How to tell a boy's axe head from a hatchet head?

M

maddawg308

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Dec 28, 2014
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I have a very light head laying around here that is obviously too small to be a "man's" axe head. Was wondering if there was a weight or size cutoff, so you can tell if a head was designed to be used as a boy's axe, or a hatchet.

I'll take a picture of the head in question tomorrow, it's outside in the shed (in the dark) somewhere and that flaming ball of gas in the sky that usually arrives around 0630 will help find it faster. :)
 
maddawg308 said:
I have a very light head laying around here that is obviously too small to be a "man's" axe head. Was wondering if there was a weight or size cutoff, so you can tell if a head was designed to be used as a boy's axe, or a hatchet.

I'll take a picture of the head in question tomorrow, it's outside in the shed (in the dark) somewhere and that flaming ball of gas in the sky that usually arrives around 0630 will help find it faster. :)
Click to expand...

I don't know if there is a "rule", but in my experience, what most think of as a hatchet is about 1.25lbs, and up to 1.75lbs is what I would consider to be a "large hatchet" with a 17-19" handle. Above that is generally where you what is normally seen as a boy's axe. Most are 2.25lbs but some are 2.5lb and up to 2.75lbs. After that, 3lb and up is "real axe" country.
 
Size of the eye matters. If the eye is too large for a standard hatchet handle to fit, I would call it a boy's axe.

I have a Plumb head right now and it's right in this size range. Its eye is too large for any hatchet handle I can find, but it's a fit for an axe handle. Perhaps in times past there was a wider range of handle sizes to choose from.
 
Eye size.

Except that a house axe is more hatchet sized but has a boys axe sized eye. They fall in between.
 
Okay, been a couple days but I dug out the head. It has to be a hatchet head, I thought it was a little bigger but it's pretty small. Eye opening is only 1-5/8 long by 5/8 wide at it's widest point. Only markings are "USA" sideways on one side of the head. Notice the rough finishing job on the bottom edge, must've been made in the p.m. shift on a Friday at the factory.

IMG_20150912_171003245_zpsfh0iivyj.jpg


IMG_20150912_171027309_HDR_zpsfwntkhgp.jpg
 
looks good to me, no refinement on the chin, but that ain't the cuttin' part so all good
a good boys axe handle and you can go to town.
you can smooth out the rough if you want to practice, but i'd spend some time putting a nice edge on her.

buzz
 
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