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Help identifying 2 axes

B

BlakeCUTS

Joined
Jun 9, 2017
Messages
4
Got these 2 recently from a lady I was doing work for. She said the full size axe was her father-in-law's which he gave to his son which was her husband. She is 70 years old and her husband has since passed away but she claims the axe is over 60 years old but there is no Makers Mark on it that I can find so I was hoping you more knowledgeable folks could help me. That's the only info I have on the full size axe. The small ax does have a maker's mark on it and I included pictures of it as well. Thanks for your time

https://flic.kr/p/2nZTo5P
https://flic.kr/p/2nZToaD
https://flic.kr/p/2nZRYhg
https://flic.kr/p/2nZRYmV
https://flic.kr/p/2nZT1ba
https://flic.kr/p/2nZQzrq
https://flic.kr/p/2nZT15y
https://flic.kr/p/2nZTogL
 
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The boys axe ( 2lb to 2.5lb head, 26" to 28" handle ) looks like a True Temper Kelly woodslasher, the letter and 2 digit number stamp certainly points to that.

Does it have ridges in the eye ? ( they will look like 2 or 3 teeth on either side )
I think I can see grooves in the wood where those ridges inside the eye dug in, but am not sure.
If it has eye ridges, that and the stamp identify it as a TT Kelly Woodslasher.
I would guess early to mid 60's on yours if it's a TT woodslasher, because it's early enough to have the stamp but still later on when they left the rough finish on the sides.
 
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I believe mine here is later 60's because it doesn't have the stamp ( had half of a foil label / sticker that wore off )
20221117_180036.jpg
Here's the eye ridges I'm talking about, though it's kind of hard to see them with a handle in the eye.
20221117_180122.jpg

And heres a TT WOODSLASHER hatchet where you can see them better ( probably early 70's on this hatchet because it has fewer ridges )
20221117_180257.jpg

Earlier they had 3 riges per side like my boys axe, later 2 per side like my hatchet.
They also got much rougher as time went on.
 
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Hickory n steel said:
The boys axe ( 2lb to 2.5lb head, 26" to 28" handle ) looks like a True Temper Kelly woodslasher, the letter and 2 digit number stamp certainly points to that.

Does it have ridges in the eye ? ( they will look like 2 or 3 teeth on either side )
I think I can see grooves in the wood where those ridges inside the eye dug in, but am not sure.
If it has eye ridges, that and the stamp identify it as a TT Kelly Woodslasher.
I would guess early to mid 60's on yours if it's a TT woodslasher, because it's early enough to have the stamp but still later on when they left the rough finish on the sides.
Click to expand...
There is a picture of the eye included in my post but to me it doesn't look like there are any of those ridges you were talking about. Maybe you can see better. The bigger access the one I was most curious about because that lady claimed it was really old and I thought it looked really cool so I was hoping I had something with it lol
 
Yeah it doesn't look like it does have the eye ridges.

The bigger one is a Jersey pattern and looks like it's probably pre 1960's, but doesn't look too terribly old. ( ie, probably 1900's )
 
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BlakeCUTS said:
There is a picture of the eye included in my post but to me it doesn't look like there are any of those ridges you were talking about. Maybe you can see better. The bigger access the one I was most curious about because that lady claimed it was really old and I thought it looked really cool so I was hoping I had something with
Click to expand...
The red one is very late model of TT Woodslasher. Notice poor finish and lack of eye ridges (to cut the cost they stopped making ridges)
When it comes to Jersey, to my eye it looks like early Charleston, West Virginia product. Some of the early ones had crisp Yankee Bevels.
Usually those axes were marked Kelly Axe Mfg Co Charleston W V. JP Kelly Vulcan or WC Kelly Flint Edge
It is just an opinion and I cannot be 100 % sure
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/pound-kelly-axe-mfg-co-charleston-wva-1787570852
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/kellys-flint-edge-single-bit-axe-head-1791300556
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-jp-kelly-vulcan-double-bit-1871576130
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-kelly-axe-mfg-co-charleston-1941959008
 
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crbnSteeladdict said:
The red one is very late model of TT Woodslasher. Notice poor finish and lack of eye ridges (to cut the cost they stopped making ridges)
Click to expand...
Do you have any idea what the story is with the stamp on the woodslashers ?
I always assumed that stamp was used earlier, but mine isn't stamped.( owners name, but no factory markings)
I know they went from 3 ridges per side then down to two, but I never knew TT dropped them completely
Any idea when the ridges were dropped, did TT drop the ridges or was that done after Barco took over?
I know Barco was still making woodslashers in the past 10 years and would assume without the ridges but never saw one in person.
 
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Hickory n steel said:
Do you have any idea what the story is with the stamp on the woodslashers ?
I always assumed that stamp was used earlier, but mine isn't stamped.( owners name, but no factory markings)
I know they went from 3 ridges per side then down to two, but I never knew TT dropped them completely
Any idea when the ridges were dropped, did TT drop the ridges or was that done after Barco took over?
I know Barco was still making woodslashers in the past 10 years and would assume without the ridges but never saw one in person.
Click to expand...
When I see apha numeric stamp my first thought is: Woodslasher.
My understanding is that no matter how bad the finish was, TT's factory made axes still had high center line.
There were some TT labeled axes made by METCo: very easy to spot the difference in shapes.
Fairly late NOS TT double bits without eye ridges
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-nos-true-temper-woodslasher-3785449700
I can only say that I have never seen any head with Barco label or Barco maker's mark that resembled this red axe. Could I be wrong ?? Absolutely
 
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crbnSteeladdict said:
When I see apha numeric stamp my first thought is: Woodslasher.
My understanding is that no matter how bad the finish was, TT's factory made axes still had high center line.
There were some TT labeled axes made by METCo: very easy to spot the difference in shapes.
Fairly late NOS TT double bits without eye ridges
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-nos-true-temper-woodslasher-3785449700
I can only say that I have never seen any head with Barco label or Barco maker's mark that resembled this red axe. Could I be wrong ?? Absolutely
Click to expand...
The boys axes I've seen look way different and flare out much more at the toe, but the cruisers they made had convex cheeks and were / are fairly nice looking from what I've seen.
They look very much like the 60's-70's TT woodslasher cruisers.
zx (14)[3].jpg
 
Operator1975's axe

Iw65UhI.jpg
 
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