Axe Files (@axefiless)

It’s not always wood that needs splitting. #wood #woods #fo #foryoupage #foru #fyp #fypシ #trending #viral

Well that was unexpected #woodsplitting #woods #splittingwood #foryoupage #fyp

#woodworking #wood #woods #axe #woodsplit #woodsplitting #chop #fo #foryoupage #foru #fyp #fypシ #trending #viral #live

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Here’s something interesting: the finish I’m putting on this little black walnut spoon comes from a tree that’s actually poisonous. 😂🌳 This is pure tung oil, and it comes from the seeds of the tung tree. The seeds themselves are highly toxic if eaten, but the oil has been used for centuries to protect everything from wooden furniture to boats. In fact, tung oil was used in ancient China to waterproof wooden ships long before modern sealants existed. What makes it so special is what happens after you apply it. Most people think oil just soaks into wood and dries, but tung oil actually undergoes a chemical reaction with oxygen that causes it to harden. Rather than just leaving the wood greasy, it creates a protective, water-resistant finish. And here’s the part I think is really cool: pure tung oil doesn’t need a bunch of synthetic additives to accomplish that. Once it’s completely cured, pure tung oil is generally considered safe for food contact, despite coming from a tree with toxic seeds. Just don’t confuse pure tung oil with products labeled “tung oil finish,” which can contain other ingredients. It also has a pretty incredible effect on black walnut. The oil makes those chocolate-brown tones richer and gives the grain a depth that almost makes the wood look three-dimensional. This particular spoon has a thicker handle and a smaller, deeper bowl. Not every spoon needs to be some delicate little thing. Sometimes I just want to carve something that feels like it could survive being dropped down a flight of stairs. So there you go. A spoon made from one tree, protected by the seeds of another. And people say playing with sticks isn’t educational. 😂 #AxeFiles #BlackWalnut #TungOil #HandCarved #Woodworking

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Another oversized black walnut spoon because apparently I’ve forgotten what normal-sized silverware looks like. 😂🪵🥄 There’s a reason black walnut is one of the most sought-after domestic hardwoods for woodworking, furniture making, and carving. And a lot of that comes down to its absolutely gorgeous grain. Black walnut heartwood can range from a lighter chocolate brown to a deep, almost purplish brown, sometimes with streaks of gray, black, and even reddish tones running through it. No two pieces are exactly alike, which is part of what makes working with it so interesting. One of my favorite things about walnut is how much the grain can change throughout a single piece. You might have perfectly straight, uniform grain in one section and then run into beautiful waves, curls, or swirling patterns around knots and where branches once grew. Those irregular grain patterns can make carving more challenging because the wood fibers change direction, increasing the chances of tear-out. But they’re also responsible for some of the most beautiful figuring you’ll find in a finished piece. Walnut is also a fantastic carving wood because it hits a nice middle ground. It’s hard enough to make a durable spoon, but generally workable enough to carve without fighting you every step of the way. It also tends to finish beautifully, especially when you apply oil. And that’s probably my favorite part of the whole process. Watching that first coat of oil soak in and bring out all the colors, grain, and character that were hiding in the wood. You can spend hours carving something, but those last 30 seconds of oiling are when it really comes to life. Plus, if I’m going to spend that much time making a spoon, I might as well make one big enough to stir a bathtub full of soup. 😂 #BlackWalnut #SpoonCarving #Woodworking #HandCarved #AxeFiles

Going way back into the Axe Files archives for this one. 😂🪓 This was one of the first splitting videos I ever made, back when my editing skills were nonexistent and my confidence was completely unjustified. First swing? Absolutely beautiful. Big round, clean split, one shot. Basically a professional. Second swing? Split the other half AND the splitting block underneath it. 💀 Apparently I was so impressed with myself that I decided to start processing the equipment too. I like to think I’ve gotten a lot better at splitting wood since then, but looking back, I was already pretty damn good at turning one piece of firewood into several pieces of firewood that weren’t supposed to be firewood. The splitting block had one job. Unfortunately, so did my axe. And my axe was better at its job. 😂 #AxeFiles #WoodSplitting #Firewood #AxeHumor #SplittingWood

I had to work a little harder than I would’ve liked to get this black walnut split, but we got there eventually. But as hard as I worked for this one split, it’s nothing compared to the work the folks over at Very Good Firewood Foundation put in all year long. If you’re not familiar with them, they’re a nonprofit that sells firewood and puts 100% of the money toward buying Christmas presents for underprivileged kids. 🎄🎁 Think about that for a second. All the cutting, splitting, stacking, hauling, and hard work that goes into processing firewood, except instead of doing it to heat their own homes or make a profit, they’re doing it to make sure kids have presents under the tree on Christmas morning. And anyone who’s ever processed firewood knows just how much work that really is. With Christmas sneaking up on us, I wanted to give them some love. I’m proud to wear their shirt and support a group of people putting all that hard work toward something that genuinely matters. If you’ve got a minute, go check out @very.good.firewood . Give them a follow, share what they’re doing, and support them if you can. Because at the end of the day, I might be stubborn enough to swing an axe 20 times at the same piece of wood, but these folks are stubborn enough to spend an entire year making sure kids have a better Christmas. I think we know who’s putting in the more important work. For this one, I broke out my Saxon Splitter from @helkowerk , which has become my usual go-to whenever I’m dealing with questionable rounds #AxeFiles #VeryGoodFirewood #HelkoWerk #WoodSplitting #FirewoodForGood

Giving this hand-carved cherry spoon a little oil treatment. Because apparently my hobbies have evolved from beating the hell out of wood to gently rubbing it with oil. Cherry is honestly one of my favorite woods to carve, especially for spoons. It’s a hardwood, but it’s not nearly as hard on your hands or tools as something like maple. It has a nice, fine, even grain that makes it relatively easy to get clean cuts with a sharp knife, and it doesn’t tend to fight you nearly as much as some other species. It’s also a great choice for kitchen utensils because it’s close-grained, durable, and doesn’t have the large, open pores you find in woods like oak. And one of my favorite things about cherry is how it ages. Freshly carved cherry can be surprisingly light in color, but exposure to light and oxygen gradually deepens it into that beautiful warm reddish-brown everyone associates with cherry furniture. So not only does your spoon get more character with age, but unlike the rest of us, it actually gets better looking. 😂 Plus, there’s something pretty satisfying about taking a piece of firewood and turning it into something that’ll hopefully be used in someone’s kitchen for years. #SpoonCarving #CherryWood #GreenWoodworking #WoodCarving #AxeFiles

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My morning commute through the Delaware Water Gap, from start to finish. The fog out here can be absolutely unreal, but there’s a reason for it. The Delaware River supplies plenty of moisture, and the surrounding mountains and valleys can trap cool, humid air overnight. When that air cools to its dew point, the moisture condenses into tiny droplets, creating fog. Depending on the temperature, wind, and conditions along the river, some mornings look like you’re driving straight into Silent Hill. And the wild part is how quickly it can change. One minute you can see everything, and the next you’re driving through a wall of fog. Just another day getting to work in Pennsylvania. #DelawareWaterGap #MorningFog #Pennsylvania #Nature #AxeFiles

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Carefully gathering some black walnut for spoons. 🌳🥄 Instead of splitting these rounds the traditional way, I’m using the flick technique to knock off smaller, clean pieces that I can turn into spoon blanks. The idea is to use controlled, glancing blows to take advantage of the natural grain of the wood. With smaller, straight-grained rounds like these, flicking can help separate pieces along the grain without introducing as many splits, checks, or ragged fibers as you might get from forcing a larger split. It also gives me a little more control over the size and shape of the pieces I’m saving. When you’re processing firewood, getting a round open quickly is usually the goal. When you’re collecting wood for spoon carving, it’s a different story. I want clean, usable pieces with the grain running the right direction so I have less fighting to do later with my carving axe and knives. Black walnut is too good of a wood to waste when I can turn these little offcuts into something useful. Plus, there’s something satisfying about getting a little more intentional with how I process the wood before it ever touches a carving knife. Not every piece of wood needs to become firewood. Some of it deserves to become a spoon. 🪵 #AxeFiles #spooncarving #blackwalnut #woodworking #woodcarving

Black walnut tasting/mixing spoon. A little oil goes a long way with this wood. That grain is hard to beat. #spooncarving #blackwalnut #woodworking #handmade #AxeFiles

That’s a big boom baby #tree #lumberjack

Every time somebody asks me what my favorite splitter is, I end up grabbing this one. It’s a Council Tool No. 7 that my brother, @redbeardknt , modified, and somehow he took a good axe and made it exactly what I want in a splitter. It just hits right. The weight, the geometry, the way it moves through the wood… this is one I can pick up and just go to work with. And apparently I’m not the only one who thinks they’re good—he currently has one modified No. 7 for sale. So if you’ve been looking for a badass splitter, I may have just made your shopping problem worse. #AxeFiles #CouncilTool #WoodSplitting #AxeLife #Firewood

This round looked way too confident for something I was about to hit with a double bit splitter. 😂 The Throw Club double bit has been getting put to work lately, and I’m honestly becoming a pretty big fan of this thing. Sometimes the easiest way to explain a splitter is just… hit the wood and let it introduce itself. 🪓 #woodsplitting #firewood #axe #woodsplittingtools #ThrowClub

Every morning driving through the Delaware Water Gap feels like I’m on my way to Silent Hill. All this fog happens when cool overnight air settles in and moisture in the air condenses, especially around the rivers and valleys. The mountains basically trap it all in, and suddenly your morning commute looks like the opening scene of a horror movie. Just another beautiful fall morning in Pennsylvania. If I see Pyramid Head standing on the side of the road, I’m calling out of work. #DelawareWaterGap #MorningFog #Pennsylvania #FallVibes #AxeFiles

The final—and most boring—part of processing firewood 😂 It was way too nice out today to not start getting some of my seasoned wood gathered up. With a Nor’easter on the way, figured I might as well start getting everything ready for the real cold weather. After dealing with enough firewood, you start getting pretty good at eyeballing what’s around 20% moisture. The color, the cracks, the weight… and honestly, the sound it makes when you smack two pieces together tells you a LOT. Once I find the stuff I know is ready, it goes into the wheelbarrow and gets hauled up to the front of the house. From there, I bring it into the garage for a couple days with the dehumidifier running. It’s not about magically drying soaking-wet wood overnight. It’s just giving already-seasoned firewood a chance to shed some of that last little bit of moisture fluctuation from sitting outside in the humidity. Not exactly the exciting part of firewood season… but having dry wood ready when it’s 20° outside is pretty damn exciting. 🔥 #firewood #woodsplitting #firewoodseason #axe #AxeFiles

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