It followed me home (Part 2)

I picked this up out of the dirt at the scrapyard and paid a couple of bucks for it. If this isn't a Maine axe then I have never seen one. It' is a 2.75lb Connecticut, and although I feel like I should know the maker, it is eluding me at the moment. It looks and feels like an Emerson & Stevens, but the logo is different. I have a House Handles 28" straight handle waiting for this one.





 
Went to a few garage sales today and struck out on the axes. These followed me home for five bucks though.




The crowbar will be going to work with me for demo on remodel projects.

The ball peen is a Pexto in need of a new handle.


The hammer has a partially visible stamp but I am able to make out enough of the stamp to determine it is a Cheney. Not sure the weight but its a large heavy hammer head that measures 7" from face to tip of the claw. The handle will need replacement.
 
jblyttle said:
I picked this up out of the dirt at the scrapyard and paid a couple of bucks for it. If this isn't a Maine axe then I have never seen one. It' is a 2.75lb Connecticut, and although I feel like I should know the maker, it is eluding me at the moment. It looks and feels like an Emerson & Stevens, but the logo is different. I have a House Handles 28" straight handle waiting for this one.

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Emerson and Stevens for sure, could be one of their paper label axe lines?
 
Since there is some hammer talk...

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This almost followed me home. I wasn't sure if it was a hardened tool or display.
 
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jblyttle said:
I picked this up out of the dirt at the scrapyard and paid a couple of bucks for it. If this isn't a Maine axe then I have never seen one. It' is a 2.75lb Connecticut, and although I feel like I should know the maker, it is eluding me at the moment. It looks and feels like an Emerson & Stevens, but the logo is different. I have a House Handles 28" straight handle waiting for this one.





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Witherell went out of business in the 1920's in Oakland Maine. The bits are laminated. I wouldn't call it a Connecticut pattern but rather a Maine Pattern that was later adopted as a Connecticut pattern once patterns became standardized. I have one that's new, never used.

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halfaxe said:
Witherell went out of business in the 1920's in Oakland Maine. The bits are laminated. I wouldn't call it a Connecticut pattern but rather a Maine Pattern that was later adopted as a Connecticut pattern once patterns became standardized. I have one that's new, never used.

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I like seeing that Witherall every time. :thumbup:

JB- is that the one you just set on the 28" handle? Great find and work on that one!

Sometimes I drive to work a different way that I call the “Farm route”. There are several older places that lay out (tastefully I might add) things listed as “free”. Several months ago I claimed the rear tire and wheel well there from an old tractor for a friend of mine who wanted a fire pit made from a semi rim – thought this was one better. I separated the rim from the tire for him but made him take both.

Anyway, the place is interesting and they had a small sign saying “sale” only and a yard full of trucks…

The old-timer there had 3 very large pole-buildings that he just opened up and said make an offer on anything. The field between was full of old tractor parts, rusted out fenders, and stuff that I couldn’t readily identify but in one of the machine shops I found these 3 axes.

Tommy Axe, Lewiston PA Michigan pattern, and this swamping pattern on a handle with no kerf cut in it. I am going to give a go at straightening that one. Haven’t done that before but there is a great thread going on just that subject.
All 3 axes seemed solid and at 5$ a piece he was happy, I was happy.

There were several vises 3.5-4” that he would have parted with for a similar price but I thought of my storage capacity. If you aren’t actively using the vise, they sort of kill a lot of space – tough to stack.


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Felt like a patriotic purchase.
 
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I couldn't pass up this old Master Mechanic axe this afternoon, Picked it up at a local flea market for $4. I snached up a nice brace and bit with a couple of bits for a fair price too, decent day at he flea market.



 
These followed me home today. Got one stamped froe but can't quite make out the stamp yet. The double bit head appears to be unstamped but has good geometry. It might reveal something later when I clean it up. The single bit on the left has ridges in the eye and no visible stamp as of yet but its in good shape. The one on the right is a Warren Old Faithfull that I am very pleased with. Not bad for $18 total.




Edit:
Double bit turned out to have a very faint partial stamp missing the front half of the words:
xxLLINS
xxGITIMUS
Woot! I got me a Collins Legitimus double bit.

The noname single bit with phantom bevels turned out to have a very clear True Temper Kelly Perfect stamp.
I'm very happy with my purchases.

Edit edit: The froe is a Klein Logan & Co out of Pittsburgh.
 
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Very nice scores lately...I struck out the last few times. I thought I had a winner at a flea market in NC when i came upon a pile of rusty axe heads with one nice one. The rusty ones were all beat badly, with cracked and/or warped eyes and sever mushrooming and pitting. None were salvageable without a forge I think. The one nice one....stamped China 3-1/2. I did find some rusty no-names that weren't as badly beat, but weren't great either. Ah well...the search continues!
 
Square_peg said:
A Klein-Logan, an Old Faithful, a Legitimus and a Perfect for $18. What a thief!
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Thief?

I purchased the Legitimus at a swap meet. I could see no visible markings on it and asked the vendor "how much?" He said, "four bucks." I paid the man and didn't even try to talk him down on a rusty old no-name axe head that he didn't even think was very old.

Then we went to a few yard sales and at one I found the Klein-Logan marked down from $5 to $4. I bought it for the price it was marked...well I did get them to toss in a little glass bowl for my wife for free.

At that same yard sale there were many out buildings and I asked about rusty, old and broken axes that might be lying around in some of the buildings. The owner did not want to take me to look around for axes he might have. So I mentioned my interest in rusty old axes to his daughter that was taking the money at the table. She offered to take me to look in the "barn" and wanted to sell me stuff. Eventually her father came out and hunted around and found the Perfect he said I could have for $4. Again that one looked like a no-namer. He inspected the Old Faithful and said he was keeping that one. I offered $10 for the pair and he jumped at it. He told me on two or three occasions that when he breaks an axe handle he just throws the head in the scrap metal pile and takes them to the metal recycler when he has enough metal to fill up the truck. That was the hardest I have ever had to work to purchase a pair of axes. I saved those axes from certain death.

I figure I am an axe savior not a thief! :D:D:D
 
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