Curved/crooked blade on carpenter axe

L

littleknife

Joined
Nov 29, 2000
Messages
1,926
I was looking for some info regarding the Russian carpenter axes and stumbled upon this:

http://слоб...tskiy-topor/topor-s-zakruglennym-lezviyem.jpg

on this website:

http://слоб...с.рф/wiki/plotnitskiy-topor

It looks like a half-curved adze blade on an axe.
Until now I have never seen such a setup.
They have used curved (bowl-carving type) adzes since medieval times.
How traditional is this in Russia?
Is this some recently “developed” “specialized” log-building tool?
What would be the advantages - if any - of such tool over the curved adzes?
 
Looks like a substitute for a curved adze. One potential drawback I see in the design is that an impact will put an eccentric load in the handle causing it to twist in your grasp. The blow is to one side of the handle, not centered as in using a curved adze.
 
Square_peg said:
Looks like a substitute for a curved adze. One potential drawback I see in the design is that an impact will put an eccentric load in the handle causing it to twist in your grasp. The blow is to one side of the handle, not centered as in using a curved adze.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Square_peg.
I had a suspicion that an adze might be a better balanced tool, but I am not a carpenter or log-home builder.

I just saw that from that webpage they have a link to another one about the use of adzes:

http://слоб...1083;ес.рф/wiki/teslo

On that page they also say that the adze is preferable to the curved/bent-bit carpenter’s axe, because it results in a better fit between the log surfaces.
 
Last edited:
An adze is present in the archaeological finds in northern,the "Novgorod Rus",since 9th c AD or so.It was a fairly conventional looking tool,close enough to many Scandinavian models of the time,and today's as well.

Pictured is most probably an adaptation,based on the supply dysfunctions during the 70-some years of USSR...

Although,some custom-forging using the standard hardware was used sometimes as a very specialised tooling,like the right-,and the left-handed axes(pretty much identical to one pictured above),used by the Kets on Yenisei R.(Western Siberia) to get into the close spaces in the bow and stern of a cottonwood dugout canoes traditional to the region....
 
RICKOFF said:
Boy, I wish I could read Russian. They have some cool log homes and products.
Click to expand...

Hi RICKOFF, the “specific” info on that site is not very useful (too generic), so you wouldn’t have learned much even if you could read it.
It is meant for potential customers who have no any knowledge regarding the materials, tools and methods of construction. :D
Most of the “background info” seems to be borrowed from random internet sites and its purpose is to promote their products.

For example they have some interesting claims regarding the use of timber harvested in the summer vs. that in winter being practically the same regarding subsequent checking.
They claim that in winter the wood actually contains 15-20% more moisture than the timber harvested in summer and that the least checking they observe in timber harvested in October-November. :confused:

http://слоб...1092;/useful-information/zimniy-les-vs-letniy

I did not read all of their pages in the “Useful Information” section, but I would take the info given there with more than a grain of salt.
 
jake pogg said:
An adze is present in the archaeological finds in northern,the "Novgorod Rus",since 9th c AD or so.It was a fairly conventional looking tool,close enough to many Scandinavian models of the time,and today's as well.

Pictured is most probably an adaptation,based on the supply dysfunctions during the 70-some years of USSR...

Although,some custom-forging using the standard hardware was used sometimes as a very specialised tooling,like the right-,and the left-handed axes(pretty much identical to one pictured above),used by the Kets on Yenisei R.(Western Siberia) to get into the close spaces in the bow and stern of a cottonwood dugout canoes traditional to the region....
Click to expand...

Thanks jake pogg for the useful info. :thumbup::thumbup:

I have never seen such a specialized carpenter’s axe before. Could it be that one of the guys on their crew acquired it somehow and started using for his carpentry job?
Maybe he just wanted to be cool? :D
 
In the conditions of a very primitive/dysfunctional rural forge it may be very challenging to forge an axe head.
(I can go into particulars,but it'll be technical and boring).
A poor-quality axe in the USSR could be bought at any village store for 3-4 bucks,and saved a guy slitting/drifting an eye,at the very least...So people got creative....There's quite a few monstrocities running around of this sort,and something like an ice-chisel made from an axe arc-welded onto a wrecking bar is downright common....
 
I don't want to poke the BEAR, but I'm not too surprised!

Especially given to the SLICK webpage.

Thanks all for the info.

Rick
 
littleknife said:
Hi RICKOFF, the “specific” info on that site is not very useful (too generic), so you wouldn’t have learned much even if you could read it.
It is meant for potential customers who have no any knowledge regarding the materials, tools and methods of construction. :D
Most of the “background info” seems to be borrowed from random internet sites and its purpose is to promote their products.

For example they have some interesting claims regarding the use of timber harvested in the summer vs. that in winter being practically the same regarding subsequent checking.
They claim that in winter the wood actually contains 15-20% more moisture than the timber harvested in summer and that the least checking they observe in timber harvested in October-November. :confused:

http://слоб...1092;/useful-information/zimniy-les-vs-letniy

I did not read all of their pages in the “Useful Information” section, but I would take the info given there with more than a grain of salt.
Click to expand...

Late fall is a traditional time for harvesting bow staves. For the low moisture content and checking no doubt. Generally referred to as "when the sap is down". It holds true. But I had not heard about winter cut wood. Probably because here in the NW we have to much snow anyway. The Cherokee have their own set of rules that have been passed down on when to harvest bow staves and it is also based on waning and waxing of the moon not just months. I believe there are lunar rings in wood so there is little doubt in my mind that there is something to their methods.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top