I love watching other people work, even when I have made hundreds of spoons myself, you can always learn something new.
I would never teach beginners some of the axe techniques I saw him use, but as an experienced user I would be quite happy to use the axe how he did. It is the same with a knife I cut towards myself at lot, but would only ever teach intermediates or advance groups these techniques. An axe or knife for me is like an extension of my hand, what I do may look dangerous but I know that the stops or limits of knife travel are in place, I cannot cut myself, these techniques can only be acquired through time and experience.
Every time I use an axe I automatically think bloody hell one chop and I could loose a finger, that makes me focus properly with all my attention on my work.
Always think what will happen if I slip and then make sure you cannot.
Mind you 2 saw cuts would have saved him a lot of axing time on the shoulders of the spoon