The best of the season to all, and many thanks for all the info and chuckles I get from daily lurking.
keep your ax sharp and hold the small end of your hammer.
I think the " bucket" was a lard pail with a snug lid that some used a container for lunch fixins, then a "tea billy " after, was told this as a child a long time ago
in the eye of the beholder. in the first pic I see the makings of a small acorn like jig platform with those nice holes for bending/ straitening maybe pins and wheels scroll work. nice, lots of potential.
golf balls make great chainsaw file handles. ball makes it so one uses a new face on the file each time you pick it up. the fluorescent ones are easy to find in the snow and bush.
sounds like what we call a deadman might be 8' eye bolt through a 4'/6' chunk of power pole burried 5'/6' down in the ground. pull reallllly hard or dig it out could be in bedrock if grouted in it will not turn. hope this helps.
Back in 1986 we had a small smithy. My partner Pete had some experience me, not so much, was great fun. We met many smiths/tourists. someone said to try acrylic liquid floor polish on a cotton towel at black heat. Worked great except for fumes ,a nice flat black , non transferring finish .
I agree fully. Welded not as effective in my application. I prefer tapered eye as in pick/mattock/ adze. If handle comes up through one simply pops it back in again and carrys on. I have hung my heavy froe with a 28" yew handle, 10" below the blade 18 up. This helps the leveridge when splitting 6' red cedar boards.