What is this faintly axe-shaped tool? I'm at a loss.

[Chris Montgomery]

I wonder if it would show a quench line from hardening with an etchant like vinegar? Could be all or none of it was hardened. It is a curious little bugger. If tool could only talk.

Chris

 

[Knifein]

What is this faintly axe-shaped tool?

It's junk, that's what it is.

 

[screened porch]

It's junk, that's what it is.

d e l e t e

 

[Chris Montgomery]

Just because it has no value to you does not make it junk. Hand made tools, especially old ones had or have a purpose. We may struggle to find what they were but that does not negate the value, historic or otherwise.

Chris

 

[M3mphis]

It's junk, that's what it is.

Good for you. Take it elsewhere.

 

[Metal Made Fox]

Hand made tools, especially old ones had or have a purpose.

We may struggle to find what they were

How do we even know that thing was a tool in the first place? For all we know it could be a broken piece of frame/scrap metal from an old Yugo.

 

[screened porch]

Chris- good idea; I'll get out the vinegar.

I'd rather we didn't stray into arguments about different value systems or the nature of knowledge, but that is for each poster to choose.

 

[Chris Montgomery]

We don't know exactly what it is. Which is why I wondered about hardening. As for a Yugo, or any other car part, I say no as do the other mechanics in the shop I work at. One guy posed that it could be a seat spring to an old farm implement. But that still doesn't explain the addition of the cross bar or whatever it may be. Whatever it is it has been altered from its original state it appears.

But I still don't agree with calling it junk without have a knowledge of what it really is. Why call it junk if you have no idea what it is? I could be an idea for a tool or something that didn't work. That happens. Not every tool was conceived properly from the begining.

Chris

 

[Storm Crow]

I'd say it's pretty definitely made from a leaf spring, especially with your comparison picture. It's kind of like finding something made from a wagon tire; the shape of the metal kind of tells you what it had been at one point.

With that in mind, I'd hazard that the hole at the end of the tang is the original bolt hole of the spring pack, squished rectangular when drawing the tang out. At the same time, knowing how much it would have closed up the hole to forge like that and seeing how it bulges around the hole, some effort was made to keep it open with a punch or drift.

 

[screened porch]

Hey, Chris-
I just came back to edit out some of my huffy prissiness.
I agree with you that whoever made it deserves some respect whether we can figure out what he was doing or not. And it might have been perfect for some job that we can't imagine.
I'll let you know if MWTCA comes up with any ideas on it.

Jer

 

[screened porch]

Storm Crow- Thank you for your observations.
I may have to make a handle for it and see how it feels. First I'll try debarking a wheel of maple I've got out back.

 

[Square_peg]

.....and seeing how it bulges around the hole, some effort was made to keep it open with a punch or drift.

Definitely.


The side handle would be useful for twisting the tool. That could be helpful in debarking.

 

[Square_peg]

I still don't think it was made to receive a wooden handle. That handle or tang or whatever is drawn out to irregularly for that. Besides, why pin a handle with a wedge when you could just bend the tang over it?

 

[screened porch]

I still don't think it was made to receive a wooden handle. That handle or tang or whatever is drawn out to irregularly for that. Besides, why pin a handle with a wedge when you could just bend the tang over it?

That shank is pretty fat, too- ca 1/2x 3/8 in the middle. So a big stick and a lusty ferule would be needed.

 

[Storm Crow]

Besides, why pin a handle with a wedge when you could just bend the tang over it?

I'm not following what you're saying there. Bend the tang over it?

 

[Square_peg]

Bend the tang over it?

This used to be the SOP for putting a wood handle on a tang.

And when you do it you want a nice uniform taper on the tang so it's easy to install. No one would leave a tang like that one if they were going to apply a wooden handle.


Edit: For some reason the photo isn't showing up. I'll try uploading it again.

 

[Storm Crow]

I see the photo.

Ok, I follow. Thanks!

With debarking spuds, they usually had a long handle on it, or at least the ones I've seen in pictures. I'm envisioning this thing fitted into a handle like a big tanged chisel.

Here's a video I just found showing it in use and the handle length I had in mind:

[video=youtube;IcSI8wmLfGc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcSI8wmLfGc[/video]

His has a hook off to the side where Scrteened Porch's has the side handle. No idea what it's for there since he doesn't use it in the video. But the angle and the levering motion he uses with it corresponds with how I'm envisioning this one being used with that size of handle. My guess is, using the side-handle to push with the foot for extra force.

 

[Charlie_K]

Whatever it is it's sure interesting.

 

[screened porch]

Thanks for the video, Storm Crow. I was surprised the guy never rolled the log, which his hook might have been good for. Or for snagging some of the loose bark from underneath. The tool is pretty close to mine, really.
I tried attacking that maple wheel with the bare iron, and hurt my joints a bit. As I really should have predicted. Next I'll try putting the long shank into a shovel handle.

 

[screened porch]

Here's what I did to it. Shovel handle drilled for shank, possibly my last bit of brass drain from a bathtub pounded over for a ferule, brass pin through the hole in the tang, shims and expanding poly glue around the tang. It's about 4.5 ft long OA.

One use for the side spur, if you're as inaccurate as I am with this tool, is to place the blade at the edge of the bark and heel-kick it to start the peeling.

It may still be good for harvesting dandelion roots in one piece.