SWEDISH hatchet I.D.

[MichaelRhodes]

Hi everyone. I am a new collector of wood working tools. This hatchet belonged to my grandfather. The logo is a capital "G" with a square around it and just below is says "MADE IN SWEDEN" the handle says "MADE IN FINLAND" and it came with a "WELLAND VALE" sheath. If anyone could tell me the brand or something about it that would be great. THANK YOU.


[URL=http://s144.photobucket.com/user/mjrhodes86/media/IMG_0468_zpsb23a5ef8.jpg.html]

 

[wdmn]

Interesting mix of nations.

Those who know more will correct me where I'm wrong.

The G was possibly at one time GB for Gransfors Bruk, the B having been worn down. There are definitely other camping axes like this from Sweden usually either unmarked, or else marked GB or HB (Hults Bruk). In fact there's an active thread now called "to handle or not to..." with several pictures of similar models.

Can't tell you anything about the handle.

The sheath company Welland Vale was a Canadian axe manufacturer operating out of St. Catharines Ontario (if you search the forum for Welland Vale you will get a good background on the company's history). Given that it's stamped True Temper you can date the sheath from sometime after 1950 when Welland Vale was purchased by True Temper.

A start anyway...

 

[300Six]

The handle looks to be original. Many companies outsource handles (and Finland isn't that far from Sweden) or ship only the heads to a final destination for hafting by the distributor. The German Iltis OxHeads I've seen in my area over the years have Canadian-made/USA-sourced hickory on them.