Can't figure out what this axe is

Steve Tall said:
It's a similar pattern to these German axes (from old auction listings):

vtg-3-lbs-rare-german-quality-forged-axe-head-hatchet-ad6871bc3cd91fbb93044eb70511bbcf.jpg


913deda2f5dfdee6212c90bfaba52a96.jpg
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Those are extremely similar head patterns, the first one especially. Mine has a 1.5"w by 2.25" tall poll. So a German pattern with a Swedish eye? A Swedish pattern that was adopted by the Germans?
 
btilma said:
I'm sort of treating its intended use like this one more or less:



Which is the "American Felling Axe" made by Hults Bruk. It's got the same weight head (roughly the same dimensions).
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Goodness knows why they call it "American" unless they mean it in the very broad sense of "North American" 'cause it's just a gussied up version of their Agdor Montreal pattern that I linked a photo of earlier. And if that's the case, they could make a Mexican axe and call it "American" too. :p
 
They do look identical. I guess I just looked up Hults Bruk and didn't find the Agdor on their website or the Hultafors site but found this one instead. I was looking for a good description from the manufacturer.
 
Thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread. :) I've knocked down a 12" standing dead maple and bucked it into 6' sections with this axe. I must say I like it. It held its edge and did its job. After splitting knotty wood and knocking down the tree, I've touched it up with a stone and strop and it's back to ready condition, shaving sharp. I *think* we've decided that it's probably an old swedish import patterned after the Montreal? Whatever it is, it's quite functional for chopping and splitting. Holds an edge reasonably well and can be used to hammer, fell and split. I'm a happy camper. :) I'd be happier if I knew it was made by such-and-such company around year X for Y purpose, but you guys have done your best and frankly it's a capable axe that will give me a great many years of service. Thanks for your input and for pointing me in a direction that helped me better understand and appreciate this fine old hunk of steel.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
That triangle does sure look to be the same mark.
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That would seem to indicate that the mystery axe was Made In Germany (East Germany, that is), which would date it to somewhere between 1949-1990 (approx.)

Das Gütezeichen der DDR war ein Gütesiegel für die Güteklassen der industriellen und handwerklichen Erzeugnisse in der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik (DDR).
[The quality mark of the GDR was a seal of approval for the quality classes of industrial and handicraft products in the German Democratic Republic ( GDR ).]
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gütezeichen_(DDR)

There appear to be some number(s) under the triangle, which could correspond to this detail translated from the Wikipedia page:

The numerical data provided at the bottom of the label refer to the origin of the product. There are several notation types, a common variant is in the style "01/1452". The first two digits indicate here the territorial base key of the district at (01 = Rostock), the following 4 digits are the operating point (1452 = VEB MTW)...
 
Agent_H said:
I wouldn’t be surprised if half of the mark isn’t there from a light strike.

If it’s German, you might find something here in the descriptions:
http://www.holzwerken.de/museum/hersteller/marken.phtml

This also may or may not be relevant to the 1 in a triangle marking:



http://www.alte-beitel.de/lema.html
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Excellent call on that triangle mark, Agent_H! Far as I know the Swedes insist on marking goods as to maker and Country of origin. No evidence of that either. Are there any German or Austrian makers that feature a circle with a face-on stag's head in it?
 
littleknife said:
Looks like an older German Berlin pattern axe with oval eye to me.

The only pictures I could find now was this:

http://shop.getools.co.uk/discontinued-ochsenkopf-1591614-ox-215-e-1402-axe-berlin-pattern.html

It appears, that Gedore (Ochsenkopf) has recently discontinued this pattern. :(
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I think you got this littleknife. Who'd a known there was a "Berlin" pattern! There seem to be a million different German industry stamps and I didn't come across anything similar, in searching over the past hour, that match with what's showing in that half circle.
 
Wow. You guys are awesome! I haven't the foggiest idea how you dug that information up, but I think you've hit on it. Agent_H that triangle mark is definitely an excellent call. There are some numbers under it, but some of them appear to be worn away. I've managed to make out '511' thus far.

That definitely points me in a direction for further searches. Now I need to read through those descriptions....
 
btilma said:
Wow. You guys are awesome! I haven't the foggiest idea how you dug that information up, but I think you've hit on it. Agent_H that triangle mark is definitely an excellent call. There are some numbers under it, but some of them appear to be worn away. I've managed to make out '511' thus far.

That definitely points me in a direction for further searches. Now I need to read through those descriptions....
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I can read German OK and went looking for stag (hirsch) depictions in a circle but came up with nothing. it would a thousand times faster to have a library or catalogue of stamps in front of you. Trying to figure out what's depicted inside the circle is the hard part.

Gebruder Busch (Busch Brothers) of Remscheid is close (Circle stamp with a stag) but isn't what you've got.
 
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btilma said:
I haven't the foggiest idea how you dug that information up, but I think you've hit on it.
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As a child the first axe I have ever used was a Berlin pattern axe. I used to split a lot of beech wood for firewood with it.
While it did the job quite well, now I know that it was not the optimal tool for the job.
At the time I did not know this, and that was the only axe we had anyway. Ah, the blissful ignorance without the frustration of “too much” knowledge. :D
 
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300Six said:
I can read German OK and went looking for stag (hirsch) depictions in a circle but came up with nothing. it would a thousand times faster to have a library or catalogue of stamps in front of you. Trying to figure out what's depicted inside the circle is the hard part.

Gebruder Busch (Busch Brothers) of Remscheid is close (Circle stamp with a stag) but isn't what you've got.
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I've come up with nothing as well. My German is so rusty as to be almost useless, but I may have to try a more aggressive wire brushing and see if I can uncover more.
 
littleknife said:
As a child the first axe I have ever used was a Berlin pattern axe. I used to split a lot of beach wood for firewood with it.
While it did the job quite well, now I know that it was not the optimal tool for the job.
At the time I did not know this, and that was the only axe we had anyway. Ah, the blissful ignorance without the frustration of “too much” knowledge. :D
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It seems to work reasonably well for both chopping and splitting. Not optimal perhaps, but reasonably well. In form and function it seems close to the Montreal pattern.
 
btilma said:
It seems to work reasonably well for both chopping and splitting. Not optimal perhaps, but reasonably well. In form and function it seems close to the Montreal pattern.
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It worked well for splitting, but beech wood is usually easy to split.
At the time I didn’t know that it was a Berlin pattern axe, in fact I didn’t even know that axes come in so many patterns.
The only axes I knew about were the bearded and not bearded kinds.
 
This is a pretty similar one by Mueller of Austria, though it has a "D" eye.

16406853_10211817276535798_2945271603087025021_n.jpg
 
I've spent way too much time trying to identify that other mark. :) I think I'm going to be happy with what you guys have figured out. East German manufacture, so between 1950 and 1990 or so. It takes and holds an edge, and works reasonably well. Uncommon certainly but probably not terribly valuable, which is perfect as far as I'm concerned. Thanks again for all of your efforts. :)
 
btilma said:
I've spent way too much time trying to identify that other mark. :) I think I'm going to be happy with what you guys have figured out. East German manufacture, so between 1950 and 1990 or so. It takes and holds an edge, and works reasonably well. Uncommon certainly but probably not terribly valuable, which is perfect as far as I'm concerned. Thanks again for all of your efforts. :)
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Other than highly prized Merkel firearms I don't think much of anything came out of E Germany for export. City of Suhl in the Deutsch Democratic Republic DDR (GDR in English) was a major industrial center of metalworking, arms production and vehicles especially from 1940 to 1945 and 1947+ to 1990. How the axe you've got was spirited out from behind the Iron Curtain would probably make for an interesting story.
 
300Six said:
Other than highly prized Merkel firearms I don't think much of anything came out of E Germany for export. City of Suhl in the Deutsch Democratic Republic DDR (GDR in English) was a major industrial center of metalworking, arms production and vehicles especially from 1940 to 1945 and 1947+ to 1990. How the axe you've got was spirited out from behind the Iron Curtain would probably make for an interesting story.
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300Six I had been thinking the same thing myself. I'm not sure I'll ever get an answer, seeing as the thing was bought at an antique shop with no provenance. My first thought on learning that this was from the GDR was that probably some American, possibly a soldier, got it when the wall came down (the poll is heavy and good for bashing down the walls of oppression :)), then brought it back to the states and used it. The timeline for it to end up broken, abused and heavily rusted in an antique shop in PA in about 2012 or 2013 just doesn't seem to fit though. Seems like it would need more time. Which would mean it came out before the wall came down. But who knows? I'd love to find the story but I expect I never will.

I am glad and very grateful that you guys have helped me understand this much about it. I'll wonder about the story behind it every time I use it, and use it I will. Those are the best tools though aren't they? The ones with a story, even if you don't quite know the whole story. I'm a sucker for old tools, especially wood or metalworking hand tools. I feel like the old ones have more character, and there is a special place in my heart for old axes. :) This one doesn't have the nicest fit or finish, but it looks ready to work and it is. I'll use it, re-handle it when it needs to be and keep it sharp, oiled/waxed, covered and well cared for otherwise. At least one of my sons will do the same with it when I'm gone (hopefully far into the future).
 
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