Old Spiller Axe

David Stifle

David Stifle

Joined
Nov 20, 2008
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Hi Guys, I received an old axhead as a gift a while back, and wanted to show you how it came out. It's a great little user, and I enjoy having it around.
 

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Very nice. They make a great axe.

Also, any markings on it? There may be a date unless it was worn off. I think it's on the underside of the poll.
 
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Nice to see and hear about classic old implements that have cheerfully been resurrected. You could easily have done like so many others and bought into an upscale Yuppie-Hipster-niche product (which might be OK quality-wise but hugely expensive) but instead you went with the "real thing". There is no comparison with boutique goodies and vintage implements that were designed and built for work during the era before the advent of the chainsaw.
 
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Chignecto Woodsman said:
Very nice. They make a great axe.

Also, any markings on it? There may be a date unless it was worn off. I think it's on the underside of the poll.
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No date, there is only the number "2" on the underside of the poll. I don't have it in front of me, but it does have the markings of Spillor, town, and State. Sure wish it had a date, but doubt if the guys back then even thought of that.
 
300Six said:
Nice to see and hear about classic old implements that have cheerfully been resurrected. You could easily have done like so many others and bought into an upscale Yuppie-Hipster-niche product (which might be OK quality-wise but hugely expensive) but instead you went with the "real thing". There is no comparison with boutique goodies and vintage implements that were designed and built for work during the era before the advent of the chainsaw.
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It's a pleasure to use, my friend. Light, fast, sharp, and really, really holds it's edge. I would take it anywhere with me and depend on it to do the job!
 
It should be "Spiller" with an 'e' if it's from Oakland, Maine. My double-bits have a number, 46 and 55. The 55 has a P stamp as well which leads to the thought that the number refers to 1955. Some manufacturers used a number for the smith though.
 
Chignecto Woodsman said:
It should be "Spiller" with an 'e' if it's from Oakland, Maine. My double-bits have a number, 46 and 55. The 55 has a P stamp as well which leads to the thought that the number refers to 1955. Some manufacturers used a number for the smith though.
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Spiller? The stamp is a bit hard to read, I'll have to take another look, this time with my glasses on. And yes, it does say Oakland, Me. I believe. Since this is a single bit, do you have any ideas what the number 2 stamped on the poll means?
 
Yep, Spiller. Some of us believe these are one of the very best manufacturers, and they forged the old way with a forged high-carbon bit right up until the end.

There are some Maine axe experts who would know better than me, but I would say check if the number is off-center. If it is, then perhaps the stamp wasn't done perfectly or the other number just wore off. Even minor dirt can really obscure a stamp. I doubt that '2' would stand for '1902', so it could be the number for the smith.

My single-bit is worn off but my Emerson and Stevens has a 36 stamp. I believe we discussed this before here and that these axes generally had a stamp for the date. But there's a lot of information on here to remember, so let's wait to see what a better historian tells us.

Some nice old photos of the shop here:
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mecoakla/Maine Memories Article.pdf
 
David Stifle said:
Hi Guys, I received an old axhead as a gift a while back, and wanted to show you how it came out. It's a great little user, and I enjoy having it around.
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Dave nice looking old axe,is that a wrought iron body with a steel blade?
 
Normally the 2 would be stamped on the side rather than the underside of the poll. But maybe they did it differently in this year or size? Don't see why they would, but maybe.
 
Scott Hanson said:
Dave nice looking old axe,is that a wrought iron body with a steel blade?
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Yes, Scott. The demarcation line is very clear. I don't now how hard they tempered it to, but it's sharp, and remains sharp even after a good workout. I chopped a heck of a lot of wood with it a while back.
 
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