Old Collins Hatchet restore

OutdoorEnvy said:
Thanks guys



Thanks filedog, yeah 1 1/4lb head and 14" Link handle. I wouldn't buy Link handles unless you can hand pick it though. More seem to have unacceptable flaws then not, but the wood is very dense and good from my experience.
Click to expand...

Roger that. Of the 6 or 8 I looked at closely, about half had poor grain orientation. I did like the shape though.
 
Ok, it's a bit myopic but fits the specific matter at hand, that is use of hickory wood for a handle, but one of the points anyway, about the origins of our framework of understanding, is clear enough. Going along with the assumptions, and the way I read, it's a way of saying that these rules were the culmination of all the proceeding accumulated knowledge, a pretty good source of legitimacy for me. This can be looked at against the conclusions of say the US government service, if that is your source of legitimacy.

E.DB.
 
I do find it interesting that by far and away, the greatest leaps in axe "technology" took place in America, at the time being land of immigrants and a convergence point for all sort of cultural anti-culture mentalities. The stifler who were happy with their grapes, milk, and flat faced axes were the ones who stayed in Europe. It was when the cultural veil of that "culmination of knowledge" was lifted that improvements were made, I think. That is not to say that that process is a useless one, I don't think it is. But it depends on individual and cultural rigidity. And individual progression of ideas and and eventually culmination is, I think, a more useful process than a cultural one, which lacks the adaptability and intelligence to really bring it to the point where something like this needs to be.

I think its mainly the culmination of knowledge in a 50 or 100 year span, with a very important omission in way of the time where nobody wrote about it prior to that span, because it would have been like writing about a tooth brush, or how to walk. You just did it at the time as a matter of course.
 
Well, that is quite a sweeping statement, and it could be seen as even somewhat selfserving. Another way of looking at it could be the greatest homoginization of axe technology, the greatest commodification, and the greatest commercialization. Certainly the democratization made way for some unique contributions.

In fact, how far the attempt is made to capture knowledge by embedding it in writen form can be a good guage of how static, useless, and impotent it has become. You deserve a slap on the back Eric.


E.DB.
 
Simply put, looking forward there aren't any axes made outside of North America which I would "want" given the future I anticipate. and I'm someone who puts emphasis on method and try not to have a tool-centric view of anything.

Not that I liked American culture then (or now), but it did yield some results in way of making most of the best tools ever produced, most things considered insofar as that goes. Might as well take advantage of that, given that the era is over, most of the tools are rusting away in garages and dumps, and the "stars" will never align in such a way again (probably).
 
There was a combination of factors which drove the American axe industry. First was the largest increase in industrial lumber production that the world had ever seen. The crosscut saw and the axe cleared North America. The shear number of work hours spent with an axe was bound to lead to improvements in the tool. A slight improvement in a tool multiplied by thousands of hours of use provided a strong economic incentive to innovation. And this is taking place just as new processes for manufacturing steel are taking root. At this same time is the Industrial Revolution. It was the perfect convergence of events to drive innovation in the axe industry.

Then on another parallel track there was the great expansion across North America. Tens of thousands of families were moving out West and homesteading. This was the other half of the great demand for axes and this group had slightly different needs/expectations from their axes. While industry was focused on felling, the homesteader needed his axe for everything. There was land to clear, fences to build, firewood to split, homes and barns to build. Away from the markets of the cities these people were reliant on themselves for their daily needs. If you needed some object you likely made it yourself out of wood, and maybe also with a few parts from the town blacksmith. These axes needed to be multi-purpose tools.

But what tied these two parallel courses together was the shear number of hours of axe work being done. That alone was bound to lead to innovation.
 
It's about chopping here, right? Chopping down trees, chopping up trees with these axes that effectively ejected wood chips, this is about the scope of it I gather from the contributions up till now unless someone would be willing to specify. No doubt about it, the American chopper was a heck-of-a-good one. But I can easily think of another group, another clique, another culture reliant on the axe who took it to of a refined enough point to do some impressive work building boats among other things - they are called the vikings.

E.DB.
 
To me, more along the lines of necessity. In an era of inevitable de-growth, building great ships is less of an agenda than the efficient application of the axe as a replacement for methods currently in use (chainsaws, hydraulic splitters, tree felling machines). Not going to be carving a boat with a chainsaw either (although a well shaped American axe probably wouldn't do too badly).

A flat faced axe would suffice if the method is changed to fit it. Perhaps coppicing for firewood being an example. I would much rather have that than a stone axe, or no axe at all. But since right now you can effectively take your choice of any axe, as well as a plethora of other tools (scythes, hoes, shovels, chisels, etc) I don't see the point in being too picky about that.
 
When the time comes, I think I go down to France. They've also got nice axes there.
This is the only French axe, that I know of, I own.


E.DB.
 
/\/\ froe. I guess its called a flag pattern, or something like that. Been out of the tool loop for a little while.
 
It is more often than not mistaken as a froe because of the appearance at a glance. I wouldn't consider a froe to match a single criteria of what constitutes an axe is though, other than is has a handle like that.
There is no translation as far as I know, so I'll just use the French which is coutre and it is obscure member of the axe family though my no means obsolete and, like every other tool ever thought up and made use of, still in production. I could order a new one today and it would be here next week if I wanted but this one is working out fine for now.

E.DB.
 
Quick question in regards to OP or others: Whats the production timeline for that paint/sticker style? I picked up it's twin, less beat dirty with a better sticker. I'm torn on taking away from the original look, even has the handle. Anyone give me more info on this? Only thing done to it looks like someone beveled the poll a bit. That's blue paint on the 's' in Collins.



 
Irongun324 said:
Quick question in regards to OP or others: Whats the production timeline for that paint/sticker style? I picked up it's twin, less beat dirty with a better sticker. I'm torn on taking away from the original look, even has the handle. Anyone give me more info on this? Only thing done to it looks like someone beveled the poll a bit. That's blue paint on the 's' in Collins.
Click to expand...

Their current production is Mexico, with shaped, not turned hafts. I'd guess some of the last USA line. Looks great to me, I sure wouldn't refurb it.
Just a good sharpening and wipe down with some oil. I'd put the effort into a leather sheath.
 
Yeah I was pretty sure it wasn't Mexico make. Was this sticker used on a broad range of years? I see it pretty frequently.
 
They moved to Lewistown, PA in 1966 when Collins was bought out my Mann. They're good axes and good handles. The cheeks tended to get a little slimmer on the Lewistown Collins axes.
 
Ernest DuBois said:
When the time comes, I think I go down to France. They've also got nice axes there.
This is the only French axe, that I know of, I own.


E.DB.
Click to expand...
Come on now Ernest. You going to tell use its use aren't you?
I do enjoy the contributions you have brought to this forum.:thumbup:
 
Oh, shit, I hadn't thought about that part. Yes then, one who uses it is the cooper for trimming the staves in one way or the other. I'm not so sure though because the particular technique is definitely not widespread.
The other one to use it is the shingle maker which is what I am more familiar with, (it's one thing I do you see, now and then), to trim the edges of the shingles and shave the faces.

I also enjoy taking part. A lot of good axe spirit here.

E.DB.
 
Nice find Irongun324, that one is in great shape. I would definitely keep it all original being that good.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top