What did you rehang today?

An old hand or drop forged Wedgeway/Morley Bros. This is the first nice axe I've restored and I really tried to take my time with it. There was a lot of rust and pitting when I first got it so the project was pretty time consuming. Handle is a 32" from House Handle.

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mhutch said:
An old hand or drop forged Wedgeway/Morley Bros. This is the first nice axe I've restored and I really tried to take my time with it. There was a lot of rust and pitting when I first got it so the project was pretty time consuming. Handle is a 32" from House Handle.
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Nice axe, have not seen that mark before. And, nice Michigan! Is it wide? The second pic makes it look like a Connie.
 
No pics at the moment, but a few weeks ago I hung a nice Collins 2 1/2 lb I found tossed in a camp fire pit on a nearly new hickory handle picked up for $1 at the local architectural salvage place. Seems it was tossed in as the fire was dieing out - temper is still good!

A few months before that I hung an unmarked ~2 1/2 lb from the goodwill on a short ash handle imade from a reclaimed pallet board.
 
hutch, nice job. I don't know who made that axe for wedgeway(do you?) but it reminds me of a Plumb. Really nice.
 
jblyttle said:
Nice axe, have not seen that mark before. And, nice Michigan! Is it wide? The second pic makes it look like a Connie.
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garry3 said:
hutch, nice job. I don't know who made that axe for wedgeway(do you?) but it reminds me of a Plumb. Really nice.
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I'm not sure who manufactured the axe either. I did some research on the Morley Bros. hardware suppliers but I don't believe they ever manufactured any axes themselves.

I'd call it a Michigan pattern but it is pretty wide. The bit was more curved than that when I got it and the toe is still too far back for my preferences but I flattened it out as much as I felt I could without taking off too much metal. Since I'd never handled an old axe much I wasn't familiar with the old American style of high centerline, convexed-cheek heads. So initially I thought it was way too thick but after learning a little more about that style I guess it made sense. And being that this axe was from the northern midwest where it could have been used primarily for big hardwoods the thickness of the bit makes sense now.
 
Hacked said:
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That looks nice, and familiar. Is it hatchet sized? I have one with an identical looking head and am interested in where it comes from/who makes it. Know anything about it? Could you post a top down shot of the head?
 
jblyttle said:
That looks nice, and familiar. Is it hatchet sized? I have one with an identical looking head and am interested in where it comes from/who makes it. Know anything about it? Could you post a top down shot of the head?
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Thank you, I actually know exactly what ax you are talking about. You posted a thread about an interesting ax you had come across a while back. I had offered to post a picture of this head prior to hanging it as it looked to be the same as yours. It's an odd one. The weight on my fish scale was about 1 lbs 12 oz the eye was definitely in the boys axe range as are most of the other dimensions. The eye itself was imperfect in such a way that it almost came across as hand forged, while the rest of the head was very uniform minus the obvious rough finish. I opted to hang mine on a 19" house ax handle as it came to me head only.

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Unfortunately I don't have any additional information about the origins of this ax. If I recall someone in your thread had stated that they purchased one as military surplus decades ago. I have seen similar surplus ax heads so I see this as the most likely possibility.
 
Hacked said:
Thank you, I actually know exactly what ax you are talking about. You posted a thread about an interesting ax you had come across a while back. I had offered to post a picture of this head prior to hanging it as it looked to be the same as yours. It's an odd one. The weight on my fish scale was about 1 lbs 12 oz the eye was definitely in the boys axe range as are most of the other dimensions. The eye itself was imperfect in such a way that it almost came across as hand forged, while the rest of the head was very uniform minus the obvious rough finish. I opted to hang mine on a 19" house ax handle as it came to me head only.

Unfortunately I don't have any additional information about the origins of this ax. If I recall someone in your thread had stated that they purchased one as military surplus decades ago. I have seen similar surplus ax heads so I see this as the most likely possibility.
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Close, but not the same. Mine is 1lb 6oz including the handle, also seems like a thinner bit, and the poll shape is different. Mine tapers in. I can buy the surplus idea, but I don't think that mine is American surplus. Ah well, maybe I'll learn, maybe I wont. I'm trying carving with this one.



 
Interesting, the poll on mine was a little mushroomed so that could have obscured the original shape. Your poll looks longer, and mine wider. If you don't mind me asking what is the size of the eye on yours? Its almost like mine is the boys Axe size and yours a hatchet. One thing's for sure they are quite similar. Good luck with the carving, I've used another hatchet I have for roughing out some work. It can be a lot of fun.
 
Curt Hal said:
This is that last project. It was a great 3 1/2 lb. Plumb purchased from JB. The handle came back to life nicely thanks to some BLO and some beeswax. In retrospect, I wish I had only taken the wire brush to the head and not the sandpaper. I think it would have looked nicer had I just cleaned up the poll, shaped and sharpened the edge and left the patina on. Oh well, live and learn. It was great fun working on this one. Lovely wood and steel to work with. I was happy to have been able to re-use the old haft, but would have liked it had I been able to drop it down on the shoulder enough to have a quarter inch sticking out of the top of the eye. Really debated using a metal wedge. I prefer to leave them with just the wood, and I packed the empty spaces around the eye with additional wedge material, but in the end, I thought it would be safer to pop that metal wedge in.
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She looks great. Graceful lines with smooth transitions. Good job saving the old haft. Really nice work.
 
PWRstroke_smoke said:
Well they arent axes but they are all mainly late 1800's plumb blacksmith hammers
they are YERKES & PLUMB and FAYETTE R. PLUMB CO. marked
, and one champion DeArment 3lb ball peen, and a 10lb true temper sledge
I have a bunch more to hang they were my grandfathers

Wow! Those are nice! Yerkes & Plumbs to boot. Great tools thanks for sharing them with us.
More pictures of them great Plumbs would be appreciated.
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Kinda like this one. It's a Collins 2 1/4 head on a Wetterlings rough hewn hickory haft. The eye was a bit bigger than the helve (am I using that term correctly?) and so I had to put a good sized wedge into it to ensure that the head was secure. The Collins is one hard piece of steel. Once the weather warms up I will put the head into BLO for a couple of days just to make the fit even tighter. Of course you always like the one you just finished, but his one might just be a keeper and the Hults Bruk may need to get put up for sale!

Just a question: Do you all find hickory nicer to work with than ash? It seems like a harder wood, but it works nicely.

As always, constructive criticism is welcomed.
 
Curt Hal said:
Kinda like this one. It's a Collins 2 1/4 head on a Wetterlings rough hewn hickory haft. The eye was a bit bigger than the helve (am I using that term correctly?) and so I had to put a good sized wedge into it to ensure that the head was secure. The Collins is one hard piece of steel. Once the weather warms up I will put the head into BLO for a couple of days just to make the fit even tighter. Of course you always like the one you just finished, but his one might just be a keeper and the Hults Bruk may need to get put up for sale!

Just a question: Do you all find hickory nicer to work with than ash? It seems like a harder wood, but it works nicely.

As always, constructive criticism is welcomed.
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Thats one heck of a wedge! im liking it! couldnt say about the ash, ive only used hickory so far but its getter harder and harder to find so i might turn to ash next time i have to buy lumber.
 
Curt Hal said:
Just a question: Do you all find hickory nicer to work with than ash? It seems like a harder wood, but it works nicely.
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Curious choice of handle. Curved contrary (butt turns up) to the lengthy and argumentative recent thread on this forum espousing the ergonomics and physics of conventional down turned butts. Be interested to hear how they compare (should you also happen to have a conventional hung axe on hand).

Having banged down a lot of hardwood floors over the years (yellow birch, sugar maple and red oak primarily) my recent foray into installing 600 sq ft of 3/4" T&G white ash was interesting. The wood is noticeable lighter and softer than the others. Ash is commonly used for handles in Europe, but not so much here even though n. American hockey sticks/shovel/rake/wheelbarrow handles are (were) nearly always made from ash. If ever you've had the opportunity to direct an axe at an ash firewood round you'll appreciate just how easy the stuff splits. It's for that reason that I am leery of making axe hafts out of that material.
 
Ash is softer and weaker than hickory. It is also easier to work than hickory when dry. AFAIK, commercially produced ash handles are not available in North America, maybe not even in Europe anymore, so if you want an ash handle you have to make one yourself. It is still plenty strong enough to make a great axe handle, and perfectly acceptable wedge material. It is similar to maple in that it is very pale and darkens very slowly. So for a contrasting wedge to hickory heartwood it is a good choice.

Sometimes the way folks talk about handle quality on this forum is a bit over the top, like everyone is about to go out and start felling a limitless forest of 400-year-old hardwoods.
 
Oxbow said:
Sometimes the way folks talk about handle quality on this forum is a bit over the top, like everyone is about to go out and start felling a limitless forest of 400-year-old hardwoods.
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Absence of runout and proper grain orientation are infinitely more important than the choice of lumber! Years ago I saw a well used full size Douglas Fir haft. And personally had good use of one made from Hop Hornbeam. I would like to experience White Oak and American Elm. A lot of this has to do with commercial availability, price and consistent quantity/quality. I suspect that Hickory is easier and faster to come by than are the others, with the exception maybe of Red Oak and Sugar Maple, which for some reason have never caught on.
 
If you are looking for Ash to try, head to Home depot or your local hardware store. They sell wheelbarrow and thick shovel handles made of Ash, Ames brand I think. Anyway, for $10 or less you can have a clean piece that will make 2-4 straight handle for hammers or hatchets- not full axe eyes though.
 
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