Anyone seen one of these? New to me, and interesting.

[jblyttle]

It looks like a normal Craftsman Michigan head, nice but nothing super special.



Then I noticed this.



See it? How cool.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Interesting! I've read references to hollow ground axe heads but not actually seen one.

 

[Steve Tall]

From a previous thread:

Vaughan currently produces Made-in-USA axes (including double bits) that they say are "Hollow Ground".
Deeper penetration but more sticking? Marketing gimmick?

Here's a 1949 ad from Sears with the "New Hollow Ground Axe" from Craftsman:
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FxkqAAAAIBAJ&sjid=koUFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4863%2C4279133

...

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1139595-Interesting-Craftsman

 

[SC T100]

Awesome...I bet that's a rare bird and it's in great shape. Should make a great cutter, though maybe splitting tougher logs could be problematic? Try it out!

 

[300Six]

Neat! The reverse of high cheeks.

 

[cityofthesouth]

It sorta has both though right .... high cheeks right behind the hollow? Cool. Are you gonna hang it and give it a test drive?

 

[300Six]

Looking at the excellent 'hollow ground' double bit picture provided by Steve Tall the scallop or 'hollow' looks merely to be an exaggerated version of 'banana' grind sharpening that is favoured for high centerline domestic axes.
Presumably the performance of these is no different from flat cheeked Euro axes that were beginning to be imported in n. America after the second world war. Great blades for limbing and chopping, but not so much for splitting.

 

[quinton]

I hung this little, Vaughan hollow ground axe back in the spring.

 

[jblyttle]

Looking at the excellent 'hollow ground' double bit picture provided by Steve Tall the scallop or 'hollow' looks merely to be an exaggerated version of 'banana' grind sharpening that is favoured for high centerline domestic axes.
Presumably the performance of these is no different from flat cheeked Euro axes that were beginning to be imported in n. America after the second world war. Great blades for limbing and chopping, but not so much for splitting.

I haven't tried it to test it, but after the hollow grind it is full traditional American concave cheeks all the way, so may still work well for splitting.

 

[300Six]

I haven't tried it to test it, but after the hollow grind it is full traditional American concave cheeks all the way, so may still work well for splitting.

It's not so much the wedging action of blades that causes problems but the 'sticking' of uniform thickness blades in wood. With a high centerline physical contact is most pronounced only at the middle and presumably this makes it less likely to be a bear to remove if/when the round doesn't split during a strike. All axes can and will split wood! But I do recall having to use chisels, hammers and wedges and even a chainsaw on occasion during my younger days in order to retrieve limbing axes that were hopelessly stuck and buried in ornery pieces of firewood elm or maple.

 

[jblyttle]

It's not so much the wedging action of blades that causes problems but the 'sticking' of uniform thickness blades in wood. With a high centerline physical contact is most pronounced only at the middle and presumably this makes it less likely to be a bear to remove if/when the round doesn't split during a strike. All axes can and will split wood! But I do recall having to use chisels, hammers and wedges and even a chainsaw on occasion during my younger days in order to retrieve limbing axes that were hopelessly stuck and buried in ornery pieces of firewood elm or maple.

I understand, it just looks like this should get deep enough to reach the high cheeks and take that problem away. Maybe not, only use will answer the question.

 

[300Six]

Here's an Austrian-made 'Iltis forest axe' from the 1950s (axe on the right) and a current (1990 for this particular one) German-made 'Iltis Canadian forest axe' on the left. You can really get horribly 'stuck' while trying to use the Austrian one as a splitter.

 

[rjdankert]

I hung this little, Vaughan hollow ground axe back in the spring. . .

Is it still hollow ground? If yes, how does it compare to other grinds you've used?

Thanks, Bob

BTW nice handle :thumbup:

 

[jblyttle]

Here's an Austrian-made 'Iltis forest axe' from the 1950s (axe on the right) and a current (1990 for this particular one) German-made 'Iltis Canadian forest axe' on the left. You can really get horribly 'stuck' while trying to use the Austrian one as a splitter.

Yup, looks like it would, it's much flatter and thinner and for much more of it's length.

 

[quinton]

Is it still hollow ground? If yes, how does it compare to other grinds you've used?

Thanks, Bob

BTW nice handle :thumbup:

Yes, the bit was like new and hollow ground. I never swung it though, it was a gift to a friend of mine.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Here's an Austrian-made 'Iltis forest axe' from the 1950s (axe on the right) and a current (1990 for this particular one) German-made 'Iltis Canadian forest axe' on the left. You can really get horribly 'stuck' while trying to use the Austrian one as a splitter.

Yeah that's definitely not made for splitting! Would make a fantastic pruning axe though.