Eric Sloane's "swell" axe handle

[gben]

Everyone should know the famous artist/author Eric Sloan who tried to preserve early USA landscapes, crafts and technology in a number of books he published. In the mid-1950s in one of his books on old barns and covered bridges he wrote about and illustrated the tools used for building them. Included was a drawing of three types of axe handles, including one with a "swell" knob.
A week ago I had picked up a few old handles at an estate sale and I thought one was a bit odd shaped when I finally took a look at it early today. Late in the afternoon I was looking in the Sloan book and saw his illustration about the Swell handle.

The one hatchet handle is a pretty common style and brand, Dunlop, which could be from the 1950s or 1960s. The other handle is of an unknown darker wood that shows signs of greater age, it's color may be from many years of oxidation, plus it has checking in it from drying out for many years.

I never found a full-size vintage axe with a Swell style handle, but maybe this is a Swell style handle for a small axe or hatchet head.

 

[quinton]

Those handles are user friendly, and feel better than any other to me especially on a hewing hatchet.

 

[thunderstick]

My 10 year old nephew pours over those Eric Sloan books. I really encourage him getting into things like this than electronic gadgets.

 

[Hairy Clipper]

When the collapse of society comes to the world those that are skilled in the olde ways will be rich men if they are good at bartering, too.

 

[Square_peg]

When the collapse of society comes to the world those that are skilled in the olde ways will be rich men if they are good at bartering, too.

Supplies can be stolen. Skills cannot. Stockpile skills.

 

[Square_peg]

When the collapse of society comes to the world those that are skilled in the olde ways will be rich men if they are good at bartering, too.

Supplies can be stolen. Skills cannot. Stockpile skills.

 

[Ernest DuBois]

I never found a full-size vintage axe with a Swell style handle, but maybe this is a Swell style handle for a small axe or hatchet head.

That is one poorly conceived handle - Swell knobd. No wonder it's failed to survive in any number. Where the first two are shaped with stops at the end, and have endured, that one is shaped essentially like a launching ramp, or a wedge prying the grip open.

 

[gben]

That is one poorly conceived handle - Swell knobd. No wonder it's failed to survive in any number. Where the first two are shaped with stops at the end, and have endured, that one is shaped essentially like a launching ramp, or a wedge prying the grip open.

That is one theory. Another famous author, Roy Underhill, says that before WWI most single bit axe handles were simply straight. I am planning to put a single-bit together with a straight handle and using it so I can experience who it works first-hand. It would be interesting to do some research and see if there is any other good reference for "swell" handles. One thing for sure, the fancy curved single-bit handles are certainly a lot more marketable, and in the Capitalist USA I would never assume that any item of consumer goods looks the way it does solely for practical purposes.

 

[crbnSteeladdict]

That is one theory. Another famous author, Roy Underhill, says that before WWI most single bit axe handles were simply straight. I am planning to put a single-bit together with a straight handle and using it so I can experience who it works first-hand. It would be interesting to do some research and see if there is any other good reference for "swell" handles. One thing for sure, the fancy curved single-bit handles are certainly a lot more marketable, and in the Capitalist USA I would never assume that any item of consumer goods looks the way it does solely for practical purposes.

Maybe Roy was talking about Blacksmith made axes. It looks like even 30 years before WW1 mass produced, full and boy's size axes we offered with curved handles.

https://archive.org/details/IllustratedSheffieldList14thEdition1885/page/n52/mode/2up

https://archive.org/details/HuntingtonHopkinsCatalogOfHardware1884/page/n155/mode/2up

https://archive.org/details/DSimmonsAndCo1873/mode/2up

https://archive.org/details/HuntsSuperiorAxesDouglasAxeMfgCoAbt1979/page/n1/mode/1up

 

[gben]

Maybe Roy was talking about Blacksmith made axes. It looks like even 30 years before WW1 mass produced, full and boy's size axes we offered with curved handles.ouglasAxeMfgCoAbt1979/page/n1/mode/1up

Maybe I did not remember what Roy wrote exactly, but ten years after Sloan wrote his first book he published another specifically on early tools in 1964 and he changed his drawing for a "swell" handle. As I figured he did not do as good a job in his early work and he modified it so it makes much more sense. He also talked about a timeline for straight handles being replaced with curved handles by 1885, pretty good research for over fifty years ago before the internet etc.. It is a wonderful book and is titled A Museum of Early American Tools. I scanned one of several axe pages in it to put here, and also put it at the thread start in place of the drawings from his older book:

 

[Ernest DuBois]

I scanned one of several axe pages in it to put here, and also put it at the thread start in place of the drawings from his older book:

You have gone and made a big mess of the thread with this alteration of the basic premise.

 

[gben]

You have gone and made a big mess of the thread with this alteration of the basic premise.

Poor Baby. How terrible that someone added updated information to the thread to make it better. If the mess bothers you then simply delete everything you put up that is irrelevant to what Sloan updated in his own books and it will look much better. I doubt if you will do that though as you are more interested in crying than having an informative thread. There you go....

And in Roy Underhill's 1983 book The Wood Wright's Companion he states "during the 19th century axe handles took on the "S" curve that they retain to this day". Now Mr. Underhill did publish more books after 1983, is it okay with you if we have a look in them to see if he updated anything???

 

[Ernest DuBois]

But you even undermine your own postings. Oh well, I'll leave mine up which has at least preserved the original content, just to clear up any future confusion.
I'm sympathetic to where your going in the topic anyway, so you have no argument with me on that account, not even more broadly outside the walls of this subject, in your hostility toward axe fetishization, for example. Even calling me names here on the forum doesn't stir me up much because, well I,m not proud of it but the truth is, I've been called much worse here, you know. One suggestion, keep it chronological rather than revisionist.

 

[kvaughn]

I've been in the Eric SloanE museum in Kent Ct. a number of times. Mostly with my kids when they were young. His art studio was also moved there into a building addition. There is also a restored pig iron furnace and antique machinery museum on the site which is right beside the Housatonic River. Kent is a nice small town for shopping,dining etc. Makes for a nice day trip or weekend. Good kayaking/ fishing on the Housie.--KV

 

[gben]

I've been in the Eric SloanE museum in Kent Ct. a number of times. Mostly with my kids when they were young. His art studio was also moved there into a building addition. There is also a restored pig iron furnace and antique machinery museum on the site which is right beside the Housatonic River. Kent is a nice small town for shopping,dining etc. Makes for a nice day trip or weekend. Good kayaking/ fishing on the Housie.--KV

Back in the 60s my parents had two of Sloan's prints hanging in the living-room, color prints of barns. They also had some of his books laying around. I did not appreciate them as much when I was a kid as I do now. My father gave me the Sloan books he had, and I picked up others whenever I saw them at house-sales etc.. I heard there is a colonial house that Sloan put together that is sort of a museum of colonial living, but last I heard it was not open to the public.

 

[kvaughn]

Sloane. with an E.
It's a state museum so they periodically close it when the politicians want to show they're saving money. A political tool.
I believe they may close in the winter. You could probably call and find out. ==KV
Just checked. They were closed in the 2019 season for renovations. Will be open summer 2020.

 

[gben]

Sloane. with an E.

Added an "e" to the title! Thanks!