The Birth of a Tool: Axe Making

The love of handmade tools is something many of us share, this short film by John Neeman Tools is an excellent look into what it takes to make an axe from scratch – including the handle and dual-density axe head.
The love of handmade tools is something many of us share, this short film by John Neeman Tools is an excellent look into what it takes to make an axe from scratch – including the handle and dual-density axe head.
I’m a big fan of the Leatherman, I’m convinced that if it was possible to calculate how many lives, knuckles and cusses they’ve saved over the years the numbers for all three would be startlingly high.
The Craftsman Figure Eight Wrench is one of those all-in-one solutions that actually works, making it perfect for a saddle-bag or glove compartment tool kit that needs to be minimalist and light-weight, but also provide as much functionality as possible.
The somewhat unusual looking Boker Plus Tactical Pen Cal .45 is what happens when you set a team of German knife designers loose with the task of creating as pen that can be used as a self-defence weapon.
Logan Pearce is a third generation knifemaker following in the footsteps of both his father and grandfather, Perry Pearce. The family is famous for their railroad spike knives, each hand-forged in a coal fired blacksmithery, Logan has found a new muse in stainless steel wrenches and now individually hammers them out in his De Queen, Arkansas based workshop.
The Art Of Fixing Things is the kind of book we all need sitting on our bookshelves, it covers everything from repairing cars, household appliances, garden machines, farm equipment and doing home improvements and it’s described as “a resource for smart people who have never had the opportunity to learn the basics of tool use, maintenance and repairs”.
The Stella Lucido Stovetop Espresso Maker is a classic alternative to the espresso machine or french press, a stovetop espresso maker is an essential element in the kitchen of any coffee lover…
The GORUCK GR1 is a rucksack designed by a former Green Beret who sat down and spent a couple of years creating the pack he wanted whilst deployed in a war-zone.
The Hydrokinetic Adjustable Wrench is more or less exactly what we thought wrenches would look like in the 21st century
The American Red Cross FRX3 Hand Turbine Radio and smart phone charger is something that I am convinced every home should have, it can be powered by a hand-crank, batteries or solar and can receive AM/FM/weather band radio.
The PowerPot is a relatively small, portable power generator that just requires a campfire or heat source to operate. It’s capable of charging everything from cell phones to GPS units and radios, or anything else that runs on lithium ion battery units.
This magnesium and flint firestarter costs $36 USD, a seemingly cheap price tag for something than can kick off magnesium shavings that burn at 5,610°F (3,098°C)…