Vintage photos of the old-school lumberjacks who fell giant trees with axes, 1890-1935

There is video of those guys working, and others from the forest service about how to use an axe. It is a demonstration of subtle skill in both cases that most people will never grasp. The kind of motion economy that would allow you to work all day and work at a higher rate than someone gassing themselves out in three minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju6I1gyGwcc

This is the one that comes to mind for instruction and subtlety. Video slowed in some cases just to show the axe strikes and accuracy, of course. 

Reminds me of watching my grandfather work - no drastic movements anywhere, just continuous work. Farmer retired to firewood producer on a one-man band scale, low input cost. Just before he died, he was still doing firewood for 6 hours a day monday, wednesday and friday (guess he needed rest by then, just a smidge shy of 80). I would go with him sometimes just to be the loader and unloader, and of course he wouldn't just stand and watch me. I'd go as fast as I could just to show off as a teen, but he was probably still outworking me. It seemed like his butt, belly and shoulders were doing most of the work. I was slamming stuff around using my arms and hands.

guh.....just in a pure display of what's wrong with youtube, at least from our view - commercially from their view, it's the stupid demonstrating stuff for the stupid. When I bring up this video, I get 8 links to wranglerstar - a car parts salesman turned sanctimonious and preachy "homesteader" who figured out how to curate an audience who would hear things like "you need these $299 work pants" and other such stupidity. Of course the pants had a commission link for the marks.