Let's see your axes

[GaryM909]

Here's a couple more I have out at our resort property. One is a 3 1/2 pound Swedish one. Another is a 2 ¼ pound Swedish with Happy Days All star on the handle. I think the axe might have been a rental. The other has M5 stamped on the head. I put a new handle on it about 10 years ago.

 

[The Bean]

I've made stuff from ivy "wood". It's pretty brittle.

Azalea wood is very strong. I made a tool out of a azalea twig for the kitchen. We use it to push and pull the oven racks, even with a pizza stone on it or large pyrex dish full of lasagna.

 

[Bobthewrench]

I completely understand your point. It does make it frustrating to try and date examples when something was made from (for example) 1918 to 1974 with no change to process or tooling.

However, in this particular case, I've come across no evidence that axe production continued after the Perkins brother's involvement in the company. From what I can gather, they were a relatively obscure regional producer. If anyone bought the tooling and continued production, there would be little incentive to keep the brand markings. Additionally, their claim to fame was for the 'Mishawaka' pattern. The axe in question is a more than likely a broad axe, which was not what they were known for producing, leaving less incentive to keep the company name on there. Finally, if a different company had continued production under that name, I'd question why there aren't more examples floating around.

This is all speculation. Unfortunately, the truth is likely lost to time. You are spot on with your point, however, I tend to think the evidence points towards this being a very old, and likely very rare axe.

Okay, so until further information pops up you go with what you have and say that the axe is old and rare. Personally if it was my axe I would be glad about having any information on it, and that I had the axe to look at and maybe use, but I would not the information it to make any claims or assumptions about age or rarity, as I nor anyone knows everything that may present itself in the future, especially after many decades when a lot of information is lost or buried. I know it makes some people feel good to believe their possession is special, as in rare or extra old, but I personally don't need to feel special so badly that I will resort to assuming that the available information is all there is.

 

[CADjockey]

Ok. so I am a recently joined member, but this was the first time I had seen this thread.

Back on the first page, @bczygan was asking about Marbles camp axes. (I cant seem to figure out how to do quotes yet)
I did see a few examples shown ( I haven't had the chance to read the entire 28 pages yet), but thought I would share that I have two of them. A 'regular' Number 9, and a safety axe #5. I will edit this post to include photos in a little bit.

I do have a Underwood axe - I think is might be a broad axe, but I am not sure. I am in the process of cleaning that one up right now, so it is not really presentable yet.

<EDIT> The handles on both axes are original.

#9 camp axe - with cover. no idea of DOM.


#5 Safety axe - This is post 1911 because the arm is stamped, but before when the handle was started to be marked. I am not sure when that was yet. There is no marking on the cheeks but the bottom of the axe is stamped with the "5". I am pretty sure the lack of stamping on the cheeks can narrow down the DOM, but as of yet, I do not know that either. The hole for the handle is the 3 overlapping circles - not an oval.
I had forgotten I needed to replace the wedge. So the correct width wedge is in place and glued in, but not cut down to the correct height yet.

 

[four.cycle]

I cant seem to figure out how to do quotes yet)

1. highlight text with mouse
2. select "+ quote" from the little drop-down menu that appears
3. go to the next window, click "insert quotes"

Took me several years to figure it out.

 

[CADjockey]

Took me several years to figure it out.

Awesome! Thank you four.cycle! With your assistance, It did not take me as long,

 

[bdbecker]

Okay, so until further information pops up you go with what you have and say that the axe is old and rare. Personally if it was my axe I would be glad about having any information on it, and that I had the axe to look at and maybe use, but I would not the information it to make any claims or assumptions about age or rarity, as I nor anyone knows everything that may present itself in the future, especially after many decades when a lot of information is lost or buried. I know it makes some people feel good to believe their possession is special, as in rare or extra old, but I personally don't need to feel special so badly that I will resort to assuming that the available information is all there is.

My response was not intended to be a personal attack on your or what you said, I was just trying to explain why I came to the conclusion that I did.

I'd also point out that this is not my or Outlawmws's axe - it belongs to someone he knows. I'm not trying to stroke anyone's ego (including my own) by saying it's old and rare. That is just my opinion, and you are certainly welcome to have your own, different opinion. If you come up with evidence that disproves my opinion, I would certainly welcome it. I'm just here to learn.

 

[Macduf]

Ok a little rough, but hopefully salvageable. Was it all over red originally, and any specific handle ? Thanks again for any knowledge

 

[Bobthewrench]

I sort of lucked out in the last week. First went to a local estate sale late in the day and was surprised that nobody had bought any of the three axes that were out in front of the garage. A four-pound Kelly Perfect double-bit, a True Temper Jersey-style single-bit, and another double-bit that is a bit rusty, all for $15. Then at the end of last week I stopped at a yard sale about three blocks from my house late in the day when they were packing it up and there was a 2.5 pound cruiser double-bit head on a table for $4. All of these axes were in good shape, not sharpened down etc.. I know there are people in my town actively looking for old axes, but I guess they took last week off. I am not actively collecting or looking for them, but if I trip over them and they are better quality, unusual or really cheap I may buy them. I thought at least three of these counted as being better or more unusual than most laying around.

 

[Outlawmws]

New one from last Thursday - Olympic, 3-1/2" blade so light ax or hatchet - Needs a bath:

 

[twagler]

Snagged two of these "new old stock" fire fighter axes from GCSurplus (the Canadian government surplus equipment clearing house) for $25 each. I'm guessing these are from the 1960s - the gov't has been clearing all sorts of civil defense/nuclear holocaust items that have been squirreled away in warehouses since then. Brand is Walters Black Diamond, so were manufactured in Hull Quebec, just across the river from my Ottawa, Ontario, Canada home. I haven't really been a collector of axes at all, but l really like vintage tools, and these caught my eye with their still (mostly) intact paper labels. I live on an 18 acre wooded property, so they might come in useful. Would these work very well as a tree felling axe, or is the fire fighter style not really suited for that? The listing did not indicate the handle length, but it looks like it might be a bit shorter than a normal felling axe?

Thanks, Tom

 

[Beerhippie]

@twagler

That's a demolition axe. It has a much thicker blade than a feller's axe. It would work--slowly with a lot of effort--but it's much more suited to wood splitting.

BTW: Keep your eye out for any Coleman lanterns from the civil defense surplus sale. Some of those are nice--particularly if they have a single mantle, nickel-plated fount (tank) and a red hat.

 

[twagler]

@twagler

That's a demolition axe. It has a much thicker blade than a feller's axe. It would work--slowly with a lot of effort--but it's much more suited to wood splitting.

Thanks for your reply - I've picked up my actual two axes now from the gov't surplus warehouse, so have better pictures than the "stock" pictures from the surplus auction listing that I had originally posted above. It turns out that my two axes are slightly different from one another - one weighs 7.43 lb (total weight of head plus handle), has a thick blade grind profile and a heavier pick. The other one has a thinner grind profile to the cutting edge, a smaller pick and weighs 5.72 lbs.

Since I could swing the lighter one comfortably and it seemed like the cutting edge might be OK for felling, I took on your challenge that "it would work - slowly with a lot of effort" and decided to try felling a tree by axe - probably for the first time in about 20 years, although I did so frequently as a boy many years ago growing up on the farm. The axe actually worked really well, although I cheated and picked a small 9" diameter poplar tree (which I'll cut up and add to my wood pile for fuel this coming winter). Poplar is viewed as a "junk" tree in my neck of the woods - very soft weak wood, so I managed to fell it in about 3-1/2 minutes (some pictures below)

Thanks, Tom

 

[four.cycle]

Thanks. Not much information available because most of the links are dead now.

Walters / Walters Axe Co. Ltd., Hull, Ontario, CA / est. 1858 (?) closed 1973 / "Black Diamond" axe /

closure announcement 1973
article on Walters with photos
300 axe heads per hour 1965
Morely Walters obituary

 

[crguy]

Thanks for your reply - I've picked up my actual two axes now from the gov't surplus warehouse, so have better pictures than the "stock" pictures from the surplus auction listing that I had originally posted above. It turns out that my two axes are slightly different from one another - one weighs 7.43 lb (total weight of head plus handle), has a thick blade grind profile and a heavier pick. The other one has a thinner grind profile to the cutting edge, a smaller pick and weighs 5.72 lbs.

Since I could swing the lighter one comfortably and it seemed like the cutting edge might be OK for felling, I took on your challenge that "it would work - slowly with a lot of effort" and decided to try felling a tree by axe - probably for the first time in about 20 years, although I did so frequently as a boy many years ago growing up on the farm. The axe actually worked really well, although I cheated and picked a small 9" diameter poplar tree (which I'll cut up and add to my wood pile for fuel this coming winter). Poplar is viewed as a "junk" tree in my neck of the woods - very soft weak wood, so I managed to fell it in about 3-1/2 minutes (some pictures below)

Thanks, Tom

Those axes May have some nice collectible value if you care. You might look into that before you degrade the label, etc. using them.