Another "What would you do...and how did this happen?"

[PhilipWimberly]

A very odd bit shape. Usually when I see distortions like this, they are on a head that has a ton of use. This one barely looks used at all but for the off balance bit. So...
(1) anyone have an idea how/why this happened? Can anyone think of a use that would benefit from doing this on purpose? It is so severe, it almost looks like someone tried to turn it into a right-handed "hewing maul". Absurd, of course, but I can't think of what happened here. (a) Someone is terrible at sharpening and did this over years of use (always failing on the same side with no other signs of misuse?) - or (b) some specific job created some specific wear - or (c) it was done on purpose for something outside the normal...or something else?

(2) What would you do to make it a functional tool? I think my choices are restore the bit, but leave it unbalanced with only the left side as blunt angle splitter..... or balance it by removing a lot of steel to match the right side....or balance it and remove a WHOLE LOT of steel by returning the right side to a blunt splitting angle.

 

[crbnSteeladdict]

A very odd bit shape. Usually when I see distortions like this, they are on a head that has a ton of use. This one barely looks used at all but for the off balance bit. So...
(1) anyone have an idea how/why this happened? Can anyone think of a use that would benefit from doing this on purpose? It is so severe, it almost looks like someone tried to turn it into a right-handed "hewing maul". Absurd, of course, but I can't think of what happened here. (a) Someone is terrible at sharpening and did this over years of use (always failing on the same side with no other signs of misuse?) - or (b) some specific job created some specific wear - or (c) it was done on purpose for something outside the normal...or something else?

(2) What would you do to make it a functional tool? I think my choices are restore the bit, but leave it unbalanced with only the left side as blunt angle splitter..... or balance it by removing a lot of steel to match the right side....or balance it and remove a WHOLE LOT of steel by returning the right side to a blunt splitting angle.

Could you post side pics, please.
I might be wrong. It might not be a wood splitting maul, but single face stone hammer.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Yeah definitely another vote for it not being a maul. Either a single-face stone hammer or some variety of struck tool like a hot cut chisel, though the latter seems less likely since images I'm seeing of Fayette R. Plumb struck tools have faceted striking surfaces and that one looks to be squared like the single-face stone hammer. My guess is that perhaps they tried to use it on stone that was too hard and deviated the bit that way.

 

[PhilipWimberly]

Wow. You guys astound. No facets and no embossing on the side (like the 950), so a 970 at 5.5 pounds?
I'm going to start researching stone tools now.
It appears that single-faced doesn't mean what I hoped it would initially --( i.e. that the bit is not asymmetrical, but instead my "hewing" thought was close and the bit was designed that way for shearing right or left handed). It seems pretty clear that the "face" is the flat striking end instead, correct? And that this bit (as 42B mentions) is, in fact warped. In this case, heating and "bending" it back would be the first choice, I suppose? That's outside my scope, if so. Is the only other choice steel removal to balance?
I'm very interested in the difference between spalling/stone hammers and mason's hammers.
Thanks again for the incredible knowledge and your time.