BEST MADE PROJECTS

"This is the axe my grandfather made. My father replaced the handle, and I replaced the blade."

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:37:52 -0500

“This is the axe my grandfather made.
My father replaced the handle,
and I replaced the blade.”

- Proverb

Best Made in North Carolina Last week a small contingent from...

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:40:54 -0500

BMC Felling Axe heads awaiting assembly

Hudson Bay axes awaiting assembly

The trimming die used to remove flashing

The trimming die used to remove flashing

Best Made in North Carolina

Last week a small contingent from Best Made traveled to beautiful North Carolina. It was there that we met with the fourth generation axe makers making our American Felling Axe, and Hudson Bay Axe. We walked the factory floor and watched as a drop hammer forged red hot axe after red hot axe with 3,500 pounds of free falling weight. Sparks flew, and the ground shook. After a lunch of hearty chili (made from a secret family recipe no less) discussions turned to future products and endeavors. Rest assured, there’s much, much more in store.

Pictured above: Best Made American Felling Axes and Hudson Bay Axes awaiting assembly. Also, the two-piece cutting die used to trim flashing from red hot freshly forged axe heads.

Shed DreamsBy Matthew Beaudin, Best Made Guide to Colorado Sheds...

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:17:14 -0500

Shed Dreams
By Matthew Beaudin, Best Made Guide to Colorado

Sheds represent history, but they also stand for something more important and more beautiful to a young person in Telluride: possibility. Even as the Telluride real-estate market exhaled and prices fell, people like me never thought we could own a piece of this place.

I saw it there, its barnwood curling at the corners and its tin nearly black, and I could imagine myself in it, drinking coffee and looking out my tiny front window as it snowed heavy and cold, my dog curled up at the far end of the room, chasing something in a dream.

I wondered what history I could add to it.

I didn’t think much more about it until a year later, when my friend said, “Heard of an alley shack for sale,” as we ski-toured on a cold monochrome morning.

I drifted away. I’d been looking for a little house—with a palatable price tag—for a year or so. No one like me ever wants to leave this place; we just can’t afford to scratch our way in. I recalled the little shed that could. I wanted something like that—something with years of imperfections and years of history on its boards. Something that was unlike anything else. Something that would welcome my old Schwinn town bike with open arms.

“Yeah,” he said, jarring me from my daydream. “And it’s really cheap.”

Cheap, in Telluride, is a mathematical expression in which price is relative to income and divided by long-term job prospects…

As excerpted from “Shed Dreams,” Best Made Guide to Colorado, Matthew C Beaudin’s tale of sprucing up an old miner’s shed he bought in Telluride, Colorado. Read the entire story here.

Winter Shooting Gear: by Finn O’Hara, Best Made Guide As...

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:40:00 -0500

Winter Shooting Gear: by Finn O’Hara, Best Made Guide

As we head into the wooly winter month’s here in the North East, I’d like to pass on a few essentials in my kit that I think you might find of use in your own kit as you trudge into the 2012 wilderness.

Silica Gel Dehumidifiers
Don’t leave home without them! Heading to a remote destination in 2012 that would involve radical temperature shifts? Be sure to pick up a few Silica Gel packs, and stick them in your camera case. these little beauties absorb any moisture that may damage your equipment. Best thing is, they’re reusable: once they’ve done their job, simply pop them in the oven when they become saturated to reactivate them.

All Weather Camera Cover
Never get caught trying to cover your camera with a plastic bag during a rain/snow storm. A big waste of time. Get an all weather camera cover to help you out.

But DO pack your plastic bag when headed out to shoot in the extreme cold. Why? Well, when you shoot that great outdoor scene, and go to head back inside, your camera is going to frost up like crazy. So before you head back inside, wrap/cover your camera with that plastic bag. Then, step inside, and the moisture will wick away to the inside of the bag, away from your camera. Think of the inside of your tent in the same kind of conditions when camping.

Use Your Camera’s All-Weather Features
So you have a 5D Mark II, now what? Well, that camera is a beast, and it takes a beating. In fact, use it everywhere at all hours in all seasons. It has great all-weather sealing, so shoot it in the rain and snow (in moderation). I’ve used it uncovered in all conditions, and it’s never failed me.

The Classic Ice Fishing Joke A man wakes up early one morning to...

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:37:22 -0500

The Classic Ice Fishing Joke

A man wakes up early one morning to go ice fishing. He dresses warmly, and heads out onto the ice with his tent, his ice auger, his fishing rods, and his sittin’ bucket, and begins to auger a hole in the ice. After just a few seconds of drilling with the auger a big booming voice from above intones: “THERE ARE NO FISH UNDER THE ICE HERE!” The man looks around and, not being a very religious man, resumes drilling his hole in the ice. Again, he hears the thunderous voice: “THERE ARE NO FISH UNDER THE ICE HERE!” Becoming a little spooked, the man packs up his gear and moves 30 feet from where he was and begins making a new hole in the ice. “THERE ARE NO FISH UNDER THE ICE HERE EITHER!” the voice thunders again.

The man looks up, “God, is that you?”

The voice responds “NO, IT’S THE MANAGER OF THE ICE RINK!!”

This joke has been told countless times. It’s a good bet that most folks hailing from the upper midwest and northeastern United States, as well as most of Canada have heard at least one variation on it. In the world of joke telling, the topic of fishing is quite a popular one, although ice fishing jokes make up a very small percentage of all fishing jokes. This may be attributed to the fact that extreme cold weather often times does not put a person in a joking mood.

Axe Restoration Redux: Electrolysis Rust Removal We first heard...

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:44:41 -0500

Axe Restoration Redux: Electrolysis Rust Removal

We first heard of the electrolysis process in talking with fellow tool restorer Gary Bridge, who has been using electrolysis to remove dirt and oxidization from antique hand planes. We were impressed with how easy and effective it sounded. We had to try it, and Gary was generous enough to walk us through the process at his workshop in Spicer, MN. We used the process to remove the rust from a vintage Great Neck 3.5 lb axe head, and were quite impressed with the results. We found it to be a great alternative to soaking tools in vinegar, which had been our preferred method. The electrolysis process is relatively simple and safe, but there are a few details to note, which we’ll point out below. We also recommend visiting the links provided for reference, and understanding the the entire process from start to finish before you begin.

Electrolysis is a bit of a controversial process in the realm of tool collectors. Some feel that cleaning a tool in anyway will lower its value and collectibility, preferring to find a tool in as close to perfect condition as possible rather than clean a dirty and rusted one. The large majority of axes we choose to restore are not of much collector value, but still have many more years of life in them. So we have no problem using this process. A few exceptions would include axes that still bear their original paper labels, or paint, and highly collectible models (such as the elusive Kelly Black Raven) in new, or near new condition. You’ll need to decide for yourself which tools you want to clean and which ones you don’t.

What you’ll need:

- A large, non-conductive container large enough to hold the tool and enough of the electrolysis solution to fully submerge it. We used a rubbermaid tub.

- A battery charger capable of delivering 2 amps or more.

- An electrolyte solution mixed in a ratio of 1 tbsp washing soda to 1 gal water. This is an mildly alkaline solution and will irritate the skin if not washed off. It will also irritate the eyes, so handle it carefully and flush with copious amounts of water and seek medical attention if it does get in your eyes.

- A piece of mild steel to use as an electrode. We used a flat piece of 1/8” mild steel. This is also called a sacrificial electrode. It will corrode with continued use. Stainless steel is not recommended, since the contained chromium will inhibit the passage of current, and can contaminate the electrolyte solution.

- The tool you want to clean. Clean it thoroughly with a degreaser before beginning electrolysis, this will ensure maximum conductivity.

- A scotchbrite pad or soft bristle brush. You will use this to gently clean the tool when the electrolysis is complete.

First off a word of safety: you are about to stick two electrodes into a bucket of conductive fluid. Do not stick your hands into the solution once the current is flowing. Secondly, this process produces hydrogen and oxygen, it’s recommended that this process be conducted in a well ventilated area to prevent combustion. Do not cover the container once the process has begun.

What you need to do:

1. After you’ve degreased your tool, connect it to the NEGATIVE lead on the unplugged batter charger. You may need to clean a small portion of the tool with sandpaper to ensure good electrical contact. Then place it in the non-reactive container. NOTE: If you accidentally connect the tool to the positive lead, the process won’t work at all.

2. Add enough water to fully submerge the tool. Pay attention to how much water you add, and add the appropriate amount of washing soda in a ratio of 1 tablespoon to 1 gallon. Mix thoroughly.

3. Connect your sacrificial electrode to the POSITIVE lead on the battery charger and add it to the tub with the solution. The charge will travel between the two electrodes in a ‘line of sight.’ This means that the side of the tool facing the electrode will receive the best results. We stopped the process halfway and turned our axe head 180º so that both sides received the same results. Some folks create cylindrical sacrificial electrodes to eliminate the need to rotate the tool. It’s also important that the tool and the sacrificial electrodes do not touch. The current between the two must travel through the electrolyte solution for the process to work.

4. Once you have everything connected properly, and have double checked it, plug in the battery charger and turn it on. If you need to rearrange or rotate the tool, turn the batter charger off and unplug it before sticking your hands in the solution.

5. After you’ve initiated the electrical current, the tool should begin bubbling. These bubbles are the hydrogen and oxygen mentioned earlier. If you do not notice any bubbles, unplug the battery charger, double check your connections, and try again.

6. Let the tool ‘cook’ in the current for a couple hours. You should notice that the surface of the solution will become murky and gunky, this is all coming off the tool! It may take up to 12 hours to fully clean your tool. Check it periodically

7. Once the tool is free of oxidization it should appear dark, almost black. Unplug the battery charger and remove the tool. Use the plastic scouring pads to clean the remaining gunk off, it should come off fairly easily.

8. Rinse the tool well and dry it thoroughly. Once dry, coat it with oil or other anti-rust product. Often times the tool can begin to rust again almost immediately.

9. Dispose of the electrolyte solution down the drain or by pouring it out outdoors. Apparently, your lawn will love the iron rich solution.

The main reasons that we like this method are, unlike grinding, it doesn’t remove any base metal from the tool, it’s quiet, and it’s also odorless, unlike vinegar soaking. It leaves a very nice surface on the metal. Previously, with vinegar soaking we’ve found that our axe heads appeared ‘dried out,’ with a lackluster gunmetal grey appearance as a result of the etching the metal. Electrolysis, on the other hand, makes the metal look ‘healthy’ and new.

After our first time using this process we’re looking forward to using it again. It’s quite simple, and delivers fantastic results.

For more information on electrolysis, we found this link to be very helpful.

Awaiting my Subzero Paradise, by Bill Wetherholt, Best Made...

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:54:40 -0500

Awaiting my Subzero Paradise, by Bill Wetherholt, Best Made Guide

Happy New Year fellow BMC community! I hope that this finds you well and in good spirits. I send salutations from the sepia-toned Flint Hills of Kansas in what I had expected to be the dead of winter. But as many of you are well aware, we still await winter in many parts of this fair land. The brass at Best Made sent me Calvin Rutstrum’s 1968 novel Paradise Below Zero: The Classic Guide to Winter Camping a couple months ago for a review that is still forthcoming. The inspiration to read about Calvin’s roamings around Lake Winnipeg via sled dog in brutal weather I know all too well does not find me when it feels more like the approach of spring with warm spells flirting with the low 60s. I will provide all the details soon, but I deem it obscene to finish the novel (which is great so far!) before I have had to clear at least some snow off my walkway. Stay tuned.

That does not mean I haven’t been busy. Before the holidays I finished my first semester of PhD work and have just begun the second. I assure the academic community that doctoral degrees are not being handed out willy-nilly by Kansas State. The workload is impressive indeed, as it should be. I try to find time for side-projects when time allows. One such project has been neglecting the remaining leaves in my backyard and sprucing up my garage, which has included not only the installation of pegboard organization but also the staining my Best Made Axe. There is something palpably intimate about interacting with such a fine tool that is yours alone. I chose a darker stain and have applied two coats of flat polyurethane finish thus far.

I have also been fishing since the weather has been mild, but the bite is pretty much non-existent with cold waters. That goes for the shore at least, apparently the crappie population is at its best in over a decade just up the road, but without a canoe or other mode of water transportation I cannot access the submerged brush piles out there and put my Shore Lunch to good use. I would be remiss if I neglected to confess I did catch a redear sunfish about the size of a half-dollar. And so it goes my friends.

Winter Tool Restoration Often times, throughout the winter...

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:19:35 -0500

Winter Tool Restoration

Often times, throughout the winter months, as the mercury dips and the sun makes itself scarce, we find ourselves spending more and more time in the workshop. Last weekend we had the chance to visit the workshop of Gary Bridge in beautiful Spicer, MN. We chatted tool restoration (Gary restores antique hand planes), and got a hands on demo of electrolysis, a method of using electrical current to remove rust and oxidization. It was an amazing process, and we’ll be sure to write it up fully in the near future.

From the Field: Wasatch Range, Utah Best Made is dispersed far...

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:12:00 -0500

From the Field: Wasatch Range, Utah

Best Made is dispersed far and wide this week. Team member Ben Lavely sends us this report, and beautiful photos, from the Wasatch range outside of Salt Lake City, UT.

“The big news here is that snow is at long last moving into the area, all western areas have been hurting all season for snow. Light snow yesterday with more moving in later this week. A skiers delight.”

“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a...

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:02:00 -0500

“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”

— Martin Luther King Jr.

Photo: Marion S. Trikosko, 1964.

"Due to our fascination with the forms of technical inventions on the one hand, and the limiting..."

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 13:34:07 -0500

“Due to our fascination with the forms of technical inventions on the one hand, and the limiting vocabulary of the modern movement on the other, our designs have moved from the realm of feeling into that of reasoning. … However, beauty is not appreciated through reason—it is enjoyed through feelings. There is no objective beauty; it goes directly to the heart—a glowing rainbow over a field of ripe wheat needs no explanation.”

- Eva Zeisel (1906–2011)

From the Best Made Archives: Duluth Viewmaster series As a kid...

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 12:42:18 -0500

From the Best Made Archives: Duluth Viewmaster series

As a kid growing up in Minnesota, ‘getting away from it all’ meant heading up north. Duluth. McGregor. Lutsen. The north shore. We still love it up north. The fishing. The boating. And the cribbage, ah the cribbage. But for those days when the work starts to pile up, the emails need answering and I just can’t ‘get away from it all,’ I have my Viewmaster. A few minutes clicking through the vistas of Gooseberry Falls, Split Rock Lighthouse, and the Silver Creek cliffs are almost as restorative as an actual visit. Almost. At least it’s enough to get me through the rest of my emails.

—Nick Zdon, Best Made Minnesota Outpost

Smoker Jumper Badges, from the collection of Best...

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:46:00 -0500

Smoker Jumper Badges, from the collection of Best Made

“Understandably, Smokejumpers have an obsession about their equipment. Although they change from one fixation to another, equipment is nearly always somewhere on their mind, and, as they get close to the jump, equipment is about all that is on their mind. They know they are about to live or die on a man-made substitute for wings furnished by the government.” — Norman Maclean (from Young Men and Fire).

See the Best Made smokejumper belts.

Cooking Salmon on the River, by Zachary Collier, Best Made...

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 11:56:20 -0500

Cooking Salmon on the River, by Zachary Collier, Best Made Guide to River Rafting

People are always amazed at the meals we can create on a river rafting expedition. We bring a full kitchen complete with a 6 burner stove, firepan and plenty of cast iron Dutch ovens, so we can create delicious meals!

One of my favorite things to cook on a river trip is salmon. Here’s Dale’s recipe for Mustard, Lemon and Dill Salmon to feed 30 people:

Dale’s Recipe:

15 lbs wild Alaskan salmon
4 lemons
2 sticks butter
16 fresh dill sprigs
4 bottles Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Mustard
1 jar mustard seed

Lay out a large sheet of aluminum foil for each salmon filet. Slice one stick of butter and distribute the slices on each sheet and then put the salmon on top, skin side down. Spread the Sierra Nevada mustard on top of the filets and then sprinkle mustard seeds on top. Add a few slices of butter, then very thin slices of lemon, and top it all off with the fresh dill sprigs.

Wrap the salmon completely in the aluminum foil and then cook over a fire or a camp stove. It typically cooks after 8-15 minutes depending on the thickness of the filet and the temperature of the fire/stove. The salmon is ready when if flakes easily with a fork and the skin is just starting to separate from the fish.

Mike Burke’s Recipe: Sometimes on river trips we lose or forget to bring a key ingredient, which forces us to get creative. A simple recipe that I learned from river legend Mike Burke is to drizzle the salmon with maple syrup and cook. That’s it!

Notes: There are several ways to cook your salmon. To keep it moist, we usually wrap it in aluminum foil. Grilling salmon is always fun, and everyone likes to watch it sizzle, but this method can lead to dry fish. A hybrid method is to wrap the firepan in aluminum foil and let the salmon cook in some of its juices.

There are also many delicious toppings for salmon, and we like to get creative. Try onions, bell peppers, soy sauce, wine, whiskey, garlic, BBQ sauce, or even a simple pesto made with olive oil and herbs.

Zach is the owner/outfitter at Northwest Rafting Company.

From The Best Made Archives Klondikers ascending the steep...

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 11:17:01 -0500

From The Best Made Archives

Klondikers ascending the steep Chilkoot pass, crossing from Alaska into Yukon Territory. Photo by Eric A. Hegg

When you hit what you aim for, and the tool vanishes into its...

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 11:41:37 -0500

When you hit what you aim for, and the tool vanishes into its target, there is a moment of nothing. The force exerted continues blasting through the object, in this case wood, and the weight of your axe continues to fall but you, your muscles, are hollow. This is classical physics, matter altered by force, distilled through an axe.

The moment ends as quickly as it came and you’re at it again. The elasticity of those fractions of a second, that’s what you’re looking for in each strike — perfection is measured simply. You see each swing, each round, through and move on to the next, not stopping until there’s no pile left and the air is a mix of pine and dirt.

I recently spent a few hours chopping wood for the house with my stepdad (known as Pop) in Steamboat Springs, CO. I had brought two tools for testing: the Best Made American Felling Axe and the new Hudson Bay Axe. Not surprisingly, the Felling Axe was called into duty the bulk of the time, as the rounds, knotted by time and climate, proved stubborn. The Felling Axe is heavy but swings as accurately as its operator — what I notice is its fine balance and absolute power. If you hit what you aim for, the weight of the axe and moderate force is enough to split pine easily or, as it’s originally intended, drop a tree. It’s heavy, sure, but its force in the right hands is impressive. Its balance, achieved by way of a flawless bit and elegantly curved handle, is the true success.

The Hudson Bay Axe’s strength is in its versatility. It’s light (packable) but when used correctly can easily split firewood. Since the Hudson is light, you can take it anywhere. You can also (and you have to) swing it with velocity and precision. I was surprised with how true to my intentions the Hudson behaved, but that’s like any good tool — it becomes a part of you. The Hudson is slender, and its bit elegant; of all the Best Made tools, it is perhaps the most elegant in design. The handle, long enough to be safe, is well-conceived and it’s here that I find my favorite feature of the Hudson. The swell knob, or end of the handle, has been left thick enough to fill the palm of your hand, giving the Hudson the feel of a much larger axe when it’s in your hand.

Happy New Year. From New York City, to the Twin Cities. To...

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 18:39:23 -0500

Happy New Year.

From New York City, to the Twin Cities. To Topanga, to Telluride, and to Toronto. From Disneyland to Lumberland, and to all points in between: happy new year to everyone.

XOX Best Made,
December 31st, 2011

Fearless Frankie A special request to all Best Made fans in the...

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 12:12:00 -0500

Fearless Frankie

A special request to all Best Made fans in the Midwest! Meet Fearless Frankie. She’s an 8-10 month old Black Lab/Herding mix, and she needs a good home. She has an amazing story.

As told by the person who found her:

I found Frankie in Northern Minnesota deep in the woods… I have no idea how she got that far into the woods. She was in an area few humans can even get to or would know about, just the occasional hunter. We came upon her in our ATV, she was pretty frightened. When I turned the machine off and talked to her, she stopped barking and nervously crawled on her belly to me wagging her tail. I picked her up and she basically collapsed in my arms. I don’t think she spent much time with humans as every noise and sight was new to her. She weighed 19 pounds after I had fed her for three days… you could see every rib and vertebrae. Frankie was very near death.

What amazed me and my dad (I’m an  avid outdoorsman and Dad is a forester), is when we tried to investigate how she got there, we discovered a den that she had made. No dog would know how to do this, this is coyote/fox behavior. Her den was in the perfect spot, by water, by food (oak trees for acorns and sloughs for small game). We discovered a small pile of acorns as well.  She had the smarts not only to eat acorns but bring a few mouth fulls back with her. She’s amazing.

Let’s give this brave pooch a home for the holidays. Email Nick at the Minnesota Outpost: nick@bestmadeco.com for more details, and to be put in touch with her current, and temporary, owners in Minneapolis. And if you don’t live in Minnesota, and or are not able to help Frankie directly, we strongly suggest supporting your local animal shelter, and the ASPCA. Now is a good time of year to exercise some compassion for our animals in need. C.C.G.F.

UPDATE: We’ve just found out that Fearless Frankie has found a wonderful new home, with 2 other labs to boot! Thanks to everyone for their support. We’ll post more details as they come. Huzzah!

Debriefing: The Warby Parker Holiday Spectacle Bazaar Back in...

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 15:45:00 -0500

Debriefing: The Warby Parker Holiday Spectacle Bazaar

Back in the workshop and it feels like we’ve come home from a seven year military campaign, not seven days of workshops, whiskey, and living out of our yurt in downtown Manhattan. It was our first real foray into many things - including running a brick and mortar retail experience, and holding our first ever field medicine workshop (equipped with real pig’s hooves) - but that’s the way we like it. Best Made in the flesh. And take note: we’ve got our sights keenly set on a full-time store for 2012. Let’s make it happen. Huzzzzzzah!

And be sure to check out Laura Silverman’s amazing post about her foraged cocktail workshop at Glutton for Life.

A big thanks to everyone who helped: Nick Zdon from our MN Outpost, Guide Laura Silverman, Dr. Rob Gorski, and of course our staff and interns at Best Made (Hunter, Ben, Jess, Adam, Virgilio, Martha). We would also like to thank Stranahan’s whiskey for providing the fuel to our workshops. And last but not least a huge thanks to the staff and founders at Warby Parker, and Partners & Spade: Anthony Sperduti, Andy Spade, Andrew Post, Jamie Arendt, Kaki Read, and Isabel Seely.

Winter Interlude, Steamboat Springs, CO by Matt Beaudin, Best...

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 09:36:00 -0500

Winter Interlude, Steamboat Springs, CO
by Matt Beaudin, Best Made Guide to Colorado

And special thanks to Von Wilson for showing us how it’s done!
Read more about Von.