What kind of Axe/pick is this?

[scotchleaf]

This was found in Maine - is it some kind of ice tool?

Sorry about the large picture.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

It's an ice harvesting axe.

 

[scotchleaf]

Thanks - any idea about the age?

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

No clue, other than the fact that it almost certainly dates back to the time when in-home electric refrigeration wasn't the norm.

 

[Square_peg]

..... it almost certainly dates back to the time when in-home electric refrigeration wasn't the norm.

Ice boxes were still common out west here until the post-war era. My Mom tells stories about the iceman coming (weekly or twice weekly in summer) and all the neighborhood kids swarming around hoping for chips. The old ice warehouses for the fishing industry here in Seattle used walls 2 feet thick filled with sawdust for insulation. Ice was big business.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Yeah it was! And Maine had a long tradition of ice harvesting. You find those ice axes and ice tongs all over the place in antique shops here.

 

[Pipeman]

That's a neat ice axe, never seen one up here.

I hate to admit this but I remember the iceman delivering blocks to my house when I was young. He'd always take his ice pick and chip me off a few pieces to suck on. In later life I lived on Lake Simcoe where ice harvesting was a huge industry. They had huge ice barns where they would store ice from winter to winter in sawdust. They used long ice saws to cut big blocks from the lake. I've seen ice on Simcoe up to 5 feet thick.

Regards

Robin

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

I've often seen "Lightning" hay knives listed on the 'bay as ice saws--were they actually used for that task or is that a fallacy like I think it is?

I actually have a vintage hay knife I use for sawing open round bales for the horses.

 

[Ah Pook]

Nice axe head.

Just picked this one up.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Ooh--that's a nice lookin' Pulaski, too!

 

[Square_peg]

Ooh--that's a nice lookin' Pulaski, too!

Indeed. And Forest Service Spec, too. I like how the mattock is forged our horizontally. With many of the newer Pulaskis the mattock is forged vertically and then twisted into the horizontal position like this.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Ew! That's cheating! :barf:

 

[Ah Pook]

Thanks.

I don't think the pulaski ever had an edge put on either end or saw much use. It's sitting on the bench waiting for a new haft.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Just remember--it's the underside of the mattock blade (facing towards you when held) that you want to sharpen!

 

[cooperhill]

Thanks for the pulaski lesson Peg.