I Inherited An Old Hatchet, Help Me

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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When I was a young lad (1960s) boating folks swore that Johnson outboards were superior to Evinrudes (or vice versa). I look at these now and see both were manufactured in Peterborough Ontario by the very same maker (OMC) and that the sole difference is paint and decals. I don't doubt that Plumb stamped their name on whatever passed their own quality control but what went out the door with other rollstamps was at the discretion of the commercial buyers. A current example of this is 'Best Made", they specify products from private industry but don't get their hands dirty either.
 
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).
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Here's some evidence (still unverified) that those Diamond Edge "Sport Axes" were already being sold by Shapleigh in 1929: a page supposedly from "from a 1929 Shapleigh Co. publication." It shows green paint on the end portions of the handles, "Shapleigh's" on the sides of the handles, and the dog (or duck) painted with a couple colors:

1929-ad-diamond-edge-shapleigh-sport_1_bb35a6bbec6c4db637947d13dfaed206.jpg


This is from an old auction listing that now appears here:
http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/1929-ad-diamond-edge-shapleigh-sport-492377966
 
300Six said:
When I was a young lad (1960s) boating folks swore that Johnson outboards were superior to Evinrudes (or vice versa). I look at these now and see both were manufactured in Peterborough Ontario by the very same maker (OMC) and that the sole difference is paint and decals. I don't doubt that Plumb stamped their name on whatever passed their own quality control but what went out the door with other rollstamps was at the discretion of the commercial buyers. A current example of this is 'Best Made", they specify products from private industry but don't get their hands dirty either.
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I recently saw a bunch of horribly misshapen craftsman ball peens at Sears which Vaughan would never put their name on, but craftsman must currently have some very loose quality specifications. ( I've even seen craftsman and Vaughan versions of the same hammer at my local ace, and the Vaughn was miles ahead in quality )
It doesn't have anything to do with this, but you just reminded me of it.
 
cityofthesouth said:
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.
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Ah, I couldn't ask you to do that!
 
Bigfatts said:
Ah, I couldn't ask you to do that!
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You'll likely regret not taking him up on his very generous offer and not getting an example of his awesome work 😉 at the very least you could get a real fat hatchet or axe handle that he could carve it out of.
 
Hickory n steel said:
You'll likely regret not taking him up on his very generous offer and not getting an example of his awesome work 😉 at the very least you could get a real fat hatchet or axe handle that he could carve it out of.
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Keep on twisting my arm...
 
I'll call it a standing offer.

Cool find on the Keen Kutter pic. You accidentally started a very interesting thread and everyone appreciates that. I do think you guys are onto something though because my Wards had a hint of blue paint that looked awfully even around the lower 1/3rd and it looks like all these hatchets had octagonal handles. The Wards axes I have (several) are all very well made so wouldn't come as a surprise to me that a good company was responsible for their production. I tend to associate octagonal handles with Keen Kutter but that doesn't mean much of anything.
 
That is one sweet hatchet.
I love cleaning up rusty axe heads. Just never know what's under that rust.
 
Bigfatts said:
Holy crap, I missed the link. Great googley-moogley. Beautiful and expensive.
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!!!!! I second that notion. I note the "14-1/2" inch handle. Mine is exactly 13-1/2", ad says 12" ....................... :\ It certainly HAS a handle. :p Based on more pics and the handle that was on mine, I do think you could make something pretty close from a hardware store find. Maybe not exact but pretty close. I just thought the drawing had a neat look to it.
 
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