2012 | Fontenelle Axe Restoration

Neil Youngberg: Salt Lake Sheet Metal

The unassuming essence of hard work and character, owner/operator/fabricator of Salt Lake Sheet Metal reveals timeless truths tied to running a small business born near the end of the Industrial Age. Vita Brevis Films does a fantastic job of capturing the wisdom and seasoned vibe of private business owner Neil Youngberg. In an attempt to let the film speak for itself, I'll limit my intro commentary to this:...

InCommon Art Show Invitation

We are pleased to announce that Fontenelle Axe Restoration has been invited to the We Are Omaha art show at inCommon, April 21st. Come out and meet the guys, rub elbows with some incredible local artist friends of ours, and wrap your sweaty palms around some of the most beautiful axes you'll ever behold. See you there...

Out of the office...

The crew here at Fontenelle is taking a long weekend to recharge in the backcountry of Badlands National Park. See you in 5 da...

Valentine, Ne

Smith Falls, just northeast of Valentine. The state's tallest waterfall. Two of our very own took the holiday weekend to venture up to one of Nebraska's hidden gems, Valentine, Nebraska. It just so happens the world famous Heart City Bull Bash was in full swing. Talk about rural small town charm. Felt like we were home again. Lots of friendly folks, lots of hiking, and lots of whiskey. Definitely something to add to our annual...

Omaha Beer Week

"After witnessing firsthand the revival of Narragansett in New England and now Schlitzin the upper Midwest, I’m ready for this retro beer craze to get local. I’m a hi/lo beer drinker. Enjoy the good stuff but there’s a time and place for some swill as well and if I’m going to drink a $2 beer I’d just as soon sip a piece of Omaha history than a PBR tallboy." - Rogue's Rookery In the spirit of the kick off tonight...

Bio: M.F. Mullins

M.F. Mullins. Champion Beef Dresser of the World. Known to fully butcher an 1,800 pound steer in roughly 7 minutes. Mr. M.F. Mullins was born in New York, 1863. As a young man of 18 years, he joined the butchering operation of Swift & Co. in Indiana. When he was hired the company ran at a leisurely 60 head of cattle a day. By the time Mullins found his calling, he saw the quota rise to nearly 7,000 a day. Much of the...

Custom Boxes Now Available!

We are quite pleased to announce that Fontenelle Axe Restoration now offers custom built pine boxes to protect and display your beautifully restored piece of American logging history. They are built specifically to your axe's dimensions and will soon be available for purchase in addition to your axe on etsy.com. ...

Bio: Hugh Glass

An actual photo from 1823 of mild mannered frontiersman, Hugh Glass, dancing with his pet grizzly, Daisy. Hugh Glass was a nobody from Pennsylvania who had a knack for trapping small furry animals and being tougher than everyone else. He is said to have been a sailor, pirate, Pawnee Indian, explorer, prisoner of war, bear wrestler, wilderness survival expert, master canoeist, fur trader, co-Yellowstone discoverer, and fellow...

To Shave A Sleeping Mouse

The Coolamine Homestead. First settled in 1883, now sits in the confines of the Kosciuszko National Park in NSW, Australia. Here is an inspiring example of folks who are passionate about preserving the life's work of their ancestors. Bill Boyd and Mark Garner were part of an ongoing effort in 1984 to restore the Coolamine Homestead, as well as other important sites, using traditional tools and methods handed down from the original...

Use The Whole Animal

Above is the result of Adam and Andrew channeling local legend Jason Noble (yes, that is his real name, and yes, he lives up to it) in efforts to reduce unnecessary waste in the shop. Rather than going out and buying a carpenter's mallet (which is frustratingly difficult to find anyway), we just made one, Dick Proenneke style. 3.75'' x 8.5'' Oak logRepurposed Hickory axe handleBlaze Orange and Brown paintsBoiled...

Bio: Richard Proenneke

As an effort to spread the gospel of forgotten heroes and understated figures of the past, each Tuesday we will be bringing you the BAMF of the Week, Fontenelle style. Be sure to check in weekly to pay your respects to some of the most badass fellas and gals you've never heard of. After weighing out the more prominent candidates this week, I thought it only proper to dedicate the honorary first post to one of the...

First Custom Order!

We have been receiving overwhelming support and interest from enthused patrons, local and otherwise, since opening up shop just three days ago! And as a result of the above mentioned enthusiasm, I am thrilled to present to you our first custom order! Here we have a matching pair of Collins axes from Collins Axe Company, part of Mann Edge Tools, originally established in 1826. A 3 1/2 pound Dayton Homestead American Felling axe,...

Behold, Rufio rises. pt I

One of the first conversations we had, when we sat down to hash out what would later become an axe restoration company, was on the topic of conveying our passion for what we do on a personal level. How could we encourage and instill in others the same sense of pride and respect for our grandfathers that we felt when we picked up a rusty farm implement that had been on this earth twice as long as we had? After hours and hours...

Liberty Tool Co.

story by Zach PontzLocated in the middle of the state of Maine, Liberty is not far from the capital, Augusta. The town is small (the most recent estimate is a population of 932) but charming. My parents bought a house there when I was seven years old, and I’ve visited in the summer for a week or two ever since. There are a grand total of two shops open on a daily basis: a store that sells T-shirts and the Liberty Tool...

Sneak Peak

Today we have a special treat for you. Below is a teaser from a short promo project currently being shot in the workshop. Keep a wary eye out and stay tuned for the release of the full length piece in the coming weeks. Also, remember that character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in the life of an individual. You cannot decide whether or not you will be observed by your fellow man throughout your years, but you do have...

Welcome, Everyone!

It is with great joy that I proclaim the Fontenelle Axe Restoration Official Blog up and running! We've been putting in long hours at the shop and have finally built our inventory enough to open up the web store for business. If this is your first time to hear about Fontenelle please wander about the blog, web store or facebook page to learn more about what we're doing here. We hope you leave inspired and feel free...