Hardened Polls

Square_peg said:
Here's is one of my waffle poll Plumbs on its original Permabond handle.

Plumb%201.jpg



Here's my other waffle poll after re-milling the poll face.

Waffle%20Finished.jpg
Click to expand...

Would you be able to share the process of re-milling the poll face? Is it something you did on your own and somebody could do with basic tools? Or is it something that a machine shop need to take care of?
 
Axe nut said:
It's just over 4 lbs hafted
Click to expand...

Well heck. I had forgot all about it but I have a 3 1/2lb Plumb rafting pattern also. There is a picture of it on the first page to this thread. It spends some time riding in the tool box of my truck. I was thinking it was a four pounder for some reason but it is 3 1/2.
 
garry3 said:
Well heck. I had forgot all about it but I have a 3 1/2lb Plumb rafting pattern also. There is a picture of it on the first page to this thread. It spends some time riding in the tool box of my truck. I was thinking it was a four pounder for some reason but it is 3 1/2.
Click to expand...

Is that one perchance the Plumb National ( 3 ^ 2 marked?) pattern at the bottom of the picture? These ones (all Nationals) are quite deceiving in that they have a generously high and bevelled poll but, gosh darn, they weren't hardened to any appreciable degree. I also have one of these, initially figuring it was a rafting axe, but a file readily bites into the surface of the poll.
 
300Six said:
Is that one perchance the Plumb National ( 3 ^ 2 marked?) pattern at the bottom of the picture? These ones (all Nationals) are quite deceiving in that they have a generously high and bevelled poll but, gosh darn, they weren't hardened to any appreciable degree. I also have one of these, initially figuring it was a rafting axe, but a file readily bites into the surface of the poll.
Click to expand...

No 300 its not. That one is the same Plumb National I rehung here recently in the "What did you hang today" thread. Its a boys axe size and does have a hardened poll. Those two National patterns are all the Nationals I own and are quite hard polls that show signs of minor chipping and no mushrooming. I may never get to the bottom of why some of those nationals are hard and others soft.

The smaller Plumb rafting pattern with the octagon handle is 3 1/2lbs.

BTW, if you are a fan of Steel Squares I recommend having a look at "The Steel Square and its uses" by Radford. I own the first volume of the two volume set but I think both are available on line for free. Its to much information but the sections on the tables found on squares is very informative.
 
garry3 said:
BTW, if you are a fan of Steel Squares I recommend having a look at "The Steel Square and its uses" by Radford. I own the first volume of the two volume set but I think both are available on line for free. Its to much information but the sections on the tables found on squares is very informative.
Click to expand...

Yes I am quite fond of steel squares! At an old high school I worked at 10 years ago I found a couple of copper-plated tapered flats Stanley 300Cs being used as grade 9 project weights. Needless to say these were liberated via swapping them with cheapie current versions. Squares doubled as job site calculators at one time. The book I have is called Steel Square by the American Technical Society first published in 1939. Mine is a Second Edition which was revised in 1947. Trade Colleges could easily offer semesters in 'how to use a carpenter square to full advantage' nowadays but they don't.
 
300Six said:
Yes I am quite fond of steel squares! At an old high school I worked at 10 years ago I found a couple of copper-plated tapered flats Stanley 300Cs being used as grade 9 project weights. Needless to say these were liberated via swapping them with cheapie current versions. Squares doubled as job site calculators at one time. The book I have is called Steel Square by the American Technical Society first published in 1939. Mine is a Second Edition which was revised in 1947. Trade Colleges could easily offer semesters in 'how to use a carpenter square to full advantage' nowadays but they don't.
Click to expand...
I was fortunate enough to come along in a transitional period. When I started pounding nails, nail guns or calculators were scarce. There were a few guys fairly versed in the use of a framing square, but they did not readily share their knowledge, indeed it was a secret what these tables meant that they so frequently referenced. It was not easy to unravel these mysteries, but I did and I vowed to never be that GUY. I readily shared my knowledge to anyone that would listen. The problem being that it was hard to find anyone that gave a sh!t. One of my best friends is about half my age and even though he knows little about framing squares I was able to pass a lot on to him. I met him green as could be right out of high school and despite his brave face I found out later he was scared shitless of me, swearing that I hated him. He missed the boat by a bunch there. I liked him immediately. I was hard on him as I saw the potential that he could be. He is no longer in the trades but moves in and out of houses that he buys and fixes in his spare time, indeed he is much like a son to me and I could not be prouder that he has surpassed my skill in many areas. That's the way it should be. And when his wife asks how did you learn that he says well me and Garry.......
 
Square_peg said:
Thanks for that. Cool old catalog. Can you imagine finding a 8 or 10 pound rafting axe!
Click to expand...

At what point does a 'rafting axe' evolve into a common/ordinary wood splitter? Axes and mauls are simple to differentiate because of the eye shape but polls that were meant to take abuse are a whole different kettle of fish. Myself would be quite suspicious of a 10 lb so-called rafting axe. Swinging one of these into a tree doesn't strike me as advantageous.
Lucky that rafting axes were invented well before the era of 'boutique fashion' gear.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top