Valašska Shepherd's Axe

rjdankert

rjdankert

Joined
Mar 10, 2011
Messages
2,646
Shepherd's axes go by many names (see:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shepherd's_axe). A few days ago I received a Valasška from the Slovak Republic.

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Here is the Google translated description:

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From: https://www.tomahawk.shop/sk/valaska-pohronsky-typ.html

I ordered mine without any upgrades/extras.

And no, I don't have any livestock.


Bob

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That is cool Bob! Can I ask how long it took to get from the Slovak Republic to you? Is the 24.5 the shipping?

Anyway, your new "walking stick" looks capable of giving marching orders to your others :)
 
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Thanks Agent_H, actual shipping time was under two weeks. However I first made contact with them on Oct 31. You can't specify shipping to the U. S. on their site. So we went back and forth through emails (price, options, etc.). Then they order it to be made. I would guess the 24.5 represents the cost to the post office. Part of that is cut off in the picture, it actually is "24.50 EUR". The shipping and handling fee was 50 Euros.


Bob
 
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That's really cool.

Are you going to actually take a few swings with it? Realizing the long haft will have limitations I don't think I could resist taking a few whacks with it.
 
Square_peg said:
. . .
Are you going to actually take a few swings with it? Realizing the long haft will have limitations I don't think I could resist taking a few whacks with it.
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Thanks, YES.

I bought it to use as a walking aid with the function of a small axe. Nothing fancy, but not a toy or display piece is my hope.


Bob
 
Cracking a bear or wolf in the head or spine several times with it, while trying not to hurt one of your good dogs was what this was used for. Surely beats using a big stick for the same purpose..

It's called a "fokos" in Hungary, "baltag" in Romania, and can be found in other parts of Europe as well. This tells me it did work. As well as the fact that they banned these in some places :).

Light chopping was another use as well. Basically, a tomahawk on a long haft.
 
I like it, I like it a lot. Some thing like this could easily be fashioned from an axe with " issues " , an axe head with a big chip out of the toe or heal. Hmm going to go thru my junk pile, lol
 
Southern Poland too. Carpathian mountians anyway.
Several folkdances were created with this axe an integral part of the action.

Its staggering the jumps & syncronised flailing about some of these dancers can do without clobbering each other. I expect one can find Youtubes of guys dancing these things.
 
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Beachlogger said:
What is the over all lenth?
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I would say it's really up to the user what length they want. I can only speak to where mine came from and the intended use. These are their standard OAL lengths:

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Their recommendations are equivalent to the length one would choose when selecting a walking cane. If you Google "cane" you will find similar information relating cane length to a person's height. Some sites will give a length according to the distance from the floor to some place on your hand/wrist. In my case my arms are longer than the average person of the same height.


Bob
 
In searching on eBay I see a few with many rings attached to one side, does anyone know what they were used for?
 
Forging a fokos
[video=youtube;w3dW8-neJE4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3dW8-neJE4[/video]


Bob
 
@ Shappa, beautiful job on that axe head. Have you put a handle on it yet? Do you carve a curve to fit the finger groove in the handle?
 
Dangit, you're really reviving my desire for a slim hiking axe... like a cane or walking stick with a skinny tomahawk head on it.
 
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