Cast boy's axe head.

Marcelo Cantu

Marcelo Cantu

Joined
Jan 18, 2003
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My wife, wonder that she is brought me home a few finds from a church barn sale. Among the treasures was a Collins CT pattern head that is badly mushroomed and a distended eye, a Collins Dayton in good shape with a nice original haft with a chewed up neck ( I have about an inch that I can move further in after some shaping, we'll see), and a boy's axe that appears to be cast, is marked only with an "M" on both faces and "2 1/4". The edge feels really hard on my files. I just happen to have a house boy's handle that I just finished thinning down and shaping a knobbed fawn's foot, just needs sanding and finish.
I'm wondering if this head is worth hafting. Anybody recognize?



 
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Any other photos of it? It's entirely possible that it's not cast, but rather forged using the closed-die impression molding process (drop forging) and the flash (metal squished out around the sides of the die halves) wasn't ground off the poll.
 
What FortyTwo said.

It sounds like it may be a newer Collins stamped 2 1/2 rather than 2-2 but I think some Snow and Nealley axes match that description also, maybe others?
By the same maker? I am not sure, but the ones I have had are like you said on the hard side. I sold a rafting pattern that matched that description, I wish I hadn't.
 
garry3 said:
What FortyTwo said.

It sounds like it may be a newer Collins stamped 2 1/2 rather than 2-2 but I think some Snow and Nealley axes match that description also, maybe others?
By the same maker? I am not sure, but the ones I have had are like you said on the hard side. I sold a rafting pattern that matched that description, I wish I hadn't.
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Thanks Garry. Newer Collins are made in Mexico now aren't they? By Truper I think. I don't have much experienced with Snow & Nealy axes. I'm going to see how this edge comes out. i'll have to use my finer toothed files as my coarse one just skips.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Any other photos of it? It's entirely possible that it's not cast, but rather forged using the closed-die impression molding process (drop forging) and the flash (metal squished out around the sides of the die halves) wasn't ground off the poll.
Click to expand...

That's most likely. The thick eye walls are unusual. It's also odd that they ground the seam off the bottom but not the poll.

I think the stamp is from Woodings-Verona.
 
Square_peg said:
That's most likely. The thick eye walls are unusual. It's also odd that they ground the seam off the bottom but not the poll.

I think the stamp is from Woodings-Verona.
Click to expand...

You very well may be right. It fits their work to a tee. Generally a little rough around the edges with good hard steel.
 
It does sorta look like a woodings Verona to me, I also think that it may be a boy's size splitting axe maybe ( because it's so thick )
 
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