older craftsman axe eye thickness question

[tommytman]

So I got into trying to restore a few old axes for fun. The craftsman axe in question has one side of the eye thinner than the other. Here is a picture from the top of the head:

Here is from the bottom:

Is the eye wall to thin or am I worrying for nothing? I looked at a few pictures of other vintage craftsman axes and saw similar things. The inside of these heads has a step in it as you go from the bottom of the eye to the top such that the diameter of the eye oval is larger at the top of the head. I imagine this is to help the head stay on the handle.
At any rate, am i worrying for nothing?

 

[jake pogg]

At any rate, am i worrying for nothing?

I'd say yes,probably.(Though it's good to pay attention to details of the head,and very rightly you do so).

One of the characteristics of old axes is how thin(and elegant) the sides of the eye are.

This one wasn't slit ideally as far as centering,but it's not an issue with hafting and using the tool.

And yes,that eye probably has a waist,and flares just a tad more towards the top,that is indeed for wedging it on it's haft.

 

[jake pogg]

The inside of these heads has a step in it as you go from the bottom of the eye to the top

That "step" is from the slitting(and drifting,same tool in this particular case i'd say)process:The forging was slit with a chisel-like tool from the top And the bottom,and where the slightly worn factory tooling didn't meet up exactly,that small ridge got flattened against the sides by subseqient drifting-shaping from the inside-action.

 

[tommytman]

Thanks