Baltic/Austrian Goosewing Hewing Axe.

[John Neeman]

Hello up there.

We have recently made goosewing hewing axe replica of Baltic traditional finishing hewing axe lines. Ornament made from one old Austrian goosewing axe (thanks for one of Bladeforums members, who sent us pictures of his Austrian goosewing ornaments).

Here are the original ornament pattern:

Specs:

Laminated blade. L6 tool steel for the cutting edge.
Hardness: Rockwell 59-60 (HRC)
Overall weight: 3.6 kilos.
Blade length: 370 mm
Axe head: 210 mm
Handle length: 420 mm
Overall length: 790 mm

See the pics here:

 

[vortex]

Awesome! :thumbup:
Did they use this type of axes for special carpenter-work?

 

[mattyak]

That is a beautiful piece of craftsmanship you have there John!

What does it weigh and how long is the handle?

 

[John Neeman]

Thanks Mattyak,

Goosewing specifications:

Laminated blade. L6 tool steel for the cutting edge.
Hardness: Rockwell 60 (HRC)
Overall weight: 3.6 kilos.
Blade length: 370 mm
Axe head: 210 mm
Handle length: 420 mm
Overall length: 790 mm

 

[Venice Will]

I WANT ONE!!! What a SWEEEEEET looking axe

How much $$ they run? ad where can they be ordered?


Thnaks!

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

VERY nice! Any plans on doing any with the forged-in bevel like the original?

 

[John Neeman]

The forged in bevel are typical for German and Austrian goosewings. Baltic goosewings do not have that bevel. We took just the ornament from Austrians. Also the Austrian axes has thinner blade and they weight about 1 kilo less than ours, so that is why also the sharpening angle on them is shorter. But of course making a forged-in bevel is an option to have.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Oh I understood that--I was just wondering.

On a related note, I'd love to see your take on a doloire, or "wagoner's axe." Similar to some goosewing varieties, but without an offset blade--it's in-line like a regular axe. They were used during the middle ages for defending wagon trains as well as a general tool.

 

[JayGoliath]

I'm afraid i have to say this but i've a major boner when i see this!

How about a comparison?

 

[Square_peg]

Really nice work, John. I love that deep eye. And that's a handsome set of log dogs, too.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Yeah--I noticed those! Such simple tools but so handy!

 

[Venice Will]

Never mind...I've been "schooled" on Hewing Axes

 

[Lookin4lunkers]

As always, beautiful work John. Been checking the website daily, any idea when you will be up?

 

[MURPH26]

That is some amazing work john, extremely impressive!

 

[Humppa]

Great work! I´ve never seen something like this in Austria, though I live exactly one (!!!) kilometre from the border to Austria.

Real a great piece of craftmanship! Thank you for showing this off. I really like it.

Kind regards
Andi

 

[JayGoliath]

[video=youtube;pfYx0CuO21k]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfYx0CuO21k[/video]
A video of hewing a log using broad Viking and Goosewing.

 

[Square_peg]

Great video. You don't realize how much work that really entails until you actually try it yourself.

 

[JayGoliath]

The symbol/ornament looks like yggdrasill , the Norse's version of "Tree of Life"

The generally accepted meaning of Old Norse Yggdrasill is "Odin's horse". This conclusion is drawn on the basis that drasill means "horse" and Ygg(r) is one of Odin's many names. The Poetic Edda poem Hávamál describes how Odin sacrificed himself by hanging from a tree, making this tree Odin's gallows. This tree may have been Yggdrasil. Gallows can be called "the horse of the hanged" and therefore Odin's gallows may have developed into the expression "Odin's horse", which then became the name of the tree.[1]

Nevertheless, scholarly opinions regarding the precise meaning of the name Yggdrasill vary, particularly on the issue of whether Yggdrasill is the name of the tree itself. In the Prose Edda the tree is usually not just called Yggdrasil but askr Yggdrasils. Old Norse askr means "ash tree" and according to the inflectional system of Icelandic language askr Yggdrasils means "Yggdrasill's ash". Icelandic has the best preserved inflectional system of the Norse languages and the Prose Edda was also written in old Icelandic. These etymologies do though rely on a presumed but unattested *Yggsdrasill.[1]

A third interpretation, presented by F. Detter, is that the name Yggdrasill refers to the word yggr ("terror"), yet not in reference to the Odinic name, but rather as Yggdrasill as the "tree of terror, gallows". F. R. Schröder has proposed a fourth etymology according to which yggdrasill means "yew pillar", deriving yggia from *igwja (meaning "yew-tree"), and drasill from *dher- (meaning "support").[1]

- Wikipedia.

Thanks to Scouter27 for this info.

 

[the-accumulator]

I stumbled on this post today as I was trying to identify a logo on a Kent pattern axe in Google images. To my surprise, I found the image of the goose-wing broad axe that was the inspiration for the reproduction. What is surprising is that I own a goose-wing identical to the one in the photo right down to the touch-mark with the ram's head and the two uppercase "Fs". Can you refer me to the owner of the axe in the photo so that I might learn more about the maker of my goose-wing? Any further info I can acquire about my vintage axe would be greatly appreciated. BTW, the repro axes in the video are masterfully done, and seeing them in use is definitely a treat for my eyes! Thanks, TA

 

[Steve Tall]

...I own a goose-wing identical to the one in the photo right down to the touch-mark with the ram's head and the two uppercase "Fs". Can you refer me to the owner of the axe in the photo so that I might learn more about the maker of my goose-wing? Any further info I can acquire about my vintage axe would be greatly appreciated...

If you're referring to the axe pictured below, I believe the markings show an ox head, the mark for Ochsenkopf (Daniel Kremendahl).

"The well-known trademark of the company Daniel Kremendahl was registered on 2 June 1781 by the brothers Fahlefeld in the role of the Cronenberg crafts court...

Daniel Kremendahl had inherited from his uncle a small nail forge in Sudberg and thus also took over the registered designation "Ochsenkopf" by the brothers Fahlefeld. 2) This could have been 1805, as this year Kremendahl has named this year as a date of incorporation (letterheads, for example, from the thirties).

Around 1840 Kremendahl began on the Kohlfurther road in Berghausen with the production of carpentry tools, later also forestry and butcher tools. 2)

An entry in a manual from 1873 mentions some other data:
"Daniel Kremendahl, factory of carpentry tools Founded in 1760, current owner (since 1835): Daniel Kremendahl, who employs 20 workers." 10)
The year 1760 could refer to the founding of the Nagelschmiede.

The company was continued by the four sons (Friedrich) Wilhelm (14.11.1868-29.1.1931 3) ), Lebrecht, Ernst and (Karl) Gustav (19.2.1846-2.2.1874 3) ). 2) An address book from 1893 names the ironwares business Daniel Kremendahl with the owners Lebrecht, Ernst and Gustav Kremendahl in Berghausen 61. 4)

In 1938 the company had 100 employees. The line had now in the third generation Karl (? -1949) and Friedrich Wilhelm Kremendahl (? -1955). In 1943, the company buildings were heavily damaged during a bombing. The operation could be resumed during the war. 2)

Due to the early death of Karl and Friedrich Wilhelm Kremendahl their sons Daniel and Helmut had to take over the company suddenly and without a completed vocational training. In the following decades, the operation was successfully modernized and exports, especially to Canada, expanded. 2)

In 1985, the open trading company was converted into a GmbH. Since no successor was available in the family, the company was sold in 1998 and continued under the name "Ochsenkopf-Werkzeugfabrik". In 2003, this company was taken over by the Gedore Group and the production relocated to Remscheid. The factory halls at the Kohlfurther Straßeul were demolished in 2010."

translated from
https://www.holzwerken.de/museum/hersteller/kremendahl_daniel.phtml