Does anyone have any information on this huge Broad Axe?

B

beardog

Joined
Mar 29, 2008
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Just wondering if anyone has any information or has seen a broad axe like this. It has no maker marks that I can see. One edge is flat the other has a sharp bevel. The cutting edge is about 14 3/4 inches long. The handle is attached only by friction, kinda like pick axe or the WWII era picks that were designed to take the handle off for storage.

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Home made probably at some farm blacksmith shop. Drawn out of a large cross pein hammer.
 
Square_peg said:
Home made probably at some farm blacksmith shop. Drawn out of a large cross pein hammer.
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I can't think of a better explanation. It is certainly a unique shape, somebody did a good job on that. More interesting is the handle. Was there a specific type of tool that used a slightly curved round eye friction fit? The reason I ask is that the handle is so well done that I would be thoroughly impressed if somebody made that by hand specifically for that head. Could it be a square eye adze handle that was reshaped? Either way, what a nice find.
 
There was a thread that discussed RR ties and how it seemed to be a cottage industry early on. This ax looks to be near ideal for finishing one off.
 
Quite the critter! Certainly Square_Peg has a plausible explanation on origin and as Bo T says railroad ties were a huge cottage industry at one time. Broad axes were expensive no doubt and probably not readily available either. Handle sure looks to be an adapted adze haft as jblyttle suggests.
 
I wouldn't think that this axe would be very effective as a hewer, seeing it basically has no weight to it overall, and no weight at the eye/handle connection, which would limit it to limited use at best as a true hewer, unless perhaps we are talking "fine" use. First look I thought it was a ceremonial ax due to size, weight, etc. Hard to say, but interesting piece no doubt.
 
jblyttle said:
Could it be a square eye adze handle that was reshaped?
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I bet you're right. The curves match up with that sort of tool. But the swell is a bit large for what I'm used to seeing on adzes. Perhaps a slip fit grub hoe handle?

Part of the story of railroad ties - the early years.

http://cedarriverforge.com/Photo-index/axephotos/Barnickol-RR Tie Hacking.pdf

In later years out west here hundreds of small mills produced ties for the many railroad lines criss-crossing the region.

In the midwest and south hewing ties was good winter work for small farmers who often owned there own wood lot beside their farm. Great way to supplement their income if one could afford a broad axe or had the ability to make their own. Most of the work, the felling and 'juggling' could be done with a felling axe. The clean-up fell to the broad axe.
 
Square_peg said:
...In the midwest and south hewing ties was good winter work for small farmers who often owned there own wood lot beside their farm. Great way to supplement their income if one could afford a broad axe or had the ability to make their own. Most of the work, the felling and 'juggling' could be done with a felling axe. The clean-up fell to the broad axe.
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On that topic, this guy describes how he would hew 6-8 ties a day as a 16-year-old, and his daddy could hew 10 per day, and the only type of axe they'd use was a Sager double bit. An interesting write-up with photos of him demonstrating how he did it:

https://books.google.com/books?id=l7E9SysL_OkC&lpg=PA29&dq=foxfire%20hewing&pg=PA28#v=onepage&q&f=false
 
I believe the axe was factory made, I'm no expert, but I would guess drop forged - maybe. It is very well made, heavy and very sharp. It does appear to be almost unused, just some rust. As for the handle, it looks to be original, not reshaped. Thanks
 
The 'poll' is definitely shaped like a large cross pein hammer. And the blade/bit has about the right mass that you would expect from a cross pein hammer of that size. I have a large cross pein with similar mass.
 
Everything about that axe is wrong to hew timber. The handle looks somewhat like a European style grape hoe handle. I am going with the ceremonial axe idea.
 
Old Axeman said:
Everything about that axe is wrong to hew timber. The handle looks somewhat like a European style grape hoe handle. I am going with the ceremonial axe idea.
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The more I stare at this implement the more I wonder what it would look like, carefully cleaned up, hanging on the wall. Definitely qualifies as a conversation piece.

It has a strong and nicely defined single bevel edge which (to me) removes it from the realm of ceremonial. Somebody had a need, and an idea, and somebody else took the time and effort to fabricate this thing. Perhaps that someone was in the business of harvesting and distributing river-cut ice blocks? Heat this thing up before making a cleave and you probably get interesting results. I dunno what else to say; somewhere out there is a practical answer.
 
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I took some more pictures of it today and will try post them tomorrow. I also measured it (I guessed in the op, dumb of me) the cutting edge actually measures 14 & 3/4 inches and 14 & 1/2 inches top to bottom.
 
It has a very open hang to it, and it looks as though it was never used. If it was actually even intended to be used it was likely on a target just about at ground level.
 
I saw your other photos on another website and it changes my opinion of the piece. What I wrote there,

"From the finish of the tool it looks to be factory made for some specific purpose. From the limited pictures that were on bladeforums I had guessed it to be home made. The grub hoe like eye suggests an agricultural use. The handle shape and length would be right for swinging down at the level of your feet. The bulging eye prohibits it's use as a broad axe. So it must have been used to cut something in a single chop, perhaps against a heavy cutting board or something."

Rooster suggested, "Like chopping corn silage or sorghum...eh?"

I responded, " Yeah, something like that."

Others suggested it might be a type of sod or turf axe. I don't think so. Those are double-beveled. A single bevel will be pushed to one side when entering sod. A double bevel will cut straight. A typical sod axe looks like this.

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