I Inherited An Old Hatchet, Help Me

Awesome find, and it looks great cleaned up. Much better than vinegar. I wend from an under powered 6" wire wheel to a cup brush on an angle grinder and it was a dramatic improvement in speed. Then I went to a 1hp 8" wire wheel and it was another step up in performance. But one way or another they all work. To my eye, the dogs look the same, with slight differences being explained by a little wear. But I could be wrong.
 
Square_peg said:
Take a closer look. This axe on the left, the one Steve posted on the right.

Shapleigh%20Dog-Sportsmen.jpg


Note that on the left axe the dog's forehead drops down to the nose at a steeper angle. Also notice that the ear is down instead of back. Then look at the jawline.

As Steve noted, they are similar but each is distinct.
Click to expand...

Now I see it, and the main difference is in the amount of detail. Thanks for the side by side , it really helps see the contrast 👍 if I had one of those hatchets, I couldn't stop myself from tracking down the version with the ducks.
 
Square_peg said:
Take a closer look. This axe on the left, the one Steve posted on the right.

Shapleigh%20Dog-Sportsmen.jpg


Note that on the left axe the dog's forehead drops down to the nose at a steeper angle. Also notice that the ear is down instead of back. Then look at the jawline.

As Steve noted, they are similar but each is distinct.
Click to expand...

I wonder if the reason for that could be their respective ages? Maybe the stamp changed over time? Also, any tips on how I could guestimate the age of this thing?
 
jblyttle said:
Awesome find, and it looks great cleaned up. Much better than vinegar. I wend from an under powered 6" wire wheel to a cup brush on an angle grinder and it was a dramatic improvement in speed. Then I went to a 1hp 8" wire wheel and it was another step up in performance. But one way or another they all work. To my eye, the dogs look the same, with slight differences being explained by a little wear. But I could be wrong.
Click to expand...

Heh, I used a brass wire cup on my hand drill. Worked just fine and felt like I had a good bit of control on how fast it worked. Only took me 30 minutes or so from start to finish with the wheel.
 
Bigfatts said:
Heh, I used a brass wire cup on my hand drill. Worked just fine and felt like I had a good bit of control on how fast it worked. Only took me 30 minutes or so from start to finish with the wheel.
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Yup, they all do the job in the end. If you have one to clean up every once in a while, anything will do, if you clean these all the time then there are options. The 8" 1hp wheel will do a head like than in about 2 minutes start to finish. Your end result is as good as can be expected regardless of the tool used.
 
Bigfatts said:
...any tips on how I could guestimate the age of this thing?
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Nothing definite, but YesteryearsTools says that "It is believed that the hatchets with the "dog" design as well as the "duck" design were originally sold through the E. C. Simmons Hdw. Co. and later provided through the Shapleigh Hardware Co." Shapleigh bought Simmons in 1940 (source). This would suggest that the hatchet with the dog and Shapleigh stamps would be from no earlier than 1940. Some pictures from that page at YesteryearsTools show the dog stamp with the dates 1947 and 1951, suggesting that they were being made in the 1940s and into the 1950s (at least).

Plumb%20Hatchet%20Marks.jpg
 
Steve Tall said:
Nothing definite, but YesteryearsTools says that "It is believed that the hatchets with the "dog" design as well as the "duck" design were originally sold through the E. C. Simmons Hdw. Co. and later provided through the Shapleigh Hardware Co." Shapleigh bought Simmons in 1940 (source). This would suggest that the hatchet with the dog and Shapleigh stamps would be from no earlier than 1940. Some pictures from that page at YesteryearsTools show the dog stamp with the dates 1947 and 1951, suggesting that they were being made in the 1940s and into the 1950s (at least).

Plumb%20Hatchet%20Marks.jpg
Click to expand...

For some reason the duck just speaks to me more than the hunting dog does ( probably because I'm strictly a pit bull guy, and because I used to love feeding ducks at the river when I was little )
One with the original paint on the duck would be awesome, but wouldn't be something to use.
 
That came out great! When you go to sharpen it I personally recommend files over power tools. It's slower but that makes mistakes harder to make. A good mill bastard file will do the job faster than you'd think unless you have a particularly hard bit.
 
Wow, the prices those bring are insane! Not that it matters to me, being an heirloom and all. But still, damn.
 
rjdankert, nice find there. Now with this newly brought to light detail Bigfatts, you are obligated to recreate that handle. :p
 
cityofthesouth said:
rjdankert, nice find there. Now with this newly brought to light detail Bigfatts, you are obligated to recreate that handle. :p
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RJ, same compliment from me! The ad says these have 'hardened heads for driving wooden stakes', whatever that means. And by all means Bigfatts have a go at replicating that handle.
 
ah hell. I'll make you one. It must be done. That thing is just way too nice and the documentation is there. Someone's gotta supply the hickory.

I know we typically measure the WHOLE handle but do you think they mean 12" for the entire length? Is this head just smaller than it looks? What's the head weight Bigfatts? Must be about like the Wards I just did.
 
$_1.JPG


Found a listing for one with what definitely appears to be the original handle. Hard to tell in this picture but it is octagonal in shape. To me it looks to be about standard size.

So if the OP would provide the distance from the top of the eye to the bottom it should be easy to determine the approximate length based on the photo above.

$_1.JPG
 
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In the catalog Bob posted the handle looks just like the Wards Master Quality. Even the thong hole and leather thong is the same. I think they are both actually Plumb products. Plumb makes money selling both to Montgomery Wards and Shapleigh Hardware and the stores do the competition.
 
halfaxe said:
In the catalog Bob posted the handle looks just like the Wards Master Quality. Even the thong hole and leather thong is the same. I think they are both actually Plumb products. Plumb makes money selling both to Montgomery Wards and Shapleigh Hardware and the stores do the competition.
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I just posted in COTS thread about how I'm about 99.9999% positive that Kelly made the Ward's Master Quality hatchets. Can't be sure on these Sportsman Hatchets, though looking at detailed images they definitely look more like a Plumb. I'd be willing to post up some detailed mesuments if the OP is interested.
 
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