Mark Harrell Founder, SawSharp & BadAxe ToolWorks

COLONEL (RET.) MARK HARRELL is the founder of Bad Axe Tool Works and owner of SawSharp. Hailing originally from Oklahoma, Mark completed a 28-year career in the Army with much of his service spent in Special Forces and officer production assignments. Upon redeploying from Afghanistan in 2007, Mark retired from the Army and started up a saw sharpening business with his late wife, Yvonne L’Abbe, quickly followed by development of the Bad Axe line of saws; and thus, Bad Axe Tool Works was born. Bad Axe saws closely follow traditional designs established by the Henry Disston & Sons, Simonds, and Wheeler Madden Clemson lines using today’s tools and processes those sawmakers from the 19th century would have likely approved of without sacrificing any of the time-proven design imperatives they established. Mark writes extensively on saw maintenance, design, utility, and sharpening, and conveys those methods and techniques at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking and other venues. Mark has recently passed on Bad Axe ownership to his former employees, and now works independently restoring vintage saws and conducting the SawSharp line of weekend and five-day advanced saw sharpening seminars.