have a Yoki billhook, and an Ono axe, they are works of art.

 

But Fiskars seems to be one company who can take modern design and production techniques and actually use them to produce stuff that both works well and lasts well off the shelf.

 

A niece was looking at a house to buy a few years ago. In the garden was an old dilapidated wooden garage and along one wall of it was a whole array of old hand tools, slashers, billhooks, sythes, sickles, etc, etc. If she had bought the house (which she didn't unfortunately), I'd have got them, restored them, treasured them, and even taken them out to play occasionally.

 

But for day to day practicality, buy something to do a job, take it home, work it hard, set it down, lift and repeat the next day, and the next, and the next, etc, Fiskars seem to have it nailed.

[Macpherson]

5 hours ago, sime42 said:

The Morris guy said he uses spring steel, (automotive) to make his tools.

 

Quite some years ago I bought a billhook on ebay and when it arrived I was slightly disappointed that it didn't look like the photo but was obviously hand made probably in India from an old leaf spring.

It didn't take long for me to grow to like it very much, it keeps a cracking edge, feels just right in the hand and kind of matches up very well with some of the old British made Elwell tools I treasure👍