Lol! . It's not just me that sees the irony is it!?
I'd assume 4lb but I see plenty of eBay ads referring to '4 inch cut' and so on.
Axe restoration thread
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Wow, I haven't done this much axe-sleuthing since I was actively collecting axes 2-3 ago! On the axe forum I went by A17, the letter-number combo that was on the Kelly Woodslasher double bit I got as my first axe. It also gave me my username for this site. As for @rarefish383 's comment about the proud hafts, I leave mine slightly proud (usually less than 1/4 inch) since my axes are stored out in a shed and will get wet, so I have to occasionally whack the wedges in deeper or replace them. Plus, that is how I was taught to do it. If anyone wants to read more about proud hafts, check out the thread linked to below, it has the guy who wrote the Axe Book for the Forest Service and a bunch of experienced axe users (and me) discussing the merits of the different ways.
https://bladeforums.com/threads/6lb-axe-riveting-discussion-on-proud-hafts.1642837/
https://bladeforums.com/threads/6lb-axe-riveting-discussion-on-proud-hafts.1642837/
Oooh, thanks for the link!
Thanks for the info. Keep it coming if anyone has more to add.
I was going to leave this Mann forestry service axe as is, but got bored and touched up the bits. Before and after....
This is curious; I hadn’t heard of, or at least not seen, a Warren axe before, but last week I pulled an axe head out of a dumpster at work, and giving it a quick look today, it says Warren, with maybe some other marks also. I will be looking at it some more soon.
I've only seen one Warren near me, nice find!
I didn't know you were paying all these guys to hang axes for you, Joe!
Seriously, if someone likes the look of it being a little proud of the head then who cares? Most (and probably all) are not making museum pieces. I personally don't see a down side to being slightly proud. I don't view it as lazy, in fact the lazy way is to cut it flush (It's easier and less work to finish it anyway.)
Neil, I also smiled when Joe liked a proud hang.
Thanks, interesting reading that somehow didn't degenerate into name calling after page 2. Not a settled topic by any means. I did find the argument that flush was superior because "that's the way it's always been done" to be repeatedly used as amusing.
You should see the "What haft oil ratio?" threads.
On all seriousness, I don't think I've ever seen a debate on there get personal outside of one or two troublemakers who were promptly banned, but they were always new people who were only looking for trouble.Same here, Collins axe and Disston Saw
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AWSOME saw!
I want one. Want to cut some trees down with it.
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It doesn’t Matter how it’s hung, what matters is what you call it. A “ restoration” is done too original. A model A with the roof chopped isn’t a restoration, it’s a hot rod. I love hot rods.I didn't know you were paying all these guys to hang axes for you, Joe!
Seriously, if someone likes the look of it being a little proud of the head then who cares? Most (and probably all) are not making museum pieces. I personally don't see a down side to being slightly proud. I don't view it as lazy, in fact the lazy way is to cut it flush (It's easier and less work to finish it anyway.)
Neil, I also smiled when Joe liked a proud hang.
Thanks, interesting reading that somehow didn't degenerate into name calling after page 2. Not a settled topic by any means. I did find the argument that flush was superior because "that's the way it's always been done" to be repeatedly used as amusing.
A flush hang is harder to do because the haft has to fit the eye tighter and takes a lot more hand fitting, a proud hang can be made loose and depend on the wedge making it tight.
I’ve commented a lot of these proud axes were done well. Just not accurate to history. It’s a YouTube fad.
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Most of these old axes we find are beat to death any way, takes a lot of grinding to reshape polls and need bits reprofiled. So anything that brings them back is a good thing.
That's a nice one. If I was at an auction, the guy bidding against me would have to dig deep in his pockets, cause that would be coming home with me.
Made in Warren Pa from 1893 to 1950, with out seeing it, I'd still keep it.
In 1895 William J. Sager received a patent for chemically treating axes, and these were badged as Sager's. This is a rough quote from Yesteryearstools. I've seen Sagers, never a Warren.
I guess I'm misunderstanding why a proud hang can't be hand fit as tight as a flush hang. If you're saying it *can* be done by just inserting the handle and pounding a wedge in then that can be done with either. Heck, a guy I play basketball with just hammered a new handle in a sledge hammer head - no wood wedge or anything. Used it like that with no intention of ever doing more.
Agreed on seeing old axes being brought back to life though even if they may not be period correct. A wall hanger or a daily user is better than the scrapyard!
No irony, something can be beautiful, and still not accurate. I went back to look at it again and realized this is the one he sent out to be done. The extra touch of chamfering the edge of the wedge moves it into the realm of art. I would feel terrible smacking it with a hammer to tighten it back up!
HaHa, Neil, I figured it out. I'm turning into the Speach Police. To me, it doesn't matter what you do to it, it's what you call it. When I was in my 20's I worked for a high end Antique Dealer. I Restored the finish on old furniture to museum Quality, so I get hung up on the difference between "restored", and "refinished". My son in law wanted a new desk chair for Christmas. I had a 1930's Oak office chair, and my wife talked me into "Restoring" it for him. Half way through the project, I found out he wanted the Honey Oak color of the natural wood. The Original colored was a Mahogany red stain. Little details like the brass tag with the company name on it. It was covered over with layers of stain. I polished it to bright brass. So, to me, it became a refinish project. It took the same level of skill to refinish it, but half the time as it would to restore it. I'm just as proud of the final project. I think people tend to look down on a refinished project, and look up to a restoration. Here's my chair, it's not original anymore, but I like it alot.
If you notice my prized Plumb cruiser in the back ground, it's a bit proud. If some one asks, I say that's the one my friend Clarence made for me, custom octagonal haft, reprofiled edge, balanced, edge ground for throwing, not chopping. It used to be my throwing ax, but now it's too nice to throw. I do take it out now and then and cut down a few weed trees that spring up in my woods.
Thanks for the pics. Now I'm going out to flip mine over and see if it's a Kelly too. As far as the Sagers go, weren't they Warrens, after W.J.Sager got his patent and they started badging axes under his name in 1895?That first axe is very old and I'd swear I've seen that "lip" at the edge before, but I can't remember where. It might have been called a "Chip Slinger" or something similar. edit: Yep, a Kelly Chip Slinger!
Stanley's are middle line. They were made by Mann, and Mann also made axes for Collins from the 60's onward. I have a beefy Stanley, it was my first single bit and it is a good user, but it has flat cheeks and isn't the greatest. It splits well, is a nice wedge-beater, and is made from good steel, but I wouldn't use it for felling or bucking. You can see it on the far right side of this picture.
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I only recall hearing of two manufacturers with stamps on the bottom of the axe, one was an eastern company, either Snow and Neally or Emerson and Stevens, and the other was Mann so I'd guess it's a Mann. To the best of my knowledge, only Kelly, Warren, Mann, Sager, and maybe Plumb made Pugets in any real numbers, so it is almost definitely one of them at least. No, @TNTreeHugger I do not think it's Dutch. Americans were the only people to make large quantities of double bits, and we are the only nation to produce Puget Sound axes, so named because they were designed for the massive old growth trees in the PNW.
Can't tell if it's a Kelly, but I think it is. The axe is in pretty good shape, but, there is a little rolling of the poll right where your logo is, and it looks like that's where they had it on a dirt floor, most of the rust. It does look like writing under the pitting, but can't make out a single letter.
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