Axes with eye ridges....

garry3 said:
So we have Kelly, Vaughn and Collins with ridges in the eyes. That does not rule out others, but I have no other proof.

Here is a Woodslasher from the early 1960's. No ribs in the eye. No stamps.

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one of my True Temper Tommy No.TA 's has 4 ridges
 
gben said:
Where is this documented? In the 1967 TrueTemper catalog for instance, it has Perfect, Flint Edge and Woodslasher axes all using six ridges in the eye.

Is there a TrueTemper catalog that is newer or older that documents axe heads with less than six ridges? I am not a fan of hearsay, old wive's tales or opinions.....
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My flint edge rafter has four and my stelleto branded rafter has five
 
We can now add a PLUMB to the Eye Ridge club. Seller seems to think it's gold, more than my monthly spend at the swap meet.
 
Good spotting, rjdankert! Did Plumbs with eye ridges (these have got to be rather uncommon) precede Kelly/True Temper or is it the other way around? Wasn't there was a patent on this feature?
 
300Six said:
...Did Plumbs with eye ridges (these have got to be rather uncommon) precede Kelly/True Temper or is it the other way around? Wasn't there was a patent on this feature?
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True Temper filed for the patent in 1959, as detailed earlier in this thread.

Perhaps the Plumb axes with eye ridges (along with the Collins axes with eye ridges) were made by Mann at some point. According to YesteryearsTools, "...reliable information reveals that sometime in the 1970s and/or 1980s some Plumb axes were being manufactured by the Mann Edge Tool Co. of Lewistown, PA."

http://www.yesteryearstools.com/Yesteryears%20Tools/Plumb%20Co..html
 
Steve Tall said:
True Temper filed for the patent in 1959, as detailed earlier in this thread.

Perhaps the Plumb axes with eye ridges (along with the Collins axes with eye ridges) were made by Mann at some point. According to YesteryearsTools, "...reliable information reveals that sometime in the 1970s and/or 1980s some Plumb axes were being manufactured by the Mann Edge Tool Co. of Lewistown, PA."

http://www.yesteryearstools.com/Yesteryears%20Tools/Plumb%20Co..html
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One thing I have seen in researching socket-sets and wrenches on the Alloy Artifacts website, is that sometimes a manufacturer would implement a new feature on a tool before the patent was issued, sometimes the tool would be marked 'patent pending" sometimes not. As far as patents for eye-ridges goes, maybe we can find a date a patent was filed, and also one where it was actually issued, these dates can be a few years apart. In dating axes "a few years" does not matter much, but it is still part of history and still interesting.

In other news I have come up with what looks like a boy's axe head with four eye-ridges, but I have not cleaned it up yet and no I.D. marks are currently visible. My guess is it is probably a Woodslasher, but we will see if the wire brush finds any information and update if needed.
 
gben said:
. . .As far as patents for eye-ridges goes, maybe we can find a date a patent was filed, and also one where it was actually issued. . .
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According to the information posted by Steve Tall, I believe this is already known:

True Temper's patent for the eye ridges was Patent Number 3090653, filed 7/2/59 and granted 5/21/63.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1332341-Axes-with-eye-ridges/page3​

He will probably disagree (:D), but if we go with that, the patent term started on 7/2/59. Now, I know nothing about current patent law, and I certainly don't know what it was in 1959 but FWIW:

"The term of the patent shall be generally 20 years from the date on which the application for the patent was filed in the United States..."

"After the patent has expired anyone may make, use, offer for sale, or sell or import the invention without permission of the patentee..."
https://www.uspto.gov/patents-getting-started/general-information-concerning-patents#heading-23​

So I would say the patent expired on 7/2/79.

Axe mfr ids from this thread (unknown mfr dates):

Collins
Vaughan
Belknap
Tru-test
Plumb​

In my research these brands were in existence after 7/2/79, my presumed end of the patent term.

I'll put this out for discussion: Are eye ridges alone enough to say who manufactured a head?

Bob
 
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Interesting discussion.

Here's a little more fuel for the discussion. Here's a Sager (non-Chemical Axe) by Warren with six eye ridges.

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I don't own this axe, but a buddy does (or did a couple of months ago).

All the best,
Chris
 
_Land_ said:
...
DSC_0377-X3.jpg

...
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According to YesteryearsTools, that particular stamping was used by Collins & Co. 1950 - 1955 after Collins bought Warren in 1950:

Sager%201950+%209.jpg


In 1966, Mann bought Collins, and then Mann was making Sager axes:

Sager%20Ad%20%2770%209.jpg


Hard to tell if the Sager stamping used by Mann (after buying Collins in 1966), as shown in the advertisement (unless it's painted on instead of stamped on), is the same as the one in the photo (with the eye ridges).
 
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ridges inside the eye are basically useless.
the ridges do nothing but weaken the eye wood by digging into it.
 
Steve Tall said:
According to YesteryearsTools, that particular stamping was used by Collins & Co. 1950 - 1955 after Collins bought Warren in 1950:

Sager%201950+%209.jpg


In 1966, Mann bought Collins, and then Mann was making Sager axes:

Sager%20Ad%20%2770%209.jpg


Hard to tell if the Sager stamping used by Mann (after buying Collins in 1966), as shown in the advertisement (unless it's painted on instead of stamped on), is the same as the one in the photo (with the eye ridges).
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That's what I think it is, Mann era axe.
 
I tend to agree - I lean toward the thinking that they aren't a bad idea really. Sort of a PITA when hanging, but eh, only kinda. My new production Council Hudson Bay is holding up nicely so far and it has ridges. In the case of the HB, I think it's a particularly good idea. In a full size Jersey it might be overkill but it's interesting that they are common in Jerseys which already have very deep eyes. I always have a feeling of confidence when I hang one. By the same token I'm not entirely sure they are "necessary". I've been throwing some tomahawks lately and have access to two of them which were very well made and "hung" - if that term can be used. While throwing they took what I would call significant abuse, including handle end strikes that I fully expected to jar the heads loose and didn't. Very shallow eyes, hung very well, taking lots of abuse and holding up. Fit is everything in the end I guess. Of course they eventually came loose, but I was surprised at how many blows it took.
 
So I picked this head it has small C40 stamp, it has 4 offsett ridges in side the eye. Signs of red paint but its faint.
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Sent from my HTC6535LVW using Tapatalk
 
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I may have mentioned it here but I have seen the Collins replacement handles with the eye ridges milled into the handle to except the ridges in the eye. I past on one that looked like it was made yesterday a few years ago becauseI thought the asking price was to high. It wasn't...
 
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