Quick question - A hole in head

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parasloth

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Dec 16, 2014
Messages
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I've been seeing a few heads on fleabay - mostly pulaskis - with a horizontal hole drilled through the handle end of the body. I figured it was common somewhere to add a bit more security. Then I saw a Hudson Bay pattern with a hole! What is this and does it affect the actual head strength in any way - couldn't imagine it did.

 
I've only seen one out of the many that I have seen, but it was just like that. It was a Connecticut pattern.
 
I suspect that you're dealing with a very skewed sample. Wood is 'alive' and efforts to contain/constrain (retaining pins) it's movement are due to naive Public Service agents looking to liability-cover their asses, and chopping contest officials that want utmost assurance that furious choppers don't suddenly lose their heads.
 
I can't imagine it does that much to remedy a poor-fitting hang.

On the other hand, wouldn't figure it does much of anything to the integrity of the head itself.

Here is a pulaski I picked up with the same "pin hole". It's really clean like it was done with a machine and maybe not by the end user.



Probably what 300six was saying. Extra safety insurance - "insurance" being the operative word.

Personally, not a fan of the pinning hole solely for cosmetic reasons. I have two pickaroons and they both have the holes - one with the pin still intact. On the pickaroons, my assumption was that it was because you are pulling the tool as much, if not more, than applying lateral force like with an axe. There is also a lot less material in contact with the handle. Maybe someone thought along those lines with the Hudson Bay?

Might have been something common in an area or during a stint of years where "safety/liability" was of high priority. Maybe some were ordered that way?

Wondered the same thing but these are guesses. The hole wouldn't stop me from picking up a user though.
 
I think at some point the roll pin is/was required by the USFS for axes, or something of that nature, just how they have gone back and forth on wedge material I think they have done the same with the roll pin.
 
I found a double bit keen kutter with a hole and pin in it and my grandpa's keen kutter boys axe has a pin in it. Not sure if that was factory or not.
 
Interesting...especially the liability part. Now that I brought the question up I'm seeing them more :(
 
It wouldn't surprise me at all if there was a time and place (or a forestry regulation or whatever) that said you had to add a pin. It makes sense to me for something like a grub-hoe or pickaroon that might get used around water (we used pickaroons for ripping beaver-dams) as the wood gets a bit more swell/shrink happening. maybe for axes that were stored inside and then used out in the cold?
 
Several years ago, I got a 3.5 pound head from Mike Stewart at BRK&T that had a hole drilled through it like that. We were playing around with it around the same time he did that run of tiny Vaughan hatchets and I believe the idea was to provide some extra security.

All I know is that I beat the snot out of that axe until I snapped the handle off well below the head and driving that pin out in addition to the usual messing around required to remove wood from the eye was a step too much for me and that head is sitting in the garage just waiting for the day I get some more patience. :D

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