ID - old hammer poll tomahawk

Joined
Oct 3, 2020
Messages
48
Hello all,

A very kind gentleman who lives nextdoor to my parents learnt I like restoring old axes. He is a picker and visits yard/garage sales most weekends and always keeps an eye out for axes for me.

Today he bought me an axe which he said he bought for $3 from an 80ish year old lady who said she thought "the axe was twice her age".

The tomahawk has no markings however appears to be blacksmithed from what I can tell.

Does anyone know much about these kinds of tomahawks and what they were made for?

Location found is Queensland Australia.

Thanks guys!




 
I would be inclined to refer to it as a "shingling hatchet".

Plumb ca 1906:
9e8Rohr.jpg


C Hammond ca 1910:
UATCMJQ.jpg


True Temper ca 1938:
r1FawiS.jpg


Cannock ca 1952:
ywrS9ZV.jpg



Bob
 
Interesting 🤔

I was assuming that they were vice marks but now I look again, they are a little deep to be vice marks.

Dull-ish chisel on medium hard steel. You can replicate those marks.

Where they are. Certain area and not all over it. Someone took care of it but still used it. We're they cutting chain or what? And had a hammer along with the hatchet. Plus chain.

It's an interesting piece.
 
And that notch at the bottom of the blade is for pulling nails. You'll see that notch on roofing hammers, too.

I have a relative who restored a similar hatchet (a rigging pattern) and regularly uses it as a camp hatchet.

These are all good hand tools.

Zieg
 
Use that notch on any but the smallest nails, and you’ll break the haft off right below the head. There’s better tools for nail pulling.

Parker
 
I questioned the nail pulling function for a long time. Just not a practical design.
 
I'm a long time nail notch user, it works, it also breaks handles. Is the risk worth the extra few seconds to pull out the cats paw?
I guess most of the time it is to me, life goes on.
 
I see your point Garry, using the notch doesn’t break the handle every time. Maybe this time it’ll be okay.

But there’s lots of leverage acting on the narrow dimension right at the eye, and I never get any warning to back off, it just breaks suddenly.

I might be more nonchalant about a commercial handle, but a hand carved one with several hours of work in it seems more special. So I walk out to the truck and get the nippers.

I also don’t pry hinge pins out with the tip of my pocketknife. I could, and retipping it would take less time than carving a new hatchet handle, but I don’t.

Parker
 
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