Is this a house axe or boys axe?

[rockman0]

Got this Hibbard head recently, it measures 6 1/4" long with a 3 3/16" Wide Bit and weighs in at 2 lbs. 5.2 oz. *The Eye measures 1 11/16" X 5/8"
I just received some hafts from HH the boys tongue measures 2 3/16 x 3/4. Seems like a lot of wood to take off. I just don't want to hang it on the wrong size haft.

 

[Square_peg]

Maybe neither. Typical house axe has the same size eye as a boys axe. You've got an oddball there. By the size and weight of the head I'd call it a boys axe.

 

[jblyttle]

This is such a gray area. I can only give my experience. Usually large camp axe/large hatchet type heads are about the same size and weighs as a boy's axe head but with a smaller eye. Some call a 1.75-2.25lb large hatchet a house axe. Others think of them as more like full sized heads on large hatchet sized handles. In my experience, bigger eyes. I ordered a House Handle house axe handle (say that fast) and it fit a standard full sized axe head perfectly.

I have also found that most American made Dayton pattern boy's axe heads have an almost exactly 4 inch edge, and that the similar large hatchet heads are more like 3.5-3.75". Based on the edge that you describe I would call it a large hatchet.

 

[garry3]

House sells there house axe handle based on the Plumb house axe. Stanley also made what they called a house axe(probably others also), it fit a large hatchet handle.

The head that you have can probably go either way. The one that I have that looks identical to yours I pulled off a boys handle but it was not an original haft. Mine is still a work in progress as I am still shaping the bit(good steel).
I tried it on different hafts after you made this thread. It fits a large hatchet handle the best but would need to be seated further down on the shoulder because my eye is on the wide side. If I was going to put it on a hatchet handle I would take the head with me to the hardware store to get the widest eyed hatchet handle I could find.



My eye is pretty close to the dimensions you posted.

Does yours look like this?

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Boys axes are everywhere but two plus pound hatchets are not. I don't care what you call them I like them a lot on a 18" haft. :thumbup:

The other Hibbard boys axe I have is a regular sized boys axe eye. Longer but narrower than this one.

 

[garry3]

If your eye shape is like this one you won't be removing as much material as it looks because most all of it will be from the point if you go with a boys handle.

 

[rockman0]

Here's pics with it beside an 18" hatchet haft and a 28" boys haft. I'm with you Garry, I think the 18" is the way to go. Won't take much work to get it to slip right on the 18. Appreciate everyone posting up your thoughts.

 

[rockman0]

After going back to the HH website I noticed the House handle is 19" but with a eye size of 13/16 × 2 7/16 and the 28" boys handle has an eye size of 3/4 × 2 3/16. So the house handle is just a short handle for a full size head as all of their longer single bit handles have the same eye size.
Here's a pic of the group I got in recently, since I decided to put this Hibbard on the 18" the only haft I don't have a head for is the boys handle.
I like how the haft for the carpenter head has some heart wood one one side.