USS Constitution Museum Axe Exhibit

[EngrSorenson]

Figured I’d post this here- lots of honorable mentions of the axemen in Georgia logging live oak to make the USS Constitution. Didn’t look like fun to me: the Georgia summer alone would wear me out. They had a sample of live oak and red oak and boy- what a difference. I’m sure that’s tough stuff to put an axe through.

they had a couple ship-builders axes. Unfortunately my 3 year old was done with the museum by the time we got here, so I didn’t have much time to read up, but it looks like live oak was used to make the handle on the right- interesting stuff to be sure.

I figured if I wanted more information, you fine folks would be a fountain. I haven’t seen O Old Axeman around, but something tells me he might know something more about these. So what do you all know?

 

[jake pogg]

It's an interesting subject,i too would like to know more about it.

I imagine that during that period the American shipbuilding would be stemming from predominantly British matrix,just as the Navy itself was being organised along the lines of the British Navy.

The two "mast" axes in that display have a very definite British cast to them.
(curious how both their hafts are designed in accordance with the 42's theory of balancing a long-bladed axe)

Good for you for having visited that historic ship,i'd also like to someday,if ever on the East Coast.

 

[tiguy7]

I have visited the HMS Mary Rose and the HMS Victory in Portsmouth, UK, the USS Constitution in Boston, and the Charles W. Morgan whaling ship in Mystic Seaport, Conn.
Got to admire the old sailor’s ability to endure hardships on crowded wooden ships. My dad served on the Fletcher class Destroyer USS Cassin Young during WWII. It is docked next to Old Ironsides in the Charleston, MA Navy Yard.

 

[jblyttle]

Figured I’d post this here- lots of honorable mentions of the axemen in Georgia logging live oak to make the USS Constitution. Didn’t look like fun to me: the Georgia summer alone would wear me out. They had a sample of live oak and red oak and boy- what a difference. I’m sure that’s tough stuff to put an axe through.

they had a couple ship-builders axes. Unfortunately my 3 year old was done with the museum by the time we got here, so I didn’t have much time to read up, but it looks like live oak was used to make the handle on the right- interesting stuff to be sure.

I figured if I wanted more information, you fine folks would be a fountain. I haven’t seen O Old Axeman around, but something tells me he might know something more about these. So what do you all know?

Colonial ship building was all over my area. I've been on the Constitution, but it's been forever.