Can anyone ID this tool?

[Choptopjimmy]

Found this tool in the shed of a house my parents just bought. Any idea what it is? It has an axe handle and what could be a very sharp edge. My neighbor thought it was used to cut small limbs off trees? Anyone know exactly what it is? Thanks, Jim

 

[sailcat]

Sling Blade

 

[RivennHewn]

brush axe

 

[James E]

Some folks call it a sling blade, I call it a Kaiser blade. Mmmm hmmmm.

 

[egnorant]

I've always called it a brush hook. I have one just like it and it was used by the railroad in the 20s and 30s in Oklahoma.

Bruce

 

[Zeke]

I first thought is was a tool for timber framing, post and beam. Not wide enough at the bottom.

 

[barlow]

dad called it a brush axe, I called it hell. Seems like everything around the farm that didn't get used every year required that to free It from the honeysuckle.

 

[The_Surveyor]

That is a brush axe and if you don't want it I will give it a home! That is the best tool for clearing small brush or if you just don't want to fire up the chainsaw, I use one a lot at work.

 

[chief ben]

I call it Hard Work, I have one and use it when I have to.

 

[Lippyp]

Nice tool, like a long handled bill hook. You can still buy something similar over in France and they are the dogs danglies for clearing heavy brush without getting too close to it.

 

[kbs2244]

I learned to call them a "grub ax."
Heavy blade to cut through roots of small trees and brush.

 

[Kels]

It looks medieval, that's what!

 

[JackOfAllTradesRuss]

We always just called them corn stalk choppers. Russ

 

[Clik]

3X Brush Axe

 

[brt]

Just retired from 37 years as a full-time firefighter in California. I've had many long hours with the tool on wildland fires. Yes, it's called a brush hook though that particular model was also called a strap hook due to the lighter-weight construction. The original models were much heavier and tended to make nasty cuts on the legs of someone who was not familiar with the aerodynamics of the beast. It's been quite a few years since I've seen them in normal use. They were replaced (Thank God!) by the chainsaw. That picture brought back many memories of climbing hills and cutting brush for days on end.

 

[NOZZLEMAN]

Bush axe...

 

[papabil]

Bush axe...

x2..

 

[Glenn M.]

Bush axe...

x3

And that particular design, with 2 straps holding the blade on the handle is a real pain in the posterior - when you're cutting stuff with vines in it, the vines have a tendancy to lodge themselves between the rear part of the blade and the handle. Those vines are inevitably stronger than the axe operator, and have to be pulled out or cut before taking another swing at whatever you were chopping. Ask me how I know...