Axe eye design and polls (the axe part, not surveys)

[Alex Topfer]

Hey
I've been feeling like trying to make a battle axe, sort of Peterson type m / dane axe style. Looking at photos of artifacts, reproductions, and modern interpretations it seems inconsistent to whether these have a poll at the back of the eye. Sadly i can't examine actual artifacts, and I don't really do much with axes
My understanding is for work axes this part is used as a hammer, for driving splitting wedges and the like. Since this style of battle axe is not designed to hit stuff with the back side it seems like the poll would not be needed? Does is serve another mechanical purpose I'm missing?

Looking at axe breakages, when they break in the eye it seems to be at the front not the back. With this style of axe I would expect them to break in the blade or at the handle where it goes into the axe head (the existence of reinforced edges and brass jackets around the top of the handle support this)

 

[The Zieg]

Hey
I've been feeling like trying to make a battle axe, sort of Peterson type m / dane axe style. Looking at photos of artifacts, reproductions, and modern interpretations it seems inconsistent to whether these have a poll at the back of the easye. Sadly i can't examine actual artifacts, and I don't really do much with axes
My understanding is for work axes this part is used as a hammer, for driving splitting wedges and the like. Since this style of battle axe is not designed to hit stuff with the back side it seems like the poll would not be needed? Does is serve another mechanical purpose I'm missing?

Looking at axe breakages, when they break in the eye it seems to be at the front not the back. With this style of axe I would expect them to break in the blade or at the handle where it goes into the axe head (the existence of reinforced edges and brass jackets around the top of the handle support this)

I think your best lead would be to look at the shape of the eye. If you see a rounded eye, you are likely seeing a rounded poll. If flattened, or D shaped towards the back, you are more likely to see a flattened poll. Now its just a hunt for as many images as you can find. As for consistency across historical examples, I would have to say that you will see variety wherever there is a variety of smiths. Regional variation will also be the order of the day.

Perhaps a note to someone like Matt Easton is in order. He just did a set of videos on axes from museum examples.

Looking forward to seeing what you uncover!

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

If the construction was a wrap style axe head, there is no poll. I prefer this style. It is pretty easy to make, too. The bit can be pre-shaped in cutting and the wrap made as a butterfly shape. "U" the wrap and weld to the bit. The same technique works from a throwing hawk to a huge battleaxe.

TIP:
After shaping the wrap and bit to a close fit and preparing for the weld, clamp tightly in a vise and run a weld bead down the junction of the checks and bit (mig, tig, stick). I often fully wed the side seams and eye seams as well. This assures a perfect weld and eliminated the need for flux. All the added weld metal will get ground away later in shaping and finishing.

 

[Alex Topfer]

yeah, i'm planning to do a wrapped eye method. which is why i was wondering about the need for a poll, thinking of avoiding the need to shape that into the metal before i wrap it around. allows me to skip a step. cool, i'll try that and let you know how it goes
(also i lack the machinery or shoulder strength to do a punched eye approach)

 

[A.McPherson]

All the examples of Dane axes I have seen (in museums and pics) have no poll. I'm not an archeologist or historian though...

https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/collections/v/object-38565/axe-battleaxe/

https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/collections/v/object-35949/battleaxe/

Here are a couple in the London Museum..