This guy was hard on handles.....

[gben]

These were all sitting in a pile at an estate sale, purchased from the deceased's son. All in very good condition except the handles on all four are snapped in two. It looks like he used an axe, broke the handle fairly quickly, threw it in storage and bought another whole axe to use. A True-Temper Vulcan DB and masonry hammer,, a Dunlop SB and a no-name SB.

 

[SC T100]

Agreed about being hard on the handle, but it doesn't look like it was primarily from overstrike damage judging from the lack of damage under the bits (or I just can't see it that well). Using them as pry tools maybe? Either way that's a great set of axes...good find!

 

[markv]

elbow grease and some stout hickory , you're good to go.
by the way, i try to save what's left of the handles for wedges. you can also make Fids and other good wooden things from the Hickory .
i have a single bit like yours with the short handle. came to me that way. i know axes were sometimes cut down for close-in work like carving and splitting.

nice

buzz

 

[Chignecto Woodsman]

Grain runout? Doesn't really look like it, but hard to tell from a photo. Heads look good anyway.

 

[bbforstr]

Handles break. Nice find.

 

[300Six]

The fellow wasn't necessarily hard on handles; chances are this is a 30-40 year accumulation of axes. Obviously he couldn't be bothered to fix them. And similarly likely he never learned how to judge grain on handles when making purchases. I see what looks to be runout break on one and perpendicular grain break on another. Maybe a porcupine gnawed the end off the last one, he drove his truck over it or he deliberately shortened it.

 

[Square_peg]

We thrive on the fact that men like this owner couldn't be bothered to re-handle an axe but wouldn't throw them away either. That's why there are so many great vintage axe heads out there.

I love this guy!

 

[cityofthesouth]

We thrive on the fact that men like this owner couldn't be bothered to re-handle an axe but wouldn't throw them away either. That's why there are so many great vintage axe heads out there.

I love this guy!

Ha! That's what I think too. He may have been hard on handles but it looks like he wasn't very hard on axes. Good deal.

 

[AreBeeBee]

A gallon of vinegar and you're on your way —

 

[gben]

All the handles came out easily except the no-name head has a big steel wedge in it and I will probably have to do some drilling to get it out, not that I will ever get to it. I usually am not interested in no-name axe heads at all, but these were a quarter each so I figured it was worth that much in scrap just about.
I have never done anything as fancy as vinegar to an axe head, I usually just scrape them with a putty knife, wire-brush them and sharpen them and call it done.

I like the Dunlap head because it looks older, and because it is not a Plumb or Kelly/True-Temper, which seem to be ninety-percent of the marked axes laying around....

 

[Square_peg]

Dunlap was Sears' bargain brand. Still a good axe - maybe great by today's standards. Just not top shelf by historic standards. Dunlap eventually replaced the Fulton line but for a time Sears sold all three lines. This photo is taken from the Fall-Winter 1938-39 catalog.

 

[Square_peg]

Here's another photo from the Fall-Winter 1942-43 catalog.

 

[AreBeeBee]

Those prices! Well, it was the Depression.

 

[gben]

Thanks for your efforts Square.....!

 

[pjwoolw]

Those pieces look like some of the tools my family had when I was youngster. The electrical tape wrap was a common sight.

Nice find for sure! Those will clean up nicely and become useful tools again.