Axe Pattern ID Help

[Bill Mason]

Hi everyone, I’m new to the forum and to axe restoration. Just wondering what patterns these are. Seems the differences in patterns can be quite subtle. Are these Dayton, Delaware, and/or Connecticut?

Here’s what we do know:

Largest one: True Temper Welland Vale stamp.

Midsize one: Only stamp is ‘3’ under the poll. Included to give comparison for others.

Small one: Hytest Craftsman hatchet.

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True Temper Welland Vale

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Unbranded 3lb

 

[Red_Mist]

I would guess Dayton for the bottom two. The WV I’m not certain but could be Connecticut. Pretty darn thin and a short poll.

 

[crbnSteeladdict]

Hi everyone, I’m new to the forum and to axe restoration. Just wondering what patterns these are. Seems the differences in patterns can be quite subtle. Are these Dayton, Delaware, and/or Connecticut?

Here’s what we do know:

Largest one: True Temper Welland Vale stamp.

Midsize one: Only stamp is ‘3’ under the poll. Included to give comparison for others.

Small one: Hytest Craftsman hatchet.

===============================
True Temper Welland Vale

===============================
Unbranded 3lb

The big one does not look like classic Tasmanian pattern but that short poll points in that direction.
Small heads usually did not have pattern name assigned to them when listed in catalogs, Shapes varied. Yours is foreign made and have slightly curved poll so Yankee pattern comes to mind,

 

[Bill Mason]

Hi everyone, I’m new to the forum and to axe restoration. Just wondering what patterns these are. Seems the differences in patterns can be quite subtle. Are these Dayton, Delaware, and/or Connecticut?

Here’s what we do know:

Largest one: True Temper Welland Vale stamp.

Midsize one: Only stamp is ‘3’ under the poll. Included to give comparison for others.

Small one: Hytest Craftsman hatchet.

Will post individual photos next…

True Temper Welland Vale

Hi everyone, I’m new to the forum and to axe restoration. Just wondering what patterns these are. Seems the differences in patterns can be quite subtle. Are these Dayton, Delaware, and/or Connecticut?

Here’s what we do know:

Largest one: True Temper Welland Vale stamp.

Midsize one: Only stamp is ‘3’ under the poll. Included to give comparison for others.

Small one: Hytest Craftsman hatchet.

Will post individual photos next…

True Temper Welland Vale

I would guess Dayton for the bottom two. The WV I’m not certain but could be Connecticut. Pretty darn thin and a short poll.

Thanks for your help. The tiny poll really stood out to me, too. It’s barely enough to hold the head on. And quite thin. Should be interesting to swing after only ever using an Arvika Five Star.

 

[Bill Mason]

The big one does not look like classic Tasmanian pattern but that short poll points in that direction.
Small heads usually did not have pattern name assigned to them when listed in catalogs, Shapes varied. Yours is foreign made and have slightly curved poll so Yankee pattern comes to mind,

Thanks, yeah seems like a Yankee or Delaware/Wide-Bit Dayton or Connecticut. To my untrained eye, the subtleties are impossible to see. A rabbit hole of infinite depth.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

I'd call it a Delaware/Wide Dayton personally. Connecticuts usually have a very slight crown to the poll. But the eye being so far back does seem to indicate it being a (possibly early-ish) Tasmanian. The mid-sized one looks like a typical "Boy's Axe", which was considered not just a size, but a pattern, which could be summarized as being basically a Dayton with a slightly upswept toe. The little one looks like a typical Yankee/New England pattern hatchet.

 

[Bill Mason]

I'd call it a Delaware/Wide Dayton personally. Connecticuts usually have a very slight crown to the poll. But the eye being so far back does seem to indicate it being a (possibly early-ish) Tasmanian. The mid-sized one looks like a typical "Boy's Axe", which was considered not just a size, but a pattern, which could be summarized as being basically a Dayton with a slightly upswept toe. The little one looks like a typical Yankee/New England pattern hatchet.

Thanks so much! From what I’ve found online, I agree about the Delaware/Wide-Bit Dayton. Have looked at countless images online and it sure seems like a Delaware. But that’s all I have to go by.

What length of handle do you recommend for a standard 3lb boys axe? My first one so have nothing to compare it to.

That little Hytest Craftsman sure is a nice axe. Making a handle for it now.

Thanks again.

 

[Hickory n steel]

What length of handle do you recommend for a standard 3lb boys axe? My first one so have nothing to compare it to

A north American boys axe is 2lb - 2.5lb and typically 24"-28" with 28" being the most common.
I'd personally go with the 28", shorter axes are easier to accidentally hit your legs with.

If this head weighs 3lb that doesn't typically point to a boys axe, but I would not be surprised to find exceptions.
You'll want to measure the eye, if it compares to the eye of a full sized axe then it's a full size axe and I would go with a 30"-32" handle.

 

[Bill Mason]

A north American boys axe is 2lb - 2.5lb and typically 24"-28" with 28" being the most common.
I'd personally go with the 28", shorter axes are easier to accidentally hit your legs with.

If this head weighs 3lb that doesn't typically point to a boys axe, but I would not be surprised to find exceptions.
You'll want to measure the eye, if it compares to the eye of a full sized axe then it's a full size axe and I would go with a 30"-32" handle.

Thanks for all this information, was having a hard time finding this on my own. Will take a closer look at the eye and try to determine if it’s full size or not. Is there a typical size eye that would make it full size?

 

[Hickory n steel]

Thanks for all this information, was having a hard time finding this on my own. Will take a closer look at the eye and try to determine if it’s full size or not. Is there a typical size eye that would make it full size?

A boys axe eye is often about 2" long and and the eye on a full sized single bit often 2.5"+.

 

[Bill Mason]

A boys axe eye is often about 2" long and and the eye on a full sized single bit often 2.5"+.

Thanks again. Really appreciate it.