No Name asymmetrical DB

T

Tymowens

Joined
Dec 31, 2013
Messages
69
Rummaging in my dad's shed I found a dirty rusty double bit. I haven't weighed it yet but I'm guessing around 2.5 pounds. The handle was not salvageable. I WD-40'd it really good to get the grime and loose rust off. I'll be getting some vinegar tomorrow to give the a bath. As of now I don't see a logo but there could be one in there somewhere. It's very asymmetrical but I don't know if it's been ground or not.

 
One end got a lot more use than the other, and for a long time. Pray that former owner was not in charge of rotating my tires from summer to winter and from side to side.
 
It may not even be worth hanging, but hey it was free! I'll clean it up and decide if it's worth putting on a handle. I have no idea where my dad got it. I remember when he built the shed ~20 years ago and assume the axe has been there since. Who knows where it was before that...
 
I was led to believe, years ago, that double bits featured a thin blade and a thick blade but none I have ever looked at since factory-differed from end to end. Now it could be the user had the option to sharpen one side to a thin delicate edge and leave the other end with a coarse edge for 'dirty' work. Certainly the head you've got seems to support this theory.
 
Yea I have always heard that double bits are "supposed" to be asymmetrical. I've seen pictures of both ways. The more rounded side of this one IS shorter and a little bit thicker at the edge. However I do not know if this was done by the factory. I hit hit with some steel wool and it's starting to look like there are grind marks on both sides from the eye to the edge. Still a lot of rust and patina on there so I'll know more after the vinegar soak tonight.
 
Mr Cody Wranglerstar posted a video on youtube about his Sager Chemical, he claims it is asymmetrical from factory. I feel like he is full of shit about that. Seems like someone just ground that side a little too long compared to the other.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Pa_A4e9U_8
 
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I've seen that video. His does look asymmetrical before he grinds it. However I have no idea if that's how they came from the factory.

Mine is currently soaking in vinegar... We'll see what happens.
 
Double bits were popular regionally for whatever reason (frugal logging company owners bought and supplied them to workers, or maybe workers thought they'd get two axes for the price of one?) but for sure the 'at one time 150 year long' huge Ottawa Valley logging industry didn't adopt or promote them. There are none to be found in and around here. Makes me sort of wonder if they were hula hoops, Slinkies and cabbage patch dolls-fashionable items of the pioneer era.
I do have one (Canadian-made even) but have never seriously used it because it really bugs me to have to face a pointy end no matter how it's wielded.
 
300, I feel the same way about double bits. This is my only one and I really only grabbed it to save it from a life of rusting away. I figured I needed a double bit at some point just to have an adequate "collection". I can't really see my self using a DB... I'm sure there is an application where it is preferred.
 
Guys...DB's really ain't as scary as they seem, it must be a phobia for a few..

I've used DB's my whole life, and never gave a second thought to them until I heard a few on this forum mention it. In my opinion, a DB is the smoothest, most accurate axe one would ever use!
 
After a few hours in the vinegar there isn't looking like a logo is going to appear. One side is still a little worse than the other. What I am starting to see is Not a good sign... Grinder marks on BOTH bits from the eye to the edge but not in the middle of the axe. The marks are vertical and not uniform but also not too deep. Like maybe someone tried to thin the cheeks. I've decided to take it out of the vinegar and just sand it down. Make it look nice and hang it on the wall in my basement.
 
quinton said:
Guys...DB's really ain't as scary as they seem, it must be a phobia for a few..

I've used DB's my whole life, and never gave a second thought to them until I heard a few on this forum mention it. In my opinion, a DB is the smoothest, most accurate axe one would ever use!
Click to expand...

I'm happy to hear that! Perhaps this will tempt me to take more than just a few swings with the one I have. The old girl has been languishing in my possession since 1980 and wasn't remotely new when I got it. It was the Walters stamp that attracted me.
 
I managed to find one in an small town antique shop outside of Calgary. I don't think it is all that antique. It is in great shape and has a "Made in the USA" logo on it. I just can't find a handle for it! Really frustrating. To give our American neighbors a sense of the differences between us and them, this one cost me $60. I see our friends on this sight showing pictures of these things that they are lucky enough to find for $15 to $20. I would like to take a road trip to Mass. or Maine to scout for axes!!
 
300Six said:
I'm happy to hear that! Perhaps this will tempt me to take more than just a few swings with the one I have. The old girl has been languishing in my possession since 1980 and wasn't remotely new when I got it. It was the Walters stamp that attracted me.
Click to expand...

A mediocre "using" DB feels better-balanced than a mediocre "using" SB to me. At the upper end of the quality range, either one is going to be well-balanced. I understand how people can feel about having two edges, but personally the times I've cut myself with an axe it was SB. Whether I take more caution with a DB, I can't really say.

Best advice I've ever heard about walking with a DB in the woods: Cover the bitts, don't carry the axe over your shoulder, and if you're falling or stumbling toss the axe in some direction you're not going to fall on it. For me that's usually straight backward because I almost never fall that way. (And I'm usually by myself so don't have to worry about hitting somebody else.)

The only asymmetrical DBs I've ever seen were as a result of excessive grinding or damage. I've got a nice NOS Walters that will demonstrate two things: DB heads are symmetrical from the factory (or were) and modern axe handles are thick as baseball bats. In new production I've only seen Garant's Chinese heads, GB and one run-of-the-mill Council DB and all of them were symmetrical. Not that we need much support for that observation, but just making sure. :)
 
In my short time here I've seen a couple of comments regarding a fear of a double bit, I don't get it, I've never hit myself in the head, leg or anywhere with either style. If you are using correct form in any use whether it's chopping, felling, limbing, splitting, you won't have an issue.
 
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