Let's see your axes

[Mintgrun]

Here are the few I have been using lately, as I process my firewood.
The one with the longest handle is the only one with a brand on it.
It was made by Plumb. The shortest one has a nice plump grind on the edge, so it splits well; especially for its size. The red maul is an eight pounder, made in Japan and the six pounder is not marked. There is a pickaroon in this mix as well. They are SO handy, when pulling wood out of the truck/trailer. My main motivation for sharing these has to do with using the rake head to stand them up. I just thought that was a fun idea. Tom

 

[olysteve]

I love the rake as an axe stand, that's cool!

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[Outlawmws]

Here are the few I have been using lately, as I process my firewood.
The one with the longest handle is the only one with a brand on it.
It was made by Plumb. The shortest one has a nice plump grind on the edge, so it splits well; especially for its size. The red maul is an eight pounder, made in Japan and the six pounder is not marked. There is a pickaroon in this mix as well. They are SO handy, when pulling wood out of the truck/trailer. My main motivation for sharing these has to do with using the rake head to stand them up. I just thought that was a fun idea. Tom

I love the rake as an axe stand, that's cool!

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Wow, two ideas stolen in as many minutes!

I even think I have a busted rake head around... (Or, Doesn't everybody? )

 

[MercLSU]

Axes / hatchets are one of my favorite thing to collect, though recently I sold a large number of the heads I had laying around waiting to be hafted. I probably have about 30 or so left and I'll take some pictures during normal hours, but I do have a picture of my favorite head that I still need to find the right haft for:



Made by Vaughan in the 30s, in damn near perfect shape. The boy is only two but this will be his first axe when the time is right. The eye is an odd shape and will be a PITA to be properly handled (at least at my skill level).

Scored another one of these Vaughan Senior Official Scout Axes. Handle is junk, but the head is in pretty good shape. I love my Gransfors to death, but once I finally get off my rear and haft one or both of these, I think they'll be my go to. Unless I happen across a black raven double bit cruiser

 

[Jon_E]

You wouldn't want to part with either of those Vaughan Scout axes, would you? All three of my sons are or were in Scouts (the oldest is an Eagle) and my youngest is just getting started in Boy Scouts - and would be thrilled to have a restored vintage axe such as that. If not, I'll keep my eye out for one - I really like that design and the deep branding on the side.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I picked this up at the flea market yesterday. I'm no axe collector but this looked unusual to me.



The first thing I saw was the flat handle and the strange mounting. At first I thought that was some crazy kind of makeshift repair (the bracket, with the bend over the top of the ****, screwed into the shoulder of the handle), but the handle is the shape of the eye, and the bracket like piece on the other side is forged with the head.



The sheath seemed a lot newer than the axe to me. Taking it off revealed an odd marking. I believe that says “HSZ” and “1460” with the “1” being the type of numeral you see written in Europe, to distinguish it from the letter “l”. With an “80” above it and under a fancy maker’s mark (looking vaguely Celtic to me). The whole marking looks like the result of a crudely made and applied button die.



EDIT: Eager for those more expert than me to tell me more or make some SWAGs.

 

[Outlawmws]

Lug, I've see that style head retainers on mountaineering ice axes and piton hammers. Not suggesting this is for mountaineering (what wood would they cut?), but the driver for guesses would be what other activity would having a secondary head retention on a hatchet make sense?

I note the handle does not have a hole for a wrist strap... so I don't think dropping it was an issue (as it is with the piton hammer and ice axe...)

I would suspect military use based on the sheath, and assuming it's for that hatchet, even allowing for the difference in condition...

 

[Sawdustmaker]

Re: Let's see your axe's

Thought I would post up some info on axe's . The terminology can differ from region to region . This diagram is pretty universal.

Hi topop101

When I was in Boy Scouts and learning axemanship the "end knob" of the axe handle was called the "doe's foot". Like you siad, some of the terms must be regional.
Nice pic of the BSA axe. I think mine got sold in a garage sale after my dad retired and my parents sold their house.

 

[Joefriday]

Hello folks.. new guy here.

I was drawn to the forum for another topic but came across this one had to check out your collections.

Looks like a great forum you guys have here. Here are a few of my axes/hatchets. Vintage Marbles No. 5 and Gransfors Bruks Small Forrest Axe and Wildlife hatchet (with custom made (by me) belt loops for you outdoor guys). The Bruks are literally razor sharp from the factory.

Best,
Rob

 

[Swingpress]

I think this is referred to as a boys axe? But not sure.

 

[msgtsmithret]

Heres an oldie NC style ax head that I dug with my metal detector. It was more or less a big brick of rust when it came out of the earth. This is about as clean as its going to get. There are no visible makers marks, and based on other clues at the dig site, its an early 20th century home. Even given that, this could have been lost in the 1970s, because people were using this site as a bottle dump until then. It could also have been lost in 1915 and it belonged to their great grandfather at that time. So basically, I have no idea when it was made.

Any thoughts about this? Could this have been a blacksmith made ax?

 

[Swingpress]

Here is my most recent. Was just given to me! Handle is tight and has that warm look to it. Don't know how old it is though.

 

[jstare87]

Hey guys, new to the forum but have been lurking for a while. This thread caught my attention. It's a True Temper I restored and put a new handle on. I highly burnt the handle and custom dyed it before oiling it.



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[jstare87]

sorry double post

 

[Outlawmws]

I like that! I just tried it on my camp ax that had an almost bone white color and no finish, and the propane torch was already out so...

I hit it with shellac after I was done so pics after it dries...

 

[Outlawmws]

And the pic:

Not great but I'm getting the hang of it...

 

[Outlawmws]

Msgt, Jstare'e Ax head looks a lot like yours... Does yours have any remnants of the raised "splitters" on yours?

 

[Cope]

I have several utility axes and hatchets, but these are my favorites.

 

[msgtsmithret]

Outlaw: no sign of splitters. I am almost certain this is a felling ax, given the steep angle and its heft. It looks to me like the handle broke many years ago, then it was used as a splitting wedge. Note the wear on the poll.and the warping one one of the cheeks. My desire is to reshape and sharpen the bit, and grind the poll back to its original size, leaving the rest untouched, except to clean and preserve it.

 

[jstare87]

Outlaw: no sign of splitters. I am almost certain this is a felling ax, given the steep angle and its heft. It looks to me like the handle broke many years ago, then it was used as a splitting wedge. Note the wear on the poll.and the warping one one of the cheeks. My desire is to reshape and sharpen the bit, and grind the poll back to its original size, leaving the rest untouched, except to clean and preserve it.

That axe pattern is what is known as a 'Jersey' pattern. Plumb and True Temper are the common makers but there was other unbranded ones as well that were often sold new with paper labels instead of a stamp.

True Temper was put the reliefs cuts on the cheek of theirs but they did one without as well. The relief cuts in the cheeks are knows as "Phantom Bevels" and they were supposed to help the axe release out of the tree easier when chopping.

This style was meant for tree felling or bucking up logs. I have tried splitting with it and it works ok, as any sharp axe would but different axe patterns work much better.

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[olysteve]

I like that! I just tried it on my camp ax that had an almost bone white color and no finish, and the propane torch was already out so...

I hit it with shellac after I was done so pics after it dries...

I wouldn't use shellac on an ax that you will use, any of those shiny coatings cause blisters. I use a wax on all my handles, Ikea hard wax to be exact. After rubbing it in all over the handle I hit it with a heat gun and melt it in good.
I don't wear gloves when I use my hand tools and don't get blisterssinceI learned this from an old farm hand

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[BlueBomber]

I picked up this old fella at an estate sale for $5, a 3-1/2 lb Plumb Champion. The handle is broken, but may be original. The head looks to be close to original length although clearly it has been sharpened.

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[Outlawmws]

BB that is a nice find!

 

[2oolhound]

Nice Plumb!

 

[drivesitfar]

ALL: i picked up this sledge axe last weekend cause i hadn't seen one before. heck i can use it as a dumbbell if it won't cut wood. anybody have one of these? i'm guessing this weighs about 15-20 pounds.

BB: i've got a fair amount of axe heads, but not sure i've got one with a nice cast iron stamp like your Plomb. great find

Top: sorry to keep posting this picture of the crane/truck you were driving and just wanting to make sure you are still recovering and doing ok. are you?

 

[Outlawmws]

It's a splitting maul. I don't like the steel handle as its hard on your arms. I think the shape is better suited for wedging something in place (or out..) than for splitting wood. Maybe it's more intended for two man use, but I wouldn't want to be the guy holding it either...

 

[whyNick?]

I used to think they called those a maul because of what they did to the wood, with all that weight in the head they really do bust up big rounds and pop apart knots well. But now that I'm a little older I realize the name comes from what they do to your back. And your shoulders. And your elbows...

I got a Fiskars splitting axe a couple of years ago and now my old maul does doorstop duty in the shed. It's great for that.

 

[Jon_E]

The orange thing above is a Sotz Monster Maul. Sotz used to advertise in magazines like Country Journal and Mother Earth News in the 70's. There were, I believe, 15 and 20 lb versions of these. My father has one, which he still uses, and I have a much newer version I purchased from Bailey's in CA. For mine, I didn't like the short handle so I replaced it with a length of 36" stainless steel heavy wall tube. It will blow through pretty much anything if you have the 'nads to swing it.

 

[drivesitfar]

ALL: since there is a fair amount of interest in my new splitting maul, axe, wedge or dumbbell with a huge handle here are a few more pictures for you all.

i'm going to try to split some wood just for exercise and wondering if it might help if i sharpen this or not?

I'm also thinking i really might make a nice door stop and it might come in handy if the baseball bat or 12 gauge isn't handy in case some uninvited guest stops by for a visit.

cheers

 

[scrapdaddy]

Morning all,

Seen the splitting maul and thought I'd post. Sorry, it's not a Stolz Monster maul. I have both the Stolz which has a red longer handle and is a bit heavier than the orange one. The Stolz never had padding on the handle either. I've used the Stolz for close to forty years now, so my son bought me the orange one a few years ago. Both handles bent at the head after heavy use, so much, I had to extend the metal sleeve on the orange one. Either one will destroy any wood rounds you can roll. You have to learn how to swing one and let it work for you, but man do they work. I've heated with wood my whole life and have used the mauls for all my splitting, still use them for the fireplace wood, but bought a hydro. splitter for the outdoor furnace as I'm 64 now.

 

[scrapdaddy]

Here's a couple of pictures of the two..

 

[drivesitfar]

SD: i don't burn wood, but some of my friends do and i can loan this to them if i don't have time to help and know that it might not get damaged. thanks for the pictures and i bet even at 64 you have some good muscles in your arms, back and legs.

ALL: i still like using this as a door stop while i'm not using it so i might strip it and put on some BLO and see if it might make it inside the house which is rarely the case for any of my tools.

cheers

TopPop: any new stories or axe or tool finds?

 

[BlueBomber]

I picked up this old fella at an estate sale for $5, a 3-1/2 lb Plumb Champion. The handle is broken, but may be original. The head looks to be close to original length although clearly it has been sharpened.

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Update: I wire brushed the axe head on the Plumb Champion and threw it up on EBay. It finally sold to a collector in Iowa for $135, and he wants me to cut off the broken handle and just ship him the axe head. Not bad for a five dollar purchase!

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[BamaDADx3]

I to have been bitten by this Axe bug. About a year ago I found a sweet little Norland Tomhawk Head in an old boat I bought. Spent some time putting a new handle and shining it up. Now a year later I have nearly 200 axes, hatchets in my possession and still looking!!!! AXE ON! my friend. Ill try to add some pictures tonight of some of my prize possessions.

 

[BamaDADx3]

 

[Miller72]

Just a few heads I am currently working on, want more time to work more on...
Plumb National Utility

Collins Legitimus - Connecticut

Kelly Registered Axe

Thanks for looking

 

[CrotalusAtrox]

Found a few over the weekend one PLUMB two True Tempers and three no name sledges.

 

[southalabama]

Watched a Jimmy Diresta video on YouTube where he restores a flea market axe then cuts and shapes his own handle. Awesome.

I've never scored a quality axe head at a flea market.

Bluebombers plumb was a nice find.

 

[Miller72]

Re: Let's see your axe's

Found this lil boy scout hatchet . It was made by plumb and one of the few axe's or hatchets I found this year that had a serviceable handle. Although the red cap in the eye was missing.

Hi there topop101! Great Thread...let's keep it alive!

I recently aquired this Plumb National Utility head, no handle.

I think I have found some remnants of red permabond in the eye...is that what you are referring to when you mentioned the red Cap in the eye?
Have you any information on yours, date range possibly?

Yours and mine are the only ones I have seen with the boxed Genuine Plumb stamp with the hatched lines in PLUMB.
I have been under the impression the stamp probably dates the ax to the initial Ames years before the gradual phase out of the name (and quality) Plumb.

These were originally hung on the red handle like yours, though mine weighs in just under 1&3/4lb.
I hope to soon find a good stick of hickory; straight handle, straight grain, no heartwood, nob end maybe 20"/24" to hang my PLUMB on.

Bluebomber! Way excellent score in the Plumb Champion!! That was beautiful and I am amazed you could let it go LOL!!
Kelly, Plumb, Rogers, Collins...my central focus...but who am I kidding LOL!
The collections I have viewed in this thread are great!!! The entire thread is full of great pieces from all the members. I only just in the past three months have been awakened to this overpowering addiction of the ax and hatchet.
My youngest son, 5, found it in our woods a CT pattern Collins Legitimus buried in the soil. It was my grandfather's, we now own the property and raising our boys here. It's been non-stop, all consuming, ax on the brain ever since.
I am trying to focus on older CT manufacturers to start and build off my very modest start up collection. Collins and Rogers to start, Stanley has one I am looking out for, I think its the "Bell System Hatchet", for their linesman and field workers.
Here is my garage scored, pole hammered Rogers 78. 3&1/2lbs of awesomeness!!

Even picked up, because it was fate this whetstone at a garage sale the morning of our vacation departure a couple weeks back. I am committed now, all in LOL!!

The previous owner had the rotation of the motor turning the wheel away from the tool, I just swapped the leads on the terminals, reversed the motor and now the wheel rotates toward the tool ✔

Anyone close to Brimfield Flea Market in Brimfield MA...it's September 5-10 and I doubt I can make the trip! Not cool for this rusty hunter of rusty tools.. and now anything ax, hatchet or is hung on a wooden handle is all in my sights LOL!!

Oh and I live to find old and older, usable files!

If you haven't yet, check out this forest service video pertaining the ax. Particularly the history of the American Axe makes, models, patterns, care, maintenance, purposes and uses primarily regarding forestry in North America, PNW.

An Ax To Grind...it is on YouTube, full length and worth every minute of your time, in my modest opinion

Thanks and hope to hear if you have any information regarding your Plumb and or Plumb in general.

Miller from CT

 

[Miller72]

Watched a Jimmy Diresta video on YouTube where he restores a flea market axe then cuts and shapes his own handle. Awesome.

I've never scored a quality axe head at a flea market.

Bluebombers plumb was a nice find.

I will search out that video, thanks for the recommendation.
I agree, bluebombers great Plumb score!!