Large French axe

[I'mSoSharp]

I picked up this monster today along with two similar heads, still researching them but I believe they are French.

12" tall & 10" bit!

 

[Park Swan]

whoa...cool

 

[300Six]

It'll be difficult to mess up be-heading chickens, turkeys and geese on the chopping block with this brute! And it surely will impress the neighbours too.

 

[Agent_H]

I like it. Pretty neat score - pics of the others by any chance?

 

[Square_peg]

I love it! It has enough eye to be durable. Many French axes don't.

 

[I'mSoSharp]

It'll be difficult to mess up be-heading chickens, turkeys and geese on the chopping block with this brute! And it surely will impress the neighbours too.

Someone has suggested an executioners axe.......

I like it. Pretty neat score - pics of the others by any chance?

Thanks & yep.

I love it! It has enough eye to be durable. Many French axes don't.

The others aren't quite as chunky as you can see.

The loose haft removed, it's going back after a bit of a clean. Below the name on the hafted one, haven't worked out what it says yet. Any ideas?

Below the smallest one.

 

[Agent_H]

Thanks for the pictures of all three ImSoSharp.

These from a French tool forum. There are sub-sections quite a bit like BF and the characters that post there seem familiar to those we have here lol. These catalog scans have been posted here before but you might use this to find a size/pattern like the axes you picked up. Or just to get a better idea as to what they were designed for.

Here is the home page. Speaking/Reading French can to help with navigation but Google translate can finish it off for someone interested.
http://www.forum-outils-anciens.com/index.php

That one looks to be Saut Du Tarn:
Discussions:
http://www.forum-outils-anciens.com/t6387-Hache-estampill-e-creuset-saut-du-tarn.htm
History:
http://www.musee-saut-du-tarn.com/page-presentation-1.php

If you search Talabot axe there are examples but many pictures come from a site that I refuse to use pictures from or cite.

*One of the guys on the Old Tools site seems sure the numbers on these were the date and not the weight.

I can't make out the one mark on the bigger one. Cursive is usually supposed to reflect handwriting or someone's signature - maker or higher quality line?



Those are pretty neat whatever they are.

 

[flexo]

the two without handle look like South auvergne pattern, axes for scieurs de long, sawyers , one is made in saut du tarn well known french corner of steel in very South of France

 

[Agent_H]

Thank you Flexo, I couldn’t find the axes that these reminded me of that were shared here until you posted :thumbup:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1351140-Old-European-axes

I think there are some examples in this thread?
http://www.forum-outils-anciens.com/t8496-hache-de-charpentier.htm

 

[Steve Tall]

Those pages (and more) from that Bret catalog (listed as c. 1920) can be downloaded at this site, and some pages from a Talabot catalog are available there as well:

http://billhooks.co.uk/catalogues/french/

 

[Agent_H]

Thank you Steve.

 

[I'mSoSharp]

Thank you very much Agent H, flexo & Steve Tall.
A forum at it's best, knowledgeable people who are genourous & helpful :thumbup:

I will look through the links provided, thank you all.

I should have added, the hafted one with the as yet unidentified mark has the mark what I would call upsidedown (in the image the bit is to the top) in the same place on both sides.
The middle size one as yet I can't see a mark.

 

[I'mSoSharp]

I've made the best job I can of securing the haft which I wanted to save back in the heaviest head, & made a haft for one of the other heads, Rowen wood I think.

Pictured with an old wild Olive handled hatchet.

A distinct line where high carbon is joined to low carbon steel.

The curved handle is just what I felt like making for fun & won't be used, it wasn't based on anything. Now I'm thinking about what to do with the last head which is actually the largest though not as heavy as the one that has the straight haft.

 

[Agent_H]

Pretty neat stuff there Imsosharp!

Not something I'm likely to find around here for sure.

 

[I'mSoSharp]

Pretty neat stuff there Imsosharp!

Not something I'm likely to find around here for sure.

Thank you.

Sadly they're so heavy postage would be a bit prohibitive too.

 

[Beachlogger]

I like the eyes of European axes, they allow for a meaty eye

 

[flexo]

Forge Serrurerie EUGENE FROUSTEY taillanderie Quincaillerie Outillage . Mimizan Landes (40)

i found this, may be the maker retailer or relative...

 

[I'mSoSharp]

Thanks Flexo. I'm not able to find much axe related under the name you posted but I' m not the greatest when it comes to searches.....

The name on the axe could easily be "Froustey E" not easy to say, it's stamped deep but not clear.

 

[jblyttle]

I'd like to learn what size and shape handle would be corect and original for this head. Also, which way is up? I'm very unfamiliar with these.

 

[Agent_H]

I'mSoSharp - you might be able find out something about your axes reading through this site:

http://www.forum-outils-anciens.com/f83-Les-Haches-Doloires.htm


JBlyttle,

Taken from this thread:
http://www.forum-outils-anciens.com/t7169-une-collection.htm

Here is a thread from that same site that is kind of like our “It followed my home” (about 250 pages deep):
Bruxelles - "Vieux Marché" - Clins d'oeil
(Brussels - "Old Market" - Winks )
http://www.forum-outils-anciens.com/t5308-Bruxelles-Vieux-March-Clins-d-oeil.htm

One of their members regularly posts catalog scans of Old World makers but I can’t seem to find it at the moment.

Google translate is your friend and sometimes your worse enemy.