Thought maybe some would like to see this one.

This is an old piece that has been handed down through our family for a long time. What may first look like an early hatchet is not.



Short throw and it is 15 1/2 inches from end of handle to where it comes through. Cutting edge is 6 inches.




This is the oldest one I have. It is a specialty axe.



Handle is offset totally to one side. This was used to hand hewn wood beams before the days of saw mills



This is looking straight down the side







I have actually used it too. We moved an original log cabin back on Dad's place and some of the timbers were gone on the bottom. We pulled a few logs out of the woods and did then the old way. We used this and an adz but we cheated some with a saw. Gives you a LOT of respect for the way they had to do it.



You can see the cabin to the right side here. Thought some may have never seen one of these tools and would be of interest.

 

Nice looking cabin! The big tree in the front yard is Huge!!

 

I was up in Amish country NE ohio last weekend and was looking at some they had for sale in one of the shops. Yes makes you respect the old dudes......

I have my Great Grandfathers masonry hammer, makes the new ones look like play tools

 

Here is looking the other way. there are 5 sycamores growing along that creek and they are all over 4 ft in diameter. the one by the truck is over 5 ft.



Two 4 ft in diameter twins. If you look close where they join, You can see a normal size broom for scale.



I've always wondered how much water these thing pull to grow when they get this big. As you can see by this leaf, it's healthy!

 

My neighbor had a big one, and you could actually hear those big leaves falling through the air in the fall.

 

That offset head pattern is called a broadaxe. This guy goes into all kinds of axes and gets to the broadaxe around 14 minutes in.

 

Any idea of the age?

 

Not a clue

 

It's a good thing you didn't bust your thumb nail with the sharp end

 

Yep I caught that too.

 

Nice pictures and a nice piece of history. I like it. Thanks for sharing.

 

Yes, nice family story and that cabin is sweet!

 

Those big sycamores are always hollow in the bottom. Dont ask me how i know.

 

I hope I never have to find out!

 

fishingpol I think you might want to have a look at Kevin in Ohio pictures above.

 

Thanks for sharing the axe and story. We had a couple of beams like that in our last house. We found one in a wall of the summer kitchen. Left it and the studs exposed to make bookshelves as it was the wall that butted against the house. Very cool looking once it was stained.

 

Beautiful piece. I'm guessing post 1820? I don't think it was hand forged but drop forged in a die. The handles sometimes were swayed away to keep fingers away from the tree when swinging it. Any manufacturing stamp on it? It could have had a paper label on it at one time.

Collins made a hewing hatchet similar to it. It is a nice piece of family history to own.

 

Always cool to see a vintage edged tool. Hanks for sharing!

 

Very interesting video, Oldman! Thanks for posting.

 

I got one those axes kicking around somewhere in the garage somewhere, as well as a "beetle". I gotta see if I can dig them out. Thanks for the post & pics!